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"Thy Word is Truth"

(see John's Gospel, chapter 17)

"Within that awesome Volume lies,
The mystery of mysteries;
And happiest they of human race,
To whom the Lord has granted grace
To read, to fear, to hope, to pray,
To lift the latch and force the way;
And better had they ne'er been born,
Who read to doubt, or read to scorn."
Sir Walter Scott

This article (originally published in booklet form) is one of a series which is intended to encourage faith in the God-blessed Authorised Version of the Bible and to help Christians to see the 'other side' of the history of most modern versions of today.

"COME LET US REASON TOGETHER"

We invite you to read what follows in love and charity. Read it prayerfully and carefully, for we are in an age that is most dangerous, an age when Satan is "going about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." The devil is a deceiver - he always has been and always will be. His attack on the written Word of God knows no bounds. Those who name the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour dare not for one moment think they are immune from his deceptions. Just as Satan attacks the Lord Jesus Christ - the LIVING WORD OF GOD, Satan also is waging war on the WRITTEN WORD OF GOD in a most subtle and diabolical way. The Lord Jesus Christ warns His people about false prophets and teachers, in Matthew chapters 7 and 24. We read that they are not easy to detect, but thanks be to God, the elect will not be deceived.

We will speak openly and with love, and plead that you will 'REASON TOGETHER WITH US'.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN TO YOU?

John Calvin states:

"Scripture must be derived from a higher source than human conjectures, judgements, or reasons; namely, the secret testimony of the Spirit. The Scriptures exhibit clear evidence of its being spoken by God. Scripture bears upon the face of it as clear evidence of its truth, as white and black do of their colour, sweet and bitter do of their taste. When that which professes to be the Word of God is acknowledged to be so, no person (unless devoid of common sense and the feelings of a man) will have the desperate hardihood to refuse credit to the speaker. But since no daily responses are given from heaven, and the Scriptures are the only records in which God has been pleased to consign His truth to perpetual remembrance, the full authority which they ought to possess with the faithful is not recognised, unless they are believed to have come from heaven, as directly as if God had been heard giving utterance to them."

"The Institutes".

"When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him..... My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever."

Isaiah 59:19, 21

We believe, like Spurgeon, "that God gives the men and prepares the times in which they are to act; there is an hour for the voice and a voice for the hour." We believe NOW is the time to speak out against the Satanic attack on the Word of God. Satan is causing confusion in the churches by the use of false translations.

God has given a great gift to the English-speaking people, and as Christians we should accept this gift by faith; a Bible proven over many hundreds of years, this gift is the Authorised Version of the Bible.

Great scholars and learned men are today conjuring up terrible doubts in the minds of God's little children, humble Christians, those who in simplicity, humility and innocency, with open-heartedness have believed the Bible to be the Word of God, who are by grace called into the kingdom of His dear Son, to His praise and glory.
Those scholars who are guilty of deception need to heed the warning given by the Lord Jesus concerning the little ones called by Jesus. (see Matthew 18:6).

The question we are about to address is:

"Is it possible to translate from one language to another the original inspired Word of God and still be able to assert that it is Inspired, Infallible and Inerrant?"

The Word of God is a living organic Word, not a dead word that men think they can manipulate. The organic Word requires a conveyance. This conveyance can be mechanical or electronic, e.g. letters/words (Greek, English or whatever) on paper, magnetic tape or disc etc.

We must keep in mind that we are dealing with Holy Scripture that is preserved by God the Holy Spirit, the author who gave the original God-breathed Word. He, the Holy Spirit, has been given to His people to lead them into all truth. Praise God, the Holy Spirit is alive today and active in the church. We maintain and believe that He has not failed to provide a reliable and trustworthy Bible in English - God's gift to this people.

THE THREE I's

There are several words which are applied to the Bible in general, but rather less often the Authorised Version in particular. These words are 'Inspired', 'Infallible' and 'Inerrant'. When we mention these three words in relation to Holy Scripture, all three are directly linked together. By this we mean that you cannot have one without the other two. For example: if we state the Bible is inspired by God the Holy Spirit, then it is also infallible and inerrant. Why is this so? The answer is that we are dealing with a Holy God, a God who is absolute perfection, the Almighty God. He is the author, the custodian and the preserver of the written Word. All that He does is perfect. It then follows that God being the author of the inspired Word, the Word must be without error.

Let us look briefly at the meaning of these words.

'Inspired': Note that each of the words start with the two letters 'IN'. Therefore, each word can be separated into two parts for clarification of meaning. In -'spire'- spirit; from the Latin word 'spiräre' - to breathe; 'Spirit-breathed'.

It must follow by logical reasoning that we who are Christians and believe that the Holy Spirit is God the third person of the Trinity, very God of very God, then everything that He does is perfect. People, who being inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote what had been 'In-breathed'. These writings, known and protected by God the Holy Spirit came together and formed the Canon, the genuine books of the Holy Scriptures. See 2 Timothy 3:16.

Geoffrey Thomas in his booklet, "Reading the Bible" says:

"There are many books written by gifted men, but none can claim to be the direct out-breathing of God, so that what it says, God says. That is Scripture's 'grand prerogative', and that distinctiveness no other book shares, for there is an absolute equivalent and correlation between what the Bible says and what God says. Only in Holy Scripture does God speak directly to us."

'Infallible': Fallible means capable of erring, tending or likely to err. It is a word from the Latin 'fallibus' from 'falere' which means to deceive. The preposition 'in' denotes the opposite. The very thought of God's Word deceiving us is preposterous. The infallible God has given to us an infallible Word. He can do no other! He is just and true in all His ways. Revelation 15:3. Because the Word - the Scriptures - come from God then they are incapable of erring.

'Inerrant': The simple meaning of this word is: 'without error' or 'free from error'. If we separate the word: 'in' and 'errant' we may understand the meaning a little better when applied to Bible translations and the many versions that are around today. Errant: wandering, roving, rambling (not fixed), roaming as a knight-'errant' in search of adventure. When we add the 'in' to 'errant' we get 'inerrant': not wandering, fixed (as a star). "For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven." Psalm 119:1.

Settled: fixed in heaven, not roaming or rambling around, but settled. We believe that by the power and authority of the Holy Spirit that same Word is settled, fixed on earth, inerrant, not roaming between versions and translations. "The Greek says this," and "This version says that" - endless and errant (rambling) debating. As we have mentioned before, the Authorised Version is God's gift to the English-speaking people and we maintain and believe that it is settled and inerrant.

The Authorised Version of the Bible will remain the conveyance of the inerrant Word of God until the Holy Spirit decides otherwise.

"O how I love thy law! it is my meditation all the day ... I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies (Holy Scriptures - 2 Timothy 3:15) are my meditation ... I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts ... for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." -

Psalm 119:97-105.

"THE WRITING ON THE WALL" We believe that we have in this day and age reached a very dangerous position regarding what is called 'Versionism'.

One Bible, only twenty years ago, was the accepted Word of God. Ministers and preachers would affirm that from Genesis to Revelation every Word was inspired. Children and adults would learn whole passages. The Authorised Version was the believer's Bible. The authority of God was upheld in the congregation by the public reading of the Word.

We became known as "The people of THE BOOK". What has changed?

Daniel, talking to Belshazzar, states that,

"Nebuchadnezzar was given by the most high God a kingdom, a majesty, and glory, and honour ... all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: ... But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed ... till he knew the most high God rules in the kingdom of men --- And thou ... Belshazzar hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of Heaven."
Daniel 5.
"And then Belshazzar saw the part of the hand that wrote."
Matthew Poole comments on this statement:
"God intended it for him, and that he should see it with his own eyes, and it should not be brought him by report, which affords ground of doubting; but here was undeniable proof and conviction, the visible hand of God was here."

At the Tower of Babel we read that the confusion of languages retarded advancement. Surely God would never have changed every tongue knowing that one day in the future it would prevent the Scriptures being translated free from error?

The writing on the wall and the confusion of languages show that Almighty God is in no way restricted by different tongues and languages, spoken or written. He employs languages to His own advantage.

Daniel by the power of God interpreted the writing on the wall and we by the same Spirit can read and understand God's Word in our own tongue free from error.

Belshazzar had gone too far! He was about to be judged by God and found wanting.
Have we as a nation gone too far? Have we rejected the Bible that God gave to us as a people?

Bible versions are being produced for every sect by learned men who confuse those who are seeking to know the truth. They put out statements stating "archaic words are detrimental to the understanding of the Bible".

For an example: in helping to encourage people to read the Bible daily, a leading Evangelical churchman wrote:

"There are ways in which a tablet can be made easier to take. Sugar-coating helps it slip down. Many of us remember too well the years of trying to swallow tablets that did not slip down. A good coating also helps it get more quickly to where it can take effect. There are also various 'coatings' to help us digest the Scriptures more readily and effectively. Just on the market is the Revised English Bible - successor to the New English Bible. Then there is the New International Version, the Good News Version, all right for starting - not reliable for study, the Revised Standard Version, the Jerusalem Bible - and so many more. My heart sinks to see some confirmation candidates clutching a white-covered Authorised Version - which a young person finds so difficult to grasp even if older folk like it.... If you do not have a good Bible - buy one this week."

Chester Diocesan News No. 769.

How in the name of common sense can a Bible that is claimed to be the Word of God be "all right for starting - not reliable for study."?

The Authorised Version has been tested and approved by a four-hundred-year history and through many revivals in many lands.

Rev. John Sawyer, London 1990:

"Are you aware that a competition between publishers and scholars is in progress, trying to produce a new Bible that will monopolise the market?"

The truth of the problem was stated years ago by Mark Twain:

"It is not so much the things that I do not understand about the Bible that bother me, but the things I do."

With an English dictionary, one can look up the meaning of the few words not used in ordinary conversation. Do not forget the Apostle Peter's observations about Paul the Apostle's writings: "As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction." 2 Peter 3:16. Please read the next verse (17), carefully.

Theodore P. Letis, Edinburgh, speaking in September 1989 about modern Bible publishers, writes:

"The supreme example of their work is the translation that did not blush to make bold in its earliest advertising claims to be the beginning of a New Tradition in the history of the English Bible. This was a deliberate disowning of the martyr's Bible tradition to make way for the corporate boardroom Bible. Though it was given life by the Zondervan Corporation, the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION then fell into the hands of the Harper & Row Publishers as a result of a corporate take-over. This company, in turn, was also taken over by Rupert Murdock, the publisher of - among other things - the British daily paper THE SUN, notorious for its nude pin-ups. Such is the modern world of the designer Bible. We mention this not to indulge in criticism, but rather to drive home the fact that modern Bible publishers operate in the cold world of profit, like any other business organisation. It is not the edification of men's souls they are after, it is their purchasing power."

Belshazzar had gone too far. Have we as a nation, as a church, GONE TOO FAR? Are we to be found wanting? to be judged by God? Belshazzar did not heed what had happened to Nebuchadnezzar but poured scorn on God. May we in God's mercy turn back to being the people of THE BOOK before it is too late.

PROVE ALL THINGS

Headlines in a newspaper of December 7th 1992 stated:

WATCH OUT FOR 'FUNNY MONEY'

"Forgeries detector Veronica Parratt claims forged £50 notes made on laser photocopiers are being sold for £15, while dud £20 and £10 notes are on sale for £8 and £4. Mrs Parratt says some of the currency is made in Britain, but other examples are being imported from Belgium. People who hand fake notes or coins to the police or banks just lose out."

She goes on to say:

"Forgeries tend to be produced on wood-based paper, while genuine notes are cotton-based. The difference is obvious under the ultra-violet light."

We would ask you, in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, are you using a 'false' copy of the Scriptures? Have you proved the Bible you are reading and studying? Do not take the word of any scholar or learned person, but prove it for yourself. Bring it to the Light for verification. Remember, if you continue to handle a false version you will be the loser - no one else.Do you have a respect for the Authorised Version as the God-given, preserved Word of God? It is quite easy to check how different in content any modern version is from the Authorised Version by means of the Jasper James Ray Test scriptures. Never accept statements such as: "The language is outdated and hard to understand." One can overcome this problem with a little diligence, but you cannot overcome error of translation, e.g. additions, omissions of texts and words.

Would you prefer brand new forged £20 notes in your wage packet or notes that have been proved, that have been in circulation for some time, that are genuine? Of course you would prefer the genuine. Why then accept counterfeit translations that take no notice of the terrible punishments God will bring on those who add and take away words from the Bible - the Word of God?

Please look at the following scriptures: Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:5,6; Revelation 22:18, 19. It is no accident that these warnings are placed at the beginning, the middle and the end of the Bible. We plead with you, prove your Bible.

1 Samuel 17:39, "David said, I have not proved them." (The sword and armour of Saul.) Two texts on this subject are to be found in:

Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may PROVE what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
and
1 Thessalonians 5:21, "PROVE all things; hold fast that which is good."

David would not use Saul's sword because he had not proved it, and we are not to use any Bible claiming to be the Word of God unless proven first to be the infallible Word of God. To prove anything takes time, effort and diligence. The Authorised Version has over many years been proven to be the Infallible, Inerrant Word, used by God to His glory. New Bible translations have been proved and found wanting - they are counterfeit. God the Holy Spirit will, however, not be restricted by Satan in bringing in God's lost sheep to the Saviour. He can and does use all means to achieve His objective. "My sheep hear my voice."

The Authorised Version we believe is God's proven Inerrant Word available to His people. It may require words to be changed that are not in use today, but having said that, it still remains, without error, the Word of God in English.

"GIVE ME A LIGHT?"

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

James 1:17

The Lord Jesus Christ our High Priest, who loves us and gave Himself for us, is God in Christ; He would not give to us a light that would fail us on our pilgrimage, or in our time of need. If we believe and teach that the Authorised Version is not inerrant (as some Evangelicals do) then it must follow that we could be reading error and not the Word of God, and the light of the Word would fail. What God has provided is a sure Word; an inerrant Word, free from error; a perfect light, a light not made with human hands; a light that shall never fail, a reliable light - fully trustworthy.

God's Infallible Word:

"The Authorised Version of the Bible"

"Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,"

Luke 24:45

"If at any time, then, we are troubled at the small number of those who believe, let us, on the other hand, call to mind, that none comprehend the mysteries of God save those to whom it is given."

John Calvin: "Institutes"

The booklet "Thy Word is Truth" was compiled by Mr Ron Smith and Mr Alfred Reeves.

There is a sequel to this booklet entitled:

"How to find faith in the traditional word of God"

Since 1380 there have been over 428 Bibles or New Testaments combined in the English language. During the last 100 years they have been increasing in number. During the 50 years between 1900 and 1950 there were 18 new versions. Then since 1950 we have had already twice that number.

Compiled by Ron Smith and Alfred Reeves

Last updated July, 2000