Answering Common Attacks/Criticisms Against our Stand for the KJB (pt.2)

4. Most Christians do not hold to your position, it is not the historic fundamentalist position. 

Wouldn’t the attitude of Jesus Christ and the apostles concerning the word of God be the historic example we should follow? Where did they EVER cast doubt on the word of God? Did they not believe the scriptures they had access to was the perfect word of God? They didn’t have the originals! Church history proves NOTHING as far as doctrine is concerned. Apostasy began before Paul even died. I am a Bible believer, not just a fundamentalist. A fundamentalist holds to a few fundamental doctrines but I believe all the words of God. Genuine Bible believers have never been in the majority among professing Christians, especially in the last days! There are about 8 billion people on the planet. How many do you think are really saved? Among those that are, how many really believe the word of God? Among those that do, how many rightly divide it? Scary isn’t it! In Noah’s day there were only 8 believers in the world! It is wrong to judge a position based on how many people hold to it. Judge everything in light of the word of God. Somebody has got to break wrong traditions! The fundamentalists think the Bible was only inspired in original autographs, preserved in the original languages, and accurately translated in English. But according to the scriptures inspiration is not limited to the original writings and preservation is not limited to original languages. 

5. The KJB is hard to understand, it has many archaic words. 

First of all, perhaps the real problem is you are either unsaved or very carnal (1 Cor. 2:14). I have a book in my office that proves most of the so-called archaic words are still un use today (Archaic Words and the Authorized Version by Laurence Vance). Besides, the KJB has a built-in dictionary so that we can learn and understand its words. According to a computer program the KJB is actually written on a 5th grade reading level. The average word has 5 letters! As for "thee", "thou", and "ye", those words are very helpful ("ye" and "you" always plural, "thee" and "thou" always singular). Also the "eth" endings puts words in the durative and continual tense. The language of the KJB is the pinnacle of the English language. Nobody wants to update Shakespeare! People pay big money to go to school and learn terms they need to know to be successful in certain fields of work. You are willing to learn what is important to you. Quit complaining about the words and study them. All the modern versions have words that are harder to understand than words in the KJB. 

6. You don’t use the 1611! There have been revisions to the KJB. 

There were about 4 editions NOT revisions issued since 1611. The minor differences are due to things like spelling and printers errors. The Answer Book by Dr. Sam Gipp quotes an article about this question written by the late Dr. David Reagan that I recommend. See this link: http://samgipp.com/answerbook/

7. You are a Ruckmanite! 

I have read Dr. Ruckman’s material but I believed the KJB before I even heard of him. Guilt by association is a classic tactic of those who can't argue with the substance we present on this issue. Dr. Ruckman did not originate the Bible-believing position on the KJB. I disagree with him on a number of issues and he is certainly not the authority for Bible-believers. The KJB is our final authority! 

Answering Common Attacks/Criticisms Against Our Stand for the KJB (part 1)

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. (Titus 1:9)

Just like there is no need to talk up a lion (just turn him loose and he will take care of himself) the King James Bible certainly doesn’t need us to defend it (2 Cor. 13:8). But for the sake of trying to help those that are opposing themselves by gainsaying the word of God, it is good for us to be able to convince them of their error (2 Tim. 2:23-26). There is a difference between those who are truly seeking the truth and those who have stubbornly closed their heart and mind to it. I wouldn’t waste my time with the latter. Sometimes we should answer a fool according to his folly and sometimes we should not (Prov. 26:4-5). It is a good testimony for us to give an answer for what we believe (Prov. 22:17-21; Col. 4:6; 1 Pet. 3:15). It is not about winning a debate but glorifying God and helping others. I can only be brief in these posts, for more information on this issue I highly recommend the Answer Book by Dr. Sam Gipp.

1. Where was the word of God before 1611?

I have heard this smart alleck question many times! The simple answer is, "I don’t care, this is 2016, where is the word of God today!" The critics not knowing where the perfect word of God is TODAY is a much bigger problem than us knowing where it was before 1611! 

I know the words of God were available to man in the Antiochian manuscripts before 1611 because God promised they would be (Ps. 12:6-7), but that doesn't mean they were always available in one volume. People who have a problem with that should consider the following facts:

1. There was no written scripture for about the first 2500 years of human history 

2. For about the next 1500 years there was not a complete Bible

3. God waited 4,000 years to send the Word of God, Jesus Christ, into the world 

Who are we to question how God does things? He sent the incarnate Word of God into the world when the "fullness of time was come" and He sent the inspired word of God in the universal language of the world when the "fullness of the time was come” -  after the invention of the printing press, when people were becoming more and more literate, and English rose to be the most understood language in the world. By the way, there were good English translations before the KJB but they were not perfect like the KJB has proven itself to be for more than 400 years. 

2. King James was a.... The translators were.... 

One of the most common attacks against the KJB is the personal and doctrinal flaws of the king that authorized its translation and of the translators themselves. They claim the KJB is just an archaic 17th century Anglican translation. How could imperfect men produce a perfect Bible? The answer is that they didn’t, God did through them. Isn’t that what He did with the original writings? Did Moses and Paul have any flaws? I am sure much of the personal attacks on King James is just slander but his personal character has nothing to do with the perfection of the Bible he authorized. I am sure the translators had some doctrinal errors. All men, no matter how brilliant, are fallible. 

The unbelieving Jews attacked Christ by pointing out His humble human family (Matt. 13:54-58). How could the Son of God be the son of a carpenter and have brothers and sisters? They stumbled over His humanity. He was not the Son of Joseph but the Son of God because He was born of a virgin. Christ was “MADE of a woman” (Gal. 4:4, modern versions say “born” but all are born of a woman!) in the LIKENESS of sinful flesh but He was the sinless Son of God! Study the lives of those listed in the genealogy of Christ (Matt. 1:1-17) and see if you can find any flaws. He was of the seed of Abraham and Abraham was a liar. He came through the tribe of Judah. Read about how Judah had Pharez and Zarah of Tamar in Gen. 38. She was his daughter in law who disguised herself as a harlot to conceive seed of him because her husband died before she had children. Christ was of the seed of David and yet David committed adultery and murder! What about Solomon and all of his pagan wives and concubines? Rahab the harlot is listed in His genealogy! Yet, He is the sinless Son of God untainted by a corrupt family tree and the KJB is pure Bible untainted by the men God used to translate and publish it. 

3. A translation cannot be inspired

Most believe that only the original writings of scripture were inspired. The quick way to answer this question is with a question (see my post, Is the King James Bible Inspired for more details). That is how Christ often answered His critics. Ask them, “Did the word of God teach you that or men?” There are many examples of inspired translations in the Bible (such as Rom. 9:17, spoken in Hebrew and Egyptian, translated in Greek and English and yet called "scripture"). God has no problems with languages, He is fluent in them all! He made sure we have exactly what He wants us to have in the English language, nothing was lost in translation. The translators were not inspired in the sense of receiving new revelation (the Bible is a complete revelation) but they were inspired in the sense of God giving them understanding (Job 32:8) to produce a perfect English translation of the holy scriptures. Paul said that Timothy knew the holy scriptures from a child (2 Tim. 3:15) and then said "All scripture IS GIVEN by inspiration of God (v.16). Timothy's family did not have the originals but they had inspired scripture! 

There are three translations referred to in the Bible and in each case the translation is performed by God and is therefore better than the original:

1) Translating the kingdom from Saul to David (2 Sam. 3:10)

2) Translating believers from power of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son (Col. 1:13)

3) Translating Enoch from earth to heaven (Heb. 11:5)

The originals were never collated in one volume and they no longer exist. Even if we had them we could not read them. The KJB is superior to the originals because we have all 66 books in our language and we can read it! 

1 John 1:9

1 John 1:8-10 

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

John was an apostle to the circumcision (Gal. 2:9) and he aimed these remarks at unbelieving Jews. It would only be the self-righteous who would say that they had no sin (Jer. 2:35; Matt. 9:10-13; Jn. 8:31-47). That God’s word was not IN them meant that they had not really believed it. John calls them liars (2:4; Jn. 8:44). The tribulation period will be a time of great deception. Many will be deceived by the antichrist and false prophet because they first deceived themselves (v.8; Jam. 1:22). 1 John 1:9 is one of the most misunderstood and misapplied verses in the Bible. The root problem, as always, is a failure to rightly divide the word of truth. This verse was not written to the Body of Christ! The apostle Paul is the divinely appointed spokesman to the Body of Christ in this present age and God inspired 13 epistles through him directly to us (Romans - Philemon). Hebrews through Revelation were written by Jewish apostles and apply historically to the kingdom saints in the Book of Acts and prophetically to the tribulation saints. Many preachers misuse 1 John 1:9 to teach that Christians must confess their sins to be forgiven. We are told that we must “keep short accounts with God” if we are going to stay in fellowship with Him. This turns the Christian life into a performance based religion. Another view goes to the other extreme and teaches that we don’t need to confess our sins at all. Because we still have the flesh we will sin. God gives us the privilege to judge our self (1 Cor. 11:31-32) and He chastens when we don’t. Of course we should confess our sins and repent because we love the Lord (2 Cor. 7:8-11). But we do not have to confess sins to be forgiven because ALL of our sins are already forgiven (Col. 2:13). The confession of SINS is required under gospel of kingdom (Mk. 1:4-5; Matt. 3:1-12; Matt. 24:14). Israel was in a covenant relationship (Lev. 26:40).