King James

Recently I have been hearing more and more comments on the use of various Bible versions other than the King James Version. For some, nothing will do but the King James version. They think that the other versions lose meaning in the different word choices. One claimed that the word replacements of other versions are not synonymous with the expression in the KJV and therefore the other versions will lead to heresy, and for this we will be judged. (We all know Jesus spoke King James English. And Paul wrote his Letters in King James English. Too bad for the non-English-speaking peoples, their Bible is full of heresies. Maybe instead of translating the Bible into other languages we should be teaching everyone the English language so they can be saved.) This is bull shit!

Seriously folks!

I understand there are English versions which are paraphrases of the Word and should not be regarded as authoritative Scripture. And I know there are some English versions which were written to accommodate political or religious propaganda. But there are multiple sound English versions, and certainly in numerous world languages too. The King James Version is not THEE Word of God.

Though human hands have scribed the original manuscripts and human hands have copied them and translated them and made copies of copies of copies to be passed on and copied again…God has faithfully preserved his Word through all the generations and through all the different translations into different languages. So that even now, after so many copies and translations, the Bible remains as effective today as when it was first written, to instruct and train us in the way of salvation. We don’t have the original autographs anymore, and we certainly gain understanding if we study Biblical Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin languages. But God’s Word is not without authority even in our own native and cultural tongues.