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Church Growth - VI
For when one says, I am of Paul, and
another, of Apollos, are you not carnal?
I Corinthians 3:4
One of the reasons people believe the KJV is the only Bible that should be used, is because they feel all the other versions of the Bible have been corrupted or changed. So let's do a little comparison with John 3:16; many people believe it is the entire gospel message in a nutshell. So here it is in the King James Version of 1769 (I think).
1. KJV – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
2. Legacy Standard Bible – For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
3. English Standard Version - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
It seems to me that the gospel message is quite clear in any of these versions. The Legacy Standard Bible seems to have more reverence for the text because it capitalizes more of the pronouns that refer to God, much more than the KJV.
So here is another question many people have, why do some of the modern versions delete phrases or parts of verses from the Bible? It is true that the books of the Apocrypha that King James had included in the authorized version of 1611, are not found in most of the modern versions. But they have also been taken out of the KJV; I never hear people complain about that fact.
Some portions of Scripture have been deleted because they were not found in the older more accurate manuscripts. If those words do not appear in any manuscripts before the fourteenth century, then someone added them along the way. So here is what our discussion is boiling down to. Do we want the true Word of God as it was delivered to the prophets, apostles, and men of God? Or do we simply want to hold to a version of the Bible because we grew up with it?
Consider the houses we live in; do we want a house that doesn't have indoor plumbing like our ancestors used? That would be a silly, stiff-necked, back-woods way to live, especially when God has given us so many modern blessings. Here is a statement by Kevin Gates that can be applied to the KJV Only controversy; "It is OK for you to believe what you believe, it is not OK for you to insist that everyone else believe the same as you.
If Christ, who is the Head of the church has given us freedom in this area, then maybe we should allow freedom, even in the worship services. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, II Corinthians 3:17. Contact the author at: (thoughtsonword@gmail.com) if you have any comments or questions.
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published four books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016, Eye of a Needle in 2017, Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019 and A Bridge Between in 2023. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.