|
THE BATTLE FOR THE KING JAMES BIBLE IN THE BIBLE-PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
S H Tow
History Teaches Vital Lessons
For 56 years, ever since the founding
of the Bible-Presbyterian Church, I have grown with the Church, and
observed (as well as played a part in) the unrelenting and mounting
conflict over the use of Bible Versions.
From the day of its founding in 1950,
the King James Bible (KJB) has been our Bible, the one Bible which we held
to be the Word of God. To me, this was a crucial issue, to be able to
substantiate our Doctrine (Constitution 4.2.1) that "We believe in the
divine, verbal and plenary inspiration of the Scriptures in the original
languages, their consequent inerrancy and infallibility, and, as the Word
of God, the Supreme and final authority in faith and life," with a
tangible BOOK.
By the 1970s, our Presbytery and Synod
meetings had become the battleground of Bible Versions. We began to
witness a rising chorus of voices from certain of the younger members,
calling for the introduction of Modern English Versions. For the first
time the KJB’s unchallenged supremacy in our B-P Church came under attack.
I witnessed the attempts to dislodge
the KJB from year to year, gathering support in numbers and strength. By
1988, this and other contentious issues, came to "breaking point." While
not the only issue, the conflict over the KJB was an important factor
leading to the disintegration of the B-P Synod in 1988.
From that time, several B-P Churches
abandoned the KJB to adopt Modern English Versions. This was a crucial
turning point, signaling their slide into the Ecumenical stream. Calvary
held fast, unmoved and faithful to our first love for the beloved KJB.
Beyond Versions—Why I Wrote It
While I led our Calvary group of
churches, steadfastly holding to the KJB as the answer to our Constitution
4.2.1, the Lord laid on my heart to investigate the grounds for our belief
that it was only the KJB which could be held up as God’s Word in English.
After years of study, prayer, and
research, the Spirit led me to write Beyond Versions. At that time
the attack on "Bible Preservation" had not erupted openly, so the thrust
of my book was merely to demonstrate, beyond reasonable doubt, that only
one English version, the KJB fulfilled all the criteria of a BOOK that
could be regarded as GOD’S WORD, and without mistake since it is a very
accurate and faithful translation of God’s inspired and preserved words in
the "original languages."
In the process I have demonstrated
beyond doubt, that the KJB is what it is, because its source texts, the OT
Masoretic Text and the NT Textus Receptus, have been divinely preserved
through the ages. This is VPP implied.
Readers are urged to read Beyond
Versions. Here I shall merely present some excerpts which are fully in
support of the much discussed VPP doctrine and the KJB (both of which are
under fierce attack at this time).
Excerpts from Beyond Versions
(BV)
Quote: "This Gospel offer is revealed
to us, complete and perfect, through one Bible, the King James Bible (KJB)
or Authorised Version" (BV, 21). The King James Bible is God’s greatest
gift, the Crowning Gem of the Sixteenth Century Reformation; the Light
which shattered a thousand years of a dark system; the Bulwark of "the
faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3); the Rock of
Defence against counterfeit Christianity; the mighty Sword of the Spirit
which spells doom to the Father of lies. For over three centuries, this
Book reigned supreme, the one faithful, authoritative, unique and accurate
translation into English of the wholly and verbally inspired and
preserved, inerrant, infallible, Hebrew and Greek words of God.
"Satan hates the King James Bible"
(BV, 22). His diabolical genius conceived a dark scheme: the King James
Bible must be replaced! False teachers will bring forth corrupted Modern
English Versions harbouring another message, "preaching another Jesus …
another spirit … another gospel …" (2 Cor 11:4), "And no marvel; for Satan
himself is transformed into an angel of light … his ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of righteousness" (2 Cor 11:14-15).
The Texts: These were the best
manuscripts—the Masoretic Hebrew Old Testament Text and the Received Greek
New Testament Text (Textus Receptus). These were accurate and preserved
copies of the inspired, inerrant, infallible Scriptures handed down by the
Jews of the Old Testament and by the saints of the New Testament. They
were carefully copied by their custodians. "These accurate copies (apographs)
were in the possession of the faithful church up to the time of the
Reformation and accepted by Protestant scholars as the most accurate and
closest to the originals (autographs)" (BV, 46).
What need we say more? God’s greatest
gift of the Sixteenth Century Reformation has lost none of its light and
truth. Preserving perfectly each and every doctrine of Scripture, it
stands unrivalled—the greatest translation of all time (BV, 47). God’s
people may find complete safety and security in the Hebrew Masoretic Text,
the Greek Textus Receptus and "the KJB, God’s Preserved
Prescription—inerrant, infallible, authoritative" (BV, 130).
Both Beyond Versions and the "VPP
doctrine" tell one story: that God has perfectly preserved all the words
in the "MSS" (manuscripts or apographs) from which comes the KJB, the only
English translation that reflects the perfectly inspired and preserved
Word of God in the original languages, "inerrant, infallible, and without
mistake."
Beyond Versions supports VPP.
Gospel Safeguard: VPP
Reader, pray as you ponder on this
"12-point Statement," a statement which will lead us into "green pastures
and still waters."
1. All true
sons of the Reformation believe: "The just shall live by faith and faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom 1:17; 10:17).
Stated another way, "We are born again of the incorruptible word of God,
which word endureth for ever and by it the gospel is preached" (1 Pet
1:23, 25).
2. As true
sons of the Reformation we believe that God’s Word which is
incorruptible and endureth for ever is equally "inerrant" (without
mistake) and "infallible" (incapable of making mistake).
3. Since
its founding the Bible-Presbyterian Church has written into its
Constitution belief in the inerrant and infallible Word of God (Article
4.2.1): "We believe in the divine, verbal and plenary inspiration of the
Scriptures in the original languages, their consequent inerrancy and
infallibility, and, as the Word of God, the Supreme and final authority
in faith and life."
4. In this
"article of faith" the "Scriptures in the original languages" refer to
the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words in the autographs (which over time
and with "wear and tear" are no longer in existence) and the apographs
(which are the continuously preserved and uncorrupted copies of the
autographs, presently existing, accessible, and identifiable).
5. The
Scriptures we use today are the King James Version (KJV, KJB), the time-honoured
and beloved Bible of the Reformation. Whenever we refer to our
Constitution 4.2.1, we hold up the KJV or KJB as God’s Word, "inerrant
and infallible" precisely because it is derived from the original
language Scriptures that God has verbally and plenarily inspired.
6. By the
fruit we know the tree: the KJB is the "fruit" derived from the "tree"
the "source texts" or "MSS" (manuscripts). We believe that God’s
inerrant and infallible Word, as represented by the KJB had been
derived from totally inerrant and infallible source texts or "MSS"
or "Apographs" (copies of the Autographs).
7.
Question: Can we identify these texts?
8. Answer:
Absolutely. Our great God did not leave Himself without witness, but
preserved perfectly a body of MSS: the Masoretic Hebrew Old Testament
Text and the Received Greek New Testament Text (Textus Receptus). From
these perfectly preserved copies of God’s inspired, inerrant, infallible
Scriptures, is derived our KJB.
9. What is
"VPP"? "V" is "Verbal," meaning "word for word" (Websters Dictionary).
"P" is "Plenary," meaning "complete or absolute" (Websters Dictionary).
"P" is "Preservation" meaning "kept from corruption or error."
10. "VPP of
Scripture" refers to the supernatural and special providential care of
God over the ages (Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter I, VIII; see
also Ps 12:6,7; Matt 5:18, 24:35; 1 Pet 1:25), safeguarding the
transmission of the MSS by scribes or copyists, so that the body of
texts (Masoretic Hebrew OT and Received Greek NT) has been kept pure as
the "good tree" giving us the "good fruit," the KJB.
11. As the
attacks on God’s Word increase in intensity, God’s faithful remnant
people also increase and intensify in their loyalty to God’s Word
without which the Gospel’s entire foundation would collapse.
12. The
inspired and preserved Word of God for the Bible-Presbyterian Church is
upheld by a "threefold cord" which cannot be broken, namely: (i)
Constitution 4.2.1, (ii) the VPP of God’s Word, (iii) the KJB, the
Reformation Bible.
Mark these words: The present attack
on the VPP will lead ultimately to a denial and betrayal of the KJB. This
is a prediction worth watching. God bless all readers with spiritual
discernment.
Dr S H Tow is the author of Beyond Versions and
the contributing editor of the Defined King James Bible. He serves
as Senior Pastor of the Calvary group of Bible-Presbyterian Churches (Jurong,
Pandan, Tengah) and Truth Bible-Presbyterian Church; and is
advisory/supervisory pastor of Ebenezer Bible-Presbyterian Church
(Melbourne), Sydney Bible-Presbyterian Church, Vancouver
Bible-Presbyterian Church, Calvary Bible-Presbyterian Church (Toronto),
New Life Bible-Presbyterian Church (London), Chinese Christian Church of
Saipan, and Calvary Reformed Presbyterian Church (Colombo, Sri Lanka).
- Published in
The Burning Bush, Volume 12 Number
2 (July 2006)
Top
/ Back
|