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DID GOD WRITE ONLY ONE BIBLE?
Jeffrey Khoo
The Board of Elders of
Life BPC, in a statement issued on January 25, 2008, accused me of
misrepresenting their pastors in my article “Multiversions Onlyism” (http://www.febc.edu.sg/
VPP71.htm) which is a critique of Dr James D Price’s book against the KJV-Only
position, a book the Rev Yap Beng Shin (pastor of Olivet BPC) helped print and
promote. (Note that the KJV-Only position was upheld in Life BPC’s 50th
Anniversary Magazine [1950-2000], and the Statement of Reconciliation of
January 5, 2003 by its Board of Elders when the Rev Dr Timothy Tow was still
pastor of Life BPC.)
It is no secret that the
Rev Charles Seet and the Rev Colin Wong had publicly joined hands with the Rev
Yap Beng Shin and others to attack
the Biblical doctrine of the Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP) of the
Scriptures, a doctrine (to them a “heresy”) which seeks to defend the
KJV and its underlying texts/words (see
http://www.lifebpc.com/ourstand/stmtvpp.htm).
In my article, I simply stated the facts and made the logical assumption, and
not without reason. (I hope they will write a critique of Price’s pricy book
to rid any appearance of evil, for his book has been promoted in Singapore,
especially in BP churches. Anyway, since I have already done the work, why do
they not simply accept my critique but instead criticise me for defending the
KJV and its underlying texts/words?)
Now, could this not be
the reason? The Rev Colin Wong, in his sermon—“Did God Write Only One
Bible?”—preached at Life BPC on October 28, 2007, declared what is according
to him Life BPC’s position on the quality of the manuscripts the KJV
translators had in their possession. In his sermon, he said:
“On this
Reformation Sunday, I would like to declare unto you what is Life BP Church’s
position on the Word of God. Thus I have entitled my message, ‘Did God Write
Only One Bible?’ …
“Since the translation
of the KJV or the Authorized Version of 1611 there has been more concrete
manuscript evidence that is available today, which is far superior to that
which was available to the King James Version translators in 1611.”
Now, if the manuscripts
today are “far superior” to those of the KJV, how then can Life BPC make the
claim that the KJV and its underlying texts are “the best?” It just does not
make sense!
Later in his sermon, the
Rev Wong criticised the Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP) of the Holy
Scriptures, and FEBC’s defence of the good old Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek
words on which the AV/KJV is based, and claimed he is backed by the
Trinitarian Bible Society (TBS): “…[T]he Trinitarian Bible Society and many
other faithful and truthful Bible scholars do not hold or support the VPP
position. Mr A J Brown of the Trinitarian Bible Society said and I spent many
hours with the staff there when I was in
London ministering there. …”
I wrote to the Rev
Malcolm Watts, Mr D P Rowland, and Mr David Larlham, officers of the TBS, for
clarification concerning Rev Wong’s view of the “manuscript evidence” and “Mr
A J Brown” quoting his words above.
Mr David Larlham, the Assistant General Secretary of TBS, was very kind to
reply, and I quote him in full:
“Thank you for your
e-mail of 29th October about the Rev. Colin Wong’s sermon ‘Did God
Write Only One Bible?’. I am sorry it has taken us a while to respond. As you
have written to probably the three busiest men within TBS, we regret to say
that we have not had the opportunity to listen to the sermon you mention. I
think it must be acknowledged that we are unlikely to find the opportunity for
some time to come, in the midst of all the other more pressing duties that lie
upon us.
“While it would be unfair
to comment in any detail upon Mr Wong’s message without hearing it,
I can
state unequivocally on behalf of the Society that the views you say that Mr
Wong expressed concerning the manuscripts available to the translators of the
English Authorised Version in 1611 are most definitely not those of TBS.
“Whereas Dr David Allen, our current
senior Deputation Speaker, most consistently upholds and articulates the views
held by the General Committee of the Society,
we would suggest that neither
you nor the Rev. Wong should place any such reliance upon the comments of Mr
Andrew Brown going back around 20 years.
“I trust that your ‘deep
concerns’ are allayed. From a careful perusal of our current publications, our
web site, and our Statement of Doctrine of Holy Scripture and Word List, it
ought to be obvious where the Society stands, and historically has always
stood, on such matters. Where any member of staff or representative may have
deviated from those views, they had no mandate to do so and no heed should be
paid to any such statements.”
Readers ought to note
that Mr A J Brown, former editorial secretary of the TBS, was quoted not only
by the Rev Colin Wong,
but also Life BPC’s “Godly Path” paper (http://www.lifebpc.com/ ourstand/godlypath.htm), and Calvary Jurong’s Anti-VPP paper (http://www.truth.sg/ response/caljurong.htm)
to discredit FEBC and its defence of the KJV and its underlying texts or
words.
I am thus heartened to
know that TBS does not encourage placing a reliance on Mr A J Brown’s views as
expressed in 1984, and am particularly delighted by TBS’s excellent critique
of the NKJV as published in
their Quarterly Record, October-December 2007 (http://www.trinitarianbiblesociety.org).
I would also recommend Dr David
Allen’s excellent lecture on the Special
Providential Preservation of the Word of
God (http://www.bible-sermons.org.uk/audio-sermons/767-special-providential-preservation-of-the-word-of-god).
Does the Board of
Elders of Life BPC stand with the TBS on the superiority of KJV and its
underlying texts, and reject the modern corrupt versions including the NKJV?
If they do, then are we not on the same page? If not, then it is they who are
schismatic, not us. Let us not play into the hands of Satan, the false
accuser, who seeks to divide and conquer. Both Life BPC and FEBC would only
stand to lose if we do not regroup to fight the good fight of faith to the
glory of God. (Are they not obliged to keep Article 6 of the Life BPC
Constitution on Biblical Separation?) Let us therefore follow the lead of our
founding pastor—the Rev Dr Timothy Tow—by taking a separatist stand for the
KJV, against Westcott and Hort and the modern versions, on the basis of truth,
earnestly contending for the once-for-all-settled faith based on the sole and
supreme authority of the forever infallible and inerrant words of God in these
last days of apostasy and compromise (Jude 3, Matt 5:18, 24:35). “For we can
do nothing against the truth, but for the truth” (2 Cor 13:8).
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