TREASURY OF SERMONS
Why Only KJV?
By Rev (Dr) Jeffrey Khoo
(Preached at Life BPC, 10.30 am service, 8 Dec 1996)
Text: Psalm 12:6-7
Introduction
The Lord has not only presented to us His Holy
Word—absolutely perfect and completely without error—by divine
inspiration through His prophets and apostles during biblical times,
He has also preserved for us His Holy Word down through the ages.
There is no single time in history that the church did not have the
Word of God. Although originally written in Hebrew and Greek, the
Lord has raised faithful men to translate His Word into English so
that we may know Him and make Him known.
Now in terms of English Bibles, there are at
least half a dozen English versions of the Bible to choose
from—besides the KJV, you have the NKJV, NASB, NIV, RSV, TEV, TLB,
NEB, CEV . . . . Can all these versions without exception be
regarded as the Word of God? Imprinted on the front cover in all
these versions are the words "Holy Bible." Now the question we want
to ask this morning is: With so many modern versions available to
us? Why do we only use the KJV? Some of you here may not be using
the KJV. For non-KJV users you must ask yourself : Is the English
version I am using the Word of God? How can I know whether my
English Bible is God’s Word. Ask these 2 questions and put your
version to the test: (1) Does it faithfully and accurately translate
the original Hebrew and Greek Bible, and (2) Does it promote or
demote our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?
For our discussion, let us put 3 of the more
popular versions to the test, comparing them with the KJV. We will
see how these popular versions (1) are unreliable translations of
the Bible, and (2) have demoted the person and work of Christ. We
will also see how the KJV is reliable and accurate in its
translation of God’s Word.
The TEV or GNB and the Blood
of Christ
How may a sinner be cleansed of sin? Only by the
blood of Jesus Christ shed for us on the cross. For without the
shedding of blood "there is no remission" (Heb 9:22). We are
redeemed by "the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pet 1:19).
Yet the TEV (or Good News Bible) replaced the
word "blood" with "death," or "sacrifice." This has occurred in
these 10 places in the NT (Acts 20:28; Rom 3:25, 5:9; Eph 1:7, 2:13;
Col 1:14, 20; 1 Pet 1:19; Rev 1:5, 5:9).
What is the problem with this? (1) The TEV has
changed the Word of God. The word for "blood" found in all the above
9 occurrences with reference to the blood of Christ is the Greek
haima (English: haemoglobin—"red blood cells"). The word for death
is a totally different word in the Greek—thanatos (English:
euthanasia—literally "good death;" or mercy killing). By rendering
the word haima as "death" instead of its actual meaning "blood," the
TEV has changed the Word of God. A translation must be a
translation. You cannot in translating change the meaning of the
original word. When you read your English Bible, you want to be sure
that you are reading in English what the original Greek and Hebrew
say. But the TEV prevents you from doing that. (2) The TEV has
twisted the doctrine of the atoning work of Christ. It is important
for us to understand that we are not simply saved by the death of
Christ, but the death of Christ which involves the shedding of His
precious blood. If Jesus were to die by drowning or had gone to the
gallows (death by being hung on a rope or noose) without shedding of
blood, His death would not have saved us. For without the shedding
of blood is no remission. The blood is very important. "There is a
fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins, and sinner
plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains." There is
power in the blood of Jesus Christ. So by mistranslating the word
blood, the TEV has robbed us of the significance of the blood of
Christ for our salvation.
The NIV and the Eternal
Generation of Christ
The eternal generation of the second person of
the Holy Trinity (i.e. Jesus is the eternally begotten Son of God)
is an important doctrine of the Christian Faith. The 4th century
Athanasian and Nicene Creeds state that Jesus is both Son and God
"only-begotten, . . . of the Father before all the ages." The
Westminster Confession of Faith likewise followed the ancient creeds
in describing the relationship that exists within the Godhead: "In
the unity of the Godhead, there be three persons, of one substance,
power and eternity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Ghost. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the
Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally
proceeding from the Father and the Son" (II.3).
All 3 ancient creeds describe Christ as only
begotten, or eternally begotten. Now you know that every doctrine
must be based on the Bible. Where in the Bible do we find Jesus
being described as only begotten Son of God? If you have the KJV you
will find it in John 1:14, and 3:16. But if you are using the NIV,
you will have a hard time finding this doctrine in the Bible. The
term "only begotten" with reference to Christ has been conveniently
removed by the NIV. It mistranslates the Greek monogenes as "one and
only." Problem is monogenes does not just mean "one and only." The
Greek monogenes comes from 2 words: monos meaning "only" and gennao
meaning "to beget" or "to generate." The KJV translates it literally
and accurately as "only begotten."
Do you now see why we as Bible-Presbyterians
cannot use the NIV? The WCF teaches according to the Scriptures that
Jesus "the Son is eternally begotten of the Father." Now if I were
to teach a class on the WCF, we come to this point on the eternal
generation of the Son, and one of you were to ask me this very good
question: "In which verse of the Bible is Jesus described as the
only begotten Son of God?" If I have the NIV as my Bible, I will be
dumbfounded. The NIV has removed this important doctrine of the
person of Christ from the Scriptures. It has subtracted from God’s
Word; a very dangerous thing to do (Rev 22:19). That is why we
cannot trust the NIV. Why? Because instead of telling us what God
says, it tells us what man thinks God is saying. The NIV becomes an
interpretation, and not translation of the Bible.
The RSV and the Virgin Birth
of Christ
The precious prophecy of the Virgin Birth of
Christ is found in Isa 7:14. The incarnation demands an
extraordinary birth. This is indicated by the word "sign" in v14.
The virgin birth was to be a miraculous sign.
But the RSV renders the Hebrew almah as "young
woman." This does violence to the text. How can it be a "sign" when
it is a "young woman" who conceives? It is a God-given miracle only
if a virgin conceives. Moreover, the angel Gabriel quoting Isa 7:14
in Matt 1:23 translates the Hebrew word almah with the Greek
parthenos which in no uncertain terms means "virgin." So, multiple
choice question: Which translator would you trust: (a) RSV or (b)
Gabriel? If you answer (a) = 0, if you choose (b) = A+. Matt 1:18,
and 25 tell us very clearly and emphatically that Mary was a virgin
from the time she conceived Jesus till the time she gave birth to
Him—a virgin conception and a virgin birth. The RSV has not only (1)
corrupted the Word of God by making the prophecy of Isa 7:14
non-miraculous, it has also (2) attacked the virgin birth of Christ.
Rabbi Israel Bettan, professor of Hebrew Union
College, was asked of his opinion of the RSV. He said, "The Revised
Standard Version is not a faithful translation, and in some places
the revisers do violence to the original Hebrew. It is a good book
on the Bible, but it is not the Bible. When asked to compare the
King James Version with various translations, the rabbi said that of
the English versions mentioned the King James Version was, in his
opinion, the most faithful to the original."
Conclusion
The KJV is accurate in its translation of the
Holy Scriptures, and faithful in exalting the Lord Jesus Christ. We
cannot say the same for the TEV, NIV, and RSV. At various points
they have corrupted the Word of God, and attacked the person of
Jesus Christ. How can we use and promote these modernistic versions?
We thank the Lord for the good old version—the
KJV. Let us stick to it, for we have full confidence that when we
read it, we are reading the Word of God. And it is only when we read
the Word of God in its purity and accuracy, not a diluted or
corrupted version, that God will bless and stir our hearts to
greater heights of spirituality and service. Let us pray.
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