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View Full Version : The KJV Issue – Faith Vs. Facts


AVBunyan
2nd May 2005, 09:48 PM
As you have noticed there are always discussion surrounding the KJV vs. the newer versions. I've been involved with these chats and I've noticed something. What I've noticed is both sides (KJV only vs. other stands) seek to defend their stance using facts. This seems reasonable enough when you first look at it. But when you dig into this something doesn't make sense.

When you who deals with souls on a regular basis present the gospel (I Cor. 15:1-5) to a lost soul you tell him that Christ died for his sins, was buried, and rose again the third day (at least I hope you do). Now, how do you prove the gospel to a lost man? First you seek to show him from the “scriptures” for the last part of the gospel says, “according to the scriptures”. You expect the soul to believe the message of the gospel by faith . You know you are not to try to “convince” the man by “facts “ for that is not how the Holy Spirit says this is to be done – a sinner is to receive Christ by faith.

How are you going to “prove” the gospel anyway? Are you going to resort to historical witnesses and writings? Are you going to use archeological items or “relics”? No, you know God did not leave us Noah's ark, Christ's cross preserved, etc. Why, because God expects us to take Him at his word by faith . You take a soul to the scriptures and expect him to believe the message by faith .

One of the ways you say you can tell a man trusted Christ was by the affect the conversion had on him or by the fruits he displayed thus giving you some “evidence” that the gospel and his conversion was real.

Now…you know where I'm heading…why do some of you get so wound up when I say I believe the King James is the word of God without error by faith ? Isn't that how I'm supposed to believe it? Do you try to convince a man the truths of the gospel by presenting historical evidences? If you try to convince a man of this then you are not relying upon the Holy Spirit to do the work – you are relying upon your “persuasive sales abilities” – I'm been guilty of this so I know what I am talking about here.

The same goes for trying to persuade someone the KJV is the word of God. Someone will always come up with all the reasons why it is not (revisions, King James I was a sodomite, they didn't have access to the latest manuscripts, errors, blah, blah, and more blahs, etc.). The same can be said about Calvary (a man can't come back from the grave, nails would have ripped his hands, no eye witness accounts other than the Bible, etc.). You are always going to hear someone try to explain away Calvary by using a scholastic and scientific approach and you hammer these people for doing so. So…why do I get hammered for believing something that seems to run contrary to “scientific” research and reason?

The “reasons” and “evidences” all look good and seem to make sense but it is still not living by faith but by external evidences. Yes, I know God gave us a brain and reasoning faculties but when it comes to spiritual things we must be careful not to cross the line and walk by sight and not by faith. Our reasoning powers come to naught when it comes to the power of God.

Fellas, you have come up with many reasons why the King James Bible shouldn't be the only one without error and all that but when it comes right down to it I still take my stand on faith – why knock it? I've read most of the works against the KJV. You believe your source and I believe mine. Comparing the gospel with the KJV I look for the same fruits. All I can go by is that the scriptures work in the lives of those that believe it. Don't you say the same for the gospel? All you can go by in a man, other than his “profession” is II Cor. 5:17 (creature not “creation” by the way).

This “ mass” critique of the Bible God used is a modern movement. I think what may be going on are two things:

1. People are educated out of believing it – i.e. someone comes along and shows them things that raise doubts (Gen. 3:1).

2. People today say the other versions are as good because the emphasis is not on the “words” but the “message”. The modern thinking is, “As long as the message is there it is ok.”

Ok, let's summarize – I take a King James Bible and I look at how it describes itself. Ii look at the internal evidence of what the book says about itself and I, by faith, believe it. I take a King James Bible and look at the words, “words, word, truth, scriptures, scripture, read, holy, pure, inspiration, power”, etc. and I believe what it says about itself. Why doubt it?

Someone said that Christ is the only thing perfect here – I believe His word is also perfect and I have it in my hands. You don't believe that then fine. You will stand before God and give account and I will do the same. The only difference is I will be standing with the book God used for the last 380 years with miraculous results and will feel confident I will have to answer for nothing in this area.

God bless :wave:

jlujan69
3rd May 2005, 04:50 PM
For the record, I'm a strong advocate of the KJV though I'm not actually KJV only. Anyway, I've been to a number of KJV only sites and they too try to use "facts" to convince others of their point of view. You hold to your convictions by faith, and so do the pro-"modern" versions folk. I suppose what turned me off to the KJV only movement was that some of the sites I visited not only promoted their viewpoint but were extremely critical of virtually all well known pastors and all but accused them of being wolves in sheep's clothing and thus, not even saved. They were extremely critical of other denominations and made no attempt at separating the wheat from the tares, so to speak. These sites, while not explicitly stating so, nonetheless implied that it'd be a rare thing for there to be true believers outside the KJV only movement. All of this, these guys seemed to accept by faith, the facts be damned.

Shane Roach
3rd May 2005, 11:40 PM
One important thing about facts vs. faith in this particular subject is that while faith is a spiritual endeavor, translating languages is not. The only reason there is this problem with the Bible is because the message continues to be such a hot topic.

I use the KJV plus original language tools like Strongs Exhaustive Concordance. I'd like to have Vine's as well, and keep looking foreward to a day when I will be able to afford one of the higher end computer study aids. I like the idea that the KJV was written before a lot of this sort of controversy started. I'm afraid I am not a KJV only type of person, although for a while now it happens to be the one I use.

There's my 2 cents.

JM
4th May 2005, 12:32 PM
Why is this such an issue in the fundie forum, I don't get it. To this day, I've never met (in real life) a fundie who used anything other then the KJV, my Pastor knows a few that use the NASB but never anything else...

e=mv^2
4th May 2005, 01:57 PM
I'd like to have Vine's as well, and keep looking foreward to a day when I will be able to afford one of the higher end computer study aids.

I don't know if you were aware of this but there is a free software bible study called bible ocean. (http://bibleocean.com) It has the KJV and the ASV. If you want to pay for shipping they send you a cd with 30 bibles, maps, and other stuff.

Not meant to derail the topic - just thought it might be of interest.

Shane Roach
4th May 2005, 11:25 PM
I don't know if you were aware of this but there is a free software bible study called bible ocean. (http://bibleocean.com/) It has the KJV and the ASV. If you want to pay for shipping they send you a cd with 30 bibles, maps, and other stuff.

Not meant to derail the topic - just thought it might be of interest.

No, that's really cool and thanks for the info. :wave: I'll have to check it out.

Edouard
8th May 2005, 01:09 AM
Facts vs. Faith

The First aid I will have on my christmas list this year is an interlinear bible!!
why? It has the greek with english translation over it, and then nasb,kjv, niv, and others.

To say that KJV is the only source what was before that, just curious? translations change with the language and not its meaning! Latin and before that was the greek scriptures...and now we are discovering dead sea scrolls and other evidence written in different languages.. Language is a tool to communicate God's Word. why use a kjv if i don't understand it? all versions have something to offer.. the truth about our God and Lord :)

Edouard
May God grant us a Spirit of humility and truth :)

Shane Roach
8th May 2005, 11:55 PM
I have to say, my grandfather also complains having difficulty reading the KJV, and I roll my eyes. I have been using it for years now, so obviously I am used to it, but even when I first picked it up it was easier to read that most Shakespeare. Modern translations tend to annoy me now, to be honest, because just their style is not up to the standard of the KJV.

I don't know, but that particular objection, "I can't understand it," is something of a pet peave of mine. It's ENGLISH. If you can read, you should be able to understand it. The occasional use of a personal pronoun that is no longer used should not throw you off that much. *shrugs helplessly*

As I said, though, a lot of people say it so I guess there must be something to it. *grumble* Weird...

mark53
16th May 2005, 07:29 AM
I know the KJV has brilliant poetry. But how many people actually speak this type of English. It is a language used some centuries ago and some of its words used were made up to fit in with the style (read books on English literature - which always praises the KJV for its beautiful language - but is also honest about its critique (language and style - not theology, translation etc).

When it was originally written it is quite different form the KJV we have today. I have seen some of it and it looks and read much like today's German!

If we are to reach out to the "lost peoples" of this world, which type of version do we use? One that is centuries old or one that uses todays words and ideas?
Some words like "gay" = happy and joyful now mean something else; rubber = false, then an eraser and now something completely different again!

Actually better still! learn the Hebrew and Greek and come up with your own translations. Believe me it is much more fun, especially when you tie this in with the understanding of the day and culture, etc.

AVBunyan
18th May 2005, 02:46 PM
If we are to reach out to the "lost peoples" of this world, which type of version do we use? One that is centuries old or one that uses todays words and ideas?.

Your reasoning is a bit faulty here. The greatest missionary movement was during the 1800's when the AV1611 was over 200 years old then - and it did a great job! Why would a book written by God all of a sudden stop working - not the fault of the book!

Why would you want to change what has worked?

Why would you think today's words and ideas are better - they haven't done anything but drag us down to the gutter. :scratch:

God bless

constance
24th May 2005, 10:10 PM
The greatest missionary movement was during the 1800's when the AV1611 was over 200 years old then - and it did a great job! Why would a book written by God all of a sudden stop working - not the fault of the book!

But people read for entertainment back then. :)

I study 16th century music and art - and have studied Shakespeare. The KJV is wonderful for me, because I understand the language and the idioms. The guy who sits next to me at work wouldn't - I would need to "translate" it for him (and English is his first language).

Myself, I like to look at lots of different translations, and will look up the Greek if I'm concerned I'm not getting the truth.

Constance

brad_religion
25th May 2005, 03:25 PM
One of the downfalls of the KJV only movement is this. They claim the original 1611 Authorized Version is the pure word of God. They must then confess the Apocrypha is just as much the pure word of God as all the other books are. They will not do this. They are the very people who say they want to avoid commentaries and manmade instruction, and only use "Sola Scriptura", but they would then have to admit the Apocrypha is just as inspired as the other books, if they did NOT read a commentary about it. Another flaw in the KJV only movement is to say the KJV preserves the word of God and it is perfect. Even the translators of the KJV didn't admit it was perfect and said even the worst translation was still the word of God. Were the translators inspired enough to translate the bible perfectly, but not inspired enough to know if other versions were the word of God? I guess they only had "limited inspiration"? LOL. Also, one of the main arguments of the KJV only crowd is that the newer versions add to the original. Well, that is hypocritical on their part, because the KJV adds HUNDREDS or even THOUSANDS of words not found in the original hebrew, aramaic, or greek. You will see those words italicized. Did the KJV translators know more than Jesus or the apostle Paul? KJV worshippers would say "yes" like that idiot and racist Peter Ruckman. They use a one-sided faceless argument to attack good Christian people who have the same love for God and desire to get his word in a language common people could understand. Do the KJV only people look at their own translation's origin? Do they realize there was a drunkard who helped to translate the KJV? Do they realize the KJV leaves out words like "Jesus" and "Christ" and puts "he" or "him" when the newer versions actually put "Jesus" or "Christ" in? Do they tell people that the earliest manuscript for the KJV was no earlier than the 10th century? No, they don't want you to see the newer versions in a GOOD light. Is it very wise to give a bible such as the KJV with over 400 archaic, hard to understand words to the average reader? I thought the purpose of the KJV was so the COMMON PEOPLE could understand it without extra biblical effort. Apparently, they cannot keep to their own standard when they condemn newer versions which are MUCH easier to understand than the KJV.

hindsey
26th May 2005, 10:45 PM
One of the downfalls of the KJV only movement is this. They claim the original 1611 Authorized Version is the pure word of God. They must then confess the Apocrypha is just as much the pure word of God as all the other books are. They will not do this. They are the very people who say they want to avoid commentaries and manmade instruction, and only use "Sola Scriptura", but they would then have to admit the Apocrypha is just as inspired as the other books, if they did NOT read a commentary about it.

I'll try to answer the first part right away...

The Authorized Version included the Apocryphal books inbetween the testaments to show that they were not considered part of the Canon. It was common knowledge at that time (based upon the previous versions, like that of the Geneva Bible) that the books were included because of their historical value, but that they were not inspired of God. They also included a religious calendar, that nobody takes as being inspired either. Just because they translated more than the Holy Scriptures, does not mean they thought it was Scripture.

More on the apocrypha if you're interested: http://www.learnthebible.org/b_i_apochrypha.htm