Theology is the study of religion. Religion is organized collection of faith, related texts and statutes that define a faith. Discussing the study of organized collection of faith, texts and statutes is philosophy.
A philosopher of religion has no obligation to love the object of the religion - they just have to study it (Pharisees and scribes.) This is why it is misleading at best to trust scholars before you believe what God says (He put the Truth on our hearts - from the smallest of us to the greatest of us.)
Colossians 2:8
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Colossians 2:8
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
The Holy Spirit can and does speak thru a myriad of ways, thru others, and what others have written. Yes, the Holy Spirit enlightens in many ways. But Hebrews 1 tells us that revelation is only in His Son now and not from other past means and I take that to mean a clearer picture of Him, not of nonessentials or essentials that are contained in His word as ensamples to us.
With all of the different translations of the Bible and with all sorts of men having their hands in its "creation and distribution"...how do we know that what we have available to us today is the inerrant and complete word of God?
With all of the different translations of the Bible and with all sorts of men having their hands in its "creation and distribution"...how do we know that what we have available to us today is the inerrant and complete word of God?
A. Believers Need a Message From God That is 100% Nailed Down in a Language They Are Familiar With.
Well, I cannot stress this point enough. If believers do not hold in their hands the very words of God perfectly, then who gets to decide which words are corrupt and which words are true? Do we decide what is and what is not God's Word? Now, you might say that the changes are so minor that it does not affect major doctrine and truths. But I disagree. I see a subtle message being pushed in the Modern Translations and it is seeking to eliminate the Trinity, key important points made in Scripture for our instruction in righteousness, and a watering down of many important things in God's Word like the blood of Christ, holiness and the deity of Jesus Christ. Then there is the devil's name placed within Modern Translations where they should not be, as well. This should be no surprise that there is a subtle change to God's Word because the devil seeks to attack God's Word. Sometimes his tactics are so subtle that nobody notices. The problem we see today, is that we keep getting more new Bibles that seek to be better and better (As if we do not have the truth of God's Word or something).
B. KJV Has Proven Itself Time and Time Again in That it is Divine in Origin.
Three biblical points prove the KJV is the divinely inspired Word of God for our day.
#1. God's Word claims that it is perfect
God's Word claims that it is perfect (Psalms 12:6) (Psalms 119:140) (Proverbs 30:5) and that it will be preserved for all generations (Psalms 12:7) and it will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8) (1 Peter 1:25). So if we believe these verses by faith, then we have to conclude that there is a perfect Word for our generation today. The KJV just so happens to fit here (if you were to trust it and to study it). In fact, what we are talking about here is a matter of faith. It is a test of faith in God's Word (See the test the devil gave to Eve in Genesis 3:1); For the Bereans were more noble because they compared the spoken Word of God with the written Word of God (Acts of the Apostles 17:11). In other words, if the Bereans thought the written Word was corrupt in some way they would have no way of really knowing if the spoken Word of God was true or not.
#2. KJV vs. Modern Translations
A simple side by side comparison of the KJV vs Modern Translations shows us that the devil tries to place his name in the Modern Versions. Have no idea what I am talking about?
Well, many Bible versions say that it is the dragon who is standing on the sea shore in Revelation. This is just evil and wrong.
See Parallel Version for Revelation 13:1 here...
Revelation 13:1 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.
See, if you know anything about Bible language, standing on something means that you "own it"; And the devil wants to own you. In the King James, John is standing on the seashore. Yet in many Bible versions the dragon (i.e. the devil) is standing on the seashore.
Why is this a problem?
Let's look at...
Genesis 22:17
"That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;"
Did you catch that? God says to Abraham that He will multiply his seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is upon the seashore where he will then possess the gate of his enemies (i.e. the devil and his kingdom). The apostle John who wrote Revelation was Jewish and he was the promised seed of Genesis 22 standing on the seashore in Revelation 13. It was not the dragon or the devil standing on the seashore.
For certain Modern Versions eliminate the part of the passage in Revelation 13:1 that says that John is standing on the seashore (When he refers to himself as "I"). To see more examples of the devil placing his name in Scripture where it should not be, click on the following spoiler button.
In fact, this is not the only time the devil has tried to place his name in the Bible in exchange for something that is supposed to be sacred or holy. We see the devil tries to place his name in Modern Translations in Daniel 3.
In Daniel 3, the Babylonian king says there is one like the "Son of God" in the fiery furnace along with Daniel's three friends. This is Jesus! Yet, in the Modern Translations it says the "son of the gods." In many false religions we can see how certain gods had mated with human females and created a hybrid. This is popular even in Greek mythology. So who saved Daniel's friends? Jesus or some hybrid like Hercules?
Nebuchadnezzar thought this was an angel of God (singular and not plural).
"Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God." (Daniel 3:28).
This was not the "son of the gods (plural) (little "g")!!!
No way Hosea! I mean, "No way José!"
Nebuchadnezzar clearly was referencing the most high God.
The Bible says (even something similar in your Modern Version),
"Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire." (Daniel 3:26).
Angels are called the: "sons of God" in Job.
The fourth person in the fire was still Jesus! The son of God. The Scriptures were still correct in their inspiration by God when they say, "and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." While Nebuchadnezzar did not know it was the second person of the Godhead or the Trinity, the Lord our God who inspired Scripture surely would have glorified the name of the Son of God (Jesus) in this instance. For it was Jesus who was in the fire with Daniel's three friends!
Also, please check out this thread here, as well. It will help to explain this situation a little better, too.
Jesus is the Messenger of the Lord in the Old Testament.
(Please take note: I do not believe Jesus is an angelic being; I believe Jesus is the second person of the Godhead or the Trinity and that He is fully 100% God who took on the flesh of man).
In Isaiah 14:12, the devil's name "Lucifer" is replaced with "Day Star" or the "Morning Star."
Yes, I am aware that "morning stars" are angels in the book of Job.
But Modern Translations also say this is the Shining Star or the Son of the Dawn. Why?
Jesus says,
"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." (Revelation 22:16).
So Jesus is the BRIGHT and MORNING star!
Yet, the individual in Isaiah 14:12 in Modern Translations is called the shining (bright) and morning star or the Day Star, etc.
So the devil is trying to be like the most high here. He is taking a similar sounding title of Jesus in Isaiah 14:12.
For where is the bright and morning star up in the sky?
It is the sun.
That is why He is called the bright and morning star because the sun is bright and rises in the morning.
Also, Lucifer means "light bearer."
Scripture tells us this is what it means.
"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14).
The word "angel" also means "messenger." So 2 Corinthians 11:14 is saying that Satan is a light messenger or light bearer. In fact, when Satan is described with having all kinds of jewelry on him, it was symbolic of who he was. Certain gemstones refract light. They are not light themselves, but they merely reflect whatever light is in existence. Gemstones are like little light bearers. So how fitting the name "Lucifer" is for the devil. Yet, Modern Translations seek to give the devil a name that is similar to Jesus. This is wrong (of course).
Also, the devil tries to take out key points in important discussions within the Bible (Which can affect doctrine). For example: In Romans 7 Paul talks from the Jew's perspective in keeping the Old Testament Law (Which leads to problems), and he gives us the climax or heart of his message as a solution in Romans 8:1. Now, certain modern translations have eliminated "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Eliminating this passage destroys the whole thrust of Paul's argument. Walking in the Spirit is the key to being in Christ Jesus. You eliminate that and you destroy Paul's argument. Also, 1 John 5:7 is the only verse in the Bible that is the clearest and most concise teaching on the Godhead (i.e. the Trinity). But you wil no doubt say that key doctrines and truths are not changed. But you forget, the devil seeks to change God's Word in a subtle way. The enemy is crafty. For we see the devil seek to slightly change God's Word in the Garden with Eve, and with Jesus when he was in the wilderness (the desert).
#3. Biblical Numerics
Revelation 13:8 gives us an example that we can count numbers as a part of wisdom (Also see Ecclesiastes 7, which is the 666th chapter of the Bible). Bible Numbers that glorify God and His Word. (Note: These are not equidistant letter sequences or numbers that attempt to get one to have a special dream, or to divine the future in some way - Striving to foretell the future is forbidden in the Bible). Numbers are something that we deal with in our everyday life and all things glorify God. So obviously the numbers in God's Word would naturally glorify Him in some way. What am I talking about? Check out this video on Numbers & the Greek New Testament.
Sevens in the Bible - Chuck Missler:
Also, here is a video series by Mike Hoggard that talks about the number 7 in the King James.
King James Code - Number 7 - Mike Hoggard (Part 1):
King James Code - Number 7 - Mike Hoggard (Part 2):
Note: Please take note that I do not believe everything Chuck and Mike believe. I merely agree with what they are saying about numbers in God's Word and how that shows that His Word is divine in origin. The numbers are not meant to help us to prophecy the future or anything silly like that.
C. I Probably Would Not Be a Believer in Christ Today if There Was No Perfect Word Like the KJV.
I remember at one time in my early walk with God, that a man in an article said there was an error in my Bible. It sure looked like an error at the time. In fact, for me, it was a matter of my faith being on the line. Was God's Word lying to me? Was it all not true? But you know what I did? I trusted God that I did not have an explanation for what I seen in my Bible and the Lord later revealed to me the true meaning of what that suppossed error was. If you are interested in that supposed error, you can check it out by clicking on the following spoiler button.
Did Solomon have 40,000 stalls for his horses (1 Kings 4:26), or 4,000 stalls (2 Chronicles 9:25)?
Firstly, it should be noted that this “supposed contradiction” does not appear in the New International Version, which states that Solomon had “four thousand stalls” in both verses. However, the NIV translation mistakenly states that Solomon had twelve thousand horses, when in fact the original Hebrew text (and all other English translations of it) state that Solomon had twelve thousand horsemen. This error results in three horses per chariot (an unusually odd number) and three horses per stall (which seems a little crowded). Opening a lexicon, we see that the King James Version gives an accurate rendering of the Hebrew text (correctly translating the Hebrew parash as “horsemen”), and for this reason we know that this translation can be trusted in accurately explaining this “contradiction”.
With that said, let’s examine these two verses. 1 Kings 4:26 states, “Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen” while 2 Chronicles 9:25 states “Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen”.
1 Kings 4:26 counts only the horses that were intended to be used “for his chariots”. On the other hand, 2 Chronicles 9:25 counts both the horses “and chariots” together.
1 Kings 4:26 states that Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses, meaning that he had forty-thousand stalls with horses in them. 2 Chronicles 9:25 counts both horses and chariots together. If each chariot stall contains within it ten horse stalls (perhaps one stall for each horse that pulls the chariot) then there is no contradiction.
Solomon had 40,000 stalls for his horses. Solomon had 4,000 chariots (three riders per chariot, since we know from both 1 Kings 4:26 and 2 Chronicles 9:25 that he had twelve thousand horsemen) and every chariot had its own stall. Chariots are pulled by multiple horses – in this case, ten horses. Each chariot stall had within it ten individual horse stalls – one for each horse that pulled that specific chariot.
In fact, here is a similar one.
Did David capture 700 of King Zobah's horsemen (2 Samuel 8:4), or was it 7,000 (1 Chronicles 18:4)?
2 Samuel 8:4 says that David took 700 horsemen, while 1 Chronicles 18:4 says that David took 7000 horsemen. These verses are not in contradiction. The King James version correctly describes 1000 chariots in both 2 Samuel 8:4 and 1 Chronicles 18:4. Both verses also state that David reserved 100 chariots. Combining the information from these two verses we see that David took 700 horsemen for the chariots he kept, but he took a total of 7000 horsemen away from the enemy king. The two different numbers for the number of chariots provide us with a consistent 7:1 horseman-to-chariot ratio. This is reasonable, as seven horsemen could easily share the same chariot.
So we can conclude that if one believes the Bible is not written entirely by God and reads something at face value like the above passages without the help of the Spirit teaching them, then one is only going to see errors in God's Word where none really exist.
1 Thessalonians 2:13
"For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."
Also, God is not the author of confusion. He is not going to give me conflicting messages or words. But what if I lived before the KJV came to be? There was the Latin Bible that existed perfectly. But what about if I lived during the time of Paul? Then I would have read some of the letters from Paul, John, and or Peter, etc. and believed those words as being perfect for that time. But you want me to believe that the faith would be different today as it was back then. That men of God could not trust God's Word perfectly. See, my Bible. It's not called the "holey Bible" whereby it is full of holes and errors. My Bible is called the "Holy Bible" because it is perfect and divine in origin. It is holy because it comes from God. They are the very words of God. If they are corrupted in some way, then God has failed to preserve His Word and I have to guess as to which words to choose as being true or not true. Also, our faith rests in God's Word, as well. For faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). So to say that the Word of God we have today is not perfect is to say that our faith is not perfect. Why? Because our faith comes from the Word of God.
With all of the different translations of the Bible and with all sorts of men having their hands in its "creation and distribution"...how do we know that what we have available to us today is the inerrant and complete word of God?
The Holy Spirit can and does speak thru a myriad of ways, thru others, and what others have written. Yes, the Holy Spirit enlightens in many ways. But Hebrews 1 tells us that revelation is only in His Son now and not from other past means and I take that to mean a clearer picture of Him, not of nonessentials or essentials that are contained in His word as ensamples to us.
The Comforter/Holy Spirit is the way He speaks to us to convict us. It is unique to every person, because this whole thing is about a personal relationship with the Most High God.
However, The Way is the same. Also, Paul is a human - as great as he may be. He is just as fallible as I am, which means I am still spiritually responsible for making sure Paul is right, and that it aligns with the Word of God.
Instead of doing TWICE the work (vindicating MAN, then comparing it to God's Word,) I try to exploit the promises God has already given us. There was a point where I had to speak to Him like a frustrated child, and tell Him what He promised me. Then, eventually (over a lot of time and "experience,") He is now the primary source of information for me.
I could have had that twenty years ago if I just listen to what He promised from the beginning. I had to de-program my psychology from treating canonical texts, and other humans as idols or images of what is already Living, and inside me.
(I am not in any way saying with that last sentence, "I, therefore, am God.")
The Comforter/Holy Spirit is the way He speaks to us to convict us. It is unique to every person, because this whole thing is about a personal relationship with the Most High God.
However, The Way is the same. Also, Paul is a human - as great as he may be. He is just as fallible as I am, which means I am still spiritually responsible for making sure Paul is right, and that it aligns with the Word of God.
Instead of doing TWICE the work (vindicating MAN, then comparing it to God's Word,) I try to exploit the promises God has already given us. There was a point where I had to speak to Him like a frustrated child, and tell Him what He promised me. Then, eventually (over a lot of time and "experience,") He is now the primary source of information for me.
I could have had that twenty years ago if I just listen to what He promised from the beginning. I had to de-program my psychology from treating canonical texts, and other humans as idols or images of what is already Living, and inside me.
(I am not in any way saying with that last sentence, "I, therefore, am God.")
With all of the different translations of the Bible and with all sorts of men having their hands in its "creation and distribution"...how do we know that what we have available to us today is the inerrant and complete word of God?
Inerrancy is not based on the translation, but the original manuscripts. And with more than 24,000 manuscripts with less than 2% copying errors (errors which do not change the meaning of the text, e.g. "an apple" vs "a apple"), having the greatest manuscript evidence of any ancient document, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit to the heart of the believer of the Bible's authenticity, there is no reason to doubt the inerrancy of scripture as being God-breathed.
He will give us a Comforter to convict us and help us to stay obedient
The Law is written on our hearts so that we do not need to seek outwardly (including textbooks,) we will know Him because He is inside us.
Not one bit of any law given will pass away (become inert or inoperable) until Heaven and Earth Pass Away
*The Word of God says that Earth is founded (Isaiah 45:18), and the Earth will only put on a new garment. The Law will, therefore, never pass away. This should make sense since The Word of God/Christ is The Living Law.
Although it took me years to realize, indeed, Paul is saying the same thing as Christ, it also taught me the lesson that as great as Paul is, he (or any other man, or manifestation of man) should be my primary, or secondary source for directions on how to have a relationship with my Father.
If Beyonce told me Jay Z was the best thing since sliced bread, and wrote books on his awesomeness, I would still have to build a relationship with him for myself in order to properly discern his character. I can't rely on the books beyonce wrote no matter how canonical the world sees them.
The fact that the Church has been infiltrated and corrupted over centuries, it is more of a chore to trust men than simply trust God. I spent many years researching and comparing only to find all the things I knew was because of Him only - not because I read the bible, learned languages and/or conversed with scholars.
He will give us a Comforter to convict us and help us to stay obedient
The Law is written on our hearts so that we do not need to seek outwardly (including textbooks,) we will know Him because He is inside us.
Not one bit of any law given will pass away (become inert or inoperable) until Heaven and Earth Pass Away
*The Word of God says that Earth is founded (Isaiah 45:18), and the Earth will only put on a new garment. The Law will, therefore, never pass away. This should make sense since The Word of God/Christ is The Living Law.
Although it took me years to realize, indeed, Paul is saying the same thing as Christ, it also taught me the lesson that as great as Paul is, he (or any other man, or manifestation of man) should be my primary, or secondary source for directions on how to have a relationship with my Father.
If Beyonce told me Jay Z was the best thing since sliced bread, and wrote books on his awesomeness, I would still have to build a relationship with him for myself in order to properly discern his character. I can't rely on the books beyonce wrote no matter how canonical the world sees them.
The fact that the Church has been infiltrated and corrupted over centuries, it is more of a chore to trust men than simply trust God. I spent many years researching and comparing only to find all the things I knew was because of Him only - not because I read the bible, learned languages and/or conversed with scholars.
You can get better teaching and maturity by simply capitalizing on the promises God already gave us - before the Advent and after. You do not need a canonical text written by corrupt, egotistical men - for the purposes of instructing other men on spiritual issues.
There is only One Man who can teach other men how to follow after spiritual matters.
There have been many threads on biblical inerrancy on this site and posters generally freeze like Bambi in the headlights when confronted with these 7 points:
(1) No OT references to God's Word refer to Scripture as a collected corpus of texts.
(2) So we must depend on NT texts on the inspiration of Scripture. But the relevant NT texts are referring to the inspiration of the OT. The NT can't comment on its own divine inspiration simply because it wasn't completed as a canon of books until after 200 AD.
(3) No NT texts on biblical inspiration claim inerrancy in scientific and historical matters.
(4) The major epistolary texts on biblical inspiration are found in pseudonymous books like 2 Peter (1:20-21) and 2 Timothy (3:16). Read any academic NT Introductions and you will see that almost all agree that Paul never wrote the Pastoral Epistles (1-2 Timothy and Titus) and Peter never wrote 2 Peter.
(5) There are about 700,000 contradictory readings in NT Greek manuscripts. If it wasn't important for God to preserve inerrant texts, why assume it was important that the original texts be inerrant?
(6) In any case, the Bible contains many demonstrable errors. Do you want me to provide several examples of these?
(7) We should think in terms of inspired lives of biblical authors rather than in terms of inspired texts. The same Holy Spirit who inspired them is available to help us grasp the meaning and application of biblical revelation. So the Bible can in that sense be authoritative for faith and life without being inerrant in every respect.
...
(7) We should think in terms of inspired lives of biblical authors rather than in terms of inspired texts. The same Holy Spirit who inspired them is available to help us grasp the meaning and application of biblical revelation. So the Bible can in that sense be authoritative for faith and life without being inerrant in every respect.
Just one way. Jesus Christ founded one church, said it was to remain one, and promised that one Church, and no other, "The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth", and "Whatsoever you bind upon Earth is bound in Heaven", and "He who hears you hears Me". That one church, with its divine guarantees of the fullness of truth, compiled the Holy Bible from its own writings, and states as binding truth that those 73 texts, nothing more and nothing less, are the inspired Word of God. Therefore God Himself has stated that it is so.
Psalms 19
1 Heaven is declaring God’s glory;
the sky is proclaiming his handiwork.
2 One day gushes the news to the next,
and one night informs another what needs to be known.
3 Of course, there’s no speech, no words—
their voices can’t be heard—
4 but their sound extends throughout the world;
their words reach the ends of the earth.
God has made a tent in heaven for the sun.
5 The sun is like a groom
coming out of his honeymoon suite;
like a warrior, it thrills at running its course.
6 It rises in one end of the sky;
its circuit is complete at the other.
Nothing escapes its heat.
7 The Lord’s Instruction is perfect,
reviving one’s very being.
The Lord’s laws are faithful,
making naive people wise.
8 The Lord’s regulations are right,
gladdening the heart.
The Lord’s commands are pure,
giving light to the eyes.
9 Honoring the Lord is correct,
lasting forever.
The Lord’s judgments are true.
All of these are righteous!
10 They are more desirable than gold—
than tons of pure gold!
They are sweeter than honey—
even dripping off the honeycomb!
11 No doubt about it:
your servant is enlightened by them;
there is great reward in keeping them.
12 But can anyone know
what they’ve accidentally done wrong?
Clear me of any unknown sin
13 and save your servant from willful sins.
Don’t let them rule me.
Then I’ll be completely blameless;
I’ll be innocent of great wrongdoing.
14 Let the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
be pleasing to you,
Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
