Why I Read the Authorized KJV Bible

[IrishAngel]

God is unchangeable. God's word is unchangeable too. In Matthew 24:35, the Lord Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."

Why then are we so ready to accept changes to God's word in the form of different Bible versions? The Authorized King James text has faithfully served the body of Christ for almost 400 years. During this time, and during its translation, Satan has viciously and relentlessly attacked it. I now hear Christians attacking it too! I've heard preachers and lay people say things like, "it's too hard to read" or "it doesn't properly reflect the true meaning of the original Greek". The issue about the original Greek sets my teeth on edge--which Greek? There are Greek manuscripts galore, including the corrupted manuscripts that the Roman Catholic religion uses. The snide remarks and attacks against this utterly reliable text are unfounded.

We must remember that the Bible is a spiritual book and is understandable to those who are led by God's Spirit. It is not possible for the natural man to understand it [I Corinthians 2:14], hence paraphrasing or simplifying it will do no good. The Bible is not supposed to read like a fairy tale--Peter said, "for we have not followed cunningly devised fables" [II Peter 1:16]. The words of the Authorized King James are not laborious to me, they are beautiful and full of God's power. Even the world knows it--the Authorized King James has been listed on Norton Anthology's list of "the world's best literature" for decades.

The new versions have come up with some dangerous changes to the scriptures. The Lord God gives us stern warnings about changing His Word--

Revelation 22:18-19, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Proverbs 30:5-6, Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.


I do not buy the line that the inerrant word of God is found only in the originals-- which nobody has. I know that God has the power to preserve His word and that he wouldn't leave us out in the dark with an "imperfect" translation. In the authorized King James Version God assembled, and moved with His Spirit, a team of some of the world's best scholars to translate His word into the world's most popular language, English.

The complete translator's notes of the Authorized King James scholars are not included in today's publishings. This is unfortunate because these notes say a lot about these men-- they were humble, loved the word of God, loved the King, were berated by the Catholic religion, and they desired a translation for the common man who was kept in darkness. Some of the translators where killed for their faith. This book was forged in blood, sweat, and tears.

I've heard folks make a big to-do about the italics in the Authorized KJV. Well, unlike many of today's translators, the authorized KJV translators let us know which words they had to add in translating in order to give the full meaning of the original text (these are the words in italics in the KJV). Other translators have added words too--but they don't tell you what they've added. I speak a little Spanish and know that it is oftentimes necessary to rearrange or add words so that the translation makes sense. These men went through the extra trouble of identifying which words they added. That's real scholarship and integrity.

Let's fall in love with the Authorized KJV again and stand on it. Let's get down to business and read the Word and stop spending so much time reading what others have to say about the Word in commentaries, Greek lexicons, study bibles, etc. We want the Holy Ghost to talk to us.

How many classes have you been in where every student has a different textbook? None. It just doesn't make good sense on a very practical level. We all need to be on the same sheet of music so that we are in harmony. Let's not confuse our kids by teaching/preaching from the NKJV, NIV, NASV, LB, the Message, Phillips, GN, etc.

Let's not accept the premise that the tried and true Authorized King James is somehow outdated and is to be replaced by dozens of new translations. A standard test determined the Authorized KJV reading level to be 5th grade because it contains mostly one and two-syllablic words making it one of the easiest to read. People have been getting saved by reading it for a long, long time. We know that it contains the Word of life whereby we live and grow.

Satan knows that in a generation we won't uniformly quote the scriptures. Imagine ten people with ten different translations trying to recite a psalm together. Confusion. Satan knows that many newborn babes in Christ will not have the real milk that they need in order to grow because they'll have a watered down version of the truth. He figures that if he can't kill the babes, he'll do the next best thing-stunt their growth. At the same time the world will point to Christianity and say, "They don't even have a definitive word of God. Anybody can write a Bible." They already say that the Bible was "just written by men".

Being able to talk to a child of God and have our spirits commune on the parts of God's word that we've memorized is great. I now find people who are quoting scriptures that I know, but they are worded so differently that I have to ask the reference. This is confusion, and we know who authors confusion, the enemy of our souls, the Devil. I believe that the emergence of these many different "Bible" versions is Satan's most successful attempt to attack God's word. The Bible says that in the last days there's going to be a falling away of the church and I believe that these other versions are helping to usher it along.



http://66.34.143.142/kjvdefns.htm

[nChrist]

Oklahoma Howdy to IrishAngel,

I agree 100%. I would add that some of the best and most rock-solid study aids are designed for the KJV. On top of everything else, there is a poetic quality of the KJV that gives it beauty in the written WORD that the other translations just don't have.

In Christ.

[ebia]

Most of this is covered in the other ongoing threads, but I thought I'd pick up on a few of the new points here:.

Let's not confuse our kids by teaching/preaching from the NKJV, NIV, NASV, LB, the Message, Phillips, GN, etc.

If our childen can't grasp why there are differences in translation, then they aren't being taught properly.
Different schools will use different textbooks to teach physics or maths, and sometimes you might even refer to two different textbooks within the same lesson.   So should be with bible translations - the translation carries the message - it isn't the end in itself.

Satan knows that in a generation we won't uniformly quote the scriptures. Imagine ten people with ten different translations trying to recite a psalm together.

The very church that produced the AV (the Church of England) didn't use it for the psalms in its prayer book.  The psalms in the Book of Common Prayer come from the Great Bible I believe.  We have always been chanting psalms from different bibles I'm afraid.  What's the problem - can't you read while you recite?


The rest of your post is meaningless rhetoric, or covered on other threads.

[nChrist]

Oklahoma Howdy to Ebia,

I understand and agree with some of what you said. However, I see a real danger in some of the translations I've been reading about. I'm not interested in a politically correct translation that doesn't step on any toes and makes man happy. I'm not a Guru in this area, and I don't wish to be one. I'm very happy with my KJV. If I feel a need to use other versions, I go to the original language versions. That's a lot of work, but I would rather do that than read a translation that twists the original meaning or deletes offensive portions.

I don't think that a discussion of accurate translations of the Holy Bible is a waste of time. This is a valid concern.

[Brother Love]

Right On! IrishAngel

Brother Love

[Saved_4ever]

Always good to see some smart ladies around.  

[Brother Love]

Always good to see some smart ladies around.  

 

Brother Love

[Knox]

"Now to the latter we answer; that we do not deny, nay we affirm and avow, that the very meanest translation of the Bible in English, set forth by men of our profession, (for we have seen none of theirs of the whole Bible as yet) containeth the word of God, nay, is the word of God."

"Therefore as S. Augustine saith, that variety of Translations is profitable for the finding out of the sense of the Scriptures: so diversity of signification and sense in the margin, where the text is no so clear, must needs do good, yea, is necessary, as we are persuaded."

KJV translators

If a person feels comfortable with the KJV, fine. It's a decent translation. That's what it is, a decent translation - nothing more.

[Shylynne]

If a person feels comfortable with the KJV, fine. It's a decent translation. That's what it is, a decent translation - nothing more.

Confirming the statement?  "At the same time the world will point to Christianity and say, "They don't even have a definitive word of God. Anybody can write a Bible." They already say that the Bible was "just written by men".



(BEP, I just came across  this thread, if its out of place, its because its a old one)  
"I don't think that a discussion of accurate translations of the Holy Bible is a waste of time. This is a valid concern."
Very valid!

[nChrist]

Confirming the statement?  "At the same time the world will point to Christianity and say, "They don't even have a definitive word of God. Anybody can write a Bible." They already say that the Bible was "just written by men".



(BEP, I just came across  this thread, if its out of place, its because its a old one)  
"I don't think that a discussion of accurate translations of the Holy Bible is a waste of time. This is a valid concern."
Very valid!

Oklahoma Howdy to Shylynne,

You made an excellent point, and I think many excellent points were made in this thread. I specifically enjoyed the comments made by IrishAngel about the Authorized King James Version. I don't believe it is a coincidence that the Holy Bible has survived all these years. I have no doubt that Almighty God preserved and protected it. I also believe that God gathered the dedicated scholars who shed their blood and suffered persecution to translate HIS WORD into English for the common man.

This is a sore subject for some, but I'll stick with what I've used all my life, the KJV. I won't step on any specific toes here, but I honestly believe that many modern translations either dilute or completely change the WORD OF GOD.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[Reba]

How do ya get a Spanish, German, Chinnese, Etc. verson of the AKJV.  

John 1:1-2
:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.
KJV
  The above  scriptures do not mean to me the Jesus is some how  sittin on my desk, over in the book case, in the night stand, ...... nor do they mean  He is over crowded in the Amplified ...He is only partly in the living bible that is in the bathroom ( no jokes about that being a good place for it) These are  books paper and ink.

So what do we mean when we say The Word of God or Jesus is the Word  etc....


I like KJV best...

[Shylynne]

psst BEP...Irish recieved a transformation  


I`m not really concerned about this being a touchy subject, I know why I use the KJV as my sole reference, simply because  every verse, every passage, has been tried, tested, and found to be truth, according to the witness of the Spirit of it`s author.  I know of no other version that has withstood the test of time as this one has.


Book, paper and ink?
I got what you were trying to say , but I wonder if a trunkfull of mere books could pass into a communist country unseen by police patrols who searched but did not find what was right there in plain sight,  except God blinded thier eyes so they could not see these Books that were not just ordinary books?  
( as personally witnessed and told by a missionary)

[Shylynne]

God’s Amazing Love Letter – The Bible

The Bible is the most incredible, miraculous, wonderful book ever written.  It is actually a whole library of 66 books.  It’s God’s love letter to us!

 It was:

Written over a period of nearly 1500 years.

Written on three different continents.

Written by many different authors – including fishermen, a cup bearer to the king, shepherds, farmers, rabbis, a tax collector, a doctor, poets, kings, preachers and prisoners.

Written in three different languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic.

It contains stories about:

War and peace, romance, suspense, family struggles, mystery, murder, kings, princes, prophets, births, deaths, money, poverty, spies, traitors, bullies, friends, enemies, heroes, adultery, forgiveness, faith, hope, love, hate, sinners and a savior.

It contains:

Poetry, prose, prophecy, history, sermons, love stories, laws, personal and public letters.  It contains every element of the human condition.  But yet, it is also a single story rather about Paradise – lost in Genesis, then regained in Revelation.  There is a message of hope throughout every book: the blood sacrifice and redemption of Jesus, who made us friends again with the Father by paying the price for our sins – something we could not do ourselves.

It is the number one selling and read book of all times.  It is full of thousands of controversial issues and all the authors agree upon them. – a miracle in itself.  More manuscripts have been found proving its authenticity than any other book from antiquity.  The Bible – you can read it, believe it, stake your life on it.

[Reba]

Yuppers and very well said Shyone...

[Broken]

I am not a King James Onlyist.

I think that God is very able to tell us what He wants us to hear in any version.

The King James is a good, pleasant version, yes. I like it, and I own a copy and use it regularly. But I would not take someone else's bible away and tell them they must use the same as mine, for it is the only one God approves of. It is neither the earliest English translation, nor the first people died for, nor the only one to be used for a long time. Nor, should anyone mention this particular "argument" is it the only one not under copyright - as it is under copyright (personal gripe, sorry).

Not to offend anyone, but I always thought KJVOism was an American abberation. People protest that it is not used over here on the grounds that it is beautiful - not that it is the only one that may be used. I find it a strange argument, personally.