Saturday, July 7, 2012

Is it Biblical to hold to the King james Bible?

This article is written after observing an article attacking the KJVO position as self contradictory.
After studying this issue the past few years; I want to clarify somethings.

There are several camps and not simply one opinion.
Anti-KJV advocates blatantly lump them altogether and develop a scare crow argument.
Here are the different ...views.
A. Traditionalists) Kjv is the bible of tradition. It is a literary masterpiece. (inspirations views are irrelevant)
B. majority text (Byzantine text is superior to the alexandrine text. Translations irrelevant)
C. Preservationist (masoretic and textus receptus are the perfect word of God, Kjv has been providentially used most because of it's faithfulness to the text.)
D. Ruckmanite) the King James Bible was the bible restored or reinspired in 1611. Preservation is denied

I represent the preservationists view. I do not hold to the other views. though we have similarities. I agree with byzantine majority text arguments but counting is not the only basis for Biblical criticism. And the main motivation I have for my position is instead the scriptural mandate for a preserved text.
I have great confidence in the AV translators, yet I do not believe their work to be innerrant like the ruckmanites. I agree with the literary beauty of King James But Hold it because of the divine element of the preserved text that it was translated from.
In the article mentioned the claim was made that all KJVO's hold to sola scriptura and yet the KJVO position itself is unscriptural. That there is no scriptural warrantfor this approach. So here I will give you the scriptural warrant for my approach. Though I am simply arguing for the preservationists view and others views may be guilty of such criticism.



A. The Bible is in a fixed state in heaven. Psalm 119:89
89 "For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven."
It is not up to man to decide what get's to be called the word of God. It is a product of God and not man. It is man's responsimply to recognize it.

B. The bible is the pure Word of God psalm 12:6-7
"6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
7 Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever."
While there many bibles tainted in one way or another. the revelation of God is a consistent pure message that we must preserve.

C. The Word of God abides/stays together 1peter 1:23
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
The Bible is not going to be hidden in a cave for thousands of years or torn in pices that can never be recovered. There are no missing gospels.


D. The Bible is one volume. Hebrews 10:7
7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
The Bible is one package. And today, one book.


E. The Jews are entrusted with the Old... Covenant. Romans 3:2, 9:1-5
3:2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

9:1I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen
The jews were responsible before God to preserve every jot and tittle of the word of God in the OT.

F. The bible is preserved and contains the gospel for believers and is available to them. 1 Peter 1:23-25
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
Where the spirit moves and people are getting saved you will eventually find the Bible. Not hidden in a cave unread!


G. The apostles teaching is the New Testament on equal authority with the Old. Acts 1:21-22, 2:42, 6:2, 2 Peter 3:2
Acts 1:21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
We see the apostles as messengers directly of christ.
2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
The church would study there teachings.
6:2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
The Disciples spent there time preparing the Gospels

2 Peter 3:2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
Here we see the New and Old equated.



H. The New Testament church ( born again congregations)
Are the pillars of truth and they are to preserve the New Testament. 1 Timothy 3:15,
Matthew 18:18.
1 Timothy 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
The Church lifts up the truth, which we find in the word of God.
Matthew 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The earthly authority is in the local congregation.


I. Antioch was a Christian church acts 11:26
Acts 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
So since Antioch was a legitimate Christian Church, then they are reliable as a tradition which published the word of God and that is where we got the byzantine tradition.


J. The word of God is to be published in every nation
Mark 13:10
mark 13:10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
The bible will be published in every nation

J. We should translate the Bible. 1 Corinthians 14:6-11
6 Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
7 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.
10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.
11 Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.
It only makes sense that the bible be translated in these languages because God is not the author of confusion.


K. The Bible points to gentile isles which shall serve the Lord when he reigns from Israel.  Especially among them are the ones from the Isles which also are connected Tarshish.
60 Arise, shine; for thy light is come,
and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
and gross darkness the people:
but the Lord shall arise upon thee,
and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light,
and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Lift up thine eyes round about, and see:
all they gather themselves together, they come to thee:
thy sons shall come from far,
and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side."
Surely the isles shall wait for me,
and the ships of Tarshish first,
to bring thy sons from far,
their silver and their gold with them,
unto the name of the Lord thy God,
and to the Holy One of Israel,
because he hath glorified thee."

The ships of Tarshish:  Tarshish is modern day Spain but it also included the British isles.  Many of us remember in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue and under the authority the Spanish kingdom the America's were discovered.


Gen. 10:And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations."
ezekiel 27:12 Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs.

1 kings 10:21 And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom."
It is obvious that tarshish was used mightily in the kingdom of Solomon
It is apparent they will be used mightily in the kingdom of Christ.
History shows that the descendents and isles of tarshish spread the Gospel across the world.
It is no sm
all implication that true Word of God would be at use in these nations.



L. Kings have Authority proverbs 16:10, proverbs 25:2
So it is completely biblical for James to an objective translation for the English speaking peoples.

Proverbs 16:10 A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.
proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

This shows that James was very wise and just to have requested for God's Word.
I am not claiming this is necessary. But obviously this man's work was anointed producing the bible for English speaking world and providing salvation to the multitudes.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

enjoyed the article. esp. how you used the word of God to defend the word of God. Esp. liked 1 Peter 1:23, and actually read it in a new light, (though I'd read it before time and again), i.e., that God's word is INCORRUPTIBLE SEED.

Pastor Matt Singleton said...

Thank you anonymous :)

Pastor Matt Singleton said...

Thank you anonymous :)