The Authorized Version

There has been much debate over which English version of the Bible is the correct one. The fallacy inherent in these debates is the source for substantiating which is the Word of God; the source used has been man not God.

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:9-13)

Man has argued over translation effectiveness and reliability of source documents. While these may be interesting intellectual pursuits, they are all focused on the wrong question. The question to be answered is: Which English translation is authorized by God and thereby imbued with the resurrected power of Jesus Christ? If we answer that question, then we will know which English version is the correct one: God's Authorized Version. While there are many proponents of one version versus another, "many would argue that this choice is a legitimate exercise of Christian freedom. Others may argue, however, that the belief in an 'approved' version of the Bible (or an 'approved' underlying text) still amounts to unjustifiable discrimination, however moderately it may be expressed."¹⁶⁹ These manmade concepts of "freedom" and "discrimination" fly in the face of scriptures: "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common" (Acts 10:15). Examine Israel's first two kings, one was chosen by the people (1 Samuel 8:5; 1 Samuel 12:13), and the other was chosen by God (1 Samuel 16:1). Notice what happened to the people's choice once God's choice is ordained: "Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him" (1 Samuel 16:13-14). When we are born again, we give up our right to ourselves, to our opinions, and to our well-reasoned critical interpretations. We now put God first not self (Luke 9:23). We do not dictate to God; rather, we, through his Spirit, simply obey his Word: "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:20). And, it is the Spirit of God that will "guide you into all truth" (John 16:13) "that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (1 Corinthians 2:12).

God commands us to be unified; that is, perfectly joined together in the same mind. This unity is diffused with all the various English versions; and "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do" (Psalm 11:3)? "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10). "For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ" (2 Corinthians 2:17). Human logic demands a perfect translation; however, God takes the imperfect and makes it perfect. The wisdom of man can never equate to the power of God. "The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them" (Jeremiah 8:9)? "Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid" (Isaiah 29:14). "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence" (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD" (Proverbs 21:30).

In the beginning, God created man in his image; however, many serve a god created in their image. This god operates by the dictates of his creators much like the mythical genies from the story of Aladdin⁵⁶. God, however, is sovereign; his Word endures forever and is sacred. "The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts" (Psalm 119:110). In addition, his Word was written "in code" such that those without the Spirit of God in them cannot understand. "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14; see also Isaiah 28:9-11; Isaiah 29:10-12). For the Christian, our charge is to "have faith in God" (Mark 11:22), because we know that "there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not" (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Therefore, "thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD" (Jeremiah 17:5). As a result, we trust God that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Peter 1:19-21). In addition, let us, like Paul, make this declaration: "But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they [—popular theology—] call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written" (Acts 24:14).

God commands us to not diminish or change his Word: "no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed" (Daniel 6:15; see also Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18-19). Let us not forsake God's (spiritual) process for man's "easier" (intellectual) process. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (Isaiah 55:8-11). "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good" (Numbers 23:19)? "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him" (Ecclesiastes 3:14). "For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth" (2 Corinthians 13:8). Moreover, "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away" (Luke 21:33).

Two Witnesses

Let us examine scriptures to determine if the Word itself provides us a means to determine which version is the authorized one. The first step requires that there be two or three witnesses to establish the truth: "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. (2 Corinthians 13:1). In this case, the witnesses are the scriptures themselves. The next step is to identify which scriptures that uniquely identify which English version is God's authorized Word. Let us review the first witness:

When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:14-20)

Notice, kings (and ministers of Jesus Christ) are authorized by God to make copies of the Word of God. God holds the exclusive copyright to his Word, and therefore has the exclusive right to authorize others to reproduce his Word. English translations of the Word of God that were not authorized by God should be avoided; they are guilty of copyright infringement. After all, on judgment day, it is the Word of God not man's thoughts or commentaries which will be used to judge all. For Jesus said, "the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). So, which English version did a king sanction? History reveals the title of that king as His Majesty King James I of England:

King James Version of the Bible¹⁷⁰

The King James Version of the Bible, first published in 1611, has had a profound impact on English literature. The works of famous authors such as John Bunyan, John Milton, Herman Melville, John Dryden, and William Wordsworth are replete with inspiration derived from the King James Version.

The New Testament of the King James Version was translated from the Received Text (Textus Receptus), called so because most extant texts of the time were in agreement with it. The Old Testament of the King James Version is translated from the Masoretic Hebrew Text.

Modern English Bibles such as the New American Standard Bible and the English Standard Version derive their authority from a completely different set of New Testament manuscripts (earlier Egyptian Minority Texts as opposed to the later Byzantine Majority Texts).

Although it is often referred to as the King James Version, the only active part King James took in the translation was lifting the criminal (death) penalty attached to its translation and setting very reasonable guidelines for the translation process (such as prohibiting partisan scholarship and footnotes.)

The name Authorized Version was particularly used in the United Kingdom, where the name King James Version was known only as "what the Americans call it" until the AV's recent decline in popularity in its homeland.

It has no worldwide copyright, but its reproduction is perpetually restricted in certain parts of the United Kingdom under the Royal Prerogative. The King James Version, despite its age, is largely comprehensible to the average reader today. It is considered to be an instrumental founding block of Early Modern English, and remains one of the most widely read literary works.

Our next witness comes from the book of Hebrews, which mandates that a testament—written record—be dedicated with blood:

For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:16-22)

As you would expect, the particular Bible in question must have been dedicated with blood—the blood of the writer. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11). So, which English version was written in blood; that is, the testator was killed (blood shed) for writing the translation? History reveals that the martyred writer's name was William Tyndale:¹⁷¹

William Tyndale (sometimes spelled Tindale) (circa 1494 - October 6, 1536) was a 16th century religious reformer and scholar who translated the Bible into the Early Modern English of his day. Although numerous partial and complete English translations had been made from the 7th century onward, Tyndale's was the first to take advantage of the new medium of print, which allowed for its wide distribution. In 1535 Tyndale was tried for heresy and treason and then strangled and burnt at the stake.

Much of Tyndale's work eventually found its way to the King James Version (or Authorized Version) of the Bible, published in 1611, which, though the work of 54 independent scholars, is based primarily on Tyndale's translations.

Thus, there is only one translation that fulfills the requirements of the two witnesses: the King James Version. "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints" (1 Corinthians 14:33). The King James Version is God's Authorized Version: the one approved by God for use by his English-speaking children. We serve an all mighty God that is powerful enough to ensure that his Word is preserved through the ages for the benefit of his children: "Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses" (2 Chronicles 34:14). He commands us to live by his every Word; therefore, he has to provide his every Word to enable us to be in obedience. "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). What's more, "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deuteronomy 29:29). As such, since God has "given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3), there are no missing, hidden, secret (Apocrypha) or lost (Pseudepigrapha) books. After all, not even death could stop the Word made flesh: "for had [the princes of this world] known [the wisdom of God], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:7). The King James Version of the Bible is the anointed and infallible Word of God, it is complete without contradiction, and it aligns wholly from Genesis through Revelation. "The scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35), "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little" (Isaiah 28:10). The Christian that does not believe in the inerrancy of God's Word leaves a door open for Satan to walk through and bring deception. "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Romans 15:4): "that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John 20:31).

It should be noted, however, that while there are, indeed, some minor translation errors, these errors are not fundamental—they do not impact sound doctrine. For example, at the beginning of his reign in Jerusalem, the age of Jehoiachin is stated to be eighteen in verse 8 of chapter 24 of 2 Kings whereas verse 9 of chapter 36 of 2 Chronicles states his age as eight. Another example comes when 1 Samuel 17:12 is compared with 1 Chronicles 2:13-15; the former states that Jesse had eight sons whereas the latter states he had seven. As mentioned earlier, let us not forget that God specifically left in "errors" to confound the wise of this world. "And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them" (Mark 4:11-12). All apparent contradictions from these errors are explained, qualified or nullified elsewhere in scripture (Isaiah 28:9-11; 1 Corinthians 2:14); plus, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). "Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way" (Psalm 119:128). Thus, "I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways" (Psalm 119:15).

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