Bible Doctrines Affected By Modern Translations
by Paul L. Freeman
Introduction
The battle for the Word of God is
going on today as it always has. The work of the Evil One himself has ever been
to cause men to doubt the Word (Gen. 3:1), to corrupt the Word (2 Cor. 2:17),
and to misquote the Word (Luke 4:10,11). There are many Modern Versions on the
scene today all claiming to be more accurate or more readable renderings of the
Word of God. Most of these versions follow the MINORITY Greek Text even though
that text exhibits a corruption throughout. The King James Version was
translated from the MAJORITY Greek Text which agrees with about 95% of all
available manuscripts. The MAJORITY Greek Text can be traced back to the
Peshitta (Syriac Version) about 150 A.D.
Many
Those who want to replace our King
James Version with new Modern Versions are constantly stating that no Bible
Doctrines are affected by the changes. One school recently published an article
by one of its' teachers in which he said that, "BOTH TEXTS ARE THE WORD OF GOD."
It is difficult to understand how two texts differing in over 5,000 places can
both be the Word of God. It only serves to show the absolute desperation on the
part of the MINORITY Text champions to defend their indefensible position. The
purpose of this volume is to show the changes made by the MINORITY text and how
they affect the Bible Doctrines which Christians have always believed. Though I
do not consider any change in the Word of God to be unimportant, I have singled
out the most glaring examples. A careful reading will show that the Fundamental
Doctrines of the Christian faith have been affected many times.
Are we to believe the scholars when
they tell us that no important doctrines are affected by the new Modern
Versions? It is obvious that they are not correct. What they really mean to say
is that when all the changes have been made the Bible Doctrines are still there
somewhere else in the Bible. If there are ten verses showing the Virgin Birth of
Christ, and they have removed two, there are still eight remaining to prove the
doctrine. That may satisfy them, but the Fundamental believer sees that as a
piece by piece destruction of the Word of God.
We would accuse them of taking away
from the Word of God. They would accuse us of using a Bible which has many
additions inserted by overzealous Christian copyists. The issue now becomes
quite clear. We must either believe that overzealous heretics have corrupted the
original Word of God or believe that overzealous believers have added to the
original Word of God. I can understand why heretics would want to corrupt the
original Word of God, but I cannot believe that Christians would add one word to
the Word of God which they have been entrusted to copy and pass along. The
Spirit of God within Christians would put a holy awe and reverence around the
sacred word and guided by that same Spirit they would copy what God had given
them. My conclusion is that the new Modern Versions are based on Greek
manuscripts that have been corrupted by heretics who changed the Word of God to
agree with their rejection of the Deity of Christ and their Humanism regarding
salvation. The Greek Text underlying the King James Version is not filled with
additions made by overzealous Christians. It is the Word of God preserved by the
Spirit of God and it exalts the Lord Jesus Christ, giving him his proper place
and the glory due unto his name.
CHANGES IN THEIR
PROPER NEW TESTAMENT ORDER ARE NOW LISTED:
Matthew
1:25 "her firstborn" is omitted.
That Jesus was her firstborn indicates that Mary and Joseph had sexual relations
after the birth of Jesus and that others were born of her. The omission here
seeks to add credence to the false doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church
concerning the perpetual virginity of Mary. The Bible is clear that Jesus had
brothers and sisters.
5:22 "without a cause" is removed.
In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord warned of judgment for those who were angry
with a brother without a cause. Should this change be accepted everyone who is
angry with his brother may be judged. The effect is to bring Jesus into judgment
for failing to observe his own words (see Mark 3:5). Such is contrary to the
doctrine of the sinlessness of Christ.
6:4,6,18 "openly" is out. It is a
Bible Doctrine that Christian work done unnoticed for the glory of the Lord will
one day be rewarded openly (Col. 3:4).
6:13 "For thine is the kingdom, and
the power, and the glory, for ever, Amen" is deleted. This ascription of praise
to "Our Father" is found in 491 out of 500 existing manuscripts. This statement
was made a century ago by Dean John Burgon.
8:29 "Jesus" is left out. The
demons bore witness to the fact that Jesus was the Son of God. It was an
identification of Jesus (in humanity) as the Son of God (in Deity). It affects
the doctrine of the Person of Christ.
9:8 "marvelled" is changed to "were
afraid." There is no reason to believe that the people were afraid because Jesus
healed the sick of the palsy. There is every reason for them to marvel at the
miracle.
9:13 "to repentance" is left out.
The Bible doctrine of repentance is one that men would like to do away with. God
requires that in order to be saved one must truly repent (Acts 17:30; 2 Peter
3:9). The word means "a change of mind" and there must be that concerning God,
sin and salvation. Men think that sin does not really separate them from
God--they must change their mind about that. Men think that salvation is by
works--they must change their mind about that. There is nothing more evident
today than the absence of repentance among those who are professing to be
converted.
15:8 "draweth nigh unto me with
their mouth" is left out. According to Isaiah 29:13 it belongs in because Isaiah
prophesied of these hypocrites exactly that way.
16:2,3 "When it is evening ... the
signs of the times" is all omitted. The Pharisees and Sadducees came looking for
a sign and the signs were all around them. Jesus called them hypocrites because
they could not tell the signs of the times.
17:21 Whole verse is left out.
Power with God is to be had by prayer and fasting. That is a fundamental truth
of the Word of God.
18:2 "Jesus" is left out. This is
done many times by the corrupt Greek Text of Westcott and Hort. I have not
chosen to remark about each instance because it would add many pages to this
work. The MAJORITY Text continuously places the word "Jesus" in the narrative
with the definite article preceding it. Thus it places him in the center of
things and in command. It is doctrinally unsound for such prominence to be
discarded for the word "he."
18:11 The whole verse is omitted.
This verse tells us that man is lost, that he needs to be saved, and that the
Son of man is the one who can do that. The doctrine of salvation through Jesus
Christ is affected by this change.
18:15 "against thee" is omitted.
This omission sets us up as watchdogs over others and if one sins we are to go
and tell him. Such is not the teaching of Scripture. Were we to declare every
sin we would be constantly busy (bodies) judging the actions and motives of
everyone. This change is a very bad error.
18:35 "their trespasses" is
omitted. Same thought as mentioned in 18:15.
19:9 "and whoso marrieth her which
is put away doth commit adultery" is removed. This is a very important doctrinal
change which concerns divorce and remarriage. A man who divorces his wife and
remarries commits adultery, and also the man who marries the divorced wife
commits adultery.
19:16,17 "Good" before Master is
omitted. In addition to that, the phrase "Why callest thou me good?" is changed
to "Why askest thou me concerning the good?" Good Master is correct and Jesus
responded to show the young man that only one was good and that one was God. The
conclusion should have been obvious. Since Jesus was good he was necessarily
God. The omission and change destroys the intended testimony to the Deity of
Christ.
20:16 "for many be called, but few
chosen" is left out. The Lord would have us know that many are called to inherit
eternal life, but few are chosen by virtue of believing in Christ. It is a Bible
doctrine that God wants all men to be saved but few will come to Christ for
salvation.
21:12 "of God" is out. Jesus, who
was God in the flesh, came to his own temple and said, "My house shall be called
the house of prayer." It was the
22:30 "of God" is removed. There
are good angels and fallen angels. The believers, in the resurrection, will be
like the good angels "of God" who alone are in heaven.
23:8 "Master" is changed to
"teacher." There are many teachers but only one master. The change here takes
away the pre- eminence that God intends for his Son.
25:13 "wherein the Son of man
cometh" is omitted. The warning to watch is tied to the imminent return of the
Lord. The omission here does away with the doctrine of the Lord's second advent.
26:28 "new" is dropped before
testament. The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus said, "this cup is the NEW
testament in my blood." The change here is intended to corrupt the Word of God
and to confuse Christians.
27:35 "that it might be fulfilled
... did they cast lots" is all omitted. It is very important in Matthew's
gospel, where Jesus is portrayed as the King of Israel, to show that he is the
fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. Here the parting of his garments and
casting lots is the fulfillment of Psalm 22:18 which portrays the crucifixion of
Christ. To omit this is to show the intended corruption of the Word of God by
the textual critics.
28:6 "the Lord" is omitted. The
very reverent angels said, "see the place where the Lord lay." They would not
say, "see the place where he lay." The constant attempt to humanize Jesus and
take away from his Deity does not endear the Westcott and Hort Greek Text to
believers.
Mark
1:1 "the Son of God" is left out.
These words present Jesus Christ as Deity. Such an omission is a direct attack
on the person of Christ and is without doubt a doctrinal error.
1:31 "immediately" is dropped. The
descriptive word tells us when the fever left her and therefore provides us with
a miracle. The word left out denies the miracle and thus the one who performed
it.
2:17 "to repentance" is left out.
See comments on Matt. 9:13.
3:15 "to heal sicknesses" is
omitted. Jesus gave them authority to heal diseases as well as to cast out
demons. Sickness is the result of sin (Adam's) and the only one who has
authority to eliminate it is the one who would die for sin. On the basis of his
approaching death for sin on
4:24 "and unto you that hear shall
more be given" is left out. It is a Bible teaching that those who seek truth
from the Lord shall be given more truth (see John 7:17).
5:36 "as soon" is dropped. The word
in the Greek is "immediately." The word immediately is constantly dropped by the
Revisers of 1881. It is a key word in Mark which is the Gospel of the Servant of
the Lord who came "not to be ministered unto, but to minister." When Jairus was
told that his daughter was dead and that he should not trouble Jesus further,
the Lord "immediately" encouraged him to believe.
6:11 "Verily I say unto you, It
shall be more tolerable for
7:8 "as the washing of pots and
cups: and many other such like things ye do" is omitted. The Lord not only
condemns the Pharisees for traditions of men, but he names them. There are
traditions of men today which are sending people to Hell and preachers need to
name them. It is doctrinally unsound to let men go on in traditions and not
expose them.
9:23 "if thou canst believe" is
dropped. The father had said to Jesus, "if thou canst do anything." To this lack
of faith Jesus answered, "if thou canst believe." It was at once a rebuke and an
encouragement to have faith in him. The father's answer in the next verse is
beautiful but the Revisers ruined that also. They omitted "with tears, Lord"
from the most precious answer as recorded by the Spirit of God.
9:45 "into the fire that never
shall be quenched" is dropped. The character and duration of Hell is described
here and the doctrine of eternal retribution is affected by this change.
9:47 "fire" is omitted. The words
are inspired and in complete agreement with Rev. 20:15. The consignment of the
lost to the lake of fire is a Bible doctrine.
10:21 "take up the cross" is left
out. The word to the young man was to divest himself of the riches in which he
trusted, consider himself dead to the world, and follow Christ into eternal
life. There are many who will let go of riches and seek to emulate some of
Christ's teachings, but the way of the cross they refuse. The cross for Christ
and for believers is Fundamental in Christian doctrine.
10:24 "for them that trust in
riches" is left out. This is a very glaring doctrinal error. It is not hard to
enter into the kingdom of God (salvation is a free gift through faith in Jesus
Christ) but it is hard for those who trust in riches to trust Christ alone for
salvation. Their God is their wealth and it is no more compatible with Christ
than Dagon was with the Ark of God (see 1 Sam. 5:1-5).
11:26 The whole verse is removed.
It is a Bible doctrine that if we regard iniquity in our heart the Lord will not
hear us. Answered prayer and clean vessels go together. When I confess my sins
and ask God for favor he requires that my confession of sin include forgiveness
of those who have sinned against me. If I refuse to forgive others it becomes
sin to me (see Eph. 4:32).
13:14 "spoken of by Daniel the
prophet" is dropped. Without the reference to Daniel the appeal to understand is
without force. Though some might connect it in their thoughts because they are
familiar with Scripture, it does not follow that he is referring to Daniel. The
reference to Daniel by the Lord also authenticates his writing as inspired
Scriptures.
14:22 "eat" is dropped. Our Lord
did not give them a relic from the Last Supper to take home and cherish. He gave
them broken bread to eat which (when observed) would always remind them of his
body which was broken for them.
15:28 The whole verse is left out.
Jesus was crucified between two thieves in fulfillment of Isaiah 53:12. It is
doctrinal error to eliminate clear statements concerning the fulfilling of
prophecy (see Luke 24:27).
16:9-20 Twelve verses are omitted.
These verses are found in every known manuscript but two (the oldest of those
two leaves a blank space where it belongs). They are found in all the Versions,
quoted by the church fathers, and seen in the lectionaries of the church. There
are many doctrines affected by the omission of these twelve verses. The
resurrection of Christ is deleted. The great commission, baptism, eternal
damnation and His ascension into Heaven are all taken out of the Word of God.
Certainly the gospel does not end with "they were afraid." Some say the ending
has been lost (see Dr. Ryrie's Study Bible) but that destroys the Bible Doctrine
that God preserves His Word (see 1 Peter 1:23-25). The evidence is clear that
these verses are original and to cut them out is to affect many doctrines of the
Christian faith.
Luke
1:28 "blessed art thou among women"
is omitted. There were many virgins in
2:14 "peace, good will toward men"
is changed to "peace among men of good will." The first talks of the birth of
Christ as bringing God's peace and good will (reconciliation) to men. Faith in
the death of Christ for our sins brings justification and peace with God. The
change offers God's peace to men who are good. That is doctrinally unsound since
there is none good.
2:33 "Joseph and his mother" is
changed to "his father and mother." The Spirit of God is very careful to show
that our Lord Jesus Christ was born of a virgin and that he did not have a human
father who begat him. The change casts doubt upon the doctrine of the virgin
birth of Christ as the "seed of the woman." Later, when Mary refers to Joseph as
"thy father," Jesus answers with, "wist ye not that I must be about my Father's
business," meaning that God was his father (see 2:48,49).
2:40 "in spirit" is left out. That
the child grew and waxed strong in spirit (meaning that he was spiritually
strong) is evident from verse 47. It is unlikely that the Spirit of God wanted
us to see how strong Jesus was with reference to his physique.
2:43 "and Joseph and his mother
knew not of it" is changed to "and his parents were unaware of it." The first
retains the teachings of the virgin birth, the second discards it. The virgin
birth is a Fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith and the MAJORITY Text
upholds it. Let us not hear of supposed overzealous copyists but rather let us
beware of overzealous heretics who would deny the fundamentals of the faith.
4:4 "but by every Word of God" is
dropped. Many are willing to agree that bread alone cannot satisfy man, but few
are willing to live by every word of God. This quotation is from Deut. 8:3 where
the omitted words are found. The same one who said, "Yea, hath God said?" is the
author of this omission. The Revisers could not leave this passage in because
they have changed "every word of God" in over 5,000 places in the New Testament.
Satan does not mind if we read the Bible as long as we have a Swiss cheese Bible
(full of holes). Holes in the Word cause doubts in the Word, doubts cause faith
to be lost, and without faith it is impossible to please him.
4:8 "Get thee behind me, Satan" is
omitted. The devil had tempted Jesus to bypass the cross and receive the kingdom
over the world. Jesus, whose face was set as a flint to go to the cross, refused
to worship him.
6:10 "whole as the other" is left
out. These words tell us that not only was his hand restored to use but it was
whole as the other. The completeness of the miracle is attested to by these
words.
9:54 "even as Elias did" is
omitted. Apart from this word they had no precedent for doing such a thing.
9:55,56 "and said, Ye know not what
manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's
lives, but to save them" is omitted. In reply to the disciples who thought that
they could call down fire from heaven, Jesus told them that he came to save men.
This passage is consistent with John 3:17, "For God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
11:2-4 "Our ... which art in
heaven" is deleted along with "Thy will be done as in heaven, so in earth" and
"but deliver us from evil." Only corrupt manuscripts can produce so many
departures from the disciples prayer which is found without deletions in Matt.
6:9-13.
14:5 The word "ass" is changed to
"son." The use of "son" is too much for the comparison the Lord is making. Only
a slavish loyalty to a corrupt Greek text can produce such a foolish change.
22:31 "And the Lord said" is
dropped. The Lord Jesus was God and as such he was omnipresent and omniscient.
He was present when Satan came before God and asked permission to try Peter's
faith. He had prayed to the Father, as Peter's intercessor, that his faith would
not fail. It was the Lord who knew all of this and warned Peter specifically.
22:64 "they struck him on the face"
is dropped. It is error to minimize the sufferings of Christ. His facial
appearance was marred more than any man (see Isaiah 52:14 and 53:5).
23:23 "and of the chief priests" is
omitted. The Lord was careful to let us know that the religious priests were
involved in the rejection of Christ. Those who call themselves priests today do
likewise.
23:42 "And he said unto Jesus,
Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom" is changed to "Then he
said, Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom." The confession that
Jesus is Lord is doctrinally correct because it is required for salvation (see
23:45 "the sun was darkened" is
changed to "the sun was eclipsed." The Greek word in the corrupt Greek Text is
EKLIPONTOS from which we derive the word ECLIPSE. An eclipse is caused by the
natural occurrence of the moon passing between the sun and the earth and usually
lasts for about 3-5 minutes. The sun being darkened for three hours was a
miracle of God and will be repeated again prior to the Lord's return to earth
(see Matt. 24:29) Many modern versions try to hide the Greek word they are using
to translate from the corrupt Greek text by using words like: obscured (NASV),
faded (AMPLIFIED), stopped shining (NIV), failed (NEW WORLD), but some honestly
translate the word "eclipse" (20th CENTURY, MOFFAT, NEB, PHILLIPS). Humanism
would try to find some way to explain away the miracles of God's Word lest they
be forced to accept it as the revelation from God concerning salvation.
24:36 "and saith unto them. Peace
be unto you" is omitted. Jesus had said to them, "Peace I leave with you, my
peace I give unto you" (John 14:27). He was now risen from the dead and in their
midst to guarantee that peace to them. One of the greatest benefits of our
salvation is to have peace with God (
24:40 The whole verse is omitted.
The bodily resurrection of Christ is proven here as he showed them his hands and
his feet. The omission affects Bible doctrine very much.
24:51 "and carried up into heaven"
is left out. The bodily ascension of Christ into heaven is a Bible doctrine that
is denied here. It leaves the Lord parted from them but does not tell us where
he went. The Revisers removed the doctrine and left the Word in a poor state of
disarray. Acts 1:1, 2 tells us that the "former treatise" (Luke) ended with
Jesus being "taken up." That ought to be sufficient to show the Revisers are
wrong.
24:52 "And ... worshipped him" is
omitted by the NASV. The MAJORITY Text says, "And they having worshipped him
returned to
John
1:18 "the only begotten Son" is
changed to "The only begotten God." Such a phrase is foreign to Scripture. It
accommodates the Arian teaching that Christ was a lesser deity created by God.
It agrees with the teaching of Origen that Christ was not equal with God in
essence and nature. Sound Fundamental doctrine concerning Christ is that he is
one person of the Triune God and that he proceeds from the Father by an eternal
generation and reveals God to men as the Son of God.
1:27 "He it is ... who is preferred
before me" is removed. This change removes the pre-eminence and pre-existence of
Christ. John wanted us to see that though Christ came after him, he in reality
preceded and ranked above him.
3:13 "which is in heaven" is
omitted. This change affects the doctrine of the omnipresence of Christ. As man
he was here on earth, as God he was able to be everywhere present. The omission
is a corruption introduced by those who do not believe in the perfect and
absolute Deity of Christ.
3:15 "should not perish" is
removed. This deletion removes the opposite of everlasting life, which is to
perish. The doctrine of eternal damnation is weakened by the change.
3:16 "his only begotten Son" is
changed to "the only begotten Son." The word HIS marks Jesus Christ out as God's
own peculiar son in a relationship that no one else has. It marks him as of the
same essence and nature. The Deity of Christ is involved and is thereby weakened
(3:17 also changed).
4:42 "the Christ" is left out. The
purpose of John's gospel as given in 20:31 was to lead people to believe that
Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. That belief was to bring life to them. To
omit it here is to deny the purpose of the inspired writer.
5:3b, 4 The statement regarding the
moving of the water by an angel and subsequent miraculous healing is removed.
Should this deletion be permitted there would be no sense to verse 7 since that
verse presupposes 5:3b, 4. This is an effort to remove the miraculous from the
Bible and thus accommodate humanism.
5:16 "and sought to slay him" is
omitted. The Scripture teaches us that on many occasions they tried to kill
Jesus but by supernatural power were kept from doing so (see John 18:6). He was
omnipotent and there was no way they could take him until his hour was come.
6:47 "on me" is left out. The
object of faith has been removed here. Everlasting life does not come to those
who believe, but to those who believe on Christ. This is doctrinal error of the
gravest sort and has been carried over into the NASV and NIV.
7:8 The little word "yet" is
dropped and the result is that the Lord appears to lie to his brothers, since he
did go up to the feast. There is a world of difference between "I go not up YET"
and "I go not up." The sinlessness of Christ is an indispensable doctrine of the
Christian faith and lying is sin.
7:53-8:11 The whole story of the
woman taken in adultery is omitted. This is one of the most blessed portions of
the Word of God. It is intended by God through the inspired writer to amplify
what came before in 3:17. The law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ (1:17).
8:38 The words "my Father" and
"your father" are intended to show the difference between his father and their
father, who was Satan. By removing the word "my" and "your" there is a
deliberate attempt to remove the offence and cater to the false dream of the
Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man.
8:39 "If ye were Abraham's
children" is changed to "if ye are Abraham's children." The Lord intended them
to see that they were not Abraham's children at all. The change gives us to see
that they were Abraham's children and therefore they ought to act like it. This
is pure humanism and contrary to sound doctrine.
9:4 "I must work the works of him
that sent me" is changed to "We must work the works of him that sent us." The
uniqueness of Christ as the Sent One of the Father is destroyed and he is placed
equally with the disciples as sent from God to do the work of God. This is an
attack on the Person and Work of Christ and it exalts humanism. Jesus was sent
by the Father and the disciples were sent by Jesus, "as my Father hath sent me,
even so send I you."
9:35 "the Son of God" is changed to
"the Son of man." The thing to be believed in John's gospel is that Jesus is the
Son of God (20:31). The change by the minority texts is not warranted.
10:38 "that ye may know, and
believe" is changed to "that ye may know, and understand." The union of Christ
and the Father within the Godhead is that which we are to believe and rely upon
for the certainty of our salvation. To understand the union is beyond human
comprehension and if it could be understood, that would still not be the
equivalent of salvation.
11:41 "where the dead was laid" is
removed. God intends that we should know that this was the very same place where
Lazarus was laid. This is an attempt to cloud the evident miracle which
followed. (see also 12:2 where "which had been dead" is also removed).
Acts
Title "of the Holy Apostles" is
deleted. To leave us with "ACTS" means nothing. That the Apostles were
sanctified (holy) by the Lord Jesus and sent forth as his sent ones is evident
from John 17:1719. The title in the MAJORITY Text is doctrinally correct.
2:30 "according to the flesh he
would raise up Christ" is omitted. It was not just that one of David's
descendants would sit upon the throne, but that his greater Son would be raised
from the dead in a body of flesh.
2:31 "his soul" is omitted. The
body of Christ was in the tomb but his soul went down into Hades (Hell), the
place of departed spirits. The teaching of the Bible is that our Lord had a
body, soul and spirit.
2:47 "to the church" is left out.
Believers are added to the Church which is Christ's body. The Church is an
organism, and when persecutors touched the Church they touched Christ (see 9:5).
3:21 "all" is dropped in front of
"his holy prophets." God has spoken of the Kingdom age by the mouth of ALL his
prophets since the world began. In harmony with this Jesus spoke to the two on
the road to Emmaus about himself from "all the prophets" (see Luke 24:27). There
are others in the world who claim to be prophets but they do not speak of Jesus
and his kingdom, therefore they are not of God.
3:26 "Jesus" is dropped. The
specific name leaves no doubt as to whom God raised up from the dead to offer
again the kingdom to
4:24 "thou art God" is changed to
"thou art he who." There is no reason to accept MINORITY manuscripts when they
want to change "God" to "he who" (see 1 Tim. 3:16).
6:3 The word "Holy" is dropped.
When God led the Church to choose deacons he made it clear that they should be
controlled by the Holy Spirit. Many churches since have appointed men who had a
lot of spirit and were full of enthusiasm, but that is not the same as being
full of the "Holy Ghost." Godly living is required of deacons and it is contrary
to sound doctrine to leave out "Holy." The Greek word for spirit can refer to
man's spirit or God's spirit and lest we should err here God inserted the word
"Holy" before spirit.
6:8 "faith" is changed to "grace."
The Bible does not teach that Christians are full of grace but rather that they
receive grace. The only one who was "full of grace" was our Lord Jesus Christ
(see John 1:14). The measure of faith is given to every believer to profit
thereby.
7:30 "of the Lord" is omitted. It
was not just an angel that appeared to Moses at the burning bush, it was an
angel of Jehovah (the Lord). This was an Old Testament appearance of the eternal
Son of God in angelic form. In plain words it was the Lord who appeared to Moses
(see Exodus 3:1-5).
7:37 "The Lord your" and "him shall
ye hear" are omitted. This is contrary to the original quotation as found in
Deut. 18:15. In Stephen's sermon the "him shall ye hear" is most important since
those who refuse Christ's words will be judged by God.
8:18 "Holy" is dropped. Four times
here in four verses the Holy Ghost is mentioned. To drop the word Holy in one
out of the four times is to create confusion and doubt concerning the Word of
God.
8:37 The whole verse is omitted.
This leaves the question of the Ethiopian eunuch unanswered. Philip's answer is
correct in that belief must be from the heart prior to baptism. The eunuch's
confession of faith is in exact agreement with what is required for salvation as
given in John 20:31. Souls have been led to Christ with this verse of Scripture
and it is doctrinally unsound to remove it.
9:5,6 "it is hard for thee to kick
against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou
have me to do? And the Lord said unto him" is all omitted. This passage gives us
a picture of Saul resisting the Spirit of God as he was under conviction. Saul's
response is to submit to the Lord's direction, having been humbled before the
Lord. Without Saul's "what wilt thou have me to do?" there could be no "arise
and go."
9:29 "Jesus" is left out. The
reason the Jews went about to slay Saul was not because he spake boldly in the
name of the Lord, but because he spoke of the Lord Jesus. As we well know in
this day of Modernism there is a great difference.
10:6 "he shall tell thee what thou
oughtest to do" is left out. The would- be correctors of the MAJORITY Text would
have us believe that Cornelius was already saved and that it would be good for
him to have fellowship with Peter. The truth is that Cornelius was not saved
(see 11:14) and that there was something which he had to do. He must believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ or he would be lost and go to Hell.
10:30 "fasting" is left out.
Fasting, to find the will of God, is a Biblical doctrine. Though it is little
used today, especially since we have the completed Word of God, it was evident
in the New Testament apostolic times.
10:32 "who, when he cometh, shall
speak unto thee" is omitted. See above comments under 10:6.
15:24 "Ye must be circumcised and
keep the law" is left out. This is exactly the reason why the
16:31 "Christ" is omitted. The word
speaks of the Deity of Christ. It pointed the Philippian jailer to the God he
must believe in for salvation.
18:5 "was pressed in the Spirit" is
changed to "was engrossed with the word." When Paul was teaching he was always
engrossed with the Word. In
19:10 "Jesus" is left out. For the
heathen to hear about the Lord is not enough. They must hear that Jesus is that
Lord.
20:28 "of God" is changed to "of
the Lord." The word lord is sometimes used of men and sometimes of God.
Therefore, the change does not affirm the Deity of Christ. Our Authorized King
James Version shows that God purchased the church with his own blood. This
establishes the Deity of Christ irrefutably.
21:25 "they observe no such thing,
save only that" is omitted. The Gentiles had been told that they did not have to
observe the law of Moses nor circumcise their children (see Acts 15:23-29).
James was in error when he sought to keep the Jews obedient to the Law after he
had written to the Gentiles that they were not under it. The omission here
leaves one with the impression that the Law was optional for the Gentiles and
possibly preferable. Tampering with God's Word always leaves the door open for
doctrinal error.
26:28 "almost thou persuadest me to
be a Christian" is changed to "do you think that in such a short time you can
persuade me to be a Christian?" King Agrippa was "almost persuaded" and he was
in possession of the truth concerning salvation. The change would have us
believe that he needed more information and perhaps Paul was too quick to expect
a decision.
Romans
1:16 "of Christ" is omitted. The
gospel message is of Christ and centers around his Person and Work. This is an
inexcusable attempt to leave Christ out of the good news of salvation.
3:22 "and upon all" is dropped. The
doctrine of imputed righteousness is most blessed to the believer. We are
clothed in his righteousness and God sees us in Him, therefore it is "upon us."
8:1 "Who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit" is dropped. To the truth that there is no condemnation to
those who are in Christ, the Word adds the truth that they are characterized by
a walk in the Spirit. It is a Bible doctrine that those who are saved are
characterized by a changed life.
11:6 "But if it be of works, then
is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work" is dropped. The first part
of the verse shows that grace rules out works. The second part of the verse
shows that works rules out grace. It is intended for those who want to intrude
works into the established state of grace for good measure (or safekeeping in
salvation). This is a very important doctrinal passage in its' entirety.
13:9 "thou shalt not bear false
witness" is dropped. Those who wrote the corrupt manuscripts had no trouble with
the other commandments shown here. It is obvious that a smiting conscience would
not permit them to include this commandment since it directly involved what they
were engaged in, bearing false witness about God's Word.
14:9 "and rose" is left out. Many
heretics are willing to say that he died and that he lives again, but that he
rose (bodily out from among the dead) they reject outright. The bodily
resurrection of Christ is a cardinal doctrine of the Christian faith.
1 Corinthians
2:4 "man's wisdom" is changed to
"wisdom." Paul did not reject wisdom in his teaching, he rejected MAN'S wisdom.
3:4 "are ye not carnal?" is changed
to "are ye not men?" It should be obvious that they were men, but the Bible
truth to be taught was that in their divisions they were being controlled by
fleshly (carnal) desires and not spiritual desires.
5:7 "for us" is omitted. This
affects the vital doctrine of the substitutionary atonement of Christ. If Christ
did not die for our sins then we are still under the wrath of God and without
hope.
5:12 The little word "also" is
dropped. That word indicated that Paul did judge those who were within the
church. Those who were outside the church were for God to judge. The
responsibility for believers to carry out discipline within the church is a
Bible doctrine.
6:4 "set them to judge who are
least esteemed in the church" is changed to "do you appoint them as judges who
are of no account in the church?" The Word of God teaches that it is better to
suffer wrong than to go to court against another Christian before a lost world.
It is better to leave the judgment of the matter to the least Christian than to
the greatest worldly judge. The change here completely turns around the way of
God and seems to rebuke the church for leaving the matter in the hands of the
least Christians.
6:20 "and in your spirit which are
God's" is omitted. The body gives us world consciousness and the spirit gives us
God consciousness. We are to glorify God in our body by holy living and in our
spirit by walking in fellowship with God. Verses 16 and 17 talk about both.
10:9 "Christ" is changed to "Lord."
In the Old Testament they tempted Christ and that rock that followed them was
Christ (see verse 4). The word Lord can be used of the Father and the Son.
Changing to that word here eliminates the pre-existence of Christ.
11:24 "take eat" is omitted along
with "is broken." The symbolic bread was broken and given to the disciples with
instruction to eat it. It typified his flesh which "is being broken for you"
(literal Greek). Though not a bone of him was broken it is true that his flesh
was broken in many places before he died on our behalf.
11:29 "unworthily" is dropped. The
word gives the picture of a believer treating the Lord's Supper as a common
meal, not reverencing the symbolic meaning and spiritual impact it is intended
to make upon his soul and spirit. To remove this word is a very great doctrinal
error. When you consider that sickness and death was the result of such unworthy
participation, it is no light matter.
11:29 "not discerning the Lord's
body" is changed to "if he does not judge the body rightly" (NASV). When we
partake of the Lord's Supper we are to see through the elements to the Lord's
body. As you think of the cost of your redemption there ought to be more holy
living. The change brings absolute confusion concerning what body is meant, the
Lord's or the believers. It is hallowed ground and the corrupters of God's Word
have dared to tread upon it.
15:47 "the Lord" is left out. God
is contrasting Adam and Christ. To say that the second man is from heaven is not
enough. There have been men from heaven who were angels. Here the man from
heaven is the Lord. This is an attempt to do away with the Deity of Christ.
15:49 "we shall also bear the image
of the heavenly" is changed to "we should bear the image of the heavenly." The
first is a fact based upon the certainty of our eternal salvation in Christ. The
second is an exhortation based upon the uncertainty of a salvation by works. The
first is sound doctrine, the second is unsound doctrine.
16:22 "Jesus Christ" is omitted. In
a phrase with such import as to be accursed it is unthinkable that the test
should center around the general term "Lord." The curse of God is upon those who
do not love the Lord Jesus Christ. When his person and work is refused there is
nothing to look for but wrath.
2 Corinthians
4:4 "unto them" is omitted. The
devil does not have power to keep the light of the gospel of Christ from
shining, but he does have power to blind men lest it shine "unto them."
5:17 "all things" is left out. The
believer is brought into vital union with Christ so that it is declared that he
is in Christ. In the sight of God "old things" of the sinful nature are passed
away. It only remains for those old things to be unwound, like Lazarus'
graveclothes, in his daily life. In the sight of God "all things" are become new
though they make their appearance in the life of the believer as he grows in
grace and knowledge. To deny that "all things" are become new is to deny the
finished work of Christ whereby we are made accepted in the beloved.
12:11 "in glorying" is dropped. The
Corinthians had compelled Paul to talk about his experiences with the Lord. He
did not want to brag about his spirituality. He felt that he had become foolish
in boasting or glorying. The change would have Paul saying, "I have made a fool
of myself." That is not what we are to understand.
Galatians
3:1 "that ye should not obey the
truth" is omitted. The Galatians had been bewitched by the Jewish legalizers who
had put them under the Law to keep saved. Paul tells them that in so doing they
were not obeying the truth. The truth was that they were saved by grace and that
all spiritual blessings were theirs in Christ. To turn from that is to be in
error.
3:17 "in Christ" is dropped. Paul
is talking about the covenant with Abraham through his seed which was Christ.
The law was added later and did not affect the covenant of promise to those who
would be saved by believing as Abraham did. God promised Abraham that through
his seed (singular) all the families of the earth would be blessed. That was a
covenant confirmed before of God "in Christ."
4:7 "an heir of God through Christ"
is changed to "an heir through God." The inheritance is to the children of God
through the mediatorship of Christ. We are not heirs of God through God, but
through Christ. The change here is intended to destroy the reliance upon the
Lord Jesus Christ who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Ephesians
1:1 "at
3:9 "by Jesus Christ" is removed.
It is a Bible doctrine that all things were created by Jesus Christ and without
him was not anything made that was made. This change detracts from the Deity of
Christ which is made evident by the fact that ALL THINGS were created by Him.
5:30 "of his flesh, and of his
bones" is left out. The Bible teaching is that the believer is vitally conjoined
to Christ for a new life and walk in the Spirit. We are "quickened together with
Christ," "raised up together," and "seated together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus." God likens this to the marriage relationship where two people become one
flesh.
6:10 "my brethren" is dropped.
These words make it very clear that Paul's instructions concerning Christian
living are for Christians who by the new birth have become Paul's "brethren."
There is a great danger that unsaved people might get the impression that by
imitating the things that Christians do they can become Christians.
Philippians
4:13 "Christ" is changed to "him."
It is precious to the believer to know that Christ will give him strength for
spiritual living. Christ himself said, "without me ye can do nothing" (John
15:5). The word "him" is quite indefinite and can be misconstrued by Modernists
to include the "him" of any religious group believing in a Supreme Being.
Colossians
1:2 "and the Lord Jesus Christ" is
omitted. Along with the Father he is the source of grace and peace.
1:14 "through his blood" is left
out. Redemption and forgiveness of sins is through the direct agency of his shed
blood. Many Modernists today can work around the words "redemption" and
"forgiveness of sins," but they cannot work around the shed blood. Therefore
they must deny it and be in direct opposition to it.
2:11 "of the sins" is removed. What
is left to work with brings the NIV to translate "In him you were also
circumcised, in the putting off of your sinful nature." It is an established
Bible doctrine that by the circumcision of our heart which the Lord made, we are
able to overcome the sins of our flesh. But the putting off of our sinful nature
will not take place until we are changed in the Rapture. Errors like this can
only occur as the group of translators persist in following the MINORITY Text.
2:18 "those things which he has not
seen" is made to read "those things which he has seen." Men were vainly
attempting to worship angels as emanations from God in a step-ladder effort to
reach God. Paul exhorted them to hold fast to the Head (our God-man Christ
Jesus) who proceeded forth and came from God (himself being of the Trinity) that
he might bring us to God. Paul says they DID NOT see them, heretics say THEY
HAVE.
1 Thessalonians
1:1 "from God our Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ" is dropped. Are we to think that grace and peace is bestowed
by Paul? No, that is not within his power. They have their source in the Father
and the Son.
5:27 "holy" is dropped from before
"brethren." Paul had other brethren according to the flesh who were not saved
(Rom. 9:1-3; 10:1). These were sanctified and preserved brethren and they were
"holy" because they were accepted in the beloved.
1 Timothy
3:3 "not greedy of filthy lucre" is
omitted. The phrase has to do with obtaining earthly gain through disgraceful
means. This happens everyday within professing Christendom. It is inspired of
God and belongs in the text.
3:16 "God was manifest" is changed
to "He was manifest." The reference is to Christ manifest in the flesh, etc. The
MAJORITY Text tells us that this Christ was God. There are 252 copies of Paul's
Epistles which have "God" and only 2 copies which have "he." The MINORITY Text
leaves us in doubt as to who "he" is. The doctrine of the Deity of Christ is
greatly harmed here by the corrupt text.
4:12 "in spirit" is left out. To be
an example of the believer it is necessary to have a spiritual man guided by the
indwelling Holy Spirit.
4:16 "if any man" is omitted. It is
unthinkable that the head of the house should be removed here from the
responsibility to provide for widows.
6:5 "from such withdraw thyself" is
dropped. The Bible doctrine of separation is affected by this corruption. We are
to withdraw from teachers who are destitute of the truth.
6:19 "eternal life" is changed to
"that which is truly life." The first talks about the length of life, the second
talks about the quality of life. You cannot have the first without being saved.
You can have the second but still be lost, depending on what you think is "truly
life."
2 Timothy
1:11 "of the Gentiles" is omitted.
That Paul was appointed to teach the gospel to the Gentiles is indisputable (see
Gal. 2:7-9).
Hebrews
1:3 "When he had by himself purged
our sins" is changed to "when he had made purification of sins." The omission of
the word "our" leaves us to wonder whose sins were purged, his own or others. It
is not plain and therefore the substitutionary atonement of Christ is affected
by the change. With the words "by himself" the Holy Spirit wanted us to see that
the atonement for our sins was accomplished by Christ alone. The damage to this
verse is awesome in its' consequences.
3:1 "Christ" is omitted. Our High
Priest must be anointed of God to that office and the word Christ means the
Messiah or Anointed one of God.
10:34 "in heaven" is left out.
Those who had lost all their earthly goods certainly had no enduring substance
here, but in heaven was their treasure and reward.
James
2:20 "faith without works is dead"
has been changed to "faith without works is useless." There is a great
difference between dead faith and useless (or idle) faith. The first indicates
that no faith exists and the person is lost. The second implies that faith
exists but it is not being used. Again we see humanism and the false idea of a
little divinity in each one which only needs to be fanned into a flame. The
change promotes false doctrine.
4:4 "ye adulterers" is dropped from
the text. No reason to excuse the men from the scathing denunciation of God's
Word.
4:14 "It is even a vapour" is
changed to "Ye are just a vapour." In describing the length of our life, God
tells us it will pass quickly like a vapour. The change would have US OURSELVES
to exist as a little steam. There is a leaning here toward annihilationism.
5:16 "Confess your faults" becomes
"confess your sins." In a context where God talks about sin in relationship to
sickness, he moves on to talk about faults (a side-slip or deviation). The
change "faults" to "sins" leads to the priesthood and the confession box which
is contrary to all of Scripture.
1 Peter
1:22 "through the Spirit" is
removed. The Bible teaches that it is through the agency of the Holy Spirit that
men are brought to believe in Christ. In John 16:8,9 he convicts the world (all
men) and draws them to faith in Christ.
1:23 "for ever" is dropped and
thereby the preservation of the Word of God is called into question. The agency
here of the new birth is the Word of God, which is eternal. Our new birth
therefore is as eternal as the Word which originated it.
2:2 The phrase "unto salvation" is
added by Westcott and Hort to "that ye may grow thereby." This puts a question
mark over the certainty of our present salvation. It makes salvation a process
rather than an accomplished fact. The doctrine of eternal security is denied by
the new exhortation to grow UNTO SALVATION.
3:18 "suffered for sins" is changed
to "died for sins." The context has Christians suffering for well doing and they
are exhorted to keep on because Christ also has suffered for us. It is a Bible
teaching that Christ not only died for our sins, but that he suffered for our
sins (see Isaiah 53:5-7).
3:18 "quickened by the Spirit" is
changed to "quickened in the spirit." The correct rendering attributes the
resurrection of Christ to the Holy Spirit. This completes the truth that all
three persons of the Trinity were involved in the resurrection of Christ (see
John 2:19; Rom. 8:11).
4:1 "for us" is left out. Christ
suffered for us, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.
5:2 "taking the oversight thereof"
is omitted. To watch over the flock of God with authority is a clear teaching of
the Word.
5:12 "wherein ye stand" is changed
to "wherein stand." By the removal of the word "ye" there is a change from our
standing in grace to an exhortation to stay there standing. The blessing of a
perfected standing in grace is thereby removed.
2 Peter
2:17 The words "for ever" are
dropped. Peter, in the word concerning false teachers, states that their
darkness is to last forever. The change leaves us with no definite word as to
their end.
2:18 "those that were clean
escaped" is changed to "those that are scarcely escaping." The change from past
tense to present tense moves us from a completed salvation to a hope-so
salvation. Those who are saved are in possession of eternal life (see John
5:24).
2:20 "the Lord and Saviour" becomes
"our Lord and Saviour." The false teachers had escaped some of the world's worst
sins by following the teachings of "the Lord" but they had never come to know
him as "our Lord" is known to real Christians. They were not saved and then
lost, but never saved at all.
3:2 "us the apostles" is changed to
"your apostles." The Church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets (Eph. 2:20) and there are no apostles and prophets today nor is there
any such thing as an apostolic succession. The phrase "your apostles" indicates
that the people he was writing to had special apostles designated for them and
lends support to the continuance of a so-called "Apostolic Succession."
1 John
1:7 "Christ" is dropped. This word
brings the cleansing blood into relationship with our great anointed High Priest
who ever liveth to make intercession for us. Many cults believe that Jesus (as
man) died for the original sin of Adam and that Christ (as a spirit) rose
without the body. John would have us know that the one who died and the one who
arose are the same.
3:5 "our" is removed from before
"sins." Once again the question of whose sins were taken away is raised. There
have been sins committed by angels and men. The "our sins" refers the atonement
to those of men. (see my comments under Hebrews 1;3).
3:14 "his brother" is removed. The
teaching of the Word is that a true Christian will love his brother in Christ.
If a man does not love a true Christian, then it is evident that he is still
lost and abides in death. The test of spiritual life is not that we love, but
that we love the brethren (see John 13:34,35).
4:19 "We love him" is changed to
"We love." The object of God's love is us, and the object of our love is him.
Christians are not just people who love, but people who love God because of his
grace. The very next verse deals with the professor who says he loves God but is
a liar. Lost people may love, but saved people love God.
5:7 The whole verse bearing
testimony to the Triune God is discarded. There are at least 20 Greek
manuscripts which have this verse in. It is also seen in the writings of the
church fathers and lectionaries. It directly affects the Bible doctrine of the
Trinity.
Revelation
5:10 "kings and priests" is changed
to "a kingdom of priests." The 24 elders are representative of all the redeemed
who in Christ are constituted kings and priests. A kingdom of priests smells of
Nicolaitanism (the rule of the clergy over the laity) and the priesthood for a
select few as in the Roman Catholic Church. (The same change is seen in 1:6)
8:13 "an angel" is changed to "an
eagle." This is most amusing and shows how captive the Revisers are to their
corrupt text. In a setting replete with angels we are told about a talking eagle
who pronounces three more "Woes" to the inhabiters of the earth.
14:5 "before the throne of God" is
dropped. This phrase speaks of the perfect standing that the saved have in
Christ. They are without fault before God because they are, like the church,
"accepted in the beloved" (Eph. 1:6).
20:9 "from God" is dropped. At the
end of the Kingdom Age the enemies of God are destroyed by fire "from God out of
heaven." God is the one who will destroy all enemies and create a new heaven and
a new earth.
20:12 "before God" is changed to
"before the throne." The dead will be raised, not to stand before an impersonal
throne, but to stand before "the God" [literal]. Many would like to change the
personal God into some kind of Divine Mind or Supreme Being.
Conclusion
All that has gone before makes it
very clear that Christian Doctrine is greatly affected by the changes. The
MINORITY Text is the source of these changes and the New Modern Versions usually
follow that Text. It is unthinkable that men of God would continue to advocate
the use of these versions when they are in complete possession of all the facts.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to guide us into "all truth." May he be
allowed to have his way in our hearts. If you have read this book and are of the
same persuasion as the author, I would exhort you to give copies to your
Christian friends. It is very important that they understand the issue
confronting the Church today. As great numbers of Christian people let their
voices be heard for the retention of God's Word, as given to us in the
Traditional Text, there will be a restoration of the same in the pulpits and in
the Christian schools of our land.
Used
with permission of Paul L. Freeman,
