“The Essence of God’s Inspired Words”
II Timothy 3:14-4:4
3:14 “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
3 Facts About the Inspired Words of God
I. THE SCRIPTURES ARE INSPIRED IN THEIR ESSENCE
The word “essence” speaks of the nature of a thing; the distinct quality of a thing. The words “inspiration of God” (Gk. “Theopneustos) mean “God breathed.” This is why the Words of God are of immeasurable quality; they are of the breath of God Himself. This is the essence of the Words of God.
II Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…”
When God’s Words are properly translated the essence (nature/quality) is not lost. God is in the preserving business. God has preserved His inspired Words; what one preserves, one still has! For example, when preserving, let’s say blackberries, in canning jars, what do you have in the canning jars when you eventually open them up again at a future date? Blackberries! What else? With that in mind, if God chooses (and He did) to preserve those Words that He inspired in the first place, what will you find when you open up the Scriptures at any particular time in the future? Inspired Words! Whether in English , Spanish, or whatever language, as long as they are properly translated, you will find the inspired Words, because that’s what God preserved. Due to God’s Perfect Power of Preservation, the Scriptures do not lose their essence when properly translated, no matter what language. The King James Bible retains the essence and quality that the Scriptures have in their initial dispensing. I believe the Reina-Valera-Gomez does likewise in the Spanish language, as well as the translations in other languages that have been properly translated from the Masoretic Text of the O.T. and the Textus Receptus of the N.T.
II. THE SCRIPTURES ARE ETERNAL IN THEIR ESSENCE
That is, they came forth from the Holy Ghost, the eternal Spirit of God.
II Peter 1:21 “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."
III. THE INSPIRED SCRIPTURES ARE STILL ALIVE IN THEIR ESSENCE
When God breathed into man, man became a living person.
Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Man died spiritually and his body mortalized when corruption (sin) entered.
Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…” [like a virus]
The Scriptures themselves are God-breathed and are still alive. Otherwise we would have dead Scriptures.
Quick = alive
(e.g.) quicksand = living sand (will eat you up)
(e.g.) quicksilver (mercury) - (try picking it up with your fingers?)
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Notice that it says “is quick” - not “was quick.” The Words of God are still alive because in essence they are still inspired!
Modern (mortalized) versions translated from the corrupt critical text are like the whole of mankind having had corruption enter in and thus coming short of the glory (brightness) of God. We don’t need Bibles with death and darkness in them. Jesus is the Word and in Him is no darkness at all.
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God…”
I John 1:5 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
Thank God, that glory is reinserted when one trusts Christ as Saviour!
Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
Although the unsaved man is corrupt, he is still capable of dispensing truth. If an unsaved person verbally explains the Gospel to another person, it is totally possible for that person to receive the truth and become saved. The fact is, Biblical truth never dies. With that in mind, let us be aware that the main problem with the modern critical text versions is the error that is inserted amongst the truth. Though one can be saved using a modern version, and beyond that also learn certain Biblical truths, why bother using it? This is analogous to one searching and finding something edible out of a dumpster. It is much better to get your food from a healthier and more reliable source. In so doing, you don’t have to figure out what is good to eat and what is not.
The King James Bible as a Translation
At this point, I would like to make a few observations concerning the translating of the King James Bible. The translating of the King James Bible, I believe, was divinely ordered. This was not something that took place by mere happenstance. As far as I know, there has never been, in the history of this planet, a group of people collected in one place who were such geniuses of language (and being more than just familiar with a number of languages) as were the King James Bible translators. This was no doubt ordained of God, and planned in the heart of God, throughout eternity past.
Some points to ponder:
1. Yes, the King James Bible is a translation, and was not given to man in the exact same way the originals were. The original manuscripts (autographs) were written as the result of God's direct inspiration; the King James Bible was given by an act of God through His infinite power of preservation in preserving those inspired Words. God was ever so present when the KJB translators were doing their history making, life changing work. God saw to it that they correctly translated His eternal, living, and inspired Words. He gave them their abilities and guided them throughout the entire process. Therefore the KJB is the inerrant, inspired, Word of God, because the inspired Words were preserved in the King James Bible. This is due to God's preservation, not re-inspiration (see #2).
2. The King James Bible was not a second inspiration of God's Words. They had the Words in their hands and, with God's help, had to properly and correctly translate them. This preserving of God's inspired Words was as much the work of God as the initial dispensing thereof.
3. Any attempt to come up with a new, improved KJB (or any other version for that matter), would be a futile attempt to improve upon perfection, and would only create more confusion and lessen one’s faith in the fact that we can have (and do have) a perfect copy of God’s Words in English (the King James Bible). Those who believe in only having the King James Bible for English speaking peoples are the only ones who believe they have the inerrant Words of God in English. All others believe that whatever copy or version of the Bible that they have can be improved.
The King James Bible Controversy
In recent days there has arisen a controversy among our fundamental Baptist churches of like faith concerning the King James Bible. This controversy being, at least on the surface, a division as to whether (1.) the King James Bible is inspired and preserved or (2.) the Scriptures were inspired only when originally dispensed and then preserved, and that we should avoid saying that the King James Bible is inspired. The reasoning, at least partially, is that some say the King James translators were inspired by God (like the Old and New Testament prophets were) in producing the King James Bible. Therefore, their contention is, we should not be saying that the KJB is inspired lest we give the impression that we are claiming, as these do, that the KJB is inspired in and of itself; that God breathed into the King James translators the Words in English in the same way the prophets were inspired in the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
The sad truth, for me, is that I have friends on both sides of this issue. These are good men that love God, love God’s Word (yes, the KJB), and have been very effective in leading others to Christ and in training them to serve Him. I am afraid that the Devil has sidetracked us. Ministries are being adversely affected; family members and friends are at odds with one another; college students are being labeled and told that the school where they have poured out their sweat, tears, and energies, is something less to be desired; bitterness and sarcasm appear to be taking root in the minds and hearts of those who have characteristically had a great love for the brethren and the cause of Christ and still do. Brethren, what shall we do?
Maybe we need to make some determinations as to whether there is enough common ground among us that will prevent us from going after one another so we can get back to pressing toward the mark. We all have things to learn and we all have things that we can learn from one another. Let us not be throwing each other by the wayside and discrediting one another. When we do, there are others on the outside that won’t want to listen to any of us. Are we willing to risk that? Maybe we just need to ask the following question: Do you believe that the King James Bible is the inerrant Word of God to the exclusion of all other English versions? If the answer is “Yes,” maybe we should simply leave it at that. After all, isn’t that the bottom line? Isn’t having, believing, using, studying, preaching, and teaching from the King James Bible to the exclusion of all the others what it’s all about anyway?
There may need to be some apologies and forgiveness on both sides. Let us avoid pride as a plague. Let's get this behind us and move on to the honor and glory of God! Amen? Amen!
My purpose in writing all of the above is not to attack anyone or to choose sides (I’m on God’s side). My purpose is to provide an answer for those who would question what I believe about the King James Bible. I’m not looking for a debate and I’m not looking to pull myself or Harvest Baptist Church into the middle of this controversy. I just want to serve God to the best of the abilities that He has given me with His helping me all along the way. I just want to preach His Words (yes, the KJB) till my last breath is gone or till Jesus comes, whichever comes first.
To Those of You on the Outside Looking in on this Issue:
Please give us a bit of grace concerning this and, at times, other issues. We are very zealous for the Words of God; they are at the very center of our beings and permeate the thoughts of our hearts. For this reason we sometimes become quite militant (as we often should) concerning its contents. Please do not allow such manifestations of our zealousness keep you from knowing Christ as your Saviour or cause you to go by the wayside concerning your walk with God. Many of the men on both sides of this issue are wise, learned men who love God and have been called of Him to preach and teach His holy, divine Words. Learn from them and follow them as they follow Christ, but most of all follow Christ and make sure that you know Him as your own personal Saviour. May God bless you all.