'Never be bettered' - What C H Spurgeon thought of the Authorised Version

In a sermon on the last words of Christ on the cross preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle on Lord's day evening 25th June 1882 and found in Volume 45 of his sermons number 1644 C H Spurgeon makes a telling comment about the Authorised Version:
I would quote John Bunyan as an instance of what I mean. Ideal anything of his, and you will see that it is almost like reading the Bible itself. He had studied our Authorized Version, which will never be bettered, as I judge, till Christ shall come; he had read it till his very soul was saturated with Scripture; and, though his writings are charmingly full of poetry, yet he cannot give us his Pilgrim’s Progress — that sweetest of all prose poems — without continually making us feel and say, “Why, this man is a living Bible!”

The quotation can be read in its immediate context below:

A reply to Stafford Carson

Rev Stafford Carson, minister in Edenderry Presbyterian Church and former moderator, recently wrote a platform piece for the Belfast Newsletter on the Authorised Version. It can be read here.

In that article he attacked the Text underlying the New Testament and praised the English Standard Version.

Here is the synopsis of a sermon preached back in May 2011 on the English Standard Version, which he and so many other evangelicals so dearly seem to love.

The sermon can be listened to on Sermonaudio by following this link.

What is wrong with the English Standard Version

The English Standard Version, or the ESV as it is more commonly known, was first published, only ten years ago, in 2001. Since that time it has become quite a favourite among professing evangelicals, particularly among those of a Reformed persuasion who reject the Authorised Version position.

The ESV is promoted as following in a long line of succession to other Bible versions. In this line of succession are: 

[1] The Revised Version (1881–85) 

[2] The American Standard Version (1901) 

[3] The Revised Standard Version (1946–1971) and then 

[4] The ESV (2001). 

The ESV has subsequently undergone a minor revision in 2007. However, the publisher of the ESV has chosen not to identify the updated text as a second or revised edition; it is simply intended to replace the original ESV under the original name. At present, both revisions co-exist on the market.

A KJV Bible for every School!

In a very surprising but welcome move Michael Gove, the Westminster Education Secretary, is proposing to send out a King James Version of the Scriptures to around 20,000 schools. This proposal may only apply to schools in England and Wales but it is still welcome.

Hardly surprising either to discover that the secular lobby are up in arms about the suggestion. They cry foul continually when no tolerance is shown towards their ungodly ways but as soon as someone shows any degree of support for religion or spiritual things they rise up in opposition. This is rank hypocrisy yet it reminds us that the natural heart is indeed full of enmity towards God, Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, Romans 8:7.

However, the Daily Mail has this report:

A Bible is a thing of beauty: Gove to send one St James text to every school in move blasted as 'unacceptable waste of money'

To read more click here 

I trust indeed that Mr Gove goes through with his proposal and doesn't give in to the naysayers! 

The Prime Minister's favourite Bible verses

As part of the celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of the Authorised Version, the Prime Minister David Cameron has chosen his favourite Bible verses.

He chose Philippians 4:8,9 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Read the whole article here.

If only the Prime Minister actually believed and practiced the teaching of these two verses then society would be the better off under the present coalition government.

These verses would rule out that which is immoral such as the recognition of sodomite marriage that the Prime Minister indicated he was prepared to go ahead with during his conference speech this year.

As is increasingly obvious this Prime Minister says one thing and does something else!

Bible exhibition 2

At our Soul Winners Convention Dr David Allen put on display a replica of a timeline of the English Bible. 

Bible exhibition Part 1

At our Soul Winners Convention Mr Alastair Bonar, one of our members, put on display a number of old Bibles he owns.

Special Soul Winners Convention

For over 30 years our congregation has held our Soul Winners Convention meetings. This year we are marking the 400th anniversary of the translation of the Authorised Version.

What is specifically wrong with new versions? Part 3

A comparison can be made between some verses in the Authorised Version and the corresponding verses in the new versions where the full extent of the attack that has been made upon the fundamental doctrines of the Word of God is demonstrated.

The nature of the changes.
1. The Deity of Christ.
1 Tim 3:16: 
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh… AV
No one can deny how great is the secret of our religion. He appeared in human form… GNB
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body… NIV

Rom 14:10,12: But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. AV
You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. NIV

These texts in the Authorised Version emphasis that Christ was God of very God. However, modern version change these verses thus removing the clear testimony of Scripture to the fact that Christ was God manifest in the flesh.

2. Eternal Sonship of Christ.
Micah 5:2:
… yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. AV
… But out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times. GNB

… out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times. NIV

'Ancient times' does not necessarily mean eternity past. This accommodates those who deny the eternal sonship of Christ. 

Hebrews 1:5:
Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? AV

You are my Son; today I have become your Father. GNB

You are my Son, today I have become your Father. NIV

The eternal sonship of Christ is attacked here. God did not become His Father as these new versions state, He was always His Father.

3. The Virgin Birth.
Isa 7:14,
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. AV
A young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him 'Immanuel'. GNB
Behold a young woman shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name immanuel. RSV

Luke 2:33:
And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. AV
The child's father and mother were amazed. GNB
The child's father and mother marvelled. NIV

There is a weakening of the evidence for the virgin birth. Joseph was not Christ's father. That is a blasphemy which undermines the whole work of redemption. If Christ was not safeguarded from original by virtue of His virgin birth then He could save no one but had his own sin to answer for.

4. The Atonement.
Col 1:14
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. AV
By whom we are set free, that is our sins are forgiven. GNB
In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. NIV

The reference to the blood of Christ which is essential to redemption is removed. The blood atonement was one particular doctrine hated by Westcott and Hort.

There are many of other places where changes like this occur. Surely this is no coincidence in the light of the fact that the revising committee set out to make doctrinal changes. They certainly accomplished their purpose.

The number of changes.
The text which the New International Version and the Good News Bible come from shows multitude of changes.

There are 481 changes which substantially affect the meaning. There are 44 changes which involve doctrine. There are 212 changes to the names of Deity, 75 changes to the name of Jesus, 44 to the name of Christ, 35 for Lord, 32 for God, 26 for other names of deity. More than 150 pronouns which refer to Deity are omitted. This cannot be incidental!

The Greek text underlying the New Testament in modern versions is approximately 2,500 words shorter than the Greek text underlying the New Testament in the Authorised Version. This is nearly 2% of the whole. It is the equivalent of removing 1 and 2 Peter from the Bible.

The sad conclusion to come to is that modern translations are corrupt Bibles because they come from corrupt manuscripts translated by corrupt men with corrupt motives.

No believer who loves the pure Word of God should have anything to do with them.

Why we use only the Authorised Version of the Scriptures Part 2

II. Why a raft of new translations? 

The lay person has his/her reason for new translations - the Scriptures must be made more understandable, more easily read etc. That is a false premise in itself for natural man will never understand the Scriptures by himself, no matter what versions are made available. The work of the Holy Spirit is needed.

But we need to dig a little deeper to find out the real reasons why new translations have come unto the market.

Over a period of years there were a number of new translations leading up to the A.V. 1611 and its editing of 1769. From then until the late 1800s there was no new translations. In 1881 a new Greek text was issued by Westcott and Hort and there followed what was known as the Revised Version. From then till now these new versions have multiplied. What were the real reasons for a new translation?

1. To facilitate ecumenism. At the time when the Revised Version appeared the Oxford Movement was in full flow with its Romanising tendencies. There was a clamour among ecumenists to have the Authorised Version superseded. The Revisionists by and large were in full sympathy with the Oxford Movement.

The Revised Version appeared in the form of a 'Common Bible', the first page said in large letters: AN ECUMENICAL BIBLE. The New English Bible which appeared sometime later stated in the preface that its goal was: the promotion of the ecumenical church and the oneness of the people of God in all sorts of Churches worldwide. The Authorised Version was too much a Protestant Bible and this would never do in the new ecumenical, Romanising climate that was developing.

Examples of this ecumenical facilitation is found in the way in which these new translations treat specific texts: The Good News Bible/Today's English Bible puts Peter as the rock. The New International Version has a footnote that says Peter is the rock. The New English Bible puts the word 'tradition' in 1 Cor 11:23 which gives justification for the mass.

2. A hatred of the truth. Westcott and Hort were the two main Revisioners. Hort gloried in the fact that a Unitarian had been invited unto the Committee. Had he been forced to resign when this became more widely known Westcott would have resigned with him. 

Both denied the vicarious atonement and the bodily resurrection of Christ. Hort called it 'an immoral counterfeit of the truth'. They both favoured the Larger Hope, Darwinism and O.T. Higher Criticism. Westcott said: No one now, I suppose, holds that the first three chapters of Genesis, for example, give a literal history. Hort said: I am inclined to think that no such state as Eden existed. They were on record as saying that they fully intended to bring about doctrinal changes by their revisions. Sodomites later on sat on the New International Version translation committee. 

How can men who openly opposed and ridiculed orthodox Christianity ever be trusted to compile a new translation of the Scriptures? The Scriptures ask: Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one, Job 14:4.

3. A hatred for the Authorised version. The new translation was never about updating the words. It stemmed from a hatred of the Authorised Version. In 1851 Hort called the Greek text that underlay the Authorised Version: the villainous Textus Receptus. The full quote reads: 

I had no idea until the last few weeks of the importance of texts having read so little Greek Testament and dragged on with the villainous Textus Receptus. Think of that vile Textus Receptus leaning entirely on late manuscripts.

This was said even though he had read very little of the Greek N.T. Hort is said by other critics to have organised his entire argument to depose the received Text which underlies the Authorised Version. The man was prejudiced against this Majority Text. He believed that the most accurate texts were those discovered in the Vatican and in a monastery on Mt Sinai. These were characterised by omissions. The reason they were the oldest was because they had been set aside as corrupt. Yet Westcott & Hort relied heavily upon them.

The modern translations come mainly from the manuscripts that had been discarded. A reading which has 80-90% support from the Received/Majority Text would be discarded in favour of a reading from these corrupt manuscripts just because it came from these manuscripts. Westcott & Hort showed a distinct prejudice against the Authorised Version from the very outset. The new translation wasn't an effort to provide a faithful translation it was a prejudiced attempt to discard the Authorised Version.

Why we use only the Authorised Version of the Scriptures Part 1

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the completion and publication of the Authorised Version of the Bible. This mammoth task was commenced in 1603 and completed in 1611.

Nowadays in virtually every Christian Bookshop you enter you are meet with an array of versions of the Bible. There are a plethora of modern translations which have in the last century flooded unto the market. In most shops there is the Authorised [King James] Version, the New International Version, the Good News Bible, the New English Bible, the Revised Standard Version, the American Standard Version etc.

These new versions are supposedly produced with the professed intention of making the Scriptures more up to date and more modern. There are arguments about words and phrases and terminology. One claim the supporters of these modern translations make is that they are supposed to make the Scriptures more understandable and more easily acceptable.

However the question to be asked is: does it matter which of these versions an individual chooses to buy and read? After all are they not all the same with only variations in the use of words? Will it aid and assist someone in their understanding and acceptance of the Scriptures to use these modern translations?

They are not all the same. There is a fundamental difference between the Authorised Version and these others which we have mentioned. A difference so great that it takes these other versions outside the pale of what can be called a faithful copy of the Holy Scriptures.

In the Free Presbyterian Church we use only the AV. Not only that but we oppose the use of any other version of the Scriptures in the English language. We believe that the AV. is the most faithful English translation of the original manuscripts. Why should we change that which is most faithful to the original and use something inferior.

I. The importance of this subject

This is not a matter of personal taste. The issues involved go far beyond mere personal preference. It is vitally important that we have the true Word of God from error and corruption.

It is important because of the use and purpose of the Scriptures. Because of man’s fall into sin, we has lost the ability to discern and understand the God of heaven from the natural revelation, Psalm 19:1-6.

God in His mercy purposed to redeem a people to Himself but natural revelation will never reveal to man that glorious truth of saving grace. It is only by that special revelation which God has given in His Word that will bring man to a knowledge of his need and an understanding that salvation is found in Christ alone, Psalm 19:7-14, Romans 10:17.

It is this Book which reveals Christ as the only Saviour of sinners. It reveals the work which Christ has done. It reveals the need of saving faith in Christ alone. It is the Scriptures which do this. Any corruption of these things will therefore be fatal.

It is important because of the attack that will be mounted against God’s Word. Paul indicates the reality of this in 2 Cor 2:17: 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. Note what he teaches:

[1] Many will interfere with the Scriptures. 

[2] This interference will lead to the corruption of the written Word. ‘Corrupt’ = to adulterate [to water down]. 

[3] This was prevalent in Paul’s day. 

With the corruption of the Scriptures will come the corruption in the Church. We have got to realise that the Bible forewarns us of an attack upon the Scriptures. The modern form of that attack is seen in the glut of modern translations. There are the devil’s attack upon the Word of God.

To be continued