Introduction

“Forever, O LORD, thy Word is settled in heaven.”

Psalms 119:89

This is one of the forceful declaration of God’s Word as eternal, abiding, settled in heaven. The Holy Bible is understood as inerrant and infallible book. It is usually and verbally quoted as without admixture of error.

The Biblical and Historical Overview of God’s Word is to point the believers on how the Bible came to us and explain the King James Version (KJV), otherwise known as the Authorized Version (AV) of 1611 as the PRESERVED, PURIFIED, AND PERFECTED WORD OF GOD IN ENGLISH. In Psalms 12:6 clearly states that “The words of the LORD are pure words; as silver tried in the furnace of earth, PURIFIED SEVEN TIMES.” Herein is the Word of God, being purified seven times. Biblically speaking, seven is the number of completeness and is the number of God. In the Chart of the Preservation on page 21 we see the KJV fits this quality ever imagine. Here are the seven purifications (or translations) in English :

  • Tyndale’s New Testament in 1526.
  • Coverdale’s Bible in 1535
  • Matthews’ Bible in 1537
  • The Great Bible in 1539
  • The Geneva Bible in 1560
  • The Bishops Bibles in 1568
  • The King James Bible in 1611

Beginning from TYNDALE to BISHOPS BIBLE and in 1611 the KJV was published so that we have the Word of God in English in its purest form.The majestic structure of its language lends a grandeur to the text to which many modern translations cannot compare. It is quite literal and very specific in its use of English phrasing and so is highly accurate. In general its sentence structure is easier to read than that of any new or modern English version (see Chart on Readability of the KJV on p.60). Dr. William Lyon Phelps, Professor of English Literature in YaleUniversity said,

Now as the English-speaking people have the best Bible in the world, and as it is the most beautiful monument erected with the English alphabet, we ought to make the most of it, for it is an incomparably rich inheritance, free to all who can read. This means that we ought invariably in the church and on public occasions to use the Authorized Version; all others are inferior.

The arguments that since there was a perfect Bible in English then there must also be a perfect Bible in German, Chinese, French, Japanese, Burmese, Tagalog and all other languages of the world. But this seems impossible, because God chooses languages he likes and whenever God choose the language He would used, I believe that He chooses with the following criteria:

  1. The language that His people knew.
  2. The language universally or commonly used by the people.

Let me further explained. In this case, God did chose the HEBREW language instead of the Egyptian, Syrian or other languages for the Old Testament Text, simply because IT WAS THE LANGUAGE THAT HIS PEOPLE KNEW. Did Moses speak the Egyptian language? Moses grew at Egypt and certainly he knew the language of Egypt, however, when writing the Pentateuch Moses used the Hebrew language as the Holy Ghost led him (see also Psalms 114:1; 81:5; Deut. 28:49 cp. v27). In the New Testament, God chose the GREEK language over many other languages. In Acts chapter 2, when the Day of Pentecost came and the Holy Ghost empowered the apostles and disciples so that the multitude came together and spoke with their own language, whether Galileans, Parthians, Medians, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Judeans, Cappodicians, Asians, Phyrgians, Phampillians, Egyptians, Cretians and Arabians. However, when Apostle Peter preached the Word of God he used the COMMONLY ACCEPTED LANGUAGE by the people. Of course, he used the GREEK language so that 3,000 souls were then saved and were baptized.

Today the universally accepted language is ENGLISH and I know God is using this language in order to preserved His Word. The other reason that there could no longer be other translation suited for today other than the King James Version in English is that the degeneration of mankind or morals. This implies that we are now LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS as Apostle Paul stated in 2 Timothy 3:1-4. In it states that men will become lovers of themselves and COVETOUS. The major factor for the promotion and the production of many versions today is MONEY. This is a wise observation that when the publishers discover that the versions no longer brings financial profit to their treasuries, that versions runs out of print in a hurry. This is the reason why numerous versions occur for confusion. The Holy Bible states that these are “DESPISERS OF GOOD THINGS…EVER LEARNING AND NEVER BE ABLE TO COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH.”

The soon coming of our Lord Jesus Christ further compels me to believe that the KJV is already enough for us to teach the Gospel truth. I don’t think we will still be needing more translations or versions of the Holy Bible when in fact a Soulwinner or a Christian can simply explained salvation out of this English text and by the process of ILLUMINATION, one can use the vernacular language he likes, either Ilocano, Tagalog. Cebuano, Pangasinese etc.

I would say this that we already have the standard Holy Bible in ENGLISH or the KJV, so that the newer versions or translation of the Holy Bible simply means PERVERSION.

I hope that as you scan and read on the pages you will learn more and be blessed. MAY GOD BE EXALTED.

Dedicated in His service,

Frederick L. Langit

How The Bible Came To Us

Below is the diagram that best illustrates how the Word of God came to us:

Revelation

Inspiration

Communication

Preservation

Translation

Publication

What God Hath Revealed, He Inspired

Inspiration simply means that the documentation of His words were without error. The BIBLE states that it “is given by inspiration of God…” (2 Tim 3:16). The Gk “theopneustos” is a word-for-word translation for God-breathed or God-Inspired. However the translator of our beloved King James Version gives us the accurate meaning of the Gk “theopnuestos”. What God had done is not to breathe the scrolls but simply inspired every word that wherein His own people wrote. This truth is seen in 2 Peter 1:21 stating that it was not the will of man, which is capable of making mistakes, that brought about the recording of the Bible. It was the Holy Spirit, who cannot err. Further its Latin counterpart “Inspiro” which according to Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary means the infusion of ideas into the mind by the Holy Spirit; the conveying into the minds of men, ideas, notices or monition by extraordinary or supernatural influence.

Whenever we think of inspiration we always note of the following:

Verbal or Plenary Inspiration – that God inspired every word without an error.

Inerrancy or Infallibility – this speaks that the Bible tells the truth. This truth can and does include approximations, free quotations, language of appearances and different accounts of the same event as long as they do not contradict.

Examples:

  • Approximations – If you were to report to someone that a mutual friend had a Php1, 000,000.00 income last year would be the truth, even if his reported income to the BIR were actually Php1, 001,900.00. The Bible uses some of these approximations.
  • Free quotations – Does the Bible say not to lie? Yes, it does. Is that a true statement? Of course. Though the exact wording reads, “Lie not one to another,” the free quotation is just as true.
  • Language of appearance – If you were to say, “The sunrise over the Grand Canyon is one of the most beautiful sites in the world,” you would be telling the truth. It is beautiful site. However, everyone knows the sun does not rise. You are using the language of appearance.
  • Different account of the same event – In 1 Cor. 10:8, 23,000 died in one day while in Numbers 25:9, 24,000 died, however with no restriction concerning “in one day”. In this case both tell the truth with approximations; one is telling how many died in one day. The other tells with no restriction many additional deaths occurred.

BIBLE – Basic Instructions Before Leaving the Earth

God Hath Communicated Through Us

The Bible is God’s message to man and He communicated to us in the Old Testament by way of His servants – Prophets, Priests and Kings

  • Prophets – were anointed servants of God (Daniel 9:10). These men were raised for the purpose of proclaiming the impending judgment to the nation of Israel. They were primarily speaking in behalf of God to the heart and conscience of men. So that whenever they spoke, they speak not for themselves but what “Thus saith the LORD”. The two main characteristics of their message were:
  1. Forth-telling – the ability to recognize God’s voice and talk to people about His will and way to them.
  1. Foretelling – the ability to predict what will happen in the future as God gave them utterance.
  • Priests – were God’s anointed servant usually for the temple service (Leviticus 8:10; Numbers 3:5-9) and take a general interest in the spiritual welfare of the people (Numbers 6:23-27; Deut. 17:8-9).
  • Kings – were also divinely appointed servants to serve and protect its people. Although Saul was a fallen king, nevertheless, he was still an anointed king of Israel. Likewise David was also an anointed King over all Israel at Hebron (2 Samuel 5:1-5).

In the New Testament, God hath communicated to His Son, Jesus Christ our Prophet, Priest and King (Luke 24:19; Hebrews 5:5-10; Matthew 2:2; Revelation 19:11-16). He also used Apostles as they preached and wrote Epistles and other New Testament books of the Bible. After which John the Beloved, wrote the Revelation, the completed Bible is the standard of God as He communicates to us today.

Preservation of the Word of God

God promises us to preserve His words. Psalms 12:6-7 says “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” Then we read in Psalm 100:5 that “…his truth endureth to all generations,” and Jesus said in John 17:17 that God’s Word is truth. Dr. Thomas Holland states that Preservation of God’s Word simply demands that God has kept and preserves the words throughout the generations from the time of their inception until this present day and even beyond. The doctrine of Preservation is likewise of much important as compared to the doctrine of Inspiration. Wilbur Pickering noted that “If the scripture have not been preserved then the doctrine of Inspiration is purely academic matter with no relevance for us today. If we do not have the inspired words or do not know precisely which they be, the doctrine of Inspiration is inapplicable.” Likewise, Dr. Samuel C. Gipp stated, “It is always to be remembered that the Bible is a spiritual book which God exerted supernatural force to conceive; and it is reasonable to assume that He could exert that same supernatural force to preserve.” The Bible is like no other book. All other books are written and cast adrift on the sea of time in which this is not the case with the Bible. God is actually very active in its preservation. By the way, Preservation simply means that God keep His words which was not necessarily to preserved the original autographs or it does not demand that these words would be preserved in the original language only. The original New Testament autographs that were actually penned by the “holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” have long been acknowledged by the scholars to have been passed from the scene. This is due to the fact that scribes were known to have destroyed WORN out MSS after they have copied them. It was to be understood that the words of the original is valued more that the original itself. Since then the evidence at hand are available which falls into these three groups:

The Copies

Copies – Since there are no originals, every record of Scripture will be a copy. Copies are divided into three groups:

  1. Miniscules /Cursives– These are by far the most numerous of extant copies which we posses. Miniscules in Greek are like the lower case letters of the English alphabet. The oldest of this type are papyrus MSS written somewhat like newsprint. These were very fragile. Some were written in animal skins called Vellum. While some were written in book form called Codice. Codex the singular form of codice, which were written either in papyrus or vellum. In early copies words were written end to end with no space in between Words like God, Son, and Father were abbreviated in this manner: God – gd, Son – sn, Father – ftr.
  1. Majuscules/Uncials – These are equivalent to upper case letters of the English alphabet. These were exists in smaller numbers. The English reading of Phil. 1:1-2 would read something like this:
  • PAULANDTIMOTHEUSTHESERVANTSOFJESUSCHRISTTOALL
  • THESAINTSINCHRISTJESUSWHICAREATPHILIPPIWITHTHEBI
  • SHOPSANDDEACONSGRACEBEUNTOYOUANDPEACEFROMG
  • ODOURFATHERANDFROMTHELORDJESUSCHRIST
  1. Lectionaries – these are called the responsive reading found in the back of today’s hymnals. These were much closed to the originals.

The Versions

The early Greek MSS were translated into other languages so that the Word of God will be known and read into the hands of people in other lands. Early Versions include the following:

  • Syrian Text or Peshitta – The word Peshitta comes from the Syrian word peshitia, which means “common.” It carries with it the implication that it was the version commonly used by the people. Antioch, Syria was the birthplace of the word Christian (Acts 11:26). This Church is the home and sending church of Apostle Paul. It is undoubtedly the mother church of other numerous churches of Syria during that period of church history. Traditionally, it was the work of St. Mark while others claim the Apostle Thaddeus (Jude) who translated it. This is the translation of the New Testament based upon the Received Text and was made about 150 A.D.
  • The Old Latin, Italic or Itala Version – The Old Latin was used by the Christians in the churches of the Waldenses or the Vaudois. Both these names mean “people of the valleys”. The Old Latin not by Jerome’s Vulgate (A Roman Catholic translation from the corrupted MSS by Jerome in 380 A.D.) was translated from the Received Text by the year 157 A.D.
  • The Gothic Version – This translation of the New Testament in about 350 A.D. by the missionary to the Goths named Ulfilas or Wulfas. The Gothic language was used by the Germanic tribes in Central Europe in the fourth century. This also supports the “Majority MSS” or the Received Text.
  • The Ethiopic Version - While this is a mixed reading at time it is classified as being Byzantine origin, which is of Traditional line or Received Text.

Patristic Citations

These are quotations from the early church fathers. The early church fathers were men who led the Christians in the first centuries after the New Testament was completed.

  • Ignatius (d. 107 AD) – Ignatius or Theophorus was the bishop of Antioch, Syria. Traditionally it is claimed that he knew several of the apostles personally. He patterned his life after Paul and somewhat reflects the attitude and theological belief after the Apostle John. His scriptural citations clearly agree with the Traditional Text Line or the Received Text. As an example he cites 1 Timothy 3:16 that “God existing in flesh” (Ephesians 7:1) and “God Himself being manifested in Human form” (Ephesians 19:1). Ignatius used of God in Greek as theos, and for flesh that is sarki and the form of Greek word for manifest in the second was peanerosas which all agrees with Received Text or the KJV of 1611.
  • Polycarp (70 – 155 AD) – Polycarp was the Bishop of Smyrna and traditionally is considered a disciple of the Apostle John. He was burned at stake in 155 AD while singing hymns and fire to devour him. However, the fire burned around did not consume him and was later stab him to death. As an example to his scriptural quotation is found in Romans 14:10, “for we shall all stand in the judgment seat of Christ.” Polycarp wrote “And we must all stand at the judgment-seat of Christ” (Philippians 6:2) opposing the statement that it was the “judgment seat of God” and thus agreeing with the Traditional Text Line or the Received Text.
  • Chrysostom (345 – 407 AD) – John Chrysostom was a career lawyer before his conversion in 368 AD. His parents were Christians and came from Antioch. He was ordained as preacher in 386 AD. In 398 AD, he became the Bishop of Constantinople and used the Traditional Greek Text of the New Testament. He was called the “Great Biblical Expositor” in his time since he left about 640 sermons. His expository style of preaching reflected the used of Codex K (9 century), which is of the Traditional Text Line or the Received Text. To be noted he supported the reading found in the KJV of Matthew 6:1 as opposed to other English Versions. The Traditional Text line reads in Gk “eleemusunen” as alms while others used the Gk. “dikaiosunen” which is the phrase “acts of righteousness”. Chrysostom writes, “Thus, ‘take heed’ saith he, ‘as to your alms’” (Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew, XIX: 5).
  • The Three Cappadocian Fathers - These three uses the Old Latin and Greek that reflects the Traditional Text line.
  1. Basil of Caesarea (329-379 AD)
  2. Gregory of Nazianzus (330-389 AD)
  3. Gregory of Nyssa (330 – 395 AD)

Of these three groups of evidences combined they now give us more than 5,200 witnesses in forming the Greek New Testament.