DID OUR INSPIRED BIBLE EXPIRE?
. . . the word of God which liveth and ABIDETH FOR EVER. -- 1 Peter 1:23
. . . the word of God IS QUICK . . . and IS a DISCERNER of the thoughts and intents of the heart . . . -- Hebrews 4:12
We must admit that there was a time when we were terrified at the prospect of defending the "inspiration" of the Authorized King James Bible. Of Course, like many Christians, we were influenced by Bible correcting educators and scholars and their accepted, traditional, man-made theological definition of "inspiration."
Define Your Terms
As with all manmade theological definitions, the Bible correcting professor's definition of "inspiration" is neither infallible nor inerrant and is subject to error and therefore to examination. Moreover, any error in definition can mean a more serious error in concept.Bible correcting educators, like the Jehovah's Witnesses, have discovered that if we allow them to define or redefine Bible words, then they can establish their own pet theories and heresies. Both Bible Correctors and Jehovah's Witnesses must be challenged about whether they have a scriptural basis for such arbitrary definitions.
Transmission
Bible correcting educators contend that only the "ORIGINAL" transmission of the scriptures constitutes "inspiration." They hold that the "inspiration of the scriptures" and the "transmission of the Scriptures" are perfectly synonymous terms. All the emphasis, in most fundamental universities, is placed on whether the "Originals" were transmitted mechanically, dynamically, verbally, or by illumination; while the "QUALITY" of the scriptures, after they have been transmitted, is all but ignored.
The Originals
The "ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS" are lost and no living person has ever seen them (a serious flaw in most Bible Corrector theories). Moreover, if those, who hoot and holler about them, would ever find the "original manuscripts," they would not be able to tell if they really were really the "ORIGINALS" or not or if they were even copies of the originals. They have told us repeatedly that the Bible was "ORIGINALLY" written in Hebrew and Greek. Yet, no one can actually prove that they were so written. They can assume, suppose, surmise, and deduce, but no one can come up with either a proof text or concrete evidence. Although we do not discount such an original Hebrew/Greek theory, we can base neither our definitions nor our convictions upon it. The first five Books could have been written in Egyptian, the language in which Moses was educated, the country of his people for 400 years. Hebrew is the language of Canaan (Isa. 19:18). One thing is "fer sure,” it twarn't Hebrew that Moses was speakin' "down thayer in Egypt." Much of Daniel is written in Syriac as well as Ezra. The conversations in the Gospels were surely not spoken in Greek. The point is that there had to be some translating going on somewhere, any way that you look at it. Selah! Think of that!Just because 2nd and 3rd century manuscripts have been found that were written in Greek does not mean one can dogmatically insist that they were originally written in Greek. Making dogmatic assertions, without the benefit of concrete evidence or a proof text, is not according to the Berean example. If we are expected to put all our eggs in this intangible, improvable basket, then if you don't mind, we will look elsewhere for our views on inspiration.
God Breathed
After the "ORIGINALS" had been initially transmitted or given by inspiration or "God breathed (as our intellectual, scholar friends love to emphasize the invalid, literal root meaning of the Greek) . . . what then? Do the "originals" cease to be given by inspiration? Do they cease to be alive? Do they cease to contain the breath of God after the initial act of transmission is over? Are they still given by inspiration after 40 years have past? Are they still alive? Do they still contain God's breath in them? Did they expire? Nevertheless, the scriptures use the term “given by inspiration.” “Inspiration,” twice as used in the scriptures is a noun and not a verb or an adjective. And we do want to be scriptural, don’t we? Let us go a step farther and suppose that we made photocopies of the "ORIGINALAUTOGRAPHS" before they either perished or were lost. Would the photo copy scriptures be given by inspiration? Be alive? Have God's breath in them? We insist that these questions must be answered with an emphatic, "YES!" It is not the parchment or the ink that is given by inspiration or alive on either the originals or the subsequent copies; it is the words that are given by inspiration and alive, for they are Spirit and they are life! God did not preserve the parchment and the ink; He preserved His "word," the "scriptures."
God can and did recreate the parchment and ink of the "ORIGINALS," which they burned in Jeremiah. He did not preserve a Bible not given by inspiration or an UN-inspired Bible; He preserved a Bible given by inspiration and it did not expire! It is alive! If it is the scripture, it is given by inspiration. If it is not the scripture, it is not given by inspiration. Only the scriptures are said to be given by inspiration. It cannot even be said that the apostles were inspired. Moved or borne by the Holy Ghost? Yes! Inspired? No! The copies given by inspiration that Timothy knew as a child (2 Tim. 3:15, 16) were certainly not the "ORIGINALS," something admitted by the Bible Correctors themselves. Still, these copies were given by inspiration.
Alive!
Anything that God breathes into or gives by inspiration is alive for eternity (somewhere). God breathed into Adam and he became a living soul ever after (man's fall complicates our analogy, but man's soul live somewhere forever). God breathed His Spirit into the scripture, never to be breathed into again (so much for secondary inspiration or re-inspiration). The King James Bible, which we English-speaking folk possess today, is alive. It has the breath of God in it and it will never ever expire, because it lives and abides for ever (1 Peter 1:23).
The Perversions
The advocates of the Good News bible, the Living bible, the RSV, the RV, the ASV, the NKJV, King James 2, and any other copyrighted bibles have never, to our knowledge, claimed infallibility, inerrancy, or inspiration for their bibles. They would be the first to admit that these bibles are not alive and do not have God's breath in them. Living things give birth to other living things. Dead things cause the vermin that feed upon them to reproduce. These counterfeit English bibles have never displayed any living characteristics as has the King James Bible for almost 400 years. God's stamp of approval is on the King James Bible. Man's stamp of approval is on the counterfeits. It is not a question of which Bible we use, it is a question of which Bible does God use.
Some people have objected and do object by saying that people are saved through these counterfeits. They will not put us in the position of endorsing a doctrine because of someone's supposed experience. If we are going to do that, we might as well join the tongues speakers and healers tomorrow. Another man’s experience does not bind me. Let us suppose that some folks do get saved through perverted, counterfeit bibles, or portions thereof. Still, folks can get saved by reading a commentary. It is possible but not probable. People get saved through tracts, which have only a small portion of the scripture. Is it the corruptible seed of the counterfeit bibles, the commentaries, and the tracts that does the job, or is it the incorruptible seed that gives them birth? (1 Pet. 1:23). Shall we use scripture to address this doctrinal issue, or should we use opinions and situation ethics?
We have observed that almost without exception (and we are not sure about the exceptions) any so-called births from perverted counterfeit bibles (and even from perverted counterfeit churches) are more than often perverted or counterfeit also, in other words, spiritual cripples. We are reminded here of the reply that some give in answer to the objection that some people are really saved in the Charismatic movement or even the Catholic Church. You can have a baby out of wedlock, but that is not the prescribed, accepted, or legitimate way to have one. The question is not "Can you?” The question is, “Should you?”
Good News for Modern Man and the Living Bible spawned Jesus Freaks and hippie type Christians. Saved? I am not the judge. The R.S.V. bible spawned modernists and liberals. The more conservative bibles produced crippled fundamentalists with secret mental reservations, who doubt whether we really have God's word. Nevertheless, instruction in righteousness is not the only test to evaluate a Bible.
The Test
Scripture, given by inspiration (2 Timothy 3:16,17), "IS profitable!" The "ORIGINALS" or even the direct copies of the "ORIGINALS" are not profitable to us right now, nor were they profitable to Timothy in his day. Timothy had only copies of copies of the "ORIGINALS." We are told that the scriptures must be PROFITABLE for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness and that they must throughly furnish the man of God. Furthermore, they must be alive and be a discerner, according to Hebrews 4:12. The scripture must be an incorruptible "BEGETTER" also, according to 1 Peter 1:23 and James 1:18. We submit that out of all the English Bibles IN USE today, as a whole, only the Authorized King James Bible can pass ALL these requirements. Neither Strong’s concordance, nor W. E. Vine’s dictionary, nor Professor Whatchamahamaczysz, nor history can throughly furnish the man of God. The King James Bible is unmatched in producing revivals, missionary endeavors, souls saved, founding of sound churches, founding of sound Bible colleges and institutes, doctrinal fidelity, separated morals, influence of Kings and countries, and even translation in other tongues without the benefit of the Hebrew and Greek. It is alive!
Choose One
Baptists "claim" to have but one authority for faith and practice . . . the scriptures. Is it too much to demand and expect that we live up to this claim? Brethren, we are not going to be judged by a history book, a creed, a church decision, a Hebrew/Greek, lexicon/concordance, a Hebrew/Greek Grammar, or a pointy headed scholar or professor, or a Bible in another language. We are going to answer to the word of God (John 12:48) in English. We can believe that the King James Bible is:
1. Not given by inspiration but alive
2. Not given by inspiration or alive
3. Both given by inspiration ANDboth alive
If we believe that it is not given by inspiration but is alive, we are claiming that the Bible can be alive without the so called breath of God in it. If we believe that it is neither alive nor given by inspiration, then we are inconsistent and are preaching a dead book. If we believe that the King James Bible is both inspired and alive, then we can join together in demanding unconditional surrender from Bible Correctors to a Bible that has not "EXPIRED."
Conclusion
He that HATH my word [possession], let him speak it faithfully . . . – Jer. 23:28
You have to have the faithful word to speak it faithfully. We have it; we possess it. Others are still looking for it. We have the inspired scripture in English, the King James Bible. The so called originals have deteriorated and disappeared from the face of the earth. No, the paper and ink may have deteriorated and disappeared but not the WORDS THAT ARE SPIRIT and LIFE (John 6:6). Let us speak them faithfully . . . that is . . . those of us, who have them as opposed to what Bible Correctors and fence straddlers have!
Much water has passed under the bridge since a handful of Bible believers first took this issue to the Christian public. Today, hundreds of books and articles are appearing in every nook and cranny of Christendom (seminary students are reading them under the covers at night with a flash light). Bible-correcting educators and linguists, while ignoring the issue, are frustrated at their lack of success in overturning the KJB. They cannot find the WHOLESOME words (1 Timothy 6:3) or the words that cannot be condemned (Titus 2:8) in order to dispute or gainsay the issue. They have resorted to everything but the scriptures themselves, i.e., weasel wording, situation ethics, name calling (nuts, heretics, Ruckmanites), and words that men teach (1 Cor. 2:13) in order to prove an "EXPIRED" Bible. Well. . . .
Sticks and stones may break our bones
But names don't answer an issue.
When you squirrels go down the tubes,
Us nuts won't even miss you.
--by Herb Evans
Florida Fundamentalist - November 1980, p. 1
Bible Believer's Bulletin, March 1981, p. 1
Flaming Torch, July - September 1985, p. 1
Flaming Torch, July - September 1992, p. 8
Flaming Torch, July - September 1996, p. 5
Flaming Torch, Oct-Dec 2000, p. 1
Flaming Torch, Jan/Feb/March 1992, p. 8
Revised and updated May 1, 2011