The Inspiration and Preservation of the King James Bible

Lesson 1

Introduction

2 Timothy 3:16

All Scripture IS (present tense) given by inspiration of God.

If it is Scripture, it is inspired; if it is inspired, it is Scripture.

Background of the Bible:

●The Canon of Scripture

○Canon – measuring rule.

○We have a complete Bible.

○The New Testament was written over a period of 50 years by eight different writers.

○The general order of our New Testament was recognized as early as Ucebious in about A.D. 260-340.

●The Apocrypha

○In the original King James 1611, the translators included the Apocrypha, but did not recognize it as Scriptures.

○The Apocrypha rose between the first and third centuries B.C.

○Apocrypha –that which is hidden.

○Within the Apocrypha there are fourteen books by uncertain authors.

○Why the Apocrypha was rejected as Scripture by the King James Translators.

It was not included in the Old Testament canon by the Pharisees, Ezra, or the Scribes.
It was never quoted by Jews or any of the New Testament writers.
Josephus the Jewish historian completely rejected the Apocrypha.
The early church fathers in the first and second century all rejected it as part of the Word of God.
Jerome didn't accept the Apocrypha but was forced to include it in the Latin Vulgate by the Pope.
The Apocrypha conflicts with the Old and New Testament Scriptures.
Some of the books of the Apocrypha contain historical and geographical errors that are easy to prove wrong.
None of the books of the Apocrypha claim divine inspiration as do the books of the Bible.

The Greek Vulgate:

●The text used for the New Testament in the King James Bible was the Greek Vulgate, also known as the Majority Text, the Received Text, the Traditional Text, the Byzantine Text, and the Textus Receptus.

○It was called the Greek Vulgate because it was written in the common language of the people.

■If God gave us Scripture that was to be profitable, it has to be accessible to us.

■The only people that cannot understand the Word of God is the lost man.

●1 Corinthians 2:14, Ephesians 2:1, John 4:34

■It was called the Byzantine Text because it was used during the Byzantine period (312 A.D. - 1453 A.D.)

●The early church was interested in the leadership of the Holy Ghost of God.

○John 14;16 – The comforter would guide in all truth.

○The Holy Spirit guided in what was truth.

○If there were two manuscripts that differed, only one could be correct.

■“Things that are different are not the same” - Mickey Carter.

■The difference would usually settle around the deity of Christ.

○A decision had to be made concerning which was correct using these guidelines:

The Holy Spirit would guide in all manner of truth – John 16:13
The Truth is the Word – John 17:17
The true New Testament Scriptures were those that glorified Christ – John 16:14
The Greek texts that were pure were those that would stress the deity of Christ

●Text basis:

○The Antiochian Text – the pure basis of the King James Bible

○The Alexandrian Text – the corrupt text that all modern versions use as their source.

■The name Christ is removed 16 times.

■The name Lord is removed 12 times.

From the Greek Vulgate to the King James Bible:

●Old Latin Vulgate – 1st Century A.D.

○As the Word of God spread throughout the Roman Empire, the need for a Latin New Testament became apparent.

○Because of this, the Greek Vulgate was translated into the Old Latin Vulgate. This first century Bible still agrees with the King James Bible.

●Italic Latin Vulgate of the Waldensians – A.D. 157

●French Gallic Bible – 2nd Century A.D.

●The Syrian Bible – A.D. 150

○It was called “The Queen of Versions” because of its beauty and simplicity.

○It was translated because the rapid growth of Christianity of Judea had spread to Syria and produced converts in Syria and created a need for a Bible.

●The Tyndale New Testament – A.D. 1525

○William Tyndale was a student of Erasmus.

○Tyndale translated Erasmus's Greek New Testament into English in 1525 and later had it printed.

○Tyndale was fluent in seven different languages.

○Tyndale was exiled from England because of the Catholic opposition to having an English Bible.

○Tyndale went to Cologne, Germany where the first English New Testament was printed in 1525. There were at least 15,000 copies of that Bible smuggled back into England.

○In 1535, Tyndale issued a third edition of the New Testament which became the forerunner to the King James Bible.

○In 1536, he was betrayed by a friend who convinced him to go back to England, where he was arrested and later martyred.

■His last words were “Lord, Open the King of England's eyes.” That prayer was answered about 70 years later in the printing of the King James Bible.

●The King James Bible.

○The translation of the King James Bible began in 1604.

○The number of translators was fifty-four at the start but due to sickness and death upon completion was forty-seven.

○They were divided into six groups. There were two groups from Westminster, two groups from Oxford, and two groups from Cambridge.

■Westminster group 1: Genesis – 2 Kings

■Westminster group 2: Romans – Jude

■Oxford group 1: Isaiah – Malachi

■Oxford group 2: Matthew – John, Acts, and Revelation

■Cambridge group 1: 1 Chronicles – Ecclesiastes

■Cambridge group 2: The Apocrypha

○It was required that each translator compare his work with every other translator in his group.

○When a book was completed by a group it was passed on to another group for review and check.

○The translators could consult other scholars not in the 54 for help.

○A copy of the entire Bible was sent to London by each group.

○The entire time of the translation can be divided into three different periods.

■1604-1607: Private study by each translator on the section assigned to them.

■1607-1610: Cooperative study

■1611: Final Copy.

●The complete Bible went to press in 1611.

○The translators used only the Received Texts:

■The Hebrew Massaretic texts of the Old Testament.

■The Greek Textus Receptus texts of the New Testament.

The Translators of the King James Bible:

●Westminster committee 1:

○Lancelot Andrews

○John Overall

○Adrian Seravia

○John Layfield

○Richard Clarke

○William Teigh

○F. Burleigh-Fellow

○Richard Thompson

●Westminster committee 2:

○William Bidwell

○Geoffrey King

○William Barlowe

○Ralph Hutchinson

○T. Spenser

○Rodger Fenton

○Michael Rabbet

○Thoman Sanderson

○William Dakins

●Oxford committee 1:

○John Harding

○John Reynolds

○Tom Holland

○Richard Kilhye

○Miles Smith

○Richard Bret

○Mr. Fairclowe

●Oxford committee 2:

○Thomas Ravis

○George Abbot

○R. Eddes

○Giles Thompson

○Sir Henry Seville

○John Perin

○Ralph Ravins

○John Harmar

●Cambridge committee 1:

○Edward Lively

○John Richardson

○Lawrence Chatterdon

○Francis Dillingham

○Rodger Andrewes

○Thomas Harrison

○Robert Spalding

○Professor Bing

●Cambridge committee 2:

○John Duport

○William Brainthwaite

○Jeremiah Radcliffe

○Samuel Ward

○Andrew Downs

○John Boys

○Dr. Ward

Facts about the Greek New Testament

There are no original manuscripts of the Greek New Testament. However, there are faithful copies of the original manuscripts.
The Holy Spirit guided in the formation and preservation of the Bible.
The Greek Vulgate became known as the Majority Text or the Textus Receptus.
In 1611, after about seven years of work, the New Testament of the King James Bible was translated from that text.
The Received Text consists of the Hebrew Massaretic Texts of the Old Testament and the Textus Receptus of the New Testament.
By 1901, every major language of the world had portions and some access to the King James Bible in their language.

Study Quiz Review 1 and take Quiz 1

Lesson 2

Theories of Inspiration

Naturalistic theory

The Bible is not inspired by God at all.
The Bible is just a collection of mythological history and folklore.
This is the theory taught in secular institutions.

Neo-orthodox theory

God did not inspire the Bible, but He uses it for His purpose.
He might also use the Koran, the Book of Morman, or any other type of religious writing as well.
Supporters of this theory emphasize greatly the Sermon on the Mount when it comes to doing things good but not when it comes to anything about conviction or salvation.

Partial Inspiration theory

The portions of Scripture concerning divine revelation are inspired by God.
Those who espouse this theory reject anything the Bible says about science (creation), history (especially the history of the nation of Israel), or geography in relation to Israel’s right to the Promised Theory.
Westcott believed that Moses and David existed only in Jewish poetry.

Concept theory

The Bible contains God’s ideas or principals, but not His exact words.
God inspired the man to a degree, and man in his own words expressed his opinion of what God laid on his heart.
The translators of many false Bibles follow this theory.
Disguised under the technical term of Dynamic Equivalence, there were many times that the translators ignored the Hebrew or Greek word and filled in their own word for what they thought God was trying to say.
Psalm 12:6-7 – God is directly involved in the preservation and inspiration of the Bible.
NIV: “O Lord, you will keep US.” There is no Hebrew authority for this change.

Mechanical Dictation theory

The men penning the Scripture were similar to a secretary taking a letter.
It was not an inspired man, but it was the breath of God.
Psalm 45:1 – God is the ready writer.

Verbal Plenary Inspiration theory

God chose every word that is used in the writing in the Bible.

Inspiration cannot be rigidly put into any man’s system.

All of these theories are flawed to a degree, but the last two are the closest to the truth.

2 Timothy 3:16

Inspiration not only speaks of God breathing the words, but also God breathing life into the words.

John 6:63 – Jesus was using the same words that other Jews used, but God infused His words with life.

Timothy was made wise unto salvation through the Scriptures.

1 Peter 1:23

Jesus Christ is the incorruptible seed. The way I became partaker of the incorruptible seed was the Word of God.
To live means it lives forever; to abide means it remains the same forever.

Romans 10:17

If the Scriptures are going to be what points me to Christ, there must be life in the Scriptures.

The Bible says “All Scripture IS.” The Bible is still inspired.

The originals do not exist today, but we do have accurate copies.

If it’s Scripture, it’s inspired; if it’s not inspired, it is not Scripture.

Scripture is profitable for:

Doctrine – What’s right
Reproof – What’s wrong
Correction – How to get it right
Instruction – How to keep it right long term

God intended for the Word of God to be profitable for generations after the persons that received it from God. The whole purpose for inspiration would be defeated if in preservation inspiration was lost.

The Holy Scriptures (vs 15)

Holy – Set apart for God.
Sanctified – The act of setting something apart.
Once something is set apart for God it is then declared to be Holy.
When men touch what is declared to be Holy there is a great danger.
Revelation 22:18-19 – God pronounces judgment on anyone who would either take away from the words or add to the words intentionally.
Uzza touched the Ark of God to steady it while in transportation and touched that which was holy. Even though his intentions were good, his good intentions did not keep God from executing judgment on him.
The Word of God is holy. It is set apart to God and no one is to touch it but God.

The fact that the Scriptures are holy and inspired is what makes them profitable. I must add the principles of the Word of God in my life in order for it to change me.

Matthew 5:18 – Nothing will pass from the law. The whole concept of law is something concrete.

Jot – smallest letter in the Hebrew language
Tittle – smallest projection from a Hebrew letter
Similar in English to the dot on the i and the cross on a t.

The Spirit of God has no language barrier. In the Garden of Eden there was only one language. God established languages at the tower of Babel.

What language did the Holy Ghost speak at Pentecost? There is a universal language that the Holy Ghost speaks.

Matthew 4:4 – Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

If God expects us to live by every word, it would be unreasonable to assume that God did not give us every word. We cannot live by every word if God did not give us every word.
There can only be one Bible that has the complete Word of God. Two Bibles cannot both be the same if they are different.

Italicized words were used to express something that was not written in the Hebrew but was understood in the context.

Deuteronomy 8:3 – The word word is italicized.
Matthew 4:4 – The word word is not italicized.
Jesus Christ quoted the italicized word.

1 Peter 1:16-21 – We have a more sure word of prophecy in our Bible than Peter did in what he saw with his eyes.

In order to believe this I have to believe that we still have an inspired preserved Word of God.
The moving of the Holy Ghost is how God gave the words.

All Scripture is given by inspiration. It is infused with the spirit of God.

God didn’t just get a man excited; he gave us the message using the man as an instrument.

Study Quiz Review 2 and take Quiz 2

Lesson 3

If It’s Scripture, It’s Inspired; If it’s Not Inspired, It’s Not Scripture

Some people believe that only the originals are inspired.

The Bereans searched the Scriptures daily. They did not have the originals. (Acts 17:10-11)
Jesus stood up and opened the Scriptures. He did not have the originals in His hands, but He called them the Scripture.
They didn’t have the originals, but what they had was the Inspired Word of God.

Some believe that three to five percent of the Bible was lost in Hampton Court.

They cannot tell you what three to five percent. Verses like John 3:16 could be in that three to five percent.
When the Bible is not the final authority, the teacher is.
I am not depending on forty-seven men to give me a perfect Bible; I am depending upon God.
God originally used three murderers to give us the Bible:
Moses – Killed an Egyptian without God’s sanction and hid him in the sand.
David – Sent Uriah to his death.
Saul of Tarsus – Persecuted Christians.
Taking positions like this is the result of arrogance.

The Bible is the breath of God. He breathed His spirit into the words.

Psalm 138:2 – God exalts His Word above His name.

If a man’s word is no good, his name is no good. There is no integrity.
That doesn’t mean that God is not serious about His name.
Exodus 20:7 – There are punishments for taking God’s name in vain; in fact, it is a form of blaspheme.
How much more would God judge someone who tampers with His Word?

Psalm 11:3

When the foundation is destroyed, it is not wicked people that are affected; they never had a foundation.
It destroys the righteous.
The foundation of my faith is the Word of God.
The Word of God caused me to receive Christ. If the promises of God are error, I have no security or salvation.
The foundation of my values is the Word of God.
The only way I know that something is right and something is wrong is by what is in the Scriptures.

The foundation of my religious practice is the Word of God.
Religion – The practice of one’s beliefs.
James 1:27
I’m to be a soul winner.
I’m to visit the fatherless and the widow.
They can’t contribute in return for your service.
I’m to be separate from the world.
The foundation of my ethics is the Word of God.
The word ethical implies proper treatment.
If I’m ethical it means I treat people properly.
The foundation of my doctrine is the Word of God.
We cannot come up with doctrine and find a verse to back it up.
We need to go to the Bible and compare Scripture with Scripture, and once we establish what the Bible says, we have doctrine.
The foundation of my hope is the Word of God.
Hope – a confident anticipation of good based eternal truth.
If I don’t have eternal truth I have nothing to rest on.

For a Baptist preacher to cast doubt on the Word of God is to chip away at the foundation that holds everything together.