Is There Life After King James?

You wouldn’t think that a Christian ministry would get much hate mail. Oh, perhaps a nasty note now and then from some disgruntled agnostic, but certainly nothing more than that. Yet amazingly most of our “hate mail” comes not from atheists or skeptics, but from professing Christians. And one of the surest ways to receive a new barrage of such mail is to dare to suggest that there is life after KJV.

We have had a pastor tell us that he would be encouraging his entire congregation not to listen to our radio program, because of our failure to promote a King James only doctrine. While not everyone who disagrees with us is so virulent, a great many people have very strong convictions that the only Bible that is truly the Bible is the King James Version.

It is not my intention to debunk the KJV. This version is beautifully written and has been a blessing unto millions. But it would be counterproductive to suggest that it is the only Bible for us to read, and thus deprive multitudes of the opportunity to read the Bible in language that they can understand.

Here are a few reasons I do not hold to a KJV only theory:

• The King James Version is an English translation, obviously. To suggest that it is the only inspired translation of the original languages is ludicrous. What about all the other languages of the world? Has God decided to favor the English speaking people with an inspired translation, while everyone else has to “make do?” Must the Spanish, the French, the Portuguese, the Russians, etc. look on enviously with their makeshift versions while we read our inspired King James Version?
   
• The idea that there is only one inspired translation was one that the King James translators themselves had to argue against as they were translating the 1611 edition. At that time Roman Catholic scholars protested vehemently that there was only one translation of the original languages of the Scripture that was trustworthy, and that was the Latin Vulgate. This version, they claimed, was a perfect translation, and was “truer than the vulgar Greek text itself.” The King James translators argued against this view that there was only one perfect translation. They declared that all translations were imperfect and would need alterations and revisions as time and scholarship revealed the flaws and blemishes that would certainly be present in any translation.
   
• The King James Version, has, in fact been revised many times already. If you had a 1611 version in your possession you would easily see all types of differences between that and the KJV that is sold in today’s bookstores.
   
• The King James Version was written in the language of the people of that time. Today King James English is most decidedly not “the language of the people.” The Gospel is far too important to risk turning readers off with Elizabethan English before they have a chance to learn for themselves that “God has made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” It is far better to read a modern “vulgar” translation and understand it, than to read the traditional one and have no clue as to what it means. Yes, God does reveal truth to us by His Spirit, but He generally seems to do this in our own language. God might choose to save a Russian-speaking young man by miraculously causing him to understand an English-speaking preacher, but don’t count on it. Far better for a missionary to learn Russian and then go and speak to him in his own language!

Recommendations

There are so many different translations of the Scriptures available today, it is difficult to keep track of them all. My personal reading experience has largely been with four basic versions: The King James Version, the New International Version, The New American Standard Version, and the New King James Version. For the last ten years or so, I have read primarily from the New King James Version. For what it is worth, here are a few thoughts on several of the popular versions, and their possible applications:

King James Version: This version, while possessing a few glaring errors and words that require explanation, is relatively accurate. The outdated language and use of words that today’s generation never use, makes this of value primarily to older Christians, and those who have been brought up on this version. This version has fed God’s people for several hundred years, and I have great respect for it. Nevertheless I would never give it to a new Christian, or to someone who is not a good reader. Spiritual things are difficult enough to understand without the added burden of language difficulties.

New International Version: This is a very popular translation, and is perhaps the most readable popular translation available today. It is not exactly a paraphrase, but it is not a word for word rendering either. It is somewhere in-between. For a new Christian or for someone who does not have good reading skills this is ideal. It is probably not the best study Bible, but is excellent for devotional and general reading.

New American Standard Version: This is perhaps the most accurate version available today. The translators strove for accuracy above all else, and in large measure achieved it. The only problem is that the emphasis on word for word accuracy takes its toll of the version’s readability. This would be a great study Bible, but not for someone who has difficulty reading.

New King James Version: Like the New American Standard Version, this version is highly accurate and faithful to the Greek texts. To my way of thinking it is slightly more readable than the NASV. This version is taken from the same original texts that were used in the KJV translation. It has puzzled me why the KJV only advocates are just as hostile to this version as the others, which come from a different collection of texts. While not quite as easy to understand as the NIV, this version is a pretty good combination of both accuracy and readability.

Living Bible: The Living Bible has been phenomenally popular in the past, but seems to be losing ground as more and more paraphrased translations are available. This is a pure paraphrase, and is mostly useful as a commentary, rather than as a Bible. Certainly it would have no value at all as a study Bible. This version is primarily the work of one man, Kenneth Taylor, and sometimes contains his own views smuggled into the verses. I would far rather give a new Christian an NIV than a Living Bible.

Reason to Read

With all this talk about different versions of the Bible, it is important to establish the reasons we must read it. You might have a version translated by the angel Gabriel himself, but if it sits dusty on your coffee table or in the drawer of your nightstand, you have gained nothing. It is clear that the Bible that will do you the most good is one that you actually read, and read faithfully. A poor version, well read, is of far more value than a fantastic translation never touched.

I believe that the greatest value to the reading of God’s holy Word is that it is a vital aspect of that mysterious concept that Jesus called "abiding.” Our Lord seemed to place a great premium on this business of abiding. In John 15 He commands us to abide in Him, and assures us of two things: First, if we don’t abide in Him we shall be barren; we shall bear no fruit and accomplish no good in this life. Secondly, He promises us that if we do abide in Him we shall bear much fruit, and be in such a position that whatever we ask shall be done for us (John 15:7). Apparently this abiding carries a lot of weight in the eyes of God!

The problem to all this comes in trying to specify just what is meant by abiding. As much as we would like it, there is no exact formula to follow. Literally, to abide means to live or to remain (to stay put). Jesus seems to be saying, “Once you find Me, don’t go anywhere! Stay put!”

There are many different dimensions of a life of abiding in Jesus. Certainly it involves a life of prayer. Those who can live their lives rarely taking the time to fellowship with their Savior could hardly be classified as abiders. It also must include obedience. To live in Jesus is to continually thirst after the will of God. Abiding in Jesus involves walking that fine line between the conviction that without Him we can do nothing, and the assurance that we can do “all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This is that place of dependence which rejects self-confidence and continually increases in Christ-confidence.

I am convinced that one of the most important aspects of abiding has to do with the worshipful reading and meditating upon the word of God. Through the Scriptures, God has made a way for us to drink deeply of His thoughts and truths until they become “bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh.” We read the Bible not to be “nice little Christians,” nor merely to gain knowledge, but that we might know God, and be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). We read God’s Word, not as the professional critic, dissecting and analyzing every phrase and sentence construction. We read these “God-breathed” writings as adoring children, eager to know our God better, enjoying the sweetness of His Holy Spirit as He leads us in the paths of truth.

The Power of the Word

It is amazing to consider the spiritual state of the apostles at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. To all appearances, Jesus’ discipleship program had been an abject failure. To the very end, the apostles seemed to be carnal, self-promoting, mentally and spiritually sluggish, and without a clue as to the real meaning of the kingdom of God and the purpose for which Jesus had come.

These men had been through the most incredible spiritual education the world had ever seen. For over three years they had walked with, talked with, ate with, drank with, and been taught by …….. God! Jesus Christ, the might Emanuel, “God with us,” had been their professor and personal tutor. They had literally lived with the Word. They had seen the mighty miracles up close and personal. They had watched with awe as He cleansed the temple in holy wrath. They had marveled as He had easily outwitted the most brilliant minds of Jerusalem. They had sat, amazed, as He preached eternal truths to the multitudes with matchless eloquence and an authority that came from heaven. And here they were at their “graduation” seemingly no better off than when they had started.

Had the word failed to work for them? If under direct divine tutelage they had failed to overcome carnality and pettiness, what hope would there be for the rest of us?

But of course we know the rest of the story. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell upon these men whose hearts had been filled to the brim for three years with the word of God. All the truths of God that had been stored up within these ordinary Galilean peasants burst forth in an explosion of divine energy when touched by the flame of the Holy Spirit. Peter rose up and preached with an unction he had never known before. Doubts were swallowed up by faith, and these men who had left jobs and families to follow Jesus quickly became “these who have turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).

The Holy Spirit and the word of God make a dynamite combination. The Day of Pentecost served as a vindication – first and foremost of the reality of the resurrection of Jesus, but also this day vindicated the value of the word of God in the lives of ordinary men and women. The powers of darkness suffered a terrible blow on that day, as they have always suffered when God’s people give His word priority in their lives, and learn to trust Jesus as the One who fills with the Holy Spirit.