MAY 10

Matthew 7:17-18
Memorise Matthew 12:33
“…for the tree is known by his fruit”

WHY DO WE USE THE KING JAMES BIBLE VERSION (I)?

Of all the English versions of the Bible, the King James Version (KJV) is the only one that stands out in terms of faithfulness to the original Scriptures and precision of translation. This is because the KJV is the only widely accessible English version that is translated from the Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT) and the Greek Textus Receptus (TR). The MT had been carefully preserved by God’s providential hand and through the work of scribes who were meticulous with their work of copying the MT, the text which underlies the Old Testament of the KJV. Likewise, early church leaders, guided by the Holy Spirit and the logic of faith accurately identified the divinely inspired NT books. These manuscripts were copied and compiled into what we know as the Textus Receptus – the Greek text underlying the KJV’s NT. The translational process resulting in the KJV involved 6 teams of God-fearing theologians who met and did their translative work in Cambridge, Oxford and Westminster. They were Theologians and expert linguists who translated the texts using the method of formal equivalence, translating the Bible directly and literally from the Greek and Hebrew words. This faithful method of translation ensures that we have in our hands the very Word of God, not tainted by the doctrinal bias and interpretations of the translator. In contrast to the MT and TR, almost all modern English versions (MEV) today utilize the corrupt Westcott and Hort Text (Westcott and Hort were unbelievers who denied every fundamental doctrine in the Bible). Most MEV translators also used a method of translation called dynamic equivalence. This required the translators to inject their personal thoughts and interpretation into the work, making the translation less faithful. Hence, the MEVs are more the result of paraphrasing corrupt texts rather than that of a faithful translation of God’s Word.

The “fruit” test, as stated in Matthew 7:17-18, tells us that nothing good can come from a source that is corrupt to begin with. Likewise, MEVs which derive their texts from corrupt sources, translated by unregenerate men, are themselves corrupt and with error. Only the KJV stands apart from all the other versions in that it is derived from faithful texts, translated by faithful men using a superior translation technique. This is why every English-speaking believer should use the KJV.

Thought: Just as dessert can be laced with poison, MEVs may be easier to read but no less deadly.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for faithful men that You have raised before us to give us Your perfect Word in English which is the KJV.