Is The KJV The Only True Bible Translation?

Is the King James Version the only reliable version of the Bible? Are all others wrong?

KJV People

Have you meet someone who has almost been rabid about their devotion and preference to the King James Version of the Bible? Do they almost seem to see all others as heretical? Is the King James Version, written in 1611, really the very best you can get? What if you can’t read the “King’s English” very well or aren’t well acquainted with Shakespearean language? Isn’t the New King James Version better if you can read it and understand it better? For one thing, my first Bible was a King James and even though it’s almost worn out now, it has decades of my personal notes in it where I learned great nuggets of truth through the teaching of the Holy Spirit, but I don’t want to start thinking that all other Bible translations are inferior and start judging others for the Bible that they use. The NASB for example does a better job with the Hebrew in the Old Testament than most Bible translations, but can’t you almost see it as if some worshiping their version of the Bible and not the God of the Word?

God’s Word

In the first place, the King James Bible came from the thousands of manuscripts that they had in their day but we must first acknowledge that it’s not the word of King James, it’s not the world of William Tyndale, and it’s not the word of man…it is the Word of God and all inspired by God as the Apostle Paul makes clear in writing, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2nd Tim 3:16). The Apostle Peter adds that “no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2nd Pet 1:21). Even in the Old Testament God “spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old” (Luke 1:70) and it was “Thus says the Lord” and not “Thus says man” or a translator.

Multitude of Translations

In some Christian’s homes, they have Bible concordances, Bible dictionaries, Bible atlases, and other such resources but they might also have more than one version or translation of the Bible. I have the ESV, the New King James Version and of course my King James Version but I wouldn’t miss the chance to study the NASB translation when I’m reading the Old Testament but I might also read the New King James Version while on the same Old Testament verse, and finally, I might even look at the ESV. The concept for me is to look at various translations to see if there’s something I missed in the others. Some translations can bring better clarity to a passage in the Bible, no doubt about it. Solomon wrote “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed” (Prov 15:22) but I wouldn’t try to shoehorn this into Solomon’s suggesting we use different translations because in Solomon’s day, they had only the Law and the Prophets, some of the chronicles, plus hundreds of the psalms. The point I want to make is that we can see things better in some cases with some translations than looking at only one, like the King James Version. I think there’s very good reason that there are four gospels. It’s like you have four different eyewitnesses standing at an intersection and describing the same accident but using different words and seeing it from different angles. These angles can help those who may need that same writer’s perspective. These four gospels, taken together, can give us a better view of the work of Christ than any single one can, so with that idea, I believe it’s a good idea to read different Bible translations in your study, even while using your own favorite Bible.

Other Translations

There are newer Bible translations today because of the new manuscripts that have been found. These manuscripts were not around in the days when the King James Version was being translated into the King’s English. Some Bible translations have better manuscript support or in their footnotes, more archaeological evidence has been found that relates to a certain passage and possibly it’s been updated in newer translations. Two of my favorite Bible teachers, Dr. R.C. Sproul (Ligonier Ministries) and Dr. John MacArthur (Grace to You) have the ESV study Bibles out with great footnotes that significantly aid the student’s Bible study. These newer Bibles have been revised to include more recent or better manuscripts. Even with this, the King James Version is still considered reliable and the differences between the newer translations and the King James do not affect in any way the main things which are the plain things.

Conclusion

My nearly four decade old Bible, the King James Version, is marvelous and I admit it; it’s my favorite. It has the Hebrew, Greek, and some Aramaic in the margins on key words in the Scriptures. I love it. It helps me immensely in my studies but often I read from the English Standard Version, the NASB or the New King James Version as well and I don’t feel like I’ve lost much at all. I hope you are not one that runs down others who read different versions of the Bible than you do. I do not use the NIV but I have heard people say such vicious things like “You’re reading Satan’s Bible. You need to repent. You’re going to hell if you read that version!” For me, I wouldn’t dare say such a thing to anyone. When I study and when I preach, I still use my King James Version, but I’m not going to shove my Bible preference down your throat.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.