Intro to the Bible Study Forum

In this forum, participants are asked to use the King James Bible (KJB) when quoting Scripture. This is not a forum for debating one version over another. That activity can be found in dozens of locations. It is not that we are afraid of debate, or feel incapable of such. It is instead that this forum is dedicated to promoting growth in the knowledge of God's Words to us.

It is important that those who post here understand the reason why the KJB is recognized by us as the only Bible worthy of study. Following is a brief presentation of the basis for my belief in the KJB as my Final Authority.

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How rigid, absolute, or dogmatic should a believer be about the modern textual issue?

First, consider this: How rigid a position should a believer take on the doctrine of salvation? Are we to allow that each individual is free to determine the requirements for salvation? Should it be up to personal interpretation? " OR " Is there a specific, unchanging, universal requirement to obtain salvation? By what authority is this question answered?

If the position is taken that each person may determine for himself the way of salvation, then the textual issue becomes comparatively unimportant. If everyone is free to define doctrine based on point of view instead of the Scriptures, then how carefully the Scriptures are preserved is pointless. We can all do what is "right in our own eyes." (Judges 21:25)

If, however, the doctrine of salvation is unchanging and universal, then there must be a clear and absolute authority upon which to establish this fact. Otherwise, it falls back to individual interpretation.

Stipulating that this and all other foundational doctrines of the Scriptures must be based on the words of the Scriptures, and not on "private interpretation", does it not make simple, common sense that God would communicate these truths to us in an understandable, complete form?

The Case for Inspiration

While there is ample evidence in the Scriptures for inspiration, I would begin with simple logic, so that initially, I am not using Scripture to prove itself. One of two mutually exclusive conditions is true. Either God provided the words themselves for the writers of the Scriptures, and therefore the references within the Scriptures about inspiration are true, or else men determined how to express the information, possibly under some "moving of the spirit". If this is the case, then the Scriptures are false when claiming inspiration, and therefore are untrustworthy. We are then at the mercy of man's ideas falsely represented as God's. I would acknowledge that argument is made that there could be levels of inspiration. Were the words themselves given of God, or did He merely provide the ideas or thoughts and man filled in the details. Again the Scriptures do not allow for anything but word-by-word inspiration. Any level below this causes the Scriptures to lie about themselves.

With this admittedly brief and simplistic argument, I must by faith accept that God is the AUTHOR and men the WRITERS of the Scriptures. Each word, yea, each letter (jot and tittle) was given under the inspiration of God.

The Case for Preservation

Based on my acceptance that the Scriptures are verbally inspired words of God, then the question of preservation must be answered. If God carefully and attentively directed the words to be recorded, why? Was it for those who were the writers? Was it for their contemporaries? Was it to be passed on from generation to generation? Assuming the last question is the correct one (for the others make no sense whatsoever), how were the Scriptures passed on? Men were given the responsibility to copy from the originals (autographs). The Scriptures used throughout the entire OT and NT era were copies, yet Jesus and the apostles make no distinction when speaking of them. Dozens of times the words 'scripture" or 'scriptures" are used in the NT, each with the importance of God's direction being emphasized. Peter even alludes to Paul's writings as 'scripture when in 2 Peter 3:16 he compares these writings to "other scriptures". The Scriptures spoken of in these cases would have needed to be available to the ones addressed. The copies of the Scriptures were made equal to the originals. If God allowed error to creep in to the text, no matter how insignificant, either through omission or addition, then why bother with verbal (as opposed to thought) inspiration? Again, the Scriptures have plenty of references to preservation of God's words (I call attention to the plural use, indicating individual words as opposed to the entirety of His Word). See Psalm 12:6-7, 2 Peter 3:2, and others.

CONCLUSION

I can only believe that the God who supernaturally inspired the writing of His Word, has also supernaturally preserved those words for us today. Either every generation has had God's Word, or none have.

Because I believe that God has indeed inspired the original words that He gave to the writers, and that He providentially preserved those words throughout history, and finally, that He intends for His people to have His Words available to them, then there is only one Bible that qualifies, the Authorized King James Bible.

	Author	Topic: Intro to the Bible Study Forum (Read 704 times)
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