Q
Could a person be saved by reading the plan of salvation from
one of the new versions?
A
The Old Testament records many times when the nation of Israel
was just one generation away from total apostasy. King James
verses are still widely quoted by a generation of pastors and
teachers who have memorized its passages. Many salvations are
resulting from this. The new birth occurs from the KJV seed.
First Peter 1:23 says: "Being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and
abideth for ever."
Step 1. "The sower soweth the word" (Mark 4:14, KJV).
Step 2. "Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word"
(Mark 4:15)
Some wonderful pastors are unknowingly handing new converts
versions like the NIV, in which sixty-four thousand words have
been taken away. What did we just read? "Satan cometh
immediately," as soon as "the sower soweth the word" "and
taketh away the word." The spirit is reborn, but the spiritual
growth is going to be aborted.
Please consider the possible parallelism of these two
events. The year is 1973. Roe vs. Wade- the Supreme Court
legalizes abortion. The NIV New Testament is published. The
first attacked the babe in the womb, the second attacked the babe
in scripture. The womb was once the safest place for the baby;
the church was once the safest place for the teachings of Christ
to babes in Christ. But once again, he is "wounded in the house
of my friends" (Zech. 13:6).
I maintain there is no need to contend for NIV crumbs when
the master's table is laden with "the children's bread" (Matt.
15:26). Many people are being born again through this KJV seed,
but we are seeing a body of Christ starving and withering on the
vine. We may see some new births, but there are eight things we
are not seeing:
1. We are not seeing personal spiritual growth. Acts 20:32
talks about "the word of his grace, which is able to build
you up." Christians are not being built up.
2. We do not see a clean church. John 15:3 says, "Ye are
clean through the word."
3. We see confusion in terms of doctrine. New versions are
not easier to understand; they are much easier to
misunderstand doctrinally. John 17:17 says, "thy word is
truth." We do not know what the truth is anymore in the
church. There is so much confusion and contradiction.
4. The church no longer has its offensive weapon.
Ephesians 6:17 talks about "the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God." We can have on the rest of the armor
of God, and the devil can walk up to us and knock us flat on
our backs, unless we have the "whole armour" (Eph. 6:11)
which includes the sword , our offensive weapon. With the
sword we can "resist the devil, and he will flee from you"
(James 4:7), just as Jesus did when Satan tempted him in
Luke 4. He said, "It is written."
5. The church is not expressing fruit. In John 6:63 Jesus
says, "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit."
They are not ordinary words. The "fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering" (Gal. 5:22). Christians do
not have love, do not have joy inside, do not have peace in
their hearts because they are starving for the true spirit
of God, if they are not imbibing the true word of God daily.
Our flesh cannot give us peace, but the words of God can
give us those things.
6. Christians wonder why prayer is not answered. In John
15:7 Jesus says, "If...my words abide in you, ye shall ask
what ye will." Many people are praying and praying and
praying, and since the word does not abide in them their
prayers are going unanswered.
7. Many Christians are anxious and comfortless.
Psychological counseling moved into the church along with
the new versions, because new versions strip the word of God
of its comforting power. First Thessalonians 4:18 says,
"Comfort one another with these words." Even the Comforter
himself is omitted and replaced by the Jehovah Witnesses
term, the Helper (NKJV, John 14:16). The omission in the
NIV of Jesus' promise to "heal the brokenhearted" in Luke
4:18 is just one of scores of such omissions and unsettling
word changes.
8. The church will not be prepared for the judgment seat of
Christ. John 12:48 says, "The word that I have spoken, the
same shall judge him in the last day." Without guidance
from the true word of God, some Christians may miss rewards
God would like to give them.
However there is one rather temporary advantage in using a
"new" bible version: you will not be persecuted. Isaiah 66:5
indicates that those Christians who "tremble at his word" will be
"hated" and "cast" out by their "brethren." The advantage is
temporary, though, because these "brethren" will be "ashamed" at
the coming of the LORD. "Hear the word of the LORD, ye that
tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you
out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he
shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed."
So, if someone takes your head off for standing for the word
of God, know that it is merely a foreboding shadow of the coming
tribulation when saints will be "beheaded... for the word of God"
(Rev. 20:4) and "slain for the word" (Rev. 6:9).
