Debate Correspondence #IV
[It was not addressed to him but to the readers that have been following the debate.]
This open letter is to those who have been following this debate:
During the last month, I have written three open letters to Mr. H concerning his criticism of the King James Bible. The main reasons I wrote these letters was to defend the KJB against his relentless, unproved attacks, expose what he really believes about the Bible, and show how his arguments are inconsistent and his reasoning illogical. Mr. H has admitted he doesn't believe God’s PURE WRITTEN word exists today. He believes the “original manuscripts” were “inspired” but since they no longer exist (original language copies exist but not the original manuscripts) no copy or translation of them can be pure or without error. This manner of thinking leaves man in a pitiful condition, he has no way of really knowing what God has said.
The key issue of this debate is that of final authority; what is a Christian's final and last authority to determine truth (John 17:17). We believe that final authority to be the KJB, but Mr. H does not agree. If one will read his letters and column closely (where he can make sense of them) one will find his final authority is not any Bible, but only his own mind! Mr. H refuses to be in subjection to any Bible. Instead of letting the Bible judge him, he judges the Bible and “corrects” it whenever his heart feels like it. He believes, armed only with a concordance, he can judge any Bible and especially find “errors” supposedly made by 48 highly trained KJ translators who spent seven years in their efforts. He says he hasn't found any errors yet in his NLT but still believes he “could possibly find some” (we will show him one in a minute, using his own “method”). Youngs or Strongs concordance were not intended to be used by “armchair theologians” to judge the Scriptures by. They were intended to help all English speaking people study them.
The arguments Mr. H uses to criticize the KJB are merely repeated misinformation that KJB critics have been circulating for decades. Many of his charges were answered over 100 years ago yet he and those like him persist in repeating them, trying to destroy a Christian's confidence in their Bible so they can become their final authority instead. I have dealt with several of these fellows in the past and every one of them feels qualified to judge the KJB and any other Bible. This is the main reason there have been over 100 new translations in the last 100 years. Since these people have no absolute standard to appeal to and follow only their opinion, theycannot agree on how “the Bible” should read. As a result each person or group translates a “new” Bible according to their bloated egos (ASV, RSV, NASV, NIV, NLT, etc.). There is no sensible reason for all these versions. All they cause is confusion. One thing they all have in common, though, is they all compare themselves to the KJB. This proves the KJB is the Bible God has made the standard.
The responses Mr. H has made to my open letters have been laden with inconsistency, contradiction, and misrepresentation. I could write a lengthy article documenting them. For instance, he told me twice I should “Never, never trust the research of other men” yet he trusts the research of Youngs concordance and uses it to “correct” the KJB. How does he know it is right since he is not trained in Hebrew and Greek?
As for misrepresenting me, he said in his column last week that I believed one could only be saved through a KJB. Check my letters yourself, I said no such thing. I simply said, “We are not about to abandon the Bible that led us to Christ.” I believe it is possible for a person to be saved from a new translation. They usually contain enough truth to present the gospel (like a tract), but they are not God’s complete, pure word as we believe the KJB to be. They remove many verses and weaken vital doctrines.
Mr. H last week also made a desperate attempt to appear as a credible authority, but it backfired on him. Look at his treatment of 1 Timothy 3:16 in his column. The KJB plainly says “God was manifest in the flesh,” but his NLT only says “Christ appeared in the flesh.” First, the passage deals with the “mystery of godliness.” There is no great mystery in saying Christ came in a body, for all people come in a body. Furthermore, the Jews were fully expecting their Messiah to come as a man (John 1:21). The great “mystery” is “GOD was manifest in the flesh,” that is, come as a man. The Jews were NOT expecting this, neither did they expect their Messiah to be their God (John 8:58). The KJB fully declares the deity of Christ while the NLT and other new translations demean Him.
Second, to see how inconsistent Mr. H is in finding “translation errors,” look up the word“God” from 1 Tim. 3:16 in Youngs or Strongs concordance. You will find the Greek word for it is “Theos” and it is in every Greek dictionary defined as “God,” NEVER as “Christ” as in the NLT. The Greek word for “Christ” is “Christos” and “Christos” is nowhere found in the verse. The vast majority of Greek texts in existence read “God” as the KJB, a very few inferior Greek texts put “he” in place of “God” (as found in the NIV and others), but NO GREEK TEXT PUTS “CHRIST” IN PLACE OF “God”! “Christ” as found in the NLT is an INVENTED reading! It is not supported by ANY Greek text. How could Mr. H miss this after claiming he is “totally led by the Holy Spirit”? The NLT translators simply refused to translate the verse. Instead they paraphrased it to suit their opinion. They went out of their way to keep from saying “God appeared in the flesh.” Like Mr. H, the NLT translators have no final authority on earth other than their own mind.
As a result Mr. H now has two conflicting authorities. His Young’s concordance which says one thing and his beloved NLT which says something else. But no matter which one he chooses, the fact that HE is doing the choosing proves he is his own FINAL authority and utterly refuses to be in subjection to ANY Bible.
Finally, this will be my last letter concerning this issue for now. If Mr. H had not attacked my Bible and also publicly ridiculed people BY NAME who believe their Bible (such as Manford Hypes), I probably would have never written, but I hope these letters have helped someone realize there is a Bible they can trust. Mr. H will doubtlessly continue his attacks on the KJB in his column, but we leave it to the reader to decide whether to believe him or the Bible God has been using for nearly 400 years. Every major revival since 1611 has been a result of the preaching of KJB, whether it was Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, or any other denomination. Nicholas and surrounding counties was settled by people who read and believed KJ Bibles. Practically every church in WV was established by the preaching of the KJB, and the vast majority of people saved (including Mr. H, according to his column last week) were saved by hearing the gospel from a KJB. God used it exclusively in the past, He is still greatly using it today, and He will continue to use it until Christ returns. It is clearly the Bible He has placed His stamp of approval on at the expense of all others, and we are not about to forsake it for the ignorant ramblings of its egotistical critics who have nothing to offer but their own feeble minds.
In Christ’s Grace
Timothy S. Morton,
| This is Mr. H's reply to my above letter. He continues to
attack me in his column for weeks after this, but I had already
said what was on my mind. I mainly wrote the letters for the
benefit of those who were reading his column and later our
debate, not to try to win him over. Rascals like him are almost
a lost cause.
Notice below how he continues to misrepresent my words and position. He says I denied "Jesus came in the flesh," etc., etc., after I plainly said Jesus was "God manifest in the flesh." Desperate people have desperate ways. His mentality is typical of those who criticize the KJB (though he seems a little more "flaky" than others I have dealt with). They all feel they are able to stand in judgment on God's word. "Beware the Scribes." [All the words in blue are mine] |
Chronicle friends, I will continue to answer Mr. Morton's past three letters in our Christ Centered Messages," but for now did you notice the year 1611 disappeared from his letter this week. I think everyone including Morton has seen the error of that particular revision of the Bible. Amen! Mr. Morton has now flip--flopped [I did no such thing]to say the revised KJB is the inerrant one, leaving old 1611 behind. But you people know me by now, you know that the remaining error of that revised KJB will be shown so that you all can plainly see it. I am sure Mr. Morton is hoping that I will stop holding up God's light so that you can see the real truth. I was writing in the Chronicle a long time before Morton showed up and I plan to continue, just as so many of you dear people are requesting. Amen!
Chronicle friends, in paragraph five Mr. Morton says I misquoted him, but read it yourself what he said, and remember what he has said all along, the KJB is the only authorized Bible for today, "the standard." Now he is flip-flopped again [Not this time, either] to pretend to accept what I have been saying all along. I have said that Jesus, "the word of God" saves no matter where it is written, now Morton pretends that he agrees. Watch him friends!
Friends' respond to Morton, make him show you in his so-called inerrant Bible where God has "placed His stamp of approval on" the KJB.
Mr. Morton seems to be the only authorized Greek and Hebrew scholar in the world [I made no claims to "scholarship," I only used Mr. H's own method against him], as he plays with words in paragraphs six through eight, paragraphs where he openly denies that Jesus came in the flesh. Friends, remember this is the very reason this KJ error correcting became necessary, remember the antichrist cult, the one who believes just like Morton, the one who told my friend that Jesus was not God in the flesh. Morton is now trying to get you to believe Jesus is not God in the flesh.
Friends, Morton openly denies that Jesus is the only inerrant word of God, he openly denies that one can trust the leading of the Holy Spirit, and now he is openly denying that God can be referred to as "Christ."[Boy, talk about misrepresenting someone!] What does God say about people who deny that "Jesus is come in the flesh." Listen to 1 John 4:1-4, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God, and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already it is in the world. Ye (that's us) are of God, little children, and have overcome them (the many antichrist). Because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." Amen, Jesus is truly God in the flesh, and for one to deny this is to make him an "antichrist." [I must be one bad dude. I've been called a lot of things, but I think this is a first for "antichrist"! ]Now that's Bible, even KJB! Remember that I told you last week that the NLT translators translate the whole thought and not just one word. [True, and that's why it is a paraphrase and not a translation!] We saw that the whole text of the NLT identified the "household of God," "the church of the living God," and we clearly saw that Christ was the living God, the very one who brought us "righteousness by the Spirit." Do you believe Morton, or do you believe God. "As for me and my house we choose the Lord." Amen! Morton is wrong! [Ho Hum]
Chronicle friends, Mr. Morton is an out of town man who doesn't even know me, yet he says I ridiculed Manford Hypes. Manford and I are the best of friends, and he knows me well enough to recognize when I am only making an illustration. I have taught Manford in Sunday school and I personally know that he believes that Jesus is truly "the word of God"! Please do not listen to this out of town trouble maker! [He claims to be good friends with Manford Hypes and yet doesn't know I married his daughter! My father-in-law is only acquainted with him. When Mr. H later found out Manford is my father-in-law he was dumbfounded! Anything is fair to make him appear scholarly and credible. Mr. H has a remarkable gift for overstatement.]
Chronicle friends, Morton insinuates that you and I who believe we can be led by the Holy Spirit are feeble minded [No, just you, Mr. H],but again the Holy Bible disagrees with this pilgrim. [He got that right. I am only a pilgrim]Listen how what God truly says about the our mind in the NLT edition in I Corinthians 2:16, "Who can give him counsel? But we can understand these things, for we have mind of Christ.' We need to pray for Mr. Morton because he has openly denied the deity of Christ. [I did? Where?] He closes his letter by saying "in Christ's Grace" when he denies that God can be referred to as Jesus! Like Morton says, "this manner of thinking leaves man in a pitiful condition."
| The King James Bible is still alive and well. That
old, black book caused quite a ruckus in a central West
Virginia during the fall of 1997. The editor of the paper said
he was flooded with "letters to the editor" about the Bible;
he couldn't began to print them all.
Fortunately, the people in this part of West Virginia still cling to the KJB, rejecting the modern junk. Mr. H thought his "scholarly" and "sophisticated" presentation [Ha] would convince all the "ignorant masses" to change their mind. He was deceived. The Holy Spirit had other plans |