Sunday, July 20, 2008

Advanced Revelation, Double Inspiration, and People who lie about the Bible

Like always, the last forum that banned me (*cough*OB*cough) is embroiled in the TR vs. KJB debate again. The site claims to be "King James Version Only," and while the Administrator doesn't post enough for me to know for sure how he stands, the vast majority of the members there are "fair-weather KJB-onlyists," or they only believe the King James Bible because nothing better has come along to replace it.

Of course, this would only happen (the KJB being replaced) if it was a "faithful translation," though of course that very statement is insanely subjective, as anyone who uses his brain could figure. Someone who believes this is no better than Westcott and Hort, Nestle, Aland, Bob Jones II and III, or Arlin Horton. The only difference is the text that they use to prop up their own ego and opinion. The first batch uses the Textus Receptus, while the other uses anything and everything except the TR. But in the end it's all the same thing: self-important, self-righteous men deciding for themselves what is right and wrong. "Every man did that which was right in his own eyes."

Now I know as well as anyone that the King James arose mostly from the manuscripts that were compiled into the TR. That's a fact, and an indisputable one. However, what those TR-lovers neglect to mention is that there are many passages in the KJB that don't come from any Majority text manuscript or text. For instance the Johannine Comma: the only text at the time that had that passage in it was the corrupt Latin Vulgate! However, those "godly men" put that phrase in there, and were later vindicated by the rise of many Antioch manuscripts that included the passage.

Another fun topic that they love to rant against on that forum is what has been called "double inspiration," or "advanced revelation." Now double inspiration is their description of the Biblical teaching of Scriptural peservation and inspiration: that al Scripture is given by inspiration of God, so anything that claims to be Scripture must be given by inspiration of God. Simple, no? Then we have advanced revelation, which they tout as adding to God's word, when in fact it is simply things that showed up in the English LANGUAGE as a result of the translation from Greek and Hebrew. It wasn't something added in by the translators, it was something that was evidenced through the translation of Scripture that had been in the passage all along: it just wasn't evident in Greek or Hebrew!

Ok I'm tired of typing now, so I'll get into more down the road if I feel like it. Comments=more rant, so if you want more, comment! :D

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Ye do err...

Recently I have been hit by an onslaught of attacks (this blog not being included in that). I think the Lord is allowing Satan to touch my wife and I to a small degree; most likely in preparation for the ministry to which He has called us. I'd appreciate the prayers of anyone that calls themselves a born-again Christian; I'm simply doing (to the best of HIS ability: I can do nothing without Him) what He's called me to do.

On a slightly more enjoyable note, I'd like to address some of the more recent comments directed toward me through this blog.

I knew Daryn ("Big D") back when our families attended the same church in Missouri; in fact his father was the assistant pastor of the church. A huge falling out occurred in 2001 or so; several families left initially, and Daryn's family left a couple months after. Please bear in mind that in 2001 I was 12-13 years old.

We've attended several churches since then, my family and I, and the Lord has done some amazing things in my life. Since leaving that church, I learned the most vital part of Bible study: Rightly Dividing. This topic was anathema at the church that Daryn's and my family attended at the time, so understandably few if any people there would understand the Bible in the way that God intended.

Now back to the present, 2008. All of a sudden, Daryn, from whom I haven't heard a thing in years, shows up on my blog and claims to know me inside and out or some such nonsense; he said that he knows me better than a good friend of mine who I see occasionally and talk to online quite often. Basically, because of his attitude when he approached me, he got on my bad side really quick.

He began by questioning my attitude, of which he knows nothing, and saying that I was a fool for believing the King James Bible to be the perfect word of God. Now I don't know about anyone else that might perchance read my blog, but I believe that next to the doctrines of the Trinity, Salvation and Eternal Security, the King James Bible is the most important, mainly because nothing else has any degree of credence without the perfection of God's holy word. How do you show someone how to be saved if you don't have a perfect Bible to show them from??

Anyway, in the end, Daryn wound up attacking both me AND Jason (the friend he claimed didn't know me as well as Daryn) for showing him from the Scriptures and with plain logic that his position is wrong. Showing his arrogance, pride and haughtiness, Daryn continued, up until his last point, to make hypocritical and Pharisaical remarks about Jason and myself, though he knows absolutely nothing about Jason, and little more about me.

I gave him this simple challenge, which I will extend to any reader that disagrees with my simple premise (the King James Bible is the perfect word of God, and is given by inspiration of God): take a King James Bible, and study the topics:

  • Inspiration
  • Preservation
  • Translation
Write it down, and tell me what you come up with. It's always best to realize at the entry of any study that YOU are wrong (me too), GOD is right, and you need the HOLY SPIRIT and the WORD OF GOD to teach you (and me) the TRUTH from that Book. Pride will ruin any chance of a decent Bible study if you don't crucify it at the outset. Do that, and the Lord will be able to show you something.