People have written in saying they're surprised by the attitude I have,
which is different from what they'd expect in a King James Bible believer.
I can sum it up in three words: Always ask questions.
Hi, I'm David Daniels from Chick Publications.
And I have some questions for you.
When I was in Bible college, my professors told me that
only the Original Manuscripts, the Original Autographs, were inspired of God.
So a question came up.
Then where ARE the "Original Manuscripts"?
"Oh, they don't exist anymore," they would say.
Which brings up another question.
"You only have faith in the Originals that don't exist...
Where did you come up with this idea that only the Originals were inspired?"
And if they answer, "Well, from the Bible..." then I'll say,
"But how do I know if I can trust your Bible,
since you don't believe in anything but the Original Manuscripts,
and you don't have them?"
It's circular reasoning, you see?
God never said only the original manuscripts were inspired,
in any manuscript, in any language--
in any manuscript, anywhere!
What DID God say?
In Deuteronomy 4:2 God said,
2 "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you,
neither shall ye diminish ought from it,
that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."
And God said through Solomon, in Proverbs 30:5-6,
5 "Every word of God is pure:
he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
6 Add thou not unto his words,
lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
How can you know whether you've added to or taken from God's words,
unless you have them, a standard by which you can check?
Here's another question.
Luke (after recording Jesus' temptation) in Luke 4,
Jesus came into Nazareth. Luke records that He read from a scroll,
which turns out to be Isaiah 61:1 to the beginning of verse 2.
What did Jesus call that copy of a copy of a copy that He held in His hand?
Luke 4:21 "And he began to say unto them,
This day is this SCRIPTURE fulfilled in your ears."
My professor says it's NOT scripture. Jesus says it IS scripture.
I don't know about you, but I trust Jesus, God the Son.
It's scripture!
That's what God calls it.
Scripture is the word given by God for those words that are given by inspiration.
Are you with me so far?
Okay. Now,
God promised in Psalm 12:6-7,
6 "The words of the LORD are pure words:
as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD,
thou shalt PRESERVE them from this generation for ever."
Do you know that these words are so threatening
that modern publishers have rewritten them in their Bibles?
But they couldn't rewrite what Jesus said in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21:
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
It's God's responsibility and promise to preserve His words.
I'm saved by grace through faith. I trust John 3:16.
I also trust God's promise to preserve His words.
Years of study have shown
that God's preserved words are exactly where I'd expect to find them:
with His faithful people, often at the price of their lives.
Does your church have a statement of faith
that says they only believe in the Original Autographs?
If so, where did they get it from? It's nowhere in here!
So next time somebody comes up to you and says,
"I only believe the Original Autographs are God's inspired words,"
then you can say, "Tell you what:
You show me the inspired Autographs that you put complete faith in,
and I'll show you the Bible that I put complete faith in."
God bless you, and have a wonderful day.