A brother in Christ who is a pastor wrote me about a change
that has happened in his life.
He has come to believe that the King James Bible is
God's preserved words!
But what about his congregation?
How can this pastor gently lead them to the truth?
Want to hear what I told him?
Hi, I'm David Daniels from Chick Publications.
This pastor went to Bible college and seminary and
learned textual criticism and worked with Greek texts,
much like I did.
Bible college required the New American Standard.
Seminary lifted up both the New American Standard
and the English Standard (ESV).
The church where he started preaching
largely used the NIV.
And the church where he'd spent years preaching now,
was hooked on the Holman Christian Standard.
In fact, even people after their baptism
were given free copies of the Holman Christian Standard.
Here is his problem.
Only one or two people in his church
use the King James.
As a whole, he's got this congregation full of the
Holman Christian Standard, and he wants to lead them
to the King James Bible.
I love how he put it.
"Perhaps I better understand the phrase, "I believe,
help thou mine unbelief!"
The pastor wrote, "I want this to be a time
when the people I am honored to lead
are reassured of their faith and the confidence
they can have in the Word of God, rather than a time
of confusion and doubt.
I am sure there will be those who disagree, but
that comes with any change.
I am just looking for help."
So I prayed.
Then I wrote this back to him:
"This is basically what I would say,
were I addressing your congregation.
I leave all the amenities to you.
I just wanted you to have the basic approach,
as I believe it is both godly and right,
and a way of peace, as well.
This isn't a matter of bashing other versions.
It's a matter of saying, and being able to say,
'Look!
I finally trust what God said,
because I am confident I actually have what God said,
not man's opinions.'
I'm not telling you what you can
and cannot do.
Everybody in Christ is a person in transition.
We are transitioning from saved sinner
to growing saint, from unholy to holy,
from righteous solely by the decree of God
to righteous in lifestyle, from God working
salvation in us to taking that salvation
which is our own, and working it out in our daily lives
Like it says in Philippians 2:12-13,
12 "...work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you
both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
Because we are in transition, we continually reevaluate
what is better, and what is best.
If you want to know why I've stopped jumping around
from version to version, it's because I finally believe
I have God's words in English.
I don't have to go looking anymore.
I've found them.
My job now is to believe them and
to obey them, whether I fully understand them
or not.
If you had just found a treasure map in a field,
but it were in language you sometimes
found confusing (and treasure maps
aren't always clear), what would you do?
Wouldn't you first sit down and
take the time to understand every word,
so you would be sure to find that treasure,
that you have just found out is on YOUR property?
The same is true with God's holy words,
the Bible.
When you know you have what God said,
you don't want to run to something else.
You won't be satisfied with someone's guesses
and interpretations turned into something
called a "translation."
You will want only what it actually says.
Because that IS the treasure.
God's words ARE the treasure.
God's promises are attached to His words!
That is why we must know that we HAVE God's words,
in order to have confidence in His promises!
I now have that confidence.
I hope you will, too.
But please understand, from now on
I will consult many people's opinions,
but I will only have ONE AUTHORITY,
and believe it.
For me now it is plain.
I trust that the King James Bible
is God's preserved words --holy and preserved--
in English.
And I am willing to spend the time,
for the rest of my life, learning the truth
about the treasure I now hold in my hands.
I hope you will have that confidence
and find that confidence that I have, in this book, too."
God bless you, and have a wonderful day.