Introduction: In our last study together entitled "Every Word of God," we began a study concerning God's ability to preserve His Word. In that study, we found that the preservation of God's Word is not dependent upon man's ability to copy God's Word from one generation to the next. God promised that He Himself would preserve It. We found that God is true and every man is a liar. We also found that the Bible teaches clearly God's ability to preserve His Word. We also found that every word of God is important; thus, we need an every-word Bible.
I promised that we would take a look at some doctrinal differences contained in the new translations as opposed to the 400-year-old translation of the King James Version. One such doctrinal error is found in the mistranslation of Daniel 3:25, "He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." For example, the following versions, all taken from the so-called oldest and best manuscripts, say nearly the same thing:
- "He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the aspect of the fourth is like a son of the gods." (Daniel 3:25, ASV; 1901 American Standard Version)
- "He answered and said, Behold! I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and there is no harm among them. And the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods." (Daniel 3:25, MKJV; 1993 Modern King James Version)
- "He answered and said, 'Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!'" (Daniel 3:25, NASB; 1988 New American Standard Bible)
- "He said, 'Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.'" (Daniel 3:25, NIV; 1984 New International Version)
- "He replied, 'But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth has the appearance of a god.'" (Daniel 3:25, NRSV; 1989 New Revised Standard Version)
- "He made answer and said, Look! I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not damaged; and the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods." (Daniel 3:25, BBE; 1964 Bible in Basic English)
- "He answered, 'But I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.'" (Daniel 3:25, RSV; 1973 Revised Standard Version)
- "He was answering and saying: 'Look! I am beholding four able-bodied men walking about free in the midst of the fire, and there is no hurt to them, and the appearance of the fourth one is resembling a son of the gods.'" (Daniel 3:25, NWT; 1984 New World Translation) I find it interesting that the New World Translation insists on calling Jesus "a god" rather than "the God." John 1:1 in the NWT says, "In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god." False Bibles beget false doctrines. Never forget that!
So, do the new translations, in any way, affect doctrine? Let's make a few more comparisons. There are over 40 differences between the Received Text and the other texts which involve some doctrine of our Christian faith. These differences include omissions of portions containing a statement expressing some point of doctrine, and substitutions of words or phrases which eliminate, or make the text contrary to well understood doctrines of our faith. About 1/2 of these differences relate to the attributes, work, and deity of Jesus. About 1/4 of them relate to the basis and nature of our salvation. For example:
1. The King James states in Mark 10:24, "And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!" Notice with me how it is rendered in other versions:
- "The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, 'Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!'" (Mark 10:24, NIV)
- "And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, 'Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!'" (Mark 10:24, RSV)
- "And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, 'Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!'" (Mark 10:24, NRSV)
- "And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus -answered again and -said to them, 'Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!'" (Mark 10:24, NASB)
- "But the disciples gave way to surprise at his words. In response Jesus again said to them: 'Children, how difficult a thing it is to enter into the kingdom of God!'" (Mark 10:24, NWT)* Each version omitted the clause "for them that trust in riches." This omission leaves out a vital part of Jesus' explanation as to what it is that hinders a rich man from entering the kingdom of God. This verse relates to the doctrine of salvation, and this omission changes the verse from dealing with rich men to dealing with people in general.
2. The King James states in Mark 15:28, "And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors." Notice with me how it is rendered in other versions:
- "_" (Mark 15:28, NIV)
- "_" (Mark 15:28, RSV)
- "_" (Mark 15:28, NRSV)
- "_" (Mark 15:28, NWT)* The omission of Mark 15:28 involves doctrine, namely that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament predictions concerning the Messiah.
3. The King James states in John 3:13, "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." Notice with me how it is rendered in other versions:
- "No-one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man." (John 3:13, NIV)
- "No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man." (John 3:13, RSV)
- "No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man." (John 3:13, NRSV)
- "And no one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven, even the Son of Man." (John 3:13, NASB)
- "Moreover, no man has ascended into heaven but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man." (John 3:13, NWT)* The phrase "which is in heaven" is omitted by the other texts. By this clause, Jesus gave testimony to His deity.
4. The King James states in Romans 14:10, "But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." Notice with me how it is rendered in other versions:
- "You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat." (Romans 14:10, NIV)
- "Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God" (Romans 14:10, RSV)
- "Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God." (Romans 14:10, NRSV)
- "But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God." (Romans 14:10, NASB)
- "But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you also look down on your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God." (Romans 14:10, NWT)* Other texts put "God" instead of "Christ." The New Testament clearly teaches in several places that all judgment is committed to Christ. One such reference is John 5:22, "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son."
5. The King James states in Acts 8:37, "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." Notice with me how it is rendered in other versions:
- "_" (Acts 8:37, NIV)
- "_" (Acts 8:37, RSV)
- "_" (Acts 8:37, NRSV)
- "_" (Acts 8:37, NWT)* It has been said, by some neo-evangelical Bible teachers, that the Bible gives no definite instructions as to when or why a person should be baptized. This is because the verse that gives the requirements, for Christian baptism, are found in the verse that is omitted from their Bibles. The entire context reads, "And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him." (Acts 8:36-38)
6. The King James states in 1 John 5:7, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." Notice with me how it is rendered in other versions:
- "For there are three that testify." (1 John 5:7, NIV)
- "And the Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth." (1 John 5:7, RSV)
- "There are three that testify." (1 John 5:7, NRSV)
- "And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth." (1 John 5:7, NASB)
- "For there are three witness bearers." (1 John 5:7, NWT)* It is obvious that the doctrine of the Trinity is affected by these other versions. This doctrine concerning God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is a cornerstone doctrine of our Christian faith. When God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness," in Genesis 1:26, He was referring to what we call the Trinity.
Conclusion: It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that things that are different cannot be the same. These newer versions have not cleared up "textual errors," rather they have muddied the waters. Do you find it odd that the New World Translation (Jehovah's Witness Bible) agrees with the new "versions" while disagreeing with the King James? I find it very odd. However, if a pastor were to get up in his pulpit and preach from the NWT, his people would have a meeting about his doctrinal deviation from the Bible and possibly find it necessary to get a new pastor. But, many of the same people will gladly listen to a man (or woman) teach and preach from the new versions, all of which agree with the NWT. Seems a tad inconsistent...doesn't it?