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'An Independent Baptist Church'
DOCTRINAL CHANGES IN NEWER BIBLE VERSIONS
DOCTRINAL CHANGES IN NEWER BIBLE VERSIONS
My Friend I am convinced there is an all-out attack on the Bible by the devil today as the end of the age approaches. As we approach the Antichrist's coming ONE WORLD CHURCH
as spoken of in Revelation, each edition of the newer Bible versions will make
changes to be more INCLUSIVE........and acceptable to all MAJOR WORLD
RELIGIONS. Instead of 'Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ" we see
'BELIEVE'... Instead of THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS, we now see
'THE GOSPEL'.......instead of THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN we read 'THE KINGDOM'.....
All of these changes are being made
to be INCLUSIVE of all the great world religions, such as ISLAM,
HINDUISM, etc.
The only problem with that is
this......Christianity is EXCLUSIVE! It teaches that
only through the Lord Jesus Christ are we saved! Jesus said in John
14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man cometh unto
the Father but by me"
Over and Over again we have been
told that there are NO essential Christian doctrines affected in the
newer Bible versions by prominent Christians and Bible scholars. Look at the
following and make up your own mind......You will see that this claim is just
not true.....
You are going to see with your own eyes hundreds of crucial changes have been
made in the newer Bible versions like the NIV (New International
Version); NASV (New American Standard); and NKJV (New King James
Version); The LB (The Living Bible) ; and the RV (Revised
Version).
Two things you will notice.
(1) While all verses pertaining to an essential doctrine have not been removed
in these newer versions, some of the clearest verses teaching a certain
fundamental truth have been altered or removed completely. This certainly makes
it harder for new Christians to learn these truths and become grounded in them!
(2) But perhaps even worse, you will see that many verses have been altered or
changed to teach false doctrine, yes, and even contradict other truths in the
Bible!
But why do so many good preachers and
scholars still promote and use the newer versions?
Answer: I must conclude that it is because they have never
studied the issue thoroughly. I say this with all due respect. Hear me out. I
studied this matter for several years because I had the time at an earlier stage
in my life. I wouldn't have that time now. Many busy pastors and seminary
professors have a workload like you and I that is packed. I believe that these
good men have just accepted and believed what their mentors have concluded about
the newer versions and assume these mentors have studied the matter thoroughly
for themselves to come to their conclusion. I would propose that many of these
"mentors" did the very same thing, and accepted what their mentors taught on the
matter. Even old time great men of God like C.I. Scofield, John Rice, and
others we could list, didn't see the results of the new Bibles back in their
day. I would assume if they could see the attack on the Word of God that we're
going to look at right now, they would agree with us.....these new Bibles have a
real problem....they change and alter and delete many clear verses on
fundamental doctrines of the Bible! Look at the following and see for yourself!
(Note: Caveat - All editions of the NIV, NASV and other newer Bible
versions are not the same. They can change in each edition without notice.
Keep that in mind as you look at the following.)
THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN AND JESUS CONFUSED
Did you know that Lucifer has been removed completely from the NIV? Did you
know that the NIV then actually confuses Lucifer with Jesus?
First of all, Lucifer has been removed completely from the NIV and NASV There
is no Lucifer in the NIV and NASV ...he has been relegated to the realms of
mythology.
But more seriously, The NIV & NASV clearly and blatantly make Lucifer the Lord
Jesus Christ! What blasphemy! The two most popular newer versions today
pervert the Lord Jesus Christ into Lucifer!
Isaiah 14:12 (KJV) "How art thou
fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down
to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! how art thou cut down to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I
will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will
sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I
will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."
Listen to Isaiah 14:12-15 in the NIV "How you have fallen
from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to
the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart. I will
ascend to heaven: I will raise my throne above the stars of God: I will sit
enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred
mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like
the Most High. But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the
pit."
We now have 'Lucifer' relegated to mythology.....he is no longer a part of the
Bible in the NASV and the NIV. These Bibles remove Lucifer and changes Lucifer
to 'morning star,!
.....And there is no grammatical basis for the change! The Hebrew word for star
(Kobab) is not even found in Isaiah 14:12.
BUT WAIT....I thought the Lord Jesus Christ was the MORNING STAR? The
'morning star' in Revelation 22:16 in the KJV is Jesus!
Revelation 22:16 (KJV) "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you
these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the
bright and morning star."
Does the NIV and NASV teach that JESUS was the 'morning star' that Isaiah says
fell from heaven and was cast down to earth and did weaken the nations when he
tried to usurp power in heaven....and that HE will be cast into hell? It sure
looks like it, doesn't it?
Amazingly, New Agers and Satanists believe that "Lucifer" is God, and they don't
want 'God' portrayed as one who fell from heaven to weaken the nations and
eventually be cast into hell!
Albert Pike, one of the most revered and respected leaders of Freemasonry
claimed that 'Lucifer is God' in instructions to 23 Supreme Councils of the
World on July 14, 1889. Here is his quote,
"Yes, Lucifer is God....the doctrine of Satanism is heresy; and the
true and pure philosophic religion is the belief in Lucifer....you
may repeat it to the Brethren of the 32nd, 31st, and 30th
degrees: The Masonic religion should be...maintained in the
purity of the Luciferian doctrine."
(Livesay, Understanding The New Age, p71,
quoted in Gail Riplinger's LANQUAGE OF THE King James Bible)
THE DOCTRINE OF HELL
Would you agree that the teaching about HELL is a pretty important doctrine
of the Bible? Did you know that the NIV has removed hell completely from the
OT? Do you know how the NIV and NKJV make it much clearer? They replace 'HELL'
with 'Hades' and 'SHEOL' and 'GRAVE'...
The word HELL occurs 31 times in the OT in the KJV. In the OT of the NIV it
occurs - ZERO! The word HELL is not in the OT of the NIV!
And what do they do with HELL? They take Psalms 9:17 which reads "The wicked
shall be turned into HELL..." The NIV reads in Psalms 9:17 "The wicked return
to the grave..." What? We ALL return to the grave!
This passage in Isaiah 14:15 is a good example in case. Here 'hell' is
removed and replaced with 'the grave'. The new versions refuse to send
Lucifer to HELL! The NIV reads in Isaiah 14:15 "But you are brought down to the
GRAVE...." The NASV and NKJV places him in 'SHEOL'! Critics claim, "Oh the
newer Bible are easier to read and understand.." Right. SHEOL really clarifies
that verse for a Sunday school class!
In the NT the NIV removes the word HELL 9 times and what 'clearer' and 'easier
to understand' word do these newer versions substitute for HELL? The word
'HADES'!
How many people understand what HADES is? EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT HELL IS! Do
you know what HADES is? Imagine the preacher preaching about HADES on Sunday
morning from his NKJV and the teenager is reminded that the night before he
heard The rock group STYX sing about HADES with their lyrics:
"...if you kill yourself, you will go to a wonderful place where you will party
forever...called HADES...."
According to New Age teaching, Hades is not a place of torment or terror, it is
an intermediate place of purification....an abode of blessedness with silver
skies called HAPPY FIELDS. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines HADES:
"the underground abode of the dead in Greek MYTHOLOGY." The NIV
changes your
bible into Mythology!
The idea of a real, literal HELL....a place of fire, torment, and flames is very
distasteful to modern culture and thinking. Even Billy Graham, world famous
evangelist who came to prominence in the 1940's as a fire and brimstone
preacher, was clear and unequivocal in his depiction of hell as an unpleasant
address for unrepentant sinners. Even Billy Graham has reconsidered hell---not
whether it exists, but what it is. Billy Graham said about HELL,
"I believe that hell is essentially separation from God, so we can have hell
in this life and hell in the life to come..," Graham told an interviewer in
1991." But to describe hell in vivid terms like I might have done 30 or 40 years
ago, I'm not at liberty to do that because whether there is actually fire in
hell or not, I DO NOT KNOW."
What has happened to the fires of Hell?
A recent Newspaper article read, "MINISTERS COOL TO DISCUSSING THE NOTION OF
HELL" In the article it states, " "You can go to a whole lot of churches
week after week and you'd be startled even to hear a mention of hell...It's
just too negative.." a seminary professor says...
I can remember going to church as a little
boy and hearing the preach wax so eloquent and vividly about the reality of hell
that I was tempted to loosen my little bow tie because I could feel the heat....
We don't hear much of that any more.
Why?
The NIV removes the word HELL in 40 of the 53 places it occurs in the KJV. Some
of the clearest references to hell as a place of fire are removed completely,
such as Mark 9:44 & 46 which reads,
"Where their worm dieth not, and the fire quenched."
These verses have been removed
from the Bible....why?
The eternality of HELL is even put in doubt in 2 Peter 2:17 in NIV when it
changes the reading of the verse from "...darkness is reserved forever' (KJV)
to 'darkness is reserved'....removing the word 'forever'..
2 Peter 2:17 (KJV) "These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with
a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever."
2 Peter 2:17 (NIV) "These men are springs without water and mists driven by a
storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them."
THE DOCTRINE OF INSPIRATION AND
PRESERVATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
Did you know that the NIV removes 64,576 words (nearly 8% of God's Word) and
that the NKJV removes 2,289 words from the New Testament alone?
The NIV and other newer versions do not believe the actual words of the Bible
are very important, because in their translation process, the NIV preface admits
that they did not strive for a word for word translation, but rather attempt to
get across the 'thought' of the passage. Dr. Waite documents 6,653 reasons
why the NIV is not the Word of God in English in his book "THE NIV - WEIGHED IN
THE BALANCE AND FOUND WANTING! In this 256 page book he documents all of the
changes to the words in the text of the Bible!
God's last warning in Revelation 22:18,19 was not to add to or remove any of
His words from the Bible and the NIV removes 64,576 words, over 8% of the entire
Bible....TAKEN AWAY! With thousands of changes to the words of the text, is
that why the NIV changes Psalms 12:6,7 to completely alter its meaning from the
KJV reading?
Psalms 12:6,7 (KJV) "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.
The NIV changes the reference to promise to preserve His Words down thru the
ages to simply a promise to preserve US! It changes the meaning of the verse
completely!
The NIV reads in Psalms 12:6,7 "And the words of the Lord are flawless, like
silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times. O Lord, you will
keep US safe and protect US from such people forever."
What? That verse doesn't even make sense! It changes the subject right in the
middle of the passage! A Junior boy or girl in SS could tell you something is
wrong with that verse...
This does away with the doctrine of Preservation and God's promise to preserve
the very WORDS of the Bible, doesn't it?
Preachers by the thousands will stand weekly in the pulpit and 'correct' the
King James Bible by saying something like, "This is an unfortunate translation"
or "a better reading would be" or this word in the Greek can also be
translated..." Friend, I believe God is able to preserve His Word down through
the centuries so that preachers with 2 years of Greek in Seminary do not have to
'correct' His Word, don't you?
The doctrine of Inspiration and Preservation teaches that the very WORDS of
Scripture are important.....not just the 'thoughts'....
Jesus Christ says in Luke 4:4 (KJV) "It is written, That man shall not live by
bread alone, but by EVERY WORD of God."
But not according to the NIV...it removes the phrase 'BUT BY EVERY WORD OF GOD'!
In this passage in Luke 4:4 Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 to Satan!
Does the NIV think the Lord Jesus does NOT know Deuteronomy 8:3?
Luke 4:4 (NIV) "...It is written, man does not live on bread alone."
Or what about 1 Peter 2:2 (KJV) "desire the sincere milk of the word."
1 Peter 2:2 (NIV) "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk.."
Don't try a BIBLE DRILL in your Sunday school class using the NIV with these
verses, because the following 17 verses have been removed completely from the
New Testament in the NIV.....
Matthew 17:21; 18:11; 23:14; Mark 7:16; 9:44: 9:46; 11:26; 15:28; Luke 17:36;
23:17; John 5:4; Acts 8:37; 15:34; 24:7; 28:28, Romans 16:24; and 1 John 5:7!
No need looking for them....they're not there! One is reminded of Luke 8:12 (KJV)
"...then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word.."
While the KJV translators strove for a word for word translation, is this why
the preface of the NIV reads, "The first concern of the (NIV) translators has
been...its fidelity to the THOUGHT of the biblical writers.."??
Did you know that the King James Bible is the only English Bible in the world
that has a command to 'STUDY' your Bible? That's right!
2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV) "Do your best to present yourself to God as one
approved..."
2 Timothy 2:15 "(NKJV) " Be diligent to present yourself approved to God....."
The only Bible in English on the face of the earth that commands us to STUDY
the
Bible is the King James Bible.
THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION AND HOW ONE
IS SAVED
Did you know that the newer Bibles teach
that you are no longer saved RIGHT NOW by a one time act of faith, BUT are in
the process of BEING SAVED.....
Did you know that newer Bibles like the NIV and NKJV teach that it is 'hard'
to be saved, and that we 'are being saved' by our good deeds we perform?
Is being saved a lifelong process?
Roman Catholicism and other religions teach that salvation is a 'process'
that we earn or achieve over one's lifetime thru our good works rather than a
free gift based upon a one-time act of faith as the KJV clearly teaches. Is
that why the NKJV and the NIV changes the following two verses which say we 'are
saved' to we 'are being saved'....?
2 Corinthians 2:15 (KJV) "For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in
them
that are saved, and in them that perish:"
2 Corinthians 2:15 (NIV)
"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved
and those who are perishing."
1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV) "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV)
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but
to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
The RSV teaches that salvation is a process we must 'grow up to salvation'
rather
than simply receiving eternal life the moment we accept Christ as Savior? Look
at the following change...
1 Peter 2:2 (KJV) "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word,
that
ye may grow thereby:"
The RSV reads, 1 Peter 2:2 "...that you may
grow up to salvation."
Wouldn't that verse be confusing to
a young Christian because of the change the RSV made?
ARE WE SAVED BY DOING GOOD DEEDS?
Rather than teaching we are saved by doing the good thing of simply trusting
Christ as Savior as Scripture says in John 5:29, the NASV changes the verse to
read we are saved by doing 'GOOD DEEDS'...
John 5:29 (KJV) "And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
damnation."
John 5:29 (NASV) "and shall come forth; those who did the
good deeds, to a
resurrection of life, those who committed the evil of life, those who committed
the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment."
Could the NIV in Luke 21:19 confuse Believers to think that they must win their soul's salvation through their own
perseverance and self-effort? Look how
this verse is changed....
Luke 21:19 (KJV) "In your patience possess ye your souls."
Luke 21:19 (NIV) "By YOUR perseverance you will WIN your souls."
HOW SIMPLE IS IT TO BE SAVED?
Or what about the Bible's teaching that we are saved by the 'simplicity that
it is in Christ'. The NIV changes this 'simplicity that is in Christ' to
OUR 'purity of devotion to Christ'....
2 Corinthians 11:3 (KJV) "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled
Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity
that is in Christ."
2 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV) "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from
your sincere and
pure devotion to Christ."
Rather than 'the simplicity that is in Christ' and only through Christ, the NKJV teaches your little boy or girl that it is
difficult to be saved and go to heaven!
Matthew 7:14 (KJV) "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Matthew 7:14 (NKJV) "Because narrow is the gate and DIFFICULT is the way which
leads to life, and there are few who find it."
The way of salvation is not DIFFICULT, but it is narrow! Jesus is the
only way to be saved according to John 14:6.
Is it HARD to be saved? Is that what we should teach to boys and girls in
Sunday School? The NIV does just that. While it is TRUE that it is HARD for
those who trust in riches to be saved, the NIV removes the all important
qualifying phrase 'for those who trust in riches'...
Mark 10:24 (KJV) "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 the NIV removes the phrase 'for them that trust in riches' to pervert
the whole meaning of the verse to imply it is HARD to be saved!
Mark 11:24 (NIV) "...children, how HARD it is to enter the kingdom of God"
Imagine teaching that to the boys and girls in Sunday school..."Children, it is
HARD to enter the Kingdom of God"
What blasphemy!
ARE WE SAVED BY OBEYING OR BELIEVING?
Scripture teaches that the determining factor in salvation is whether one
believes in Christ or not. The NASV changes John 3:36 to read "he who does not
obey"
John3:36 (KJV) "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
John 3:36 (NASV) "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does
not OBEY the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Obey what? Obey how much? That sure changes that verse, doesn't it?
Did Jesus do the work of
Salvation for us....or must we do it?
Why did the NIV change the KJV
reading in John 9:4 where Jesus prophesied His death on the cross for us
to...WE must do the work of him who sent me?
John 9:4 (KJV) "I must work the works of him who sent
me....."
John 9:4 (NIV) "we must do the work of him who sent me..."
What is this? Since when do we have to do Jesus'
work on Calvary that procures our salvation?
ARE WE SAVED BY BELIEVING THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST OR...
BY SIMPLY 'BELIEVING' IN A 'GOSPEL'?
There are many religions in the world that have their own gospel that they
instruct their adherents to 'believe' in.....
The Bible is clear we must put our
trust in, or in other words, BELIEVE IN the Lord Jesus Christ. Verses like the
following show this plainly:
Mark 9:42 (KJV) "And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that
believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck,
and he were cast into the sea."
John 3:15 (KJV) "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
eternal life."
John 6:47 (KJV) " Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on
me hath
everlasting life."
It is important WHO we believe in.....not just that we are sincere and 'BELIEVE''....we
must believe IN and ON the Lord Jesus Christ..
Yet the NIV and NASV takes the object what we must believe in and simply says
BELIEVE.....
For example, John 6:47 (NIV) says, "....whosoever causes one of these little
ones WHO BELIEVE to stumble."
The world's great religions teach today that SINCERITY is all that really
matters....whether you believe in Buddha, Islam, Seven Sacraments.....just so
you are sincere and 'BELIEVE'.....The Bible is clear however that sincerity won't get it...you must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and HIS Gospel!
The Bible teaches there are different 'GOSPELS' in the world (Galatians
1:6-9) so it is crucial we believe in the gospel OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from
him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which
is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the
gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other
gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any
other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
(Galatians 1:6-9)
Why then does the NIV and NASV remove 'OF CHRIST'' from these verses making
unclear as to WHICH gospel we should believe?
Romans 1:16 (KJV) "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and
also to the Greek.
1 Corinthians 9:18 (KJV) "What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the
gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my
power in the gospel.
Listen to the newer versions....
Romans 1:16 (NIV) "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of
God for the salvation of...."
1 Corinthians 9:18 (NIV) "What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching
the gospel I may offer it free of charge.."
Yes the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a
vitally important message that is to be preached to everyone in the world, yet
the NIV makes an important change in 1 Corinthians 1:21 where THE FOOLISHNESS
OF PREACHING is changed in the NIV to THE FOOLISHNESS OF WHAT WAS
PREACHED....
What? While preaching in itself certainly may seem to be a
foolish way for God to get his Gospel to people, certainly the message of that
preaching...THE GOSPEL....is not foolish!
1 Corinthians 1:21 (KJV) "For after that in the wisdom of God the world
by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to
save them that believe."
Listen to the NIV completely change this verse...
1 Corinthians 1:21 (NIV) "for since in the wisdom of God the world
through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased with the foolishness of
what was preached to save those who believe."
THE DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL SECURITY
Did you know that the NIV teaches that a Christian can lose salvation?
The Bible plainly teaches that Salvation is a FREE GIFT of ETERNAL LIFE....not
probationary life based upon our works and ability to keep ourselves saved....
Yet....the NIV teaches that salvation can be lost and God can 'DISOWN' one
of His Children! Incredible. This verse teaches God will deny the unfaithful
believer reward, acclamation, and inheritance in heaven at the Bema Judgment
Seat of Christ, but that is quite different from God 'disowning' one of His
children! Wouldn't you agree? Notice clearly the passage is talking about
reigning with Christ and not reigning with Him...it is speaking of rewards at
the Bema Judgment...
2 Timothy 2:12,13 (KJV) If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny
him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he
cannot deny himself."
Verse 13 even teaches if a
Christian stops believing and turns their back on Christ, God will not deny the
promise of eternal life He gave to that Child of God! Now there will be
chastisment, loss of reward and joy, and a terrible price to pay, but that
person who was once God's child will ALWAYS be God's Child according to this
verse.
Listen how the NIV destroys the teaching of Eternal Security in one swoop.....To
disown something means you had to own it to start with, right?
2 Timothy 2:12 (NIV) "If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown
him, he will also disown us."
Here the NIV clearly teaches God can DISOWN one of his children.....
THE DOCTRINE OF ASSURANCE OF
SALVATION
Did you know that the New King James
Version (NKJV) does away the doctrine of Assurance of salvation?
1 John 5:13 has long been a key verse teaching that the believer can KNOW
he is saved now AND have assurance of that salvation....
1 John 5:13 (KJV) "These things have I written unto you that
believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal
life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
The NKJV changes the key verse of 1 John 5:13 to read that our assurance
and eternal security is dependent upon our CONTINUING to believe.....
1 John 5:13 (NKJV) "These things have I written to you who believe
in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and
that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."
Why did the NKJV change that verse in that way? Our assurance of salvation is
based upon a promise of the Word of God and not upon our 'continuing' to do
anything...but upon what Christ did for us at Calvary...
THE DOCTRINE OF WATER BAPTISM , BAPTISMAL
REGENERATION, AND INFANT BAPTISM.
Did you know that the strongest verse refuting infant baptism has been
removed from completely from the NIV? Acts 8:37 is missing from NIV. The
Phillips Translation teaches you must be baptized in order to be saved.
Many Church groups believe and teach that water baptism is necessary for
salvation, including, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Churches of
Christ, and The Christian Church and Disciples of Christ, United Pentecostal
Churches, to name a few. The Bible does not teach this doctrine of Baptismal
Regeneration at all in the King James Bible.
However, The Phillips Translation of the Bible does teach that water baptism is
necessary to have our sins remitted! This is wrong. The Bible in the KJV
teaches clearly that water baptism is not essential to salvation, rather it is
the first public act of confession we should do after we're saved to show
people we identify with Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.
Acts 2:38 (KJV) "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost."
The Phillips Translation teaches we ''have been saved' at baptism and now
'are
being saved' by our ''faithfulness' and 'obedience'.
Acts 2:38 (Phillips) "You must repent and everyone of you must be baptized in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that you may have your sins forgiven
and
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit..."
The confusion here is the little word 'for'. It has two uses in our English
language. It means 'in order to get something' OR 'because of'; Let me
explain. The KJV correctly says we are to be baptized 'for' the remission of
sins, in the same way we take an aspirin for a headache! We take an aspirin
because we already have a headache, NOT in order to get a headache! We should
be baptized in water because our sins already have been forgiven.
One of the strongest passages teaching that water baptism is NOT ESSENTIAL
to
salvation is the passage that includes the last 12 verses of Mark 16. Among
other things, this verse in Mark 16 shows that 'believing not' in Christ is
the one thing that sends a person to hell, NOT whether he or she has been
baptized or not....
Mark 16:9 (KJV) "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned.
The NIV has the following footnote that cast doubt on the validity of these last
12 verses in Mark...
[The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have
Mark 16:9-20]
After reading that footnote, wouldn't that cause you to have doubt about
whether this passage was a true part of original Scripture or not? The footnote
in the NIV is downright deceiving AND false.
Did you realize that textual scholars have 620 pieces of Mss. evidence on Mark
16 and 618 of them contain the last 12 verses? The Book, THE LAST
TWELVE VERSES OF MARK by Dean Burgon contains over 400 pages of
documented evidence for Mark 16:9-20, that has never been refuted. Amazing.
Incredible. Only two manuscripts out of 620 do not contain Mark 16:9-20 and
the NIV makes that amazing statement in the footnote casting doubt in the
believer's mind about the validity of that passage! The passage always
clearly teaches post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to his disciples, and His
Assumption to heaven, among other things.
Acts 8:37 is the clearest verse in the Bible refuting INFANT BAPTISM
because it
clearly tells this man he must BELIEVE first before he can be baptized. Clearly,
an infant cannot 'believe' in the Lord Jesus Christ and trust Him as Savior!
A baby doesn't understand this. Yet the NIV completely REMOVES the verse,
yet has the audacity to leave the same verse numbering! The NIV goes from 8:36
to 8:38 and just omits verse 37!
Acts 8:36-38 (KJV) "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? 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.
38 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."
You have to be old enough to 'believe' in the Lord Jesus Christ before you
can be saved and then be baptized. This verse knocks baby baptism right out of
the water in baptistry tank!
But look what the NIV does to deal with this verse...it just skips it
completely! Amazing. Your NIV goes from v36 to v38. Check it out for
yourself!
Acts 8:36-38 (NIV) "(36)As they traveled along the road, they came to some water
and the eunich said, "look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" (38)
And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunich went
down into the water and Phillip baptized him."
No verse 37 at all!
Amazing.
Is water Baptism a Sacrament or an ordinance?
Even the New Scofield Bible in its footnotes for Acts 8:12 teaches
that baptism is a sacrament! A sacrament is a 'channel of grace' in Roman
Catholic teaching and is a channel or means by which we receive God's grace.
Water baptism is not a sacrament. It is an ordinance of the Local church that
symbolizes or pictures our identification with Christ's death, burial, and
resurrection, and is something we should do after we have had our sins remitted
through Christ's Shed blood.
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