Argument #1: The King James translators never admitted to being inspired.
Here’s a simple question: Have you ever been a part of a situation that turned out to be a huge blessing to someone else? When it was all said and done, you consider the situation and think to yourself, “Wow! God was all over that!” But at the time it just seemed like an ordinary average day.
When given the opportunity to preach, I do not claim inspiration of God. But there have been, and Lord willing will continue to be, times in which the hand of God moved across the hearers of a message I delivered. When I look back on the preparation of that message, nothing in particular stands out. I prepared that message like any other, with prayer and meditation on the word and study of the word. Yet God moved.
Now, we’re talking about something very different than the writing of Scriptures in both cases…and I am well aware of that. However, I thought it necessary to give some illustrations as to why the King James translators had no idea that God was guiding their hands. It is also proof positive that the translator’s writings outside of the realms of the Scripture were NOT inspired. These men were not prophets…they were Christians, carrying out the will of God.
You want some Bible? No problem. Search the Scriptures…did Peter ever claim inspiration? Nope. Does that mean first and second Peter is not inspired? Did Luke ever claim inspiration? Nope. Does that mean that the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are not inspired? Chew on this one:
(Dan 4:1-3) Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.
I could have continued to quote from Daniel…but I am trying to make a point. Here is a pagan leader of a heathen nation writing a letter. In the end, the very words that he spoke (by the way, likely translated from ancient Babylonian unto Hebrew at the time…something else to ponder) became SCRIPTURE. Did Nebuchadnezzar ever claim inspiration of God? Nope. But sure enough, the words that came out of his mouth and ended up on paper eventually became Scripture.
I’m sorry, but the argument that “the King James translators never claimed inspiration” is a VERY WEAK ONE. There are other human authors involved in the writing of the word of God who never claimed inspiration. Should we assume that they are not therefore? How sad to have to throw out all of the Psalms because each Psalmist never claimed inspiration. I guess we’ll just have to doubt the validity of their writings. I guess we should throw out the creation story along with the book of Genesis…after all, Moses never claimed inspiration when penning that book either.
Okay…enough of the sarcasm, I know it is not becoming. Inspiration is not inspiration when man makes the claim, but rather when GOD MAKES THE CLAIM. When I read my King James Bible, I believe I hold Scripture. Therefore, I deduce that my King James Bible is inspired based on:
(2Ti 3:16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
If I didn’t believe that I was holding Scripture, then I would NOT believe it to be inspired. For instance, I do not believe the NIV to be Scripture. I do not believe the NASB to be Scripture. I do not believe the CEV to be Scripture. Why? Well, because two or more things that are different are not the same. They read very differently from the King James Bible and are therefore not the same thing. Hopefully I’ve been clear enough so that everyone understands what I am getting at here.
One argument down…I suppose more to come. My prayer is that every Christian will stop messing around with Greek and Hebrew when God made His word available to us in English. This blog might not get you there…but hopefully more to come will. Be patient…I will get them up as time permits.
Until next time, may the Grace & Peace of God be with you all!
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2 comments:
Hey, Seth, I agree - this is a weak argument against KJV Only.
However - (blogs are no fun if there's no controversy!) I think that the inspiration that you quoted from in Daniel took place when Daniel recorded what Nebuchadnezzar wrote, and the inspiration did not take place when Nebuchadnezzar wrote. I could be wrong, but that's my take on the passage there...
As long as what Nebuchadnezzar said those words...and they can be found in the Bible...then what he said was inspired. It is Scripture, and therefore inspired. Thus, what he said was inspired. It could boggle the mind. Besides, Daniel claimed to have visions...but he did not claim inspiration on the entire book itself. By the foolish argument I have answered, that would make Daniel an uninspired work.
Eventually I'll get another post in. Perhaps over the next couple of days.
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