April
25, 2014
https://web.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10201935410482361&set=a.10201935175556488
I
was asked, Must we strive for KJV only?
My
simple reply:
In
my 30+ years as a Christian, I have used many translations. My first was the Good
News Bible - given to me during an evangelistic meeting while a first-year
student in secondary school. The Chinese Methodist church that I went to in the
little village has RSV bibles (along with the Chinese bibles, Union
version)... so I used that for several years too. Then I went to Australia in
1980, to a high school in Dandenong, Victoria, and attended a Baptist church
that used KJV, so I used it for a year in 1980. I went to Sydney U the next
year. I joined the OCF - they used NIV and I was with them for several years.
The church I went to in those years used NASV, and I was there for 6 years. I
was so impressed with it that I bought a few copies of the hardcover deluxe edition for
my future family - though I wasn't even married then. (They are still in
"as new" condition on my bookcases). I went to a fundamentalist bible
college in Singapore that uses KJV. Then I went to a seminary in London, where
both NASV and NIV were used. In 1991 I returned to Malaysia, and the church I
attended in KL for 2 years used NKJV. During my first 10 years as a pastor in
Sungai Dua, I used NKJV.
Because
of intense doctrinal controversies, I deliberately and consciously chose to
settle on the KJV, and I have been more than happy to keep using it ever since.
If
you believe that a sinner's justification BEFORE God is by the faithfulness of
Christ in His redemptive works, and not by the believing act of condemned
unjustified sinner, I suggest that KJB is the ONLY English translation that
preserves that glorious, precious and momentous truth for you.
I
leave it to others who are SMARTER and MORE informed and capable of dealing with the
translation issue. I'm more than contented just reading. studying, learning,
and teaching from that good ole translation - the KJV. And don't say the KJ's
English is difficult - my 4 children experienced little.
And
no, I'm not a KJV-onlyite. However, I believe it is the most reliable
translation in English that I'm acquainted with. I have heard some say that the
KJV is the INSPIRED translation. To me, that's a fable.
The
copy I'm presently using is an old copy - at least 50 years old. It was
abandoned in a bookcase by my third brother - he went to a St Xavier Primary
School and got that no-frill hardcover copy; the print is a bit small. It is
completely without any information of the publisher or printer. (pictured above).
I'm
sorry if I fail to answer your question.
(Recently,
I started using a new copy with bigger print - a super-expensive gift from
Brother Scott Collinge in NZ - produced by Local Church Bible Publishers.
25
April 2020)
-------------------
Comments
Josiah
Lau
I
think first of all as your son I am privileged to have been brought up in a
home where a good command of English was hammered into me when I was young.
With that foundation in basic 'modern' English, reading the KJV was easier -
compared to others. So I cannot presume the same 'ease' for others who have
grown up in homes where English is neglected. I suppose you will have seen some
of the difficulties others face with English, having taught English in Chung
Ling. Of course, bad English is not an excuse, if grandma could learn Mandarin
at 60-70 in order to experience the joy of reading God's word for herself, I'm
sure someone with weak English can master English to experience that same joy
from the English Bible. But some must surely experience greater hardship along
that road.
The
reliability of the translation is not all. Dividing the word rightly must be
done. There are enough Christians who cling to the KJV but divide badly, and
you know that better than I do from your theological discussions. So yes, we
want to have the most reliable version, but that's not all, for we must build
our study upon it. And it's not easy. Reading is simple for me, and
understanding the literal meaning is easy (as you say) but from sermons, I have
had my eyes opened again and again by the true 'sense' of the word. So, the KJV
isn't that easy - and I would contest what you said about us (well, me at
least) experiencing little difficulty. 😛 Understanding the
superficial meaning is fine, getting the sense requires hard work. But as said,
one can work a lot on the wrong foundation and go nowhere... having the right
foundation (or at least the more consistent/reliable one) helps a great deal.
You have already mentioned the blessing of getting out of theological
controversies. Dare I presume it's a blessing? I think it is! So a reliable
translation and dividing rightly are two things that mutually reinforce.
Lastly, I think we are clear that the KJV matters not in the initial conversion (the gospel is preached regardless of what bible we use - I certainly wasn't converted by the gospel "preached from the KJV") - but the subsequent growth and temporal salvation of the saints. So, back to your initial question... KJV only? A resounding yes when it comes to our spiritual growth and a closer walk with God. But (perhaps thanks to the KJV) we also know the KJV, just like our faith and works, doesn't matter a whit for our eternal salvation.
Sing
F Lau
The
Bible pictured above has a very historical moment in my life. In early Feb
1980, I who was a little village bumpkin, was about to leave for a high school
far far away in Melbourne, Australia, and was reading from that copy through
Genesis to find some strength and help. There were so many uncertainties, fear
and trepidation. Dad scrounged what he could to buy the air ticket, and raised
one month's allowance. The Lord was most gracious in such a situation. He
comforted me from the vow of Jacob in Gen 28. That vow was embedded in my
heart and became my strength and assurance and comfort through those years
away from my father's house.
20
And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this
way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
21
So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my
God:
22
And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all
that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
The Lord is exceedingly good to me and my house. When I left my father's house he was still an unbeliever. When I returned several years later, he inquired about baptism and wanted to be baptized. That's amazing! And He provided for me all through those years.
Charles
Page
Sing,
an amazing personal testimony and an impressive response from your son.
I
too am an Appalachian bumpkin and ended up bumping in Turkey, in 1974, and there
exposed me to all the various translations, particularly from the American Bible
Society. Good News was a favourite for a time and then wide-margin RSV, without
notes, in notebook form, just my own notations.
