Which Bible?

Dr S H Tow

Which Bible do you use? Does it matter? It does! Today there are many English Bibles available, and you have to make a choice. That may not be easy. How do you choose? What is the difference between one Bible and another? The cover tells you little. They all display  the same label: “Holy Bible” and the name of the version. What’s in a name? Do you know the difference between King James Version (KJV), Revised Standard Version (RSV), and New International Version (NIV)?

You must know! There are serious differences which are not readily obvious. False teachings lie hidden in innocent sounding statements. You need to be discerning. Let’s look into just two passages to prove the point. Take the book of Isaiah, the “Gospel Prophet” who prophesied the coming of God’s Messiah and the restored Kingdom of God. That the Messiah from God would be born of a virgin is clearly stated in the Gospel records and in the KJV Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” But what does the RSV say in Isaiah 7:14? Read: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

At Bible Study, the discussion centres on the “Virgin Birth.” Questions are asked: Was Mary a virgin? Was Jesus born by Mary out of wedlock? Is it necessary to believe in the “Virgin Birth?” The discussion goes round. Opinions differ; Bible Versions too. But the RSV says our Lord was born of a “young woman,” not “virgin!”

Then someone asks about our Lord’s parentage. Did Jesus have a father like we do? Bible versions disagree. The KJV says the angel of the Lord told Joseph in a dream that Mary was with child “of the Holy Ghost,” and Joseph was not the father (Matt 1:18-20). But the NIV in Luke 2:33 calls Joseph “the child’s father.” Which is right?

Someone says, “That’s only a small point, let’s not argue.” Not so. Is it a small point if someone insults your parentage? or says that your mother was pregnant out of wedlock?

Coming back to the NIV, the serious error I had drawn attention to is only the “tip of the iceberg.” Within the covers of the NIV are dozens of other false statements which are aimed to destroy the divine status of our Lord Jesus, His eternal pre-existence, His deity, Sonship of God, virgin birth, the redemption effected through His blood, His ascension and coming again. It is incredible that the NIV translators could pervert the Word of God and attack the person of the Lord Jesus.

A recent book (1999), From the Mind of God to the Mind of Man, by 19 contributors (all but two were declared “Baptist”) associated with Bob Jones University, Greenville, SC, USA, contains: (1) a devastating attack on the KJV Only position, (2) an ill-conceived approval of Modern English Versions (MEVs), (3) a misleading defence of Westcott and Hort—apostates and Rome sympathizers—calling them “godly men.”

Contributor J Drew Conley quoted the KJV translators in their Preface to the KJV (1611) as saying: (1) “… that new translations are not an attack on old ones, but rather a continuation of the same good work, (2) that due reverence for any translation of the Scriptures as the Word of God is appropriate and right, however well or poorly done; (3) we affirm and avow that the very meanest (worst) translation of the Bible in English set forth by men of our profession … containeth the word of God, nay, is the Word of God …” (The foregoing quotations are taken from pages 187 and 188).

Comment: J Drew Conley has taken the words of the KJV (1611) translators written 400 years ago, in a totally different social and spiritual setting, to justify the MEVs of the 20th Century. MEVs were translated by men or teams of men and women of mixed theological persuasions, various doubtful spiritual backgrounds, using corrupt source texts by Westcott and Hort, and faulty techniques, in particular the unfaithful “Dynamic Equivalence” technique. The 20th Century translators, exposed to the whole spectrum of modern thought, have been influenced by godless evolutionism, rationalism, liberalism-modernism, higher criticism. Consequently, all the MEVs in common use are corrupted (eg, NIV, RSV, TEV, NEB). These are approved by Rome’s Imprimatur; but KJV is NOT.

The KJV as well as the other translations, being put out in the 16th and 17th centuries, were (1) by faithful men, untouched by the evils of modern thought (eg, evolutionism, rationalism, liberalism-modernism, higher criticism which came only in the 18th and 19th Centuries); (2) based on the best and most faithful source texts (the Hebrew Masoretic Text for the OT and the Textus Receptus for the NT); (3) translated by the faithful “word for word” or “formal equivalence” technique.

To quote out of context the KJV translators’ statements and apply them to a 20th Century situation is either plain ignorance or intellectual dishonesty and deception. The KJV translators and the other Bible translators referred to in their 1611 Preface were motivated only for love of the Word, to make it available to God’s people, at great risk to personal safety.

The MEV translators have different motivations and rewards. Many of them worked for ecumenical bodies, followed an ecumenical agenda, serving the interests of the One World Church Movement. This book, From the Mind of God to the Mind of Man, has given broad approval to all the MEVs, some of which are extremely corrupt. (Adapted from “The Bible of Bible-Presbyterians”)

Note of Thanks and Testimony
Mrs Lim Siew Yong

With grateful hearts my family and I would like to thank you and all Church members and friends for your comfort and encouragement at the vigil service of my beloved husband, the late Elder Lim Kim Hee. Thank you also for the generous donations which have been channeled to the Far Eastern Bible College, the Boys’ Brigade 58th Company and New Life BP Church.

Elder Lim was a devoted father and grandfather, as well as a wonderful husband in his own unique way. He was faithful, hardworking, thrifty and full of wisdom and humour. In his healthy years he was full of life and vigour, always serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Every Sunday without fail, whether rain or shine, he would drive the whole family to Church to worship God. Apart from his other duties as Church Elder, his greatest joy was to teach the Word of God in the Sunday School. He spent many hours studying God’s Word and taking down notes to equip himself to teach effectively.

Our Heavenly Father knew all his early struggles and hardship. On his retirement, he became involved in the Boys’ Brigade 58th Company. I fully supported him and our aim was to win souls for the Lord Jesus Christ. He was very active in the Boys’ Brigade movement until end of 2003 when he was struck down with lung cancer. The doctors pronounced that he had only six months to live. I was too stunned for words as he appeared healthy and well. Trusting in the Lord, I requested for prayers that he could live on. When he went for his first chemotherapy at Johns Hopkins Hospital I trembled and held his hands tightly in mine as I prayed God for mercy that He would spare his life.

Thank God for extending his life for another three and a half years. In spite of the drastic medical treatment he never  once complained and he suffered silently and valiantly.

As a caregiver I asked for advice from relatives and friends and I bought and borrowed books on cancer to do research. I realized it had a lot to do with his poor eating habits. All my children rallied round and bought him excellent food and tonics to sustain him.

Often I encouraged my dear husband to live on, trusting in the Lord and that I would do everything to make him comfortable and happy. My daily routine was to pack him a nice picnic basket so that he could either cycle or drive to exercise and relax by the seaside and read God’s Word. In his car boot he kept many copies of the RPG books, the Holy Bible, news bulletin for BP churches, Christian Literature, the Bible Witness and old notes from his Sunday School lessons to read and meditate by the seaside.

Every evening he would bring me for walks in Pasir Ris Park. We shared many happy treasured moments together. We were never tired of admiring God’s marvelous creation around us. The seaside scenery changed with the weather and often fascinated us by its multi-coloured splendour just before sunset. Sometimes we sat on the beach and talked about Bible characters and loved ones who had gone before us. Several times I asked him whether he could appear as a star in heaven for me to see if he were to die first. He just smiled at me and held my hands.

Because of the endless rounds of chemotherapy as well as radiotherapy his immunity level became very low. To prevent infection I agreed to worship with him and our maid at home on the Lord’s Day. We have a wonderful collection of God’s messages on VCD’s which gave us much comfort and blessings.

On Friday 6/7/07 while I was having my afternoon nap he quietly drove off to Johns Hopkins Hospital to consult the oncologists as he felt breathless. I was shocked because he never complained to any of us about his condition. Next he drove home in the night and said he was well.

The next morning on Saturday 7/7/07 I accompanied him to hospital for Echo cardiogram. In the afternoon Prof Wong Poh Seng an eminent Thoracic Surgeon visited him and said his case was not so urgent but would visit him again on Sunday 8/7/07 in the morning.

Elder Lim’s last night in the hospital was a happy and blessed one. His last visitors were Dr & Mrs Francis Lee of True Life BP Church who cheered him exceedingly by their visit and loving gifts of fruit and tonic drinks. They spend more than half an hour of sweet fellowship after which Elder Lim encouraged them to read God’s Word and to keep close to God. Before they left he prayed for them.

At bedtime Elder Lim insisted on sitting up in an arm chair with his two legs crossed and rested on the edge of his hospital bed. Our daughter Suzanne phoned to comfort Daddy and to let him know that she prayed for him during family worship in her home. Before sleeping I also prayed for him and at the end of my prayer he said “Amen” clearly together with me. I slept near him and was comforted to know that the nurses came in every one and a half hours to check his pulse. At 5 am the nurses checked his pulse and found it normal. At 6.20 am I awoke and saw him sitting upright in his armchair fast asleep. I called him but he was silent so I touched his face and hands and found them cold like ice. I was in great shock and called for the nurses. My dearest husband had died peacefully in his sleep. Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd had led him through the valley of the shadow of death into his eternal home in God’s Celestial City early in the morning on the Lord’s Day 8/7/07.

After the funeral I returned home and found a copy of Psalm 127 placed on top of his recent reading materials in his car boot.

On his bedroom table where he read God’s Word before retiring at night were his recent notes written on Psalm 131 A Song of Degrees of David taken from the Treasury of David by C H Spurgeon. This Psalm is one of the shortest to read but one of the longest to learn. It speaks of a young child weaned and disciplined, but it contains the experience of a man in Christ. With meekness and humility he submits himself to God with a sanctified heart.

At last, my beloved husband found peace and joy and is now safe in the arms of Jesus.

“The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.” Lamentations 3:25 has been a great source of comfort and inspiration to me all these difficult years. Thanks Be To God. (18 July 2007)