Can the Holy Bible contain the slightest error?
There are many Christians who say that the 1611 King James Bible is the "most faithful translation," but when I dug deeper into the conversations, it appears to me what they actually believe is that there is an invisible order by which the different bibles are ranked: from the most faithful to least faithful translation. Nevertheless, every bible is somewhat a faithful translation, more or less.
What these Christians don't believe is that God is the one who preserve all the words in the Holy Bible, every single one of them, down to every jot and every tittle, and down to the ordering of the book, chapter and verse numbers in the canon of the Holy Bible. Granted that they believe in divine inspiration, they still don't believe that God is also able to preserve all of his words from generation to generation, even in the translations in a format that he designed. They call the 1611 King James Bible the "most faithful translation," even though they believe that it is not a 100% perfect translation. There are "flaws" (errors) in the 1611 King James Bible according to these Christians, but the "flaws" are not deadly enough.
“I believe the KJV is God’s Word in the English language. I do not believe that it needs to be ‘revised’, ‘re-written’, ‘corrected’, or ‘up-dated.’ I am weary with ‘scholars’ pointing out ‘errors’ and ‘mis-stakes’ in the KJV. I am weary with preachers and professors down-grading the Authorized Translation, or KJV. I am weary with preachers, professors, and authors making statements like, ‘A better translation would be…’, ‘a more correct rendering of this verse would be…’ and ‘the xyz translation is far more accurate than the King James Version!’ By whose authority? By whose wisdom? By what ‘new discoveries’, and ‘more ancient manuscripts?’ According to whose line of thinking, and what book of Textual Criticism? Where did man get his authority to judge the Bible, and with what wisdom does he determine what is truth, and what is ‘false,’ and ‘in error?’” — Dr. Bruce D. Cummons, "The Foundation and Authority of the Word of God"
When asked where they found those "flaws," they will usually shun the question, but oftentimes, we will find these Christians indirectly criticizing the 1611 King James Bible using their professed knowledge of Greek and Hebrew in the "original manuscripts," as though they know it for a fact, and as though they are God. They may say things like "Oh, the word is translated as XXX in the 1611 King James Bible, but a better word in Hebrew is YYY..." To these Christians, God's words in the 1611 King James Bible are not exactly infallible: can still be improved upon, and can be changed. To these Christians, their faith in God's divine preservation of his words ended 2,000 years ago, when the book of Revelation was completed. To these Christians, the word of God is nothing more than a shadow from the past, that the perfect word of God only exists in the "original manuscripts." To these Christians, God has already done his part in giving man his words. The future now belongs to man, howsoever he will do with his words.
“2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 is about the man of sin who "opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God." Likewise, if any man make himself a judge over the 66 books of the Holy Bible, he is an antichrist who exalteth himself above all that is called God. He is as the man of sin who sitteth in the temple of God (his own body) shewing himself that he is God.” — Max Wang
Once, I had an encounter with someone who calls himself a Christian. We had some different viewpoints regarding the Holy Bible. I believe that the real Holy Bible is every word of God, even the things that are immutable, such as the order of the words, as well as the orchestration of the books, chapters and verse numbers. He disagrees.
This person uses a New King James bible (NKJV). He does not believe that the 1611 King James Bible, or any other bible is every word of God. He believes that the real Bible is in the preserved manuscripts (Massoretic Text and Textus Receptus). That is the Bible that God has preserved, he said. He believes that every translation is flawed with mistakes, more or less, which we cannot possibly find out because we do not understand the original Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic languages. He does not believe that God can inspire the translators to translate the words accurately, and in perfect harmony with the Spirit of the words in the original languages. He does not believe that anyone has a copy of the perfect Bible, every word of God. Consider these scriptures:
Deuteronomy 4:2 “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.”
If the Holy Bible we are reading today is the pure word of God, can one word be added or diminished from it in its translated form?
Ezra 6:11 “Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this.”
The king’s words is his decree. The words of the LORD is God’s decree. Can the decree of the King of kings and Lord of lords be altered, even in its translated form?
Psalms 12:6-7 “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.”
What does it mean by “from this generation for ever?” Can the words of the LORD be lost through translation?
Psalms 119:160 “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.”
The words of the LORD is true from the beginning, and it is still true to this day, because it “endureth for ever” even in its translated form.
Proverbs 30:5-6 “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”
What if even one word was added to the words of the LORD during translation? Is it still God’s words? The answer is ‘No‘ because God is not a liar that his words should deviate, even by a little, and we still have a copy of his words today, in translated form.
Ecclesiastes 3:14 “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.”
The 66 books of the Holy Bible that we have today is the work of God, is it not? Whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever. Nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it, even in its translated form.
Matthew 5:18 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
Can God’s words pass away with translation? The answer is ‘No.‘
Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”
Again, can God’s words pass away with translation? ‘No.‘
Mark 13:31 “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.”
Again, can God’s words pass away with translation? ‘No.‘
Luke 21:33 “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.”
Again, can God’s words pass away with translation? ‘No.‘
1 Peter 1:25 “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”
The word of the Lord endureth for ever, even in its translated form.
Revelation 22:18-19 “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
What if man add unto or take away from the words of the LORD, even in its translation form? This is just like what Ezra 6:11 says. God’s words cannot be altered, even in its translated form.
What do these scriptures tell us about the word of God? While languages may pass away, the Spirit in the words of the LORD is eternal, and this Spirit continues to exist in the 66 books of the Holy Bible that we have today. The interesting thing is that when I gave him verses from the 1611 King James Bible telling us about God's promise to preserve his words, he rejected those verses, citing how the great bible teachers such as Paul Washer, Ray Comfort, Charles Stanley, John Piper and John MacArthur etc also use modern version bibles. In his reasoning, if they are bible teachers and they endorse modern version bibles, that means we don't need every word of God in order to be born again. At that point, I stopped reasoning with him, seeing that his hope is not in the word of God, but in the teachings and examples of men.
2 Corinthians 2:17 "For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ."
These Christians do not believe there there is such a thing call "the truth" in a bible translation - the absolute truth that does not pass away with time. They do not believe that God is able to preserve his word perfectly even in a bible translation. Rather, they believe in a “God” that can manifest his truth in a multitude of different bible versions, even if the words be highly corrupted. They believe in a holy God but not a holy Word despite the opening verse of the gospel of John which says:
John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
This is the same Jesus who also said:
John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
Jesus is both the Word and the words of the LORD. One cannot be decoupled from the other. To preach Jesus is to preach the words of the LORD. To receive Jesus is to receive the words of the LORD, every word of God. Likewise, to reject the words of the LORD is to reject Jesus.
Be careful of the self-proclaim "experts" in theology, as much as you ought to be careful with the self-proclaim "experts" promoting COVID19 vaccines. If you are a born again believer, the Spirit of God will teach you. If you are not born again, you must be born again. Stay far far away from those "experts" or "doctors of theology" or anyone telling you that God’s word can be improved upon, because if God’s word has mistakes, even the slightest error, then the Bible you are reading is not the inspired word of God. If your salvation depends upon man's teaching, then you have believed in vain. The "house" you have built will not stand, because you have not built it upon a rock, but on shifting sands. Finally, I gave him this verse before I departed:
1 Peter 1:23 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."
According to this verse, if the "seed" which is the word of God (Luke 8:11) that you have received in your heart is a "corruptible seed," then, you cannot be a born again believer. I hope and pray that God will quicken the reasoning of this verse in him.
There is no such thing as common sense when it comes to the word of God. It's either you believe every word that God has preserved in his book, or you call God a liar, even by your rejection of a single verse among the thousands of verses in the 66 books of the Holy Bible. Every word of God is pure: cannot have mistakes. Contrariwise, every modern bible version (NIV, NKJV, ESV, NASB, NLT, etc) carries with it an unspoken doctrine, that is, God has not only failed to preserve his words perfectly, but that his words can be changed and is made subject to man's scholarship.
To date, the underlying text for modern bible versions is still "evolving." The Nestle-Aland text is a critical edition of the New Testament, and the source text of most modern Bible translations. Right now, it is already in its 28th edition. Not many Christians might know this, that the Nestle-Aland text is under the supervision and control of the Roman Catholic Church (Vatican) through joint agreement with the United Bible Societies (UBS) which owns it. Therefore, every modern-day "bible" is a product of the Roman Catholic Church one way or another, so that every modern-day "Christian" is a Roman Catholic, one way or another.
No serious theologian will admit that he does not know about the corruption in modern bible versions, yet modern bible versions continue to prosper and gain stronger and stronger foothold in churches, seminaries, colleges and homes. Why? The growing acceptance of corrupt bible versions is not by chance.
“The Jesuits are the armed militia of the Roman Catholic Church. They were sanctioned in 1540 by Pope Paul III with one mandate: to defeat Protestantism and regain worldwide Papal rule. Jesuits are some of the cruellest and most evil people in the history of mankind. The current Pope, Pope Francis is a Jesuit.” — Max Wang
There is a subtle, intentional, and deliberate effort involved, because the deficiencies in these corrupt bibles would mean that man has a place in deciding what God's word should be, and what God's word should not be. Along with the heresies that are being taught in churches, seminaries, colleges and homes, the flooding of modern bible versions not only serves to empower those heresies, but they seek to replace what's plainly written in the pure word of God, so that man may now proclaim himself a god, fulfilling the will of the Devil. Such is the spirit of antichrist, plainly revealed in the last days.