Formosa Baptist Church
2026-04-15

  • King James Only-ism

    The Claim: “The KJV is the only inerrant, inspired version of the Bible.”

    Disclaimer: There are a lot of variations of the KJV only movement, but most of them come back to these claims of inerrancy and inspiration applied to the translation itself.
    Disclaimer: I love the KJV, I’m grateful for the KJV, and most of our modern translations owe a lot to the KJV. I’m not against the KJV, and if it were the only translation available to me, I’d happily use it. It’s trustworthy and a good, generally reliable translation. What I’m against is the idea that it, as a translation, is inerrant, superior, or divinely inspired and the idea that all other modern English translations are insufficient or in error. I’m for the KJV, I’m against the “KJV only” movement. If you have a KJV—cherish it, read it, believe it.

    Debunking “KJV only”

    Claim: “The KJV comes from a superior textual (MSS) basis.”

    The KJV relies upon the “Textus Receptus” (Erasmus’ Greek NT) for the NT.
    Erasmus’ Greek Text (aka, “Textus Receptus”) was primarily compiled from Greek MSS he had access to, not necessarily the best Greek MSS.
    Erasmus only had access to about six MSS, none complete. The oldest Greek MSS Erasmus had access to were the 10th and 12th centuries.
    Codex Vaticanus was largely unavailable to him, and Sinaiticus was not discovered until the 1800’s.
    Beyond these major uncials, modern scholars now possess more than four thousand Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, whereas Erasmus worked with a limited collection of medieval copies housed at Basel University. The manuscripts he consulted were at Basel University and convenient, but not necessarily the most complete. His reliance on these particular manuscripts led to textual problems—for instance, since the last six verses of Revelation were missing from the Greek manuscripts he consulted, Erasmus translated those six verses from Latin into Greek.
    The DSS were not discovered until 1940’s.
    Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Textus Receptus

    Erasmus would be the first to applaud the study of as many manuscripts as possible and would be horrified to know that his tentative work achieved such a revered status. Until the end of his life, he continued to improve his Greek NT whenever better manuscripts and editions became available to him.

    The Masoretic text would have been the primary, if not the only, source text for the OT in the KJV, aside from the Septuagint.
    Not translated from a superior textual basis; actually, an inferior one.

    Claim: “The KJV translators were inspired and/or inerrant.”

    2 Timothy 3:16 KJV 1900
    16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
    When Paul wrote that, he was talking about the original authors’ writings, like himself and Peter. In short, he was talking about the autographs.
    Our doctrine of inerrancy applies to the autographs—not to the MSS, and certainly not to the translations.
    Very few well-educated KJV only-ists would dare make this argument, but many people in the pew believe this because of how the KJV is revered.

    Fact: The KJV translators were not, and never would have been, “KJV-only-ists.”

    The KJV translators believed that revising a translation to improve it was necessary and good.
    THE TRANSLATORS TO THE READER Preface to the King James Version 1611 Unabridged Preface to the King James Version 1611

    Zeal to promote the common good, whether it be by devising anything ourselves,

    THE TRANSLATORS TO THE READER Preface to the King James Version 1611 Unabridged AN ANSWER TO THE IMPUTATIONS OF OUR ADVERSARIES

    Yet before we end, we must answer a third cavil and objection of theirs against us,

    THE TRANSLATORS TO THE READER Preface to the King James Version 1611 Unabridged THE PURPOSE OF THE TRANSLATORS, WITH THEIR NUMBER, FURNITURE, CARE, ETC.

    Truly (good Christian Reader)

    The KJV translators desired to make Scripture as accessible as possible to contemporary readers.
    THE TRANSLATORS TO THE READER Preface to the King James Version 1611 Unabridged TRANSLATION NECESSARY

    But how shall men meditate in that, which they cannot understand? How shall they understand that which is kept close in an unknown tongue?...Translation it is that openeth the window, to let in the light; that breaketh the shell, that we may eat the kernel; that putteth aside the curtain, that we may look into the most Holy place...

    The KJV translators believed that all English translations were to be regarded as the Word of God.
    THE TRANSLATORS TO THE READER Preface to the King James Version 1611 Unabridged AN ANSWER TO THE IMPUTATIONS OF OUR ADVERSARIES

    Now to the latter we answer; that we do not deny, nay

    THE TRANSLATORS TO THE READER Preface to the King James Version 1611 Unabridged AN ANSWER TO THE IMPUTATIONS OF OUR ADVERSARIES

    A man may be counted a virtuous man, though he have made many slips in his life, (else, there were none virtuous, for in many things we offend all) [

    The KJV translators sought to balance accuracy with readability.
    THE TRANSLATORS TO THE READER Preface to the King James Version 1611 Unabridged REASONS INDUCING US NOT TO STAND CURIOUSLY UPON AN IDENTITY OF PHRASING

    Lastly, we have on the one side avoided the scrupulosity of the Puritans, who leave the old Ecclesiastical words, and betake them to other, as when they put WASHING for BAPTISM, and CONGREGATION instead of CHURCH:

    as also on the other side we have shunned the obscurity of the Papists, in their AZIMES, TUNIKE, RATIONAL, HOLOCAUSTS, PRAEPUCE, PASCHE, and a number of such like, whereof their late Translation is full, and that of purpose to darken the sense, that since they must needs translate the Bible,

    “mean” (early modern English) = “ordinary, common, humble, or low-status”
    So, when someone denigrates an attempt to improve upon the KJV translation, they are denying the spirit of the KJV. When someone insists on using a version of English that the common person can no longer understand, they are denying the spirit of the KJV. When someone insists that the KJV is without error or inspired, they are contradicting the plain statements of the KJV translators themselves.
    The best way to honor the legacy of the KJV is to do what the KJV translators would do—constantly seek to improve it, maintain high standards, and encourage more sincere and rigorous translations.

    Why Translations Differ

    Choice in Textual Basis

    Most modern translations still use the BHS as their primary textual base, but do occasionally use a reading from the DSS or Septuagint
    When comparing older translations like the KJV, Geneva, etc.—all of those use the Textus Receptus for the NT, while newer translations take advantage of older manuscripts discovered since then.
    This is why you have some of the larger variants, such as the Long Ending of Mark (Mk. 16:9-11) and the Woman Caught in Adultery (Jn. 7:53-8:11)

    Manuscript Variants

    Examples of contrast between translations due to difference in choice of manuscript variant
    Sometimes it’s not 100% clear which variant in the MSS is original, so different translations may make a different choice. This doesn’t happen a lot, and it’s usually not a big difference, but it does happen occasionally.
    At Matthew 27:16, the ESV reads “Barabbas” while the NIV11 reads “Jesus Barabbas.”
    Matthew 27:16 ESV
    16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
    Matthew 27:16 NIV
    16 At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas.

    Style and Approach to Translation

    Formal Equivalence vs. Dynamic Equivalence
    “Meaning-based” (aka “Dynamic equivalence”) translations prioritize meaning over form.
    “Formal equivalence” translations prioritize transparency to the original language.
    You can find the translation philosophy in the preface of your Bible.
    Literal word-for-word translation is impossible because it is usually unintelligible.
    John 1:30 UBS5
    30 οὗτός ἐστιν ὑπὲρ οὗ ἐγὼ εἶπον, Ὀπίσω μου ἔρχεται ἀνὴρ ὃς ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν, ὅτι πρῶτός μου ἦν. “This one is about which I said, ‘After me comes man who ahead of me was, because first of me he was.’”
    And English is closely related to Greek, so it gets even more nonsensical in more distant languages.
    John 1:29–31 ESV
    29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
    The ESV attempts to retain the style of the KJV by retaining the word “behold,” despite the fact that it is rarely ever used in modern English.
    John 1:29–31 NIV
    29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
    John 1:29–31 NLT
    29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ 31 I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
    Sometimes the more formally equivalent translations (NASB, ESV, CSB) sacrifice naturalness in English in order to preserve more of the underlying Greek or Hebrew structure.
    Less interpretation is done for you in a more formal equivalence translation, which means more is required of the reader.
    A skilled reader with lots of knowledge of the Bible will be able to see exegetical details they might have otherwise missed, leading to a greater understanding of the Bible.
    A less skilled reader or someone new to the Bible may have trouble understanding it or may draw the wrong conclusions by misreading the text.
    Sometimes the more dynamically equivalent translations (NLT, GNB, NIV) obscure details in the underlying Greek and Hebrew or add words or phrases in order to preserve naturalness in the English language.
    More interpretation is done for you in a dynamically equivalent translation, which means less interpretation is required of the reader.
    A skilled reader with lots of knowledge of the Bible may find passages where they disagree with the interpretive choices of the translators.
    A less skilled reader or someone new to the Bible will likely have a much easier time reading and understanding their Bible with this kind of translation.
    The stylistic differences become more pronounced in poetic and prophetic passages.
    Jeremiah 31:27–28 ESV
    27 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. 28 And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, declares the Lord.
    Jeremiah 31:27–28 NLT
    27 “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will greatly increase the human population and the number of animals here in Israel and Judah. 28 In the past I deliberately uprooted and tore down this nation. I overthrew it, destroyed it, and brought disaster upon it. But in the future I will just as deliberately plant it and build it up. I, the Lord, have spoken!
    In every translation, something is lost and something is gained. (Just as with different calibers of guns!)

    Interpretive Choices

    Ambiguity—words can have multiple meanings.

    John 3:3–4 ESV
    3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
    John 3:3–4 NET
    3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?”

    Consistency vs. Semantic Range

    More literal translations prioritize consistently translating the same word the same way, while more dynamic translations prioritize naturalness.
    A clear example appears in John 2:25–3:1, where Jesus “needed no one to bear witness about man” (using the Greek word anthrōpos), and immediately after, “there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus” (using the same Greek word). The ESV preserves this connection by consistently rendering anthrōpos as “man” in both verses.
    John 2:25–3:1 ESV
    25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
    John 2:25–3:1 NLT
    25 No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart. 1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.
    This repetition carries theological weight; it immediately connects the previous verse about what was “in man” to this particular “man” Nicodemus, preparing the reader to understand that Nicodemus was not yet a believer.
    Another powerful example involves the word “abide” in 1 John, which translates the Greek menō. The ESV retains “abide” 23 out of 24 times where menō appears, allowing readers to trace this important concept throughout the epistle.
    By contrast, the NIV uses five different renderings (“live,” “remain,” “continue,” “reside,” and “be”), and the NLT similarly employs five alternatives (“live,” “remain,” “continue,” “stay,” and “be”), obscuring the author’s deliberate repetition.

    Idiomatic Expressions

    Pink Panther, “You, sir, are the idiom!” video
    Literal translations retain the original idiom, while dynamic translations render the meaning.
    Amos 4:6 ESV
    6 “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.
    Amos 4:6 NLT
    6 “I brought hunger to every city and famine to every town. But still you would not return to me,” says the Lord.
    Matthew 20:15 KJV 1900
    15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
    Matthew 20:15 ESV
    15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’
    Matthew 6:23 KJV 1900
    23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
    Matthew 6:23 ESV
    23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

    What is the best translation?

    If I asked ten different men, “What is the best gun?” or “What is the best caliber?” I’d probably get at least ten different answers. There’s so many questions that determine what the best choice is, and even then, it will be subjective.
    What is the intended purpose for the gun? Who is the gun for? What is their level of experience? What’s your budget? And so on.
    Anyone that tries to answer “What is the best gun” without asking follow up questions doesn’t know much about guns or just doesn’t want to talk to you.
    Now, that doesn’t mean all guns are created equal. There are definitely some guns out there you wanna steer away from. But, within the reliable guns on the market, there’s a HUGE selection to choose from.
    Asking “What is the best translation?” is like asking “What is the best gun caliber?”
    It depends upon usage and user. And, just as most gun owners will tell you that you shouldn’t settle for just one, I like to use lots of different Bibles and Bible translations.
    So, let’s talk about what criteria you should use when selecting a Bible or Bible translation. These aren’t necessarily in any order.

    Questions to help you select a translation and Bible:

    Does this translation have strong support in the evangelical Christian community? Is the translation committee comprised of well-respected scholars in the Christian community?
    Bible Translations Bestsellers, January 2025 Compiled and distributed by ECPA Rank Title
    New International Version (NIV)
    English Standard Version (ESV)
    King James Version (KJV)
    New Living Translation (NLT)
    New King James Version (NKJV)
    Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
    Reina Valera (RV *Spanish)
    New American Standard Bible (NASB)
    New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
    New International Reader's Version (NIRV *Children)
    My Top 3 Recommendations (not in any order):
    English Standard Version (ESV)
    New International Version (NIV)
    Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
    Honorable Mentions:
    New Living Translation (NLT--easy reader)
    New American Standard Bible (NASB--serious study)
    New International Reader's Version (NIRV--Children)
    The NET Bible (NET--serious study)
    Translations to Avoid:
    The Message and The Living Bible: paraphrases, not “translations.” Generally not viewed as meeting the threshold of accuracy.
    The Amplified Bible: teaches readers to embrace the illegitimate “totality transfer” fallacy and treat senses of the original words as if they were multiple choice.
    The Good News Bible (GNB) and the Contemporary English Version (CEV): a bit too far on the dynamic equivalency.
    New World Translation (NWT): Created by the Jehovah's Witnesses, it is widely rejected by theologians for altering passages to contradict the deity of Christ.
    Joseph Smith Translation (JST): Created by Mormon founder Joseph Smith and inserts his commentary and interpretations into the text itself. (LDS primarily use the KJV, not the JST).
    The Passion Translation (TPT): Criticized for adding 50% more material than the original text, "playing fast and loose" with languages, and inserting modern theological biases.
    Am I a strong reader? Do I innately pick up on subtle nuance and structure changes?
    Hard to Easy: KJV > NASB > ESV > CSB > NIV > NLT > NIrV
    What is my primary purpose for this translation? In-depth study? Personal devotion? Evangelism to children?
    Study: NASB/ESV > CSB/NIV
    Easy Reading: NLT > CSB/NIV > ESV
    Will I be using this Bible at church? Will this translation enrich or detract from my experience in worship and small groups?
    Am I interested in a study Bible, or just a reference Bible? If study Bible, what kind of Bible options and study helps are available with this translation?
    Most major translations have great study Bibles available. Evaluate what kind of study Bible you need: one focused on personal application or in-depth background info?
    Do I need this Bible to withstand daily use and last many years? Am I willing to pay for a premium binding?
    Inexpensive bindings are good for reference works, gift Bibles, and trying out a new translation. Typically last lest than 5 years, less with daily use. (Paperback, Bonded leather, most hardback Bibles)
    Synthetic Leathers last significantly longer than bonded leather or other cheap bindings, but are very affordable.
    Genuine leather will usually last a lifetime, and some premium bindings are designed to last even longer than that.
    Do I have to pick just one?
    Suggestion: Try several digital Bibles using a free app (YouVersion or Logos) and then buy.
    The best translation is the one that you will read and understand.

      • 2 Timothy 3:16ESV

      • Matthew 27:16ESV

      • Matthew 27:16ESV

      • John 1:30ESV

      • John 1:29–31ESV

      • John 1:29–31ESV

      • John 1:29–31ESV

      • Jeremiah 31:27–28ESV

      • Jeremiah 31:27–28ESV

      • John 3:3–4ESV

      • John 3:3–4ESV

      • John 2:25–3:1ESV

      • John 2:25–3:1ESV

      • Amos 4:6ESV

      • Amos 4:6ESV

      • Matthew 20:15ESV

      • Matthew 20:15ESV

      • Matthew 6:23ESV

      • Matthew 6:23ESV

Formosa Baptist Church
jason_hill@formosabaptist.com
https://www.formosabaptist.com/
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