The Case of the Missing Verses

Many of my favorite preachers read from the old King James Version of the Bible. Personally, I have a hard time with its archaic English. That’s why I prefer using the New King James Version. It’s close enough to the KJV to where I can follow along and better understand what God is saying in HIs word.

Still, there are King James Only advocates who criticize translations such as the New International Version for missing certain verses and phrases. For example, Colossians 1:14 in the NIV says, “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” It doesn’t include the phrase “through His blood” used both in the KJV and NKJV. 

Does this mean the New International Version dishonors the blood of Jesus? No! Six verses later it talks about “making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Ephesians 1:7 in the NIV says, “In him we have redemption through his blood…” Revelation 12:11 refers to “the blood of the Lamb.” Many other examples could be cited. 

The above meme being shared on social media is misleading. The missing verses are included in the New International Version’s footnotes. So why weren’t they placed in the main text? The King James Version was translated from the Textus Receptus, a Greek edition of the Bible completed in the 16th century. The NIV and most newer translations are based on older manuscripts that don’t include the missing verses. This refutes claims made by some King James Onlyists that verses were removed by translators with a satanic agenda. None of those missing verses alter basic Christian doctrine.

The bottom line is no Bible translation is 100% perfect including the much venerated King James Version. That’s why it’s wise to use tools like a Strong’s Concordance and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us when reading His word. He will reveal truth to those sincerely seeking it.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” - Mark 13:31

Supernatural Speeding

Christians are living epistles according to 2 Corinthians 3:3. Non-Christians carefully observe the actions of professing believers to see if they are “walking the walk” as well as “talking the talk.” One thing that leaves a bad witness is when God’s people don’t obey traffic laws. Imagine what an unbeliever thinks when he sees a Christian speeding with a “What Would Jesus Do” bumper sticker on the back of his car.

I’ve met a few Christians who tried justifying their need to speed but still found themselves in trouble. One morning I rode with a pastor who was running behind schedule and drove well over the posted speed limit on our way to his church. Despite having a radar detector in his car, this pastor got pulled over. Since I was from out of state, the patrolman searched my luggage to make sure I wasn’t transporting drugs. Fortunately for the pastor, all he got was a warning ticket. In spite of this, we arrived at his church much later than had he obeyed the speed limit in the first place.

There was another incident when a friend of mine went past the speed limit while driving me to the airport. When I suggested he slow down, my friend claimed speeding would help him avoid flying rocks. A rock hit and cracked his windshield just before we exited the freeway.

Then there was the time a man asked me to use his car to drive a female friend of his to work. When I showed up at this woman’s house, she insisted on driving since she knew the way to her workplace. Once we got on the freeway, she started going 80 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone. I politely asked her to slow down. She replied, “I don’t want to lose the job God gave me.” I reminded her what the Bible says about obeying the laws of the land (Romans 13:1-2). She got more defensive and so I quietly prayed in the Spirit. This woman was forced to slow down due to heavy traffic and still arrived late for work.  

Daniel 12:3 says that in the last days, “many shall run to and fro.” In today’s society, multitudes are constantly rushing to go somewhere. While street evangelizing, many people I approach won’t stop to talk with me because they claim to be in a hurry.

Christians don’t have to live under that kind of pressure. God can translate us if He needs us to be somewhere when we cannot be on time by natural means. Personally I know at least two people who experienced translations while driving. In 1992, a former girlfriend testified how God supernaturally got her to church one night faster than the 15 minutes it normally took to get there. When she left her house, the clock in her car read “6:25.” When she arrived at the church, her clock read “6:31.” She got to the church in six minutes without speeding.

Another friend of mine who was on staff at Calvary Campground emailed me a testimony of her being translated. One morning she drove 90 miles from Ashland, Virginia to Washington, DC where she was scheduled to speak at a church. She was running late and had to drive slower than the posted speed limit due to heavy traffic on Interstate 95. While driving through Northern Virginia, God suddenly moved her forward several miles and got her to the church on time.

Don’t let the busyness of this world prompt you to break the speed limit or do other foolish things that can create additional problems. Trust in the Lord and He will always help you be in the right place at the right time.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.” – Psalm 37:23

From Cover to Cover

A few days ago I finished reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. This was the first time I had done so in my 25 years of following the Lord Jesus Christ. Previously I read through the New Testament in its entirety but knew I needed to do the same with the Old Testament. There have been people I witnessed to who asked if I read the entire Bible. (Until I had done so, I replied, “I’ve read enough to know I’m going to heaven when my life ends. How about you?”)

While conducting polls at his meetings, one well-known evangelist determined as many as 80% of believers never read the whole Bible. He pointed out the early Christians didn’t have a New Testament to read. The Bereans “…searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11) They studied Old Testament passages to verify that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah. There are many other truths we can learn from the saints of old. 1 Corinthians 10:11 says, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

So if you haven’t yet read the whole Bible, I exhort you to do so. Many times we find ourselves waiting in line at the bank or a restaurant. Lately I’ve used those times to read Scripture on my smartphone. I also always have a small Gideons Bible in my back pocket. Either of these tools can be used to help one fulfill the goal of reading God’s word from cover to cover.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” - 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

Giving Away God’s Word

Whenever I lead someone to the Lord, I usually take an extra minute to encourage the newborn believer to pray, read the Bible, and attend a good church. When I specifically talk about the Bible, I will ask if he (or she) has one at home. If he doesn’t, then I ask, “If I give you one, will you read it?” Sometimes people will answer, “Probably not.” In cases like that, my next question for them is, “What would happen if you stopped eating food?” They usually say they will get weak or die. I then point out the same thing can happen to them spiritually. Reading God’s word feeds a person’s spirit.

Don’t think someone’s salvation isn’t legitimate just because he doesn’t immediately get excited about reading the Bible. One reason may be this person thinks he has to read an older translation like the King James Version that can be hard to understand. Another reason might be some people think they are supposed to read the whole Bible like a regular book. Although that’s a good habit for any believer, it can be intimidating for someone not familiar with God’s word. 

A couple of times as a boy, I started reading the book of Genesis but soon lost interest when getting to the genealogies. Years later when my brother-in-law led me to the Lord, he gave me two bibles. One of them was in a comic-book format. For a while, I mostly read that one. The illustrations and the more conversational-like words spoken by the characters made it easy for me to understand Christian principles. 

Nowadays, I encourage new believers to begin reading the gospel of John to better understand what Jesus has done for them. For years I have mostly given away small New Testaments to people who don’t have a Bible. Then one afternoon I stopped at a Wal-Mart and ended up witnessing to a young man smoking in his car. After Jeremy prayed to receive salvation but wasn’t interested in receiving a bible from me, I remembered having gospels of John in my back pocket. Jeremy was more receptive to receiving one of those.

Of course, it’s important for every believer to eventually become familiar with all of God’s Word.

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 
- 2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)

Satanic Verses?

Two days ago I visited a fellow street evangelist in Ashland, Virginia who I hadn’t seen in over a year. This man previously blessed me with numerous gospel tracts including the “million dollar bills” I enjoy handing out. Since I was running low on those money tracts, I hoped he had extra so I wouldn’t have to place a special order for them. To my surprise (and disappointment), my friend revealed he burned all his tracts except those that quoted from the King James Version of the Bible. 

I’ve dealt with “King James Only” advocates before but don’t remember knowing someone who suddenly became one. During our meeting, my friend repeatedly claimed the New International Version was satanically inspired. That prompted me to look up a few evangelistic verses from the NIV…

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” - John 3:3

“You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” - John 3:7

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” - John 3:16

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” - John 14:6

“Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:11-12

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” - Acts 16:31

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 6:23

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9

Do any of these Scriptures look satanically inspired? Would the devil influence someone to translate a verse that would help lead people to salvation? I doubt it.

King James Only advocates even claim that people open doors to the devil if they read and quote bible verses from other translations. If Jesus walked our streets today, I don’t believe He would speak Elizabethan English except maybe at a Shakespearean festival or an old-fashioned church. I picture the Lord reaching out to the homies by speaking the vernacular of today. (“You know what I’m sayin'?”) The Apostle Paul encourages us to “become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22)

Although my friend got a little pushy about his opinion, he still valued our friendship and asked to pray with me before I left his place. He specifically asked the Lord to reveal the truth to whoever was wrong about this issue. While I personally don’t use the New International Version that much (I prefer the New King James Version), I still consider it a viable translation.

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

- 2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)