Our Final Authority
©FOUNDATION Magazine Editorial,
November-December 1998
THE WRITTEN WORD of
God is our final authority, for It is God's final revelation to man. The Bible is God's
trustworthy, authoritative Book, and no more is to be added thereto. The Holy Spirit
supernaturally inspired the writers of the 39 books of the Old Testament to record the
very words God desired His people to possess (2 Pet. 1:21). Likewise, the prophetic
promise Jesus Christ made to His disciples (soon to be the apostles and writers of the 27
books of the New Testament) restated the same divine operation of inspiration, for the
Holy Spirit later also guided these men "into all truth" (In.
16:12-15)."All Scripture is given by inspiration of God"(2Tim. 3:16,17),and that
inspired Scripture encompasses nothing more, nor anything less, than the 66 books of the
Bible, the completed canon of Scripture, 2 Peter 3:2 tells us that if we want to know
God's Word, then we are to look nowhere other than to the "words which were spoken
before by the holy prophets [O.T. Scripture], and of the commandments of us the apostles
of the Lord and Saviour [N.T Scripture]." God's Word provides us with all we need to
be built up in the faith and to do God's will and work–God gave no additional
revelation once the Bible was completed. The inspired writings of the apostles, circulated
among the churches and later canonized, were perfect and complete (Lk. 1: 1-4; 1
Cor.
14:37; Eph. 3:1-7, 1 Thess. 2:13; Rev. 22:18, 19).The internal evidence of the Word of God
states without equivocation that believers today have a final authority–God's Written
Word.
Since the completion of the canon of Scripture, no
additional divine revelation has come through any "latter day prophets,"
charismatic dreamers, cult authorities or the tradition/Magisterium of the Roman Catholic
Church, as Pope John Paul II has just recently reinforced in his latest encyclical. With
the passing of the original disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ (the apostles who penned
the 27 books of the New Testament), the partial revelation ceased and "that which is
perfect"–the Written Word of the Living God–was come." That which is
in part" was done away (1 Cor. 13:8-12). With the passing of the apostles and the
subsequent completion of the canon, no more revelation came from God.
It is essential, therefore, that we earnestly contend for
the faith "once delivered" (past tense) and against any attempt to claim an
authority for faith and practice other than God's Word, the 66 books of the Bible.
Remember Timothy's household did not have the "original autographs," but the
copies they had were designated by God as "the holy scriptures" (2Tim. 3:14,15).
Likewise, Paul commended the Ephesian elders to the "word of his grace, which
is able to build you up... " (Acts 20:27,32).We can have confidence today that we
have a Bible that is the holy Word of God in the Authorized (King James) Version.
A problem developed, however, with the 20th century's
proliferation of new Bible versions. It became necessary to study the history of the
English Bible and the Greek text which had been used down through the centuries and
compare that text with the claims of the "higher critics" who championed the
minority text upon which the new versions are based. After careful study of the subject,
the FEA concluded that the Textus Receptus, the underlying text upon which the
Authorized King James Version is based, is the providentially preserved Greek text. The Textus
Receptus was derived from the majority family of manuscripts used in the
Greek-speaking church down through the centuries. This text was the divinely preserved
text–an accurate rendition of the very originals (miraculously inspired by the Holy
Spirit) written by the apostles, and, in the Hebrew tongue, by the Old Testament prophets.
The Masoretic text of the Old Testament and the Textus Receptus of the New
Testament are, in reality, the divinely preserved texts of the divinely inspired original
writings.
But now, another problem has arisen within the last few
decades. An element of those who were strong defenders of the inerrancy and veracity of
the Authorized Version, used and blessed by God in the English-speaking world for well
over 300 years, began to advance the idea that the King James translators were themselves
inspired by the Holy Spirit in producing their translation. As a result of this proposal,
the English King James translation was claimed to be miraculously inspired just as the
original autographs themselves. This false teaching even assumed the newly ascribed
authority to correct the underlying Greek text from which it was translated. What we have
by this proposed phenomenon is what is known as "double inspiration"–the
original writings of the prophets and the apostles consist of the first
"inspiration," and the second work of "inspiration" occurred when the
King James translators produced the English Authorized Version in 1611. Certainly the King
James translators were the best scholars ever assembled to produce a translation that we
can hold up today as our authoritative, inerrant, trustworthy translation; but were those
esteemed translators "inspired" in the biblical sense? Absolutely not!
We cannot accept this conjecture, for the concept of
"double inspiration" completely denies what the Bible Itself teaches about Its
own initial inspiration by the miraculous operation of the Holy Spirit and Its promised
preservation through each successive generation. No, the English-speaking world is not the
sole proprietor of the Word of God. Other nations and languages can also boast an
accurate, trustworthy translation of the Word of God from the Greek Textus Receptus and
the Hebrew Masoretic text.
It has come to our attention that we have been
misrepresented by both those who disagree with our position as well as by those who claim
to agree with us that the authorized King James Version is the only translation we should
use today. It is the conviction of the FEA that the Authorized Version should be the
standard and final authority for the English speaking world for two reasons: First,
because it is based on the Textus Receptus, and second, because it is an accurate,
literal (formal, word-for-word) translation of the aforementioned Greek and Hebrew texts
(that is, the translation of the text is literal, as much as is possible of any
translation from one language to another). Many individuals have, for whatever reason,
linked us with those who hold to the "double inspiration" theory, of which Dr.
Peter Ruckman is its key proponent. The FEA must continue to stand where we have stood through our 70-year
ministry. For example, the following editorial comment written by Pastor M. H. Reynolds,
Jr., at the conclusion of Pastor Jack Moorman's article on Divine Preservation which
appeared in the March/April 1994 issue of Foundation magazine, reveals that we have
never accepted the idea that "only the King James Version is inspired":
We are sometimes accused of believing in "double
inspiration" or "continuing revelation," i.e., that the King James
translators were divinely inspired in the same way as were the original human writers of
the books of the Bible. Not so! The use of these terms amounts to a dishonest
misrepresentation of what we believe. The miracle of inspiration applies only to the
initial giving of the Word of God to the writers of the autographs (all of which are no
longer in existence). But we also believe that the Bible Itself teaches and the history of
manuscript evidence supports the contention that the miracle of initial inspiration
extends to the divinely superintended preservation of a pure text to this day. We have,
therefore, an inspired Bible today in the sense that it is the accurate translation of the
text once and finally inspired by God and recorded in the "original autographs,"
the majority text used down through the centuries in the Greek church. Be wary of any
opponent of the KJV who contrives impressive sounding buzz words to misrepresent what the
defenders of the Authorized Version actually believe.
From the FEA publication Modern Bibles–the Dark
Secret by Pastor Moorman, wonderfully used of God to defend the Authorized KJV and to
debunk the credibility of the other versions, the concluding paragraph reads:
It is not impossible that in the providence of God another
universally accepted standard translation could be produced. However, given the lateness
of the hour, the lack of spiritual scholarship, and the fact that our language no longer
has the depth and vitality it once had, this seems most unlikely. All indications point to
the KJV as the Bible God would have His people use in these last days before the Second
Coming of Christ. God has preserved in the King James Version His original work of
inspiration. The flower has not faded! The Sword is as sharp as in the day it was first
whetted!
The Old Testament Scriptures were to accomplish one
central purpose–to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24:25-27). The same is true of
the New Testament as well (John 16:14). Those who undermine the authority and accuracy of
the Authorized Version only cause God's people to lack a confidence in His Message and the
impeccability of Christ and His finished Work. This certainly does not advance the purpose
of God–to glorify His dear Son and to cause His children to have absolute confidence
in His Revelation to mankind. Praise God, He has given to us His Word, and we have before
us in the English language the Authorized King James Bible, a literal, faithful
translation of the very words God breathed in His Revelation to man.
D.W. Costella
