Bob_Harris
You’re about to read the account of a prejudiced man, whomChrist redeemed.
On the cruel cross of Calvary many, many years ago, the LordJesus Christ died for my wicked soul. He shed His precious bloodat the foot of that cross, thus paying the penalty for my sinsforever. He was buried for three full days, and on the third dayrose again, according to the Scriptures, conquering death, helland the grave, and is set down at the right hand of God, makingintercession for my sins even now.
In April of 1971, I came to believe all of this. My name isBob Harris. I was born August 8, 1952, in Toledo, Ohio, and grewup there and then later in California. My adolescent years werespent during the turbulent ’60s, when kids my age wereexperimenting with drugs, “free love” (translation: fornication),and protests against the Vietnam War. I engaged in my share ofwickedness and sinful pleasures, and you know where it got me? Toa time when I attempted suicide in 1969. Thank God, I didn’tsucceed; otherwise, I’d be in hell today.
After recovering from the suicide attempt, my life was stillempty and meaningless, and I just sort of trudged along,graduating from high school and entering a junior college inNorthern California, not knowing why I was alive.
One evening, a couple of fellow college students–I didn’tknow them–showed up at my door and invited me to Sunday Schoolat the local Baptist church they attended. For me, that was amonumental experience. Rarely had anybody shown enough interestin me to invite me to ANYTHING–and CERTAINLY not to church! Iaccepted with some hesitation, not knowing what I was gettinginto.
The following Sunday, the Sunday school teacher opened theScriptures and showed me what my soul hungered for:
I was a sinner: “As it is written, there is none righteous,no, not one” (Romans 3:10).
That sin required punishment: “For the wages of sin isdeath, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christour Lord” (Romans 6:23).
God loved me enough to send His Son to pay the penalty formy sins in my stead by sacrificing Himself on the cross: “But Godcommendeth his love for us in that, while we were yet sinners,Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
And all that was required of me was to call on Him andreceive this free gift of eternal life and redemption of my sindebt: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shallbe saved” (Romans 10:13). In April 1971, I received the LordJesus Christ as my Saviour.
One day, bless God–perhaps today–He’s coming back, and Ifor the first time will be able to see my blessed Saviour face toface, the One who loved me–a worthless, hell-deserving sinner–enough to trade places with me. Because He bore my sins on thattree, I wear His righteousness forever, and I shall dwell in thehouse of my Lord forever and forever.
During these past several years of being a child of God, Ihave grown in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. There’s ablessed old Book that tells the story of God’s love for mankind.Thank God, we still have it! He promised to preserve it forever,and He has done so!
It’s crucial that you realize the importance of that laststatement. I didn’t believe it until just recently. Though I’vegrown as a Christian, I feel I haven’t grown as much as I couldhave, if only I believed that last statement earlier in myChristian life. You see, I was taught to believe that God’s Wordwas inspired only in the so-called “original autographs”–themanuscripts penned under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit byMoses, David, Samuel, Paul, Peter, Luke, Matthew, John, and theprophets themselves. Then, once the manuscripts were copied andtranslated into other languages, and the originals were lost ordestroyed, there was room for error. Only the “originals” werewithout error. Thus, the King James Bible, according to myteachers, had errors. They taught that, although its language wasbeautiful and it still was their favorite version, it translatedsome passages from the Greek New Testament wrongly. They couldhave been translated into English better.
In fact, they taught that a series of Greek New Testamentmanuscripts which were discovered in the 19th Century–nearly 300years after the King James Bible was translated–were older, andthus more reliable, than the Textus Receptus and the other textsfrom which the King James translators worked. To the best of myknowledge, ALL of the modern versions of the Bible–the NewAmerican Standard, the Revised Standard, the New English, the NewInternational Version, the New King James–rely heavily on theseso-called “older” manuscripts. By the way, these “older”manuscripts all stem from Alexandria, Egypt, a pagan center ofworldly intelligence and mystery religions, whereas the TextusReceptus can be traced back to the church of Antioch, Syria–thesame church where the disciples were first called Christians andfrom where Paul and Barnabas were sent out as missionaries.
Now there are two problems with the modern versions. First,these older manuscripts differ markedly with the Textus Receptus.Important phrases–sometimes whole verses and whole passages–aretaken out, and sometimes things are put in. The deity of Christ,His blood atonement, His virgin birth, His bodily resurrection–all of these doctrines are watered down in the Alexandrianmanuscripts. Second, all of the modern versions claim to make theBible more readable and understandable. Who says we’re supposedto take it upon ourselves to make it more understandable? Ithought Jesus said that was the job of the Holy Spirit–to guideus into all truth! He’s the one who’s supposed to help usunderstand the word of God. Why are we robbing Him of His work?
Until about five years ago, I bought the Alexandrian culttheory–that the Alexandrian manuscripts are older and thus morereliable. The cult teaches that we no longer have the word ofGod–the best we have are translations, and we must rely onsomething that comes as close as it can to the originalautographs. But every translation will not be an exact copy ofthe original autographs–therefore we don’t have the pure word ofGod now! So which Bible is the best one? Which Bible IS the wordof God? How do I know I now have ALL of God’s word? Is theresomething missing, that God wanted me to have, but it becamelost?
And, finally, when God said, “All Scripture is given byinspiration of God,” was He in fact talking only about theoriginal autographs? Or was He referring to a particulartranslation?
All of these questions began to trouble me about a year ago.I wanted to know the truth. Is the King James Bible the word ofGod? Or should I reject it in favor of the New InternationalVersion? Or the New American Standard Bible?
It all came to a head during a Bible Conference held at theBayview Baptist Church, San Pedro, California. My pastor, TerryPrather of Fundamental Baptist Church, Ventura, California, hadinvited me to attend this conference. Chip Williams, the pastorof Bayview, had invited several Bible-believing, fundamentalpreachers from across the country, including Dr. Herbert Noe ofLivonia, Michigan, Rex Harrison of Akron, Ohio, and Dr. RolandRasmussen of Canoga Park, California, to teach about thesuperiority of the King James Bible, AV 1611, over all other so-called versions.
But the keynote speaker during these two days of meetingswas Dr. Peter Ruckman, pastor of the Bible Baptist Church ofPensacola, Florida, and president of the Pensacola BibleInstitute. I marveled as I heard him teach about the King JamesBible and manuscript evidence. I listened as he told that themain problem of Christians in this Laodicean age is a lack offinal authority. We make ourselves and our intelligence the finalauthority when we tamper with the word of God. We say a passagemight better be translated such-and-such; well, who gives us theright to make that judgment? We give ourselves the right! Weboast of our knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, and try to impresspeople with our ability to go into the “original languages” ofthe Bible and come up with a better way to translate a passagethan the King James translators.
As I’ve said, I went away from that conference deeplytroubled. Is Ruckman right? Are these pastors and teachers right?Have we tampered with the pure word of God? Am I myself beingused in Satan’s efforts to destroy the word of God, by goingalong with the Alexandrian cult teachings?
Well, I’ve seen both sides. I’ve investigated this matterdeeply. On one occasion, I even called up Walter Martin’s BibleAnswer Man radio program, and asked him on the air if Dr. Ruckmanis right about the King James Bible. Dr. Martin said no, he’s notright, the Alexandrian manuscripts are more reliable, and gave methe name of a book to read–“The King James Version Debate” byD.A. Carson. I read the book; it didn’t even seem to skim thesurface of the issue. I read some of Dr. Ruckman’s writings. Iread another book.
Then I decided to go to the Final Authority! One night, as Ithought about this matter, I prayed to God and asked Him, “Lord,who’s right?” I prayed about it all night long–agonizing overthat one question alone.
Now, mind you, I’m definitely NOT charismatic, and I heardno audible voice. But, by daybreak, I was impressed with ananswer!
Here it is: The King James Bible, AV1611, IS the word ofGod! Every page has the breath of God! It has NO errors in it,and every word of it is God’s Holy Book, from cover to cover,including the covers.
Now, I spent all of this time telling you this, so you’llunderstand my prejudice. Since that wonderful morning with Godfive years ago, I have a new outlook on my Bible. I have a newlove for God’s Word that I didn’t have before. I have a newdesire to read it, to study it, and to obey it! And nobody isever going to take my Bible away from me again. “Thy word have Ihid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
It is my prayer that, first of all, you’ll receive the LordJesus Christ as your personal Saviour, who redeemed your sin debtand died on the cross for your sins, was buried, rose again thethird day–for YOU. And, second of all, that God willcontinually bless you as you study His Holy Word, and realizethat His Word is pure!
BOB HARRIS