The King James translators chose to use
the word “chief” in 1 Timothy 15, rather than “foremost” which is in the NASB
and ESV, or “worst” which is in the NIV.
What makes “chief” the more excellent choice?
1 Timothy
1:15-16
This is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained
mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a
pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.
First of all, I have more confidence
in the KJB translators and their understanding of Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. I have studied out the manuscript evidence,
but I doubt the supporters of the new versions have. Brother Richard Jordan’s course on manuscript
evidence takes months of study to complete, but if a person is willing to do
that and they still feel the need to ‘correct’ the KJB, they are free to. But most people who find fault with the KJB
hold an uneducated opinion regarding the reasoning behind the choice of words by
the KJB translators.
I tell people they should not get
mad because those men were smarter than them.
If you don’t understand some words in scripture, usually you can study
out how a word is used to by looking at each passage in context. I just want to remind everyone that God has
made his word to be studied.
2 Timothy
2:15
Study to shew thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth.
What it comes down to is that a
person who rejects the excellency of the KJB does not have a Final Authority. They believe that not only does the KJB have
errors, but also the new versions, which don’t even use the same underlying
text as the KJB. The manuscripts that
are the basis of the new versions are corrupted [from Alexandria, Egypt], as
opposed to the Authorized Version [from Antioch].
As for Paul being the chief of sinners, those translators knew what the word meant;
and it was used 273 times. There is a
richness and depth to the [so-called] archaic English of the KJB, but we have
dumbed down the English language. You
can study out the word “chief” and get a feel for the richness of what the word
means. Chief of sinners means more than being the “head of the line.” There is
something significant going on.
Paul is not saying he is the first
sinner; he wasn’t the first sinner. He
is talking about something new that God was doing in the new dispensation of
grace. God was beginning a new age.
Colossians
1:25
Whereof I am made a
minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me
for you, to fulfil the word of God;
Paul is the first in line of
many. He is the pattern.
1 Timothy
1:16
Howbeit for this cause I
obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all
longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on
him to life everlasting.
Think about an Indian Chief; he is
the head of the tribe. All others look
to him. It’s not just being first in
line; it’s being the pattern.
I hear people say that they would
‘prefer it to read like this….’, or that they ‘take exception with what the KJB
says,’ and that is the problem. They
don’t like the authority of God’s word.
They don’t have a Final Authority.
The bigger question is do they have a problem with God’s authority in
this dispensation of grace in the apostle Paul?
Romans
11:13
For I speak to you
Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine
office:
Paul makes it clear not only in this
verse, but throughout his 13 epistles, that he is the apostle of the
gentiles. Not only that, but
the Lord Jesus Christ makes that clear.
Acts 9:15
But the Lord said unto
him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name
before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
The apostle Paul is his ‘sent one,’
his chosen one.
Ephesians
3:1
For this cause I Paul,
the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
Is anyone else called an apostle of the Gentiles?
Galatians 2 says that the gospel of the uncircumcision
was committed unto Paul.
Galatians
2:7
But contrariwise, when
they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as
the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
Romans
15:15 - 16
Nevertheless, brethren, I
have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind,
because of the grace that is given to me of God, That I should be the minister of Jesus
Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering
up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
Paul
calls it my gospel to distinguish it from anyone else.
Romans
2:16
In the day when God shall
judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
2 Timothy
2:8
Remember that Jesus
Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:
So remember that some want to dumb
down the language to suit themselves, instead of understanding that these men
who went before them knew much more about the original Greek, Hebrew and
Aramaic than men do today.
Proverbs
26:12
Seest thou a man wise
in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
What is the difference between what
they are doing and what Satan did in Genesis 3 – “Yea hath God said”? He got Eve to water down what God had said
and add to it.
Genesis
3:3
But of the fruit of the
tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of
it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
She ultimately denied God’s
word. Notice that when the apostle Paul
talks about the things of Almighty God, he refers to what he has written over
30 times in his epistles. For
example…
Galatians
3:13
Christ hath redeemed us
from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written,
Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
He magnifies God’s word, as did the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 4:8
And Jesus answered and
said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
God himself has magnified his word.
Psalm
138:2
I will worship toward thy
holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou
hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
Isaiah
42:21
The Lord is well pleased for his
righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.
When people ask me if our church is ‘King
James only’ I tell them, “No, but the pulpit is” because I have been persuaded
through the manuscript
evidence and by knowing that Satan’s policy of evil is to cast him down
from his Excellency.
Psalm 62:4
They only consult to cast
him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their
mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.
All new versions of the Bible,
including the New King James, take glory away from the Lord Jesus Christ. The only Bible that gives him his full glory
is the KJB.
Regarding the issue of ‘inspiration,’
I believe that the KJB translators were not inspired to write every individual
word; for example, they would sometimes add articles such
as “the’ not because they were inspired, but to make it understandable.
Romans
11:13
For I speak to you
Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine
office:
The Greek does not have an
equivalent for the word “the” in that verse, but it has that sense. Adding “the” makes the translation into
English more understandable without changing the meaning.
We can trust God’s word. God promised to preserve it and we have it in
the King James Bible. We each have to
come to that conclusion and be persuaded in our own minds.
Romans
14:5b
Let every man be fully
persuaded in his own mind.
Hopefully this helps...Maranatha!
†††
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