ambassadors for the risen Christ ministries

by Shawn Brasseaux

“So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11 KJV).

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 KJV).

Isaiah 55:11 is one of my favorite Bible verses. It continually reminds us that as long as we are preaching and teaching God’s Word, and not our opinions or ideas, our work is not done in vain. Although God’s Word is powerful, it is still prone to be attacked—and IS attacked—by the devil. The preserved Word of God in English, the King James Bible, is a threat to the devil. If Satan can rid the world of God’s Word, he can keep everyone in spiritual darkness and blindness.

BIBLE PERVERSIONS

The corrupt 1881 Westcott-Hort Greek New Testament is still with us today in the form of the modern English Bibles (and other Greek texts such as the UBS Texts and Nestle-Aland Texts, which all serve as the basis for most modern Bibles like NIV, NASB, NRSV, some of the NKJV, GNB/TEV, et cetera). Ever since the Revised Version of 1881, there have been over 100 modern English Bible versions published (200 if we count the partial translations)! This is a clear, definite sign that the devil has no intention of backing down in his attempt to corrupt God’s Word. “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God” (2 Corinthians 2:17).

The NIV, NASB, NLT, NKJV, Amplified, NCV, RSV, NRSV, GNB/TEV, CEV, ESV, the Message, et cetera are riddled with perhaps thousands of major theological errors. Modern Bibles and their underlying Greek texts water down and omit critical doctrines of the Christian faith. These modern versions may contain the Gospel, but considering all their omissions and excisions, that may not be true for much longer either.

We know that the autographs (original Bible manuscripts) were “inspired of God,” or “words that proceeded out of the mouth of God” (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16). We no longer have the original Bible manuscripts today because they disintegrated several centuries ago. There must be a reliable copy of God’s Word somewhere in the world. Otherwise, God wasted His time inspiring the original manuscripts only to have their text lost in transcription, transmission, and translation.

This brings us to the issue of the Majority Text, the Textus Receptus (“received text”). The majority of surviving Koine Greek (copies) Bible manuscripts supports the King James Bible, not the modern “revisions” of the King James. Modern Bibles are based on less than one percent of the surviving Greek Bible manuscripts, manuscripts that even disagree with each other over 3,000 times in the Four Gospels alone!

You can only trust the King James Bible! Use nothing else, beloved!

THE LIVING WORD AND THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD

The Word of God does not only refer to a Book, but also to a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Most everyone is familiar with John 1:1 KJV: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” After all, we remember the account of Creation in Genesis chapters 1 and 2, how God the Son spoke creation into existence (from nothing!).

God the Son—the LORD of the Old Testament and Jesus Christ of the New Testament—is the only Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). Whenever the triune Godhead had something to say to mankind, the Son would oftentimes be the Person through whom God the Father would speak (see Hebrews 1:1,2, for instance). The power is in God’s Word, literally in His spoken word! When Satan tempted Jesus Christ, Jesus fought Satan using the written Word of God (Matthew 4:4,7,10; Luke 4:4,8,12).

Today, God is not speaking to man through visions, dreams, prophets, apostles, and angelic appearances like He has in time past. God speaks to us through His written and preserved Word, the King James Bible. The more you study God’s Word, and the more knowledge you gain from the Scriptures, the power of God’s Word will be released when you believe—have faith—in it! God’s Word working in the believer will always produce fruit, the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22,23).

In Romans 12:1,2 KJV, we read: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Let us consider Colossians 1:9-11 KJV:

“9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;”

The Apostle Paul writes that God Word will “effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). When a person believes God’s Word, God’s Word will go to work in that person’s life!

When a lost person is saved, you can see the change in lifestyle, outward confirmation of an inward change in nature (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:1-3; Colossians 1:4-6; 1 Thessalonians 1:9,10; et al.). Many weeks ago, a new believer (only two years old in the Lord) was telling me that now that she has been saved, she no longer wants to do the evil things she did before! Praise the Lord; although I cannot read her heart, it sounds like she is saved to me!

God’s power is not found in religious tradition or man’s ideas: God’s power is found in His Word. Have faith in God’s Word rightly divided today, and it will work in your life for His glory! Not only will you know it, but others will know it too!

“The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations” (Psalm 33:11 KJV).

“But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Peter 1:25 KJV).