Modern Bible Users Worship Another God??

​If you read and study a modern English translation of the Bible, you are worshipping a different god than the God of Moses or Isaiah or Peter or Paul or John. Understand, this is not mere speculation. No—in fact, a man recently explained that God had revealed this to him. If that is factual—that is, if God truly showed this “truth” to this preacher, then every human being of all time is bound to respond to it just as we are Matthew or Romans or 1 Peter. There is no middle ground. When God speaks, He always speaks authoritatively. There is no such thing as lesser revelation.
 
Perhaps you’re thinking, “Is Pastor Todd serious about this business?” Well—yes and no. Let me explain. Yes, a man recently declared in the clearest of terms that God revealed that to him. That part is true. I did not make it up. But no, I do not put any stock whatsoever in his claim. In fact, I believe his claim was deceptive—and God did not reveal this “new truth” to him.
 
Just to be fair, here’s the entire statement including the context. This is verbatim from a sermon recently preached: “Go over to John. John, Chapter 1:1-2: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.’ Jesus is that Word, isn't He? And you know what that means. The Lord kind of showed this to me while I was reading this. I never had considered it before. All these people that are so wishy-washy about the version and what Bible to use and all this, that, and the other thing. They don't know what's what. You know, the Bible says Jesus is the Word. The word inspired means God-breathed. All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God. You know what that tells me? That means that if you logically follow this here with me, Jesus is the Word. So, to change the Bible is to change Jesus. To change the Bible is to change the God you serve. So, you be careful about those people who serve the King James, and they serve the NKJV, and they serve the LSB, and the NIV, and the ESV, and just depend on where they're at, where they're preaching. That means they're preaching six, seven different gods. That’s not my God. My God says, I am the God, not a god. There's only one God, which means there's only one Word of God.” (Sermon, Our Christian Walk – Part 2 Our First Acts of Service).
 
Now, before I get too far, let me just say that this young man is parroting what he’s heard taught before. So, older preachers that have made too much out of a Bible translation, be aware that you are influencing young men who are sure to become even more extreme than you are. The young preacher that made this statement is not altogether the cause—he is merely a symptom of a bigger problem. He’s a victim of false teaching. That said, once a man enters a public pulpit, he does not get a free pass simply because he’s a young man. The standard for preachers relative to orthodoxy is the same. If a man is orthodox, he is approved. If a man is unorthodox, he is not approved. For clarity’s sake, I am not speaking to giftedness at this time—that’s another story. But the above statement is not only ridiculous, it is completely unorthodox.
 
Now—I listened closely enough to determine that this entire sermon was preached from the 1769 Blayney revision of the King James Version. According to this preacher then, it alone is the means through which we can worship the true God. Since Jesus is the Word (and by Word, he means a particular translation), to change one word of the 1769 Blayney revision is to “change the god you serve”. There is no way around it then. There was no complete, accurate portrayal of the God of Heaven until the 1769 Blayney revision arrived. Tyndale’s Bible promoted another god. In fact, some 15% of Tyndale’s New Testament differs from the KJV New Testament. Also, the Bishop’s Bible taught another god. The Geneva Bible preached another Jesus. Even the revered 1611 Authorized King James Version promoted a different God—as it was not precisely the same as the 1769 Blayney edition. Understand, if this is true, it was impossible to know—or at least properly serve—the true God before 1769. That is the only possible conclusion one can come to. The statement above is too clear to be misunderstood. Such a claim is preposterous. But sadly, that’s not the whole of it.

The speaker literally equated Jesus with the KJV—that was the basis of his point. He says, “You know what that tells me? That means that if you logically follow this here with me, Jesus is the Word. So, to change the Bible is to change Jesus. To change the Bible is to change the God you serve.” To state it more succinctly then, Jesus is the King James Version. Dear reader—perhaps you are tempted to side with this nonsense because you love the KJV. But just think about this for a moment—is it remotely possible that the apostle John in John 1:1-2, in the first century, as he penned those inspired words, as God spoke through John’s pen—in Greek, mind you—is it possible that God intended to say that some 1700 years later, an English translation of the Bible would be produced that would be Jesus. That’s quite a step beyond ridiculous. That’s actually heretical. If the KJV is to be equated with Jesus, then every knee should bow, and every tongue should confess that the KJV is God (Philippians 2:9-11). Maybe you’re thinking, “That’s not what he meant”. Well sadly, that’s precisely what he said. And when a man stands in a pulpit and makes such a bold claim, what he says means far more than what you think he may have meant. What he says means everything. And to be quite honest, there really is no ambiguity in his words. It was not one passing sentence. He fully explained his intent. There’s not much else he could have intended to say.
 
Furthermore, the mere suggestion that blood-bought children of God are worshipping another god simply because they use a different Bible translation is a serious charge—and a slanderous one. First of all, we approach God through a particular means—and every single believer of all time approaches Him the exact same way. I think Jesus said it clearest: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6 KJV). He did not say, “but by me AND the right translation of the Bible”. No—that’s adding something to the work of Christ. Charging fellow believers who do not use the 1769 Blayney revision of the KJV with worshipping another god puts salvation in Jesus AND the letters on the spine of our Bibles. Again, what he said here is not unclear. The scary thing is that it’s actually rather clear—and that’s why it’s so concerning. Honestly, he should have been stopped the moment he said these words and sat down. And, if he refuses to recant what he has said, his church should begin the process of church discipline. Folks, nothing matters more than Gospel clarity. And at best, this claim confuses the Gospel. I think it would be more accurate, however, to say this claim corrupts the true Gospel—of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Everything I’ve written up to this point is immensely concerning—alarming, really. However, I have not yet addressed the most concerning part of it. The worst claim of the entire statement is when he declared, “The Lord kind of showed this to me while I was reading this. I never had considered it before.” This was not the first time he claimed that God gave him this belief. He began the sermon with a claim that God gave him the sermon he was preaching. Here, he simply reinforces it—by specifically saying “The Lord kind of showed this to me…”. This claim brings every listener to a crossroad, of sorts. First, if God truly showed this to him, then this man is telling the absolute, God-breathed truth—that every person using any other Bible translation other than the 1769 Blayney revision of the KJV is worshipping another god—a false god. Every one of us, then, that has done so or is currently doing so needs to repent of our sins and trust the Lord Jesus Christ. We are as guilty as the Buddhist or the Hindu or the Muslim. If God revealed this to this man, it is as indisputable as John 3:16. However—if God did not show this to this man, then he has lied—and has brought God in as a witness to his lie. In fact, if God did not reveal this “truth” to this young man, then he has made himself like the false prophets whom Ezekiel described: “They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?” (Ezekiel 13:6-7 KJV). Reader, to say God spoke when He, in fact, did not speak is the very definition of using God’s name in vain—and of the worst sort. It is to religiously deceive people. It is a fear tactic. And this is such an atrocious sin that in the Mosaic Law, if a man was found claiming God said even one thing that He actually did not say, that man was put to death: “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.” (Deuteronomy 18:20 KJV).
 
The truth is, God has not spoken to this young man. He was not revealed some new truth that no saint for some 2000 years has believed. The Canon of Scripture is complete—and has been for nearly 2 millennia. God simply is not giving new revelation today. The Bible is sufficient—it is enough to make a man “throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:17 KJV).
 
Perhaps you believe the King James Version is the best English translation for English-speaking people. I personally disagree with you, but I’ll give you the liberty to believe that. However, this claim—supposedly revealed by God Himself—goes way beyond that. This claim is heretical. And even the most devout King James defender should say so.




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