Article: Satan's Religion of Works and the modern versions by Will Kinney
From Textus Receptus
Satan's Religion of Works and The Modern Versions - Part One
The only common thread in all religions besides Christianity is a system of works and personal effort. Their ideas about God or gods, the afterlife, reincarnation, and the steps "to make it" all differ from one another. The religious scene is like the tower of Babel, from which we get the word Babylon. Satan delights in sowing confusion and contradiction, but all his false systems of belief contain the common element of works and self-effort.
Unfortunately, most Christians today are not resting in the grace of God and the finished redemptive work accomplished through the shed blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. This unrest of spirit is caused by legalistic preaching and is further fomented by the way most new bible versions are being translated.
In this article I want to focus on how three sets of words are being translated and interpreted. I will divide this study into three sections so it won't be too long to read all at once. 1. "patience" vs "perseverance"; 2. "believe" vs "obey", and most importantly 3. "to keep" vs "to obey".
What is the difference between PATIENCE and PERSEVERANCE? Stop for a minute before you continue reading and think about it. "Patience" implies a waiting upon God, hoping in Him, and trusting Him to fulfill His promises in His appointed time. The word "perseverance", on the other hand, causes us to focus on our own strength, efforts, and ability to overcome difficulties.
In the King James Bible, as well as the older Bible versions like Tyndale, Coverdale, Bishops', the Geneva Bible, and even the Revised Version and the American Standard Version, the noun form of the Greek word hupomone is most often translated as "PATIENCE". In fact, this word is translated as "patience" some 31 times in the KJB New Testament, and never is rendered as "perseverance". There is a word translated as perseverance found in Ephesians 6:18 "praying always...and watching thereunto with all perseverance supplication for all saints", but this is an entirely different Greek word. Prayer is not easy and it does require personal effort; therefore the word "perseverance" is used rather than "patience".
The word hupomone is translated as patience 31 times in the KJB; the NKJV likewise translates this word as "patience" most of the time but 8 times has rendered this word as "perseverance". (See Romans 5:3,4; 8:25; 2 Cor. 12:12; 2 Tim. 3:10; James 5:11; 2 Peter 1:6 -twice). The NASB and NIV both have rendered it as "patience" only once, and all the other times they translate it by such terms as "perseverance, endurance, or steadfastness".
In Romans 8:25 we read: "But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with PATIENCE wait for it." The RV, ASV, Spanish (paciencia), Tyndale, Geneva, and even the NIV (only time in the NIV), all say we wait with patience. However both the NASB and the NKJV say: "we eagerly wait for it with PERSEVERANCE."
Notice how the emphasis has been totally changed in Romans 5:3-4. "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh PATIENCE; And PATIENCE, EXPERIENCE; and EXPERIENCE, hope." In other words, as we go through trials in our Christian walk, we wait upon God to see us through our difficult times and we learn by the experience of His repeated delivering us in the past that we can trust Him to do so in the future as well. Both "patience" and "experience" are the readings found in the KJB, Tyndale, Coverdale, Geneva Bible, Wesley's N.T. translation, Young's, Darby, Bible in Basic English, Lamsa's translation of the Syriac Peshitta, Webster's 1833 translation, the KJV 21, Green's Modern KJV, and the Third Millenium Bible. The Spanish Antigua Versión likewise reads " y la paciencia, experiencia", and the Italian Diodati has the same with: " e la pazienza sperienza".
But notice how the meaning has been altered in such versions as the NKJV, NIV, and NASB. In Romans 5:3-4 they unite in saying: "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces PERSEVERANCE, and PERSEVERANCE, CHARACTER, and CHARACTER, hope." - NKJV. Instead of patiently waiting upon God and experiencing His deliverance, these new versions focus our minds on our "persevering" and on our "character"! The meaning is not at all the same.
Revelation 14 speaks of the coming judgment upon Babylon and tells us that if anyone worships the beast and receives his mark he will suffer the wrath of God. Then in verse 12 we read: "Here is the PATIENCE of the saints; here are they that KEEP the commandments of God and THE FAITH of Jesus." This is the reading found not only in the KJB, but also in the NKJV, RV, ASV and many others. We are to trustfully wait upon God and His time to judge the wicked, guard and hold onto His commandments and His truth, and not be drawn away by the false religion of antichrist. To KEEP something is to guard it, hold on to it and not let it go. THE FAITH is the doctrine concerning the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Compare Galatians 1:23 "they heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth THE FAITH which once he destroyed". See also Jude 3 "ye should earnestly contend for THE FAITH which was once delivered unto the saints."
However the NASB reads here: "Here is the PERSEVERANCE of the saints who keep the commandments of God and THEIR faith IN Jesus." There are no words in any Greek text for "their" or "in". The NIV is worse yet with: "This calls for PATIENT ENDURANCE on the part of the saints who OBEY God's commands and REMAIN FAITHFUL TO Jesus." This is a paraphrase that changes the meaning of the verse and puts words in the sentence that are not found except in the mind of the translators.
Read again the KJB and then compare it to the NIV. How does your spirit react to each reading? Are you trusting in God Who cannot fail and holding onto His word, or are you relying on your own strength and trying to do the best you can hoping you will stay faithful and make it through?
One more example of the word "patience"- In Luke 21, Christ is telling us of the last days before His return. There will be a terrible time of tribulation and persecution. He says: "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish. IN YOUR PATIENCE POSSESS YE YOUR SOULS." Luke 21:19. This is the reading of the KJB, NKJV, Tyndale, Geneva and many others. The word "patience" is also found in the earlier RV and the ASV. In the midst of all these trials, we can keep our sanity and remain confident that our God is coming to judge the wicked and to take us home.
However, again, many modern versions change the meaning of this verse. The NASB keeps on changing both its texts and translations from one edition to the next. In the 1960-1972 editions the NASB read: "by your PERSEVERANCE YOU WILL WIN your SOULS", but then in 1977, 1995 they changed this to read: "by your ENDURANCE YOU WILL GAIN your LIVES." The NIV does the same thing from edition to edition as the NASB. The NIV of 1977 says: "BY STANDING FIRM YOU WILL SAVE YOURSELVES", then the NIV of 1978 and 1984 says: "BY STANDING FIRM YOU WILL GAIN LIFE.". Now, I don't know about you, but I gained life by the substitutionary death and sacrifice of my blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the cross; certainly not by my standing firm or by my perseverance.
Is the way of salvation "narrow" or "hard"?
KJB - Mt 7:14 "Because strait is the gate, and NARROW is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
ESV - For the gate is narrow and the way is HARD that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Holman - How narrow is the gate and DIFFICULT the road that leads to life, and few find it.
NKJV - Because narrow is the gate and DIFFICULT is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
- The modern versions make salvation hard/difficult, when it is actually quite easy. Simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour from sin, hell and damnation. The scriptural examples of how easy it is are things like, opening a door, drinking water, eating bread, and all them actually require more effort than believing on Jesus.
Is it HARD to get into God's kingdom?
KJB - Mark 10:24 "And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that TRUST IN RICHES to enter into the kingdom of God!"
- The KJB notes that it is hard for those who TRUST in RICHES to enter the kingdom - that's because we must TRUST in CHRIST - and then entering the kingdom is EASY. But the modern versions still make it hard:
NIV - The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how HARD it is to enter the kingdom of God!"
NASB - The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how HARD it is to enter the kingdom of God! "
Holman - But the disciples were astonished at His words. Again Jesus said to them, "Children, how HARD it is to enter the kingdom of God!
ESV - And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how DIFFICULT it is to enter the kingdom of God!
NLT - This amazed them. But Jesus said again, "Dear children, IT IS VERY HARD to get into the Kingdom of God."
CEV - The disciples were shocked to hear this. So Jesus told them again, "It's TERRIBLY HARD to get into God's kingdom!"
- Now it is not just hard, not just difficult, not just very hard, it is now "terribly hard". At this rate the next version that comes out may well say "it is impossible".
- Why do the modern versions omit the vital words "TRUST IN RICHES"? Prominent King James Bible naysayer James White says, "This variant gives us an instance where the modern texts follow a very small minority of Greek texts (White, The King James Only Controversy, p.169)."
- The truth of the matter is that the United Bible Society and the Nestle/Aland Greek texts can muster only 4 (that's four) Greek MSS. that omit the phrase, viz. the ever untrustworthy Sinai and Vatican Codices, D (Delta) and Y (Psi). The Johannine Comma (1 John 5:7) rests on much greater manuscript evidence than our present example, yet it is rejected by these Bible critics as spurious. This simply shows the selective deceit they exhibit when wanting to find error in the King James Bible.
Satan's Religion and The Modern Versions - Part 2
"To believe" vs "to obey"
John 3:36 "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." This is the reading of the KJB, Wycliffe 1395, Tyndale 1525, Coverdale 1535, the Bishops' Bible 1568, Douay-Rheims, Webster's 1833, Youngs, the Bible in Basic English 1960, the NKJV 1982, Green's MKJV, the Worldwide English Bible, the KJV 21st Century version 1994 and the Third Millenium Bible 1998.
Many foreign language versions have translated the phrase as “believe not" or "refuse to believe". Among these are Luther’s German Bible 1545, the French Louis Segond 1910 -celui qui ne croit pas au Fils, the French La Bible du Semeur 1999, the Spanish Reina Valera 1960 -1995 (he who refuses to believe - el que rehúsa creer en el Hijo no verá la vida); the Italian Diodati 1649 - ma chi non crede al Figliuolo, and La Parola e Vita 1997, and the Portuguese O Livro 2000 -os que não crêem.
However in John 3:36 instead of saying "but he that BELIEVETH NOT the Son shall not see life", the NASB 1995, RSV, ESV say: "but HE WHO DOES NOT OBEY the Son, shall not see life but the wrath of God abides on him." The NIV is not nearly as bad as these others here but paraphrases as: "whoever REJECTS the Son will not see life".
On one of the Christian internet forums I was asked: “Since you guys seem to hold that the KJV is the best English version then perhaps you could explain the following for me. Why two different words are rendered believeth in the KJV? “ He then quotes the King James Bible, and then by way of contrast he quotes the present NASB which says: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who OBEYS NOT the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
I mention the “present NASB” because the NASB keeps on changing its text every few years. It has now gone through 10 different copyrighted editions and every time it changes its own text. The1995 edition NASB omitted just short of 8000 words that were in the previous 1977 NASB. Right here in my study I have a copy of the 1963 NASB New Testament. The 1963 NASB says in John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who DISBELIEVES the Son shall not see life...” It wasn't till some years later that the "scholars" behind the ever changing NASB decided to change this to now read "he who obeys not". But even now the present NASBs still retain a marginal note about this Greek word which says "or believes".
(For those who are interested in seeing the proof that the NASBs continue to change their English texts and the underlying Hebrew and Greek texts from one edition to the next, please see my article here - http://brandplucked.webs.com/everchangingnasbs.htm)
Words have different meanings depending on the context. For example, in Hebrew the same word can mean either to "curse" or to "bless". In the book of Job the same word is translated as "blessed" in Job 1:10 and 21 where God blessed Job and Job blessed the name of the LORD. Yet the same word is translated as "to curse" in Job 1:5, 11; 2:5 and 9 where Satan said Job would curse God to His face and Job's wife told him to curse God and die. Another Hebrew word #2617 is usually translated as "mercy", "goodness", "kindness", yet only once is this same word rendered as "reproach" in Proverbs 14:34 "sin is a reproach to any people".
Likewise the word used in John 3:36 and translated as "believeth not" has several meanings depending on the context and sound theology. The word is apeitheo and can mean "to be unbelieving", "to believe not", "to not be persuaded", and "to be disobedient". Even the present NASB has translated this word as "disbelieved" in Acts 14:2 "the Jews who disbelieved...", and the NIV renders it as "refused to believe" in Acts 14:2; as "unbelievers" in Romans 15:31, and as "he who is unbelieving" in 1 Peter 3:1. So we see they too have adopted the meaning of "believe not" in other passages.
The 2001 ESV has also translated this same Greek word as "the UNBELIEVING Jews" in Acts 14:2; "continued in UNBELIEF" in Acts 19:19 and as "THE UNBELIEVERS" in Romans 15:31.
The Greek lexicons also tell us that the word apeitheo has several meanings, one of which is "to not believe". Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich's Greek Lexicon tells us on page 83 "since, in the view of the early Christians, the supreme disobedience was a refusal to believe their gospel, apeitheo may be restricted in some passages to the meaning of DISBELIEVE, BE AN UNBELIEVER. This sense seems most probable in John 3:36, Acts 14:2; 19:9, Romans 15:31."
Likewise Thayer's Greek Lexicon (page 55) and Liddell and Scott's Lexicon (page 182) both list one of the meanings of this verb as "to refuse or withhold belief", "unbelieving".
Let's examine for a moment the NASB, ESV reading of "he who does NOT OBEY the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." According to the NASB, it is not enough that we only believe in Christ as our Saviour but we must also OBEY Him or else the wrath of God awaits us. It does not say "try to obey" or "wish to obey" or "obey 90% of the time" but OBEY. Do we obey, not just attempt to obey, much of anything the Lord told us to do? Do we love all Christians and even our enemies more than ourselves? Are we sometimes critical of others, judgmental, proud, selfish, or unkind? Do we have lustful thoughts? Do we give up all our possessions to feed the poor? If we think we are always obeying the Lord, I don't think we know our own hearts very well.
Praise God for His grace and unconditional love to us His people. May they awaken within us a greater desire to please and obey Him. But this holy desire will spring out of a motive of love for our Saviour and not out of a fear of His wrath if we do not perfectly obey Him, which neither you nor I can do in this life.
Other verses that have been changed are found in the book of Hebrews chapters 3 through 4. There we read of the history of the children of Israel in the wilderness to whom the gospel was preached but it was "not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest" (Hebrews 4:2-3). "And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that BELIEVED NOT? So we see that they could not enter in because of UNBELIEF." (3:18,19)
"Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of UNBELIEF"..."Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of UNBELIEF." (4:6,11)
In all these verses not only does the KJB say "believed not" and "unbelief" but so also do Tyndale, Douay, Youngs, Spanish Antigua Versión, Italian Diodati, Webster's, Green's MKJV, KJV21, and Third Millenium Bible.
However the NKJV, NIV, NASB and many other modern versions change the meaning in these four verses by saying: "He sware they would not enter His rest to those who did not OBEY"..."did not enter because of DISOBEDIENCE"..."be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of DISOBEDIENCE." Is it faith and believing God that allow us to enter the land of rest in Christ, our our obedience?
Agreeing with the correct theology of faith or unbelief as seen in the KJB is the Old Testament itself. In Numbers 14:11, when the children of Israel feared to go in to take possession of the land of promise, God says: "How long will it be ere they BELIEVE ME, for all the signs which I have shewed among them." Deuteronomy rehearses the history of Israel before entering the land and God says he "bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went until ye came unto this place. Yet in this thing YE DID NOT BELIEVE the LORD your God"...and the Lord sware surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers, save Caleb...and Joshua" Deut. 1:31-35.
One more clear verse showing it was unbelief that prevented them from entering the land of rest is Deut. 9:23 "Likewise when the LORD sent you from Kadeshbarnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you; then ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and YE BELIEVED HIM NOT, nor hearkened unto his voice."
Is it true, as the NASB, ESV teach in John 3:36, that "he who does not OBEY the Son, the wrath of God abides on him"? Consider the first disciples themselves. Instead of taking up the cross, denying themselves, forsaking all to follow Jesus, Peter denied the Lord three times with cursing and an oath and "all the disciples forsook him and fled" Matthew 26:56.
In 2 Peter chapter one we are exhorted to add various virtues to our faith and told that IF these things are in us we will not be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord. "But HE THAT LACKETH THESE THINGS is blind, and cannot see afar off, and HATH FORGOTTEN THAT HE WAS PURGED FROM HIS OLD SINS." (2 Peter 1:9) The person referred to here who lacks these virtues is still a blood bought child of God, who has been purged from his old sins. He is then told to make his calling and election sure,- not to God, for He knows already, but to himself. This person may lose all personal assurance that he is a child of God, but he has been purged of his sins in the blood of Christ and is forever secure in the grace of God.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 we read: "God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, (watch or don't watch - same word as "watch" in verse 6) we should live together with him." My faithfulness in watching or sleeping spiritually is not the ground of my assurance. It is the fact that Christ died for me and nothing else.
Psalm 119 ends with this verse: "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek THY SERVANT, for I do not forget thy commandments." Even though he has gone astray, he is still God's servant. The disciples who forsook the Lord are still called disciples; the Christian who doesn't watch will still live with Christ; and the man that lacks the virutes listed in 2 Peter has still been purged from his sins.
What may confuse some saints is that there are frequent verses in the Bible that speak of "obeying the gospel", but a closer look at these verses shows that to "obey" is equivalent to "believe".
Romans 10:16 "...but they have not all OBEYED the gospel, For Esaias saith, Lord, who HATH BELIEVED our report?" Notice that to obey the gospel is to believe the report.
Acts 6:7 "...and a great company of the priests WERE OBEDIENT TO THE FAITH"; in other words, they believed the gospel of Christ.
Romans 6:17 "...but ye have OBEYED from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you."
2 Thes. 1:7-8 "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that OBEY NOT THE GOSPEL of our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Peter 1:1,22 "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto OBEDIENCE and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ...seeing ye have purified your souls in OBEYING the truth through the Spirit..."
And in Romans 16:26 we read of the mystery of the gospel which is now "made known to all nations for THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH." Faith itself is the obedience to the command to believe the gospel.
The doctrines of the free grace of God and salvation by faith plus nothing are much more clearly set forth in the King James Bible than in the confusing and contradictory multitude of modern versions.
Satan's Religion and the Modern Versions - Part 3
"To Keep" vs "to Obey"
King James Bible - "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we KEEP his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and KEEPETH NOT his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but WHOSO KEEPETH HIS WORD, in him verily is the love of God perfected." 1 John 2:3-5
NIV - "We know that we have come to know him if we OBEY his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does NOT DO what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone OBEYS his word, God's love is truly made complete in him."
What do the phrases "keep my commandments" and "keepeth His word" mean? I am convinced that many Christians misunderstand the meaning, and some modern versions, like the NIV, NRSV, TNIV, perpetuate the error.
This may come as a shock to many but the word TO KEEP in both Hebrew and Greek does NOT mean "to obey" or "to do"!!!. The Hebrew word Shamar # 8104 is translated in the KJB, ASV, NKJV, NASB as "to keep, to observe, to take heed to, to preserve, to be a watchman, and to regard." The Greek word teereo # 5083 likewise in these versions is translated as "to keep, to guard, to watch, to preserve, to reserve, and to hold fast." If you are playing basketball in the park and take out your wallet and keys and ask a friend to keep them for you, obviously you want him to hang on to them and not lose them.
The NIV was the first "bible" to give these words new meanings. The NIV translates the O.T. word Shamar as "to obey" 29 times and as "to do" 5 times. It also translates the N.T. word tereeo as "to obey" 21 times and "to do" 3 times. I believe this is due, not only to Satan's hand at work to promote a works oriented religion, but also to much careless preaching. Legalism is natural to the human heart. Few Bible students take the time to actually look up a word in the Bible itself, not a commentary, to see exactly how the Holy Ghost uses this particular word.
Here are a few examples of how the word Shamar is used. Try to fit "to do" or "to obey" into the text and see if they fit. "Am I my brother's KEEPER?" (Gen.2:15). "The Lord bless thee and KEEP thee" (Num. 6:24). "KEEP me as the apple of the eye" (Ps. 17:8). "O KEEP my soul and deliver me" (Ps. 25:20). "PRESERVE me, O God." (Ps. 16:1). "I have set WATCHMEN upon thy walls, O Jerusalem." (Isa. 62:6)
Try to fit "to do" or "to obey" into these New Testament examples. "thou hast KEPT the good wine until now" (John 2:10). "Holy Father, KEEP through thine own name those whom thou hast given me...I have KEPT them in thy name...KEEP them from evil" (John 17:11-12,15) "Peter therefore was KEPT in prison." (Acts 12:5)
A good way to get the sense of a word is to compare it with the contrasting or opposite words used with it. "a time TO KEEP and a time TO CAST AWAY" (Ecc. 3:6). "They that FORSAKE the law praise the wicked, but such as KEEP the law contend with them" (Pro. 28:4). Speaking of wisdom God says: "FORSAKE her not and she will PRESERVE thee" (Pro. 4:6 - same word as "to keep"). "My son, ATTEND TO my words, INCLINE THINE EAR unto my sayings; Let them NOT DEPART from thine eyes; KEEP them in the midst of thine heart" (Pro. 4:20-21). "Only TAKE HEED TO (same word) thyself, and KEEP thy soul diligently, lest thou FORGET the things which thine eyes have seen and lest they DEPART from thy heart all the days of thy life..." (Deut. 4:9)
Notice too the distinction drawn between TO DO and TO KEEP in Deuteronomy 4:6. This passage contains four separate things the Israelites were to do. "And Moses called all Israel and said unto them, HEAR, of Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day that ye may LEARN them, and KEEP, and DO them." They were to hear, to learn, to keep, and to do. The same concept is seen in may passages but one more may help to illustrate. "Ye shall therefore KEEP my statutes and my judgements which I speak in your ears this day that ye may LEARN them, and KEEP, and DO them."
When the Bible speaks of us KEEPING the commandments of the word of the Lord, God is telling us not to forsake, let go of, forget or turn away from them, but rather to guard, preserve, hold on to and cling to them. By God's grace we hopefully will not only keep them but also do and obey them; but, to KEEP and to OBEY are two distinct and separate concepts.
This difference between to keep and to obey is often illustrated for us in God's true words. Let's look for a moment at the life of king David. In 1 Kings 11 we are told: "And it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods...for Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammorites...Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and THOU HAST NOT KEPT My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend thy kingdom from thee and will give it to thy servant" (1 Kings 11:4,5,11) Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, BECAUSE HE KEPT my commandments and my statutes." (1 Kings 11:34)
In 1 Kings 14:8 God, through His prophet Ahijah, rebukes king Jeroboam. "...and thou hast not been as my servant David, WHO KEPT MY COMMANDMENTS, and who followed me with all his heart, to do right in mine eyes; but hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back."
The principal sin of Solomon and Jeroboam was turning to other gods - apostasy and idolatry. God says David KEPT His commandments, yet David certainly disobeyed the commandments of God by comitting adultery and murder. But king David never turned away from Jehovah as being the only true God of his life. He held onto God's revelation of Himself in His word and never forsook Him to follow another religion or other gods.
Now, let's look again at 1 John 2:3-5. "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we KEEP his commandmants. He that saith, I know him, and KEEPETH NOT his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but WHOSO KEEPETH HIS WORD, in him verily is the love of God perfected."
The NIV has changed the sense entirely. "We know that we have come to know him if we OBEY his commands. The man who says, 'I know him' but DOES NOT DO what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if any man OBEYS his word, God's love is truly made complete in him." If the NIV is the correct interpretation, then I do not know of anyone that is a Christian. Don't give me that old line about "a pattern of obedience". Do you sin in thought, word or deed at least once a day? Or how about once an hour? Is this not then a pattern of sinning?
The commandments, or the Biblical teachings, are the words of God. In 1 John 3:23 we are told: "And this is the commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment." This same chapter tells us "Little children, it is the last time; and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists...they went out from us, but they were not of us...who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son...Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning..." (the original teaching concerning the Person and the work of Christ; don't leave that truth for a new or false religion) "These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you."
The epistle of First John speaks of two different kinds of sin. "If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death; I do not say that he shall pray for it." 1 John 5:16.
Here is a BROTHER who is sinning a sin not unto death. He is a brother in Christ who continues in some kind of sin, (it is a present continuous tense), a garden variety sin to which we are all prone. But 5:16 also mentions a sin that is unto death, for which he is not to pray. I believe this sin is that of forsaking the doctrine that Jesus is the Christ, denying it, and following the false religion of antichrist. The prophet Jeremiah was likewise told not to pray for those who, having been warned repeatedly, turned to other gods. See Jeremiah 7:16 and 11:14.
New Age teaching and Eastern Religions such as Hinduism are very similar to each other. They teach that Christ is a divine spirit or consciousness within us all. They teach that soon we will all become this Christ Consciousness. No! This is not true at all. The Bible tells us that JESUS IS THE CHRIST; there is no other. He died and shed His blood for the sins of His people. There is no other Saviour. If anyone denies this truth, the apostle John does not say that they should pray for this sin unto death.
The true Christian can never sin in this way of continuing to deny that Jesus is the Christ. "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" 1 John 3:9. The seed mentioned here is most likely the word of God - "the seed is the word of God" (Luke 8:11); "being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God..." 1 Peter 1:23.
Notice too how the word TO KEEP is used in 1 John 5:18: "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God KEEPETH himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not." When it says that he that is born of God sinneth not, it cannot be consistent with the rest of Scripture and our own experience to say that this refers to ANY SIN AT ALL. This would contradict 1 John 1:8 where it says: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." This verse then, in the context of the whole epistle, refers to the sin unto death - that is, to deny that Jesus is the Christ.
To sum up the argument: He that KEEPETH His commandments, and KEEPETH His word is the Christian who holds onto, guards, preserves and retains the doctrine of Christ and does not forsake it to follow the antichrist religion. "Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father." 1 John 2:24.
In light of what the phrase "keepeth my commandments" really means, it adds a new dimension to the Bible version controversy. Most of the modern versions are based on a very different Greek text that omits some 5000 words, including many entire verses, from the New Testament and they often depart from the Hebrew texts in the Old Testament. With this in mind, consider the words of our Lord Jesus Christ when He says: "He that hath my COMMANDMENTS and KEEPETH them, he it is that loveth me...He that loveth me not KEEPETH NOT MY SAYINGS: and THE WORD which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's that sent me." John 14:21,24. Commandments = my sayings = the Father's word. "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them me; AND THEY HAVE KEPT THY WORD...For I have given unto them THE WORDS which thou gavest me; and they have received them" John 17:6-8 - Keep them, preserve them, hold them fast, and do not let them go, depart or disappear. If we love our Lord and Saviour, we will have a high regard for His words and not treat them lightly.
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List of New Testament minuscules
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01 · 02 · 03 · 04 · 05 · 06 · 07 · 08 · 09 · 010 · 011 · 012 · 013 · 014 · 015 · 016 · 017 · 018 · 019 · 020 · 021 · 022 · 023 · 024 · 025 · 026 · 027 · 028 · 029 · 030 · 031 · 032 · 033 · 034 · 035 · 036 · 037 · 038 · 039 · 040 · 041 · 042 · 043 · 044 · 045 · 046 · 047 · 048 · 049 · 050 · 051 · 052 · 053 · 054 · 055 · 056 · 057 · 058 · 059 · 060 · 061 · 062 · 063 · 064 · 065 · 066 · 067 · 068 · 069 · 070 · 071 · 072 · 073 · 074 · 075 · 076 · 077 · 078 · 079 · 080 · 081 · 082 · 083 · 084 · 085 · 086 · 087 · 088 · 089 · 090 · 091 · 092 · 093 · 094 · 095 · 096 · 097 · 098 · 099 · 0100 · 0101 · 0102 · 0103 · 0104 · 0105 · 0106 · 0107 · 0108 · 0109 · 0110 · 0111 · 0112 · 0113 · 0114 · 0115 · 0116 · 0117 · 0118 · 0119 · 0120 · 0121 · 0122 · 0123 · 0124 · 0125 · 0126 · 0127 · 0128 · 0129 · 0130 · 0131 · 0132 · 0134 · 0135 · 0136 · 0137 · 0138 · 0139 · 0140 · 0141 · 0142 · 0143 · 0144 · 0145 · 0146 · 0147 · 0148 · 0149 · 0150 · 0151 · 0152 · 0153 · 0154 · 0155 · 0156 · 0157 · 0158 · 0159 · 0160 · 0161 · 0162 · 0163 · 0164 · 0165 · 0166 · 0167 · 0168 · 0169 · 0170 · 0171 · 0172 · 0173 · 0174 · 0175 · 0176 · 0177 · 0178 · 0179 · 0180 · 0181 · 0182 · 0183 · 0184 · 0185 · 0186 · 0187 · 0188 · 0189 · 0190 · 0191 · 0192 · 0193 · 0194 · 0195 · 0196 · 0197 · 0198 · 0199 · 0200 · 0201 · 0202 · 0203 · 0204 · 0205 · 0206 · 0207 · 0208 · 0209 · 0210 · 0211 · 0212 · 0213 · 0214 · 0215 · 0216 · 0217 · 0218 · 0219 · 0220 · 0221 · 0222 · 0223 · 0224 · 0225 · 0226 · 0227 · 0228 · 0229 · 0230 · 0231 · 0232 · 0234 · 0235 · 0236 · 0237 · 0238 · 0239 · 0240 · 0241 · 0242 · 0243 · 0244 · 0245 · 0246 · 0247 · 0248 · 0249 · 0250 · 0251 · 0252 · 0253 · 0254 · 0255 · 0256 · 0257 · 0258 · 0259 · 0260 · 0261 · 0262 · 0263 · 0264 · 0265 · 0266 · 0267 · 0268 · 0269 · 0270 · 0271 · 0272 · 0273 · 0274 · 0275 · 0276 · 0277 · 0278 · 0279 · 0280 · 0281 · 0282 · 0283 · 0284 · 0285 · 0286 · 0287 · 0288 · 0289 · 0290 · 0291 · 0292 · 0293 · 0294 · 0295 · 0296 · 0297 · 0298 · 0299 · 0300 · 0301 · 0302 · 0303 · 0304 · 0305 · 0306 · 0307 · 0308 · 0309 · 0310 · 0311 · 0312 · 0313 · 0314 · 0315 · 0316 · 0317 · 0318 · 0319 · 0320 · 0321 · 0322 · 0323 ·
List of New Testament lectionaries
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