Is Knowledge of the Original Languages Necessary for KJV Believers?

[Genez]

The Greek critical text (Nestle and Aland tradition) that underlies the Modern English Bibles teaches different doctrines and this Greek text is not even settled and is constantly shape-shifting. So it's not a real standard or settled text that Christians have received. It's like the shifting sands of the desert.

If you go to my site, www.affectionsabove.com, I have a PDF writeup (the one with the animated fall leaves in the background) that highlights the textual differences (i.e., the differences between Vaticanus/Sinaiticus (Nestle and Aland tradition) with the Beza 1598 Greek (the Received Text tradition). So this goes beyond just the English.



You keep stating this but you have not demonstrated any such problems here for us to examine. Are you just repeating what you heard? Did you even look into it and did an in-depth study on the matter independently of whoever told you this? See, generally in my experience Critical Text advocates are just sheep who blindly follow their own Modern scholar shepherds. This is why you keep promoting that deceased Pastor's teachings. You most likely never did a Berean manuever and double checked his findings or teachings in light of the word of God.



The problem is that many modern scholars have a bias toward the continually revised Critical Text, which I believe contains serious corruptions, while also relying upon modern Greek lexicons that sometimes give preference to broader definitions that are not necessarily justified by the historical usage of a word within its particular context. They will sometimes appeal to cognate studies or examples from nonbiblical Greek literature to defend questionable translation choices found in modern Bibles.

A famous example is the Greek word μονογενής (monogenēs), which the KJV translates as “only begotten” when referring to Jesus Christ. Consider Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon, Moulton and Milligan's The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament, BDAG, and Louw and Nida's Greek-English Lexicon. These lexicons variously emphasize broader definitions such as “unique,” “one of a kind,” “only,” or “one and only.” Moulton and Milligan even explicitly reject “only begotten” as the word's literal meaning.

However, there is an important distinction that should not be overlooked. The Greek word μονογενής (monogenēs) can certainly express uniqueness in non-familial contexts, such as when describing the universe, the mythical phoenix, or other things that are one of their kind. But that does not automatically establish that the same generalized meaning should override the idea of offspring or begetting when the word is used within a father-and-child relationship.

For example, the Greek expression θυγάτηρ μονογενὴς (thygatēr monogenēs), meaning an only daughter (Luke 8:42), clearly refers to a parental relationship. Likewise, we have ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός (ho monogenēs huios), “the only begotten Son” (John 1:18), and τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ (ton huion autou ton monogenē), “his only begotten Son” (John 3:16).

My point is that we should not allow a broader definition established from non-familial examples to automatically erase the significance of the Father-and-Son relationship in passages referring to Jesus Christ. The historical usage of the word, its immediate context, and its understanding among early Greek-speaking Christians must all be considered before anyone can legitimately dismiss the KJV's rendering of “only begotten Son” as inaccurate.


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Tell us one thing you mentioned there that will build someone up in Christ.

 

[Bible_Highlighter]

Tell us one thing you mentioned there that will build someone up in Christ.

One thing?

I am talking about the Holy Scriptures themselves, and Jesus Christ said that the Scriptures testify of Him (John 5:39). The Greek expression αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ (hai martyrousai peri emou) means "which testify concerning me." In fact, after His resurrection, Jesus expounded to His disciples the things concerning Himself throughout the Scriptures (Luke 24:27). So, how is examining the very Scriptures that testify of Jesus Christ not something that can build up believers in Christ?

Consider what the apostle Paul said in Acts 20:32: "And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up..." The Greek expression τῷ λόγῳ τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ (tō logō tēs charitos autou) refers to "the word of his grace," which Paul expressly says is able to ἐποικοδομῆσαι (epoikodomēsai), meaning "to build up." That is precisely what biblical edification involves! Furthermore, Paul said that the Holy Scriptures are able to make a person wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 3:15). The Greek expression σοφίσαι εἰς σωτηρίαν (sophisai eis sōtērian) conveys being made wise unto salvation.

Paul then explained that all Scripture is θεόπνευστος (theopneustos), meaning "given by inspiration of God," and ὠφέλιμος (ōphelimos), meaning "profitable" or "beneficial," for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). And for what purpose? "That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:17). Paul also taught that biblical instruction contributes to the "edifying of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). The Greek expression is οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ (oikodomēn tou sōmatos tou Christou). Furthermore, Paul connects Christian maturity with growing in the knowledge of the Son of God (Ephesians 4:13), warning believers against being "carried about with every wind of doctrine" (Ephesians 4:14), and instructing them to speak "the truth in love" so that they may grow up into Christ (Ephesians 4:15).

So, Scripture itself expressly establishes that God's Word can build up believers, instruct them in righteousness, strengthen their faith, and increase their knowledge of Jesus Christ. My discussion concerns the actual words of Scripture, the Greek text underlying our English Bibles, and the proper understanding of the biblical testimony concerning Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God. Granted, knowledge must be accompanied by charity (1 Corinthians 8:1), and studying Scripture should ultimately lead us closer to Christ rather than merely winning arguments. But to suggest that examining and defending the accuracy of God's words cannot build up believers in Christ is something I strongly disagree with.

If Scripture testifies of Jesus Christ, and Scripture itself is profitable for doctrine and spiritual growth, then properly understanding and faithfully communicating its words is certainly a matter of Christian edification. You are welcome to challenge my actual findings concerning the Greek text and the Greek word μονογενής (monogenēs). But please do not suggest that studying the very Scriptures that testify of our Lord Jesus Christ serves no spiritual purpose. After all, how can we properly build someone up in the truth of God's Word if we are unwilling to examine what that Word actually says?



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[Bible_Highlighter]

Tell us one thing you mentioned there that will build someone up in Christ.

Also consider that the Modern Bibles paint a different version of Jesus that is not in the true Bible in English (along with its underlying inspired Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words). Modern versions make it appear like Jesus sinned in five places. I even had a self professing Christian tell me that Jesus sinned and he pointed to one of these corrupted places in his Modern Bible as his proof text. How is that building up Christ to believe falsehoods about Jesus found in Modern versions? Would it not be better to build a person up in Christ properly with the truth that Jesus did not sin with the correct Bible that does not have the problems that Modern bibles have?

That's the plane that is flying over your head right now.

You can only know the errors in a Bible by having a standard or the correct one for comparison.
If the standard is ourselves picking what reading should be in or out when we are not qualified textual critics, then we are simply becoming our own authority over God's word, and that does not help you to be built up in Jesus Christ at all but can even potentially jeopardize your very standing with Him (Depending on what true words you reject from Him - See John 12:48 KJV).


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