Chapter 3

D. Some verses are changed and corrupted in the NIV. (continued)

#23 — Titus 3:10-11

KJV (King James Version)    -   “A man that is an ________________ after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.”

NIV (New International Version)   -   “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him.   You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.”

Note:   Does heretick and divisive mean the same thing?   No.  The word heretic means, “a dissenter from established religious dogma; one who dissents from an accepted belief or doctrine” (Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary).   The word divisive means “creating disunity or dissension” (Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary).  Why has the modern church succumbed to so many doctrinal errors? To a great extent, because of translations like the NIV. It is no longer doctrinal error that is the bad thing that must be dealt with or removed. The real culprit is the person who causes disunity in the church.

The practical result of the wording change in that verse is that Delilah  gets up and sings

a special number that has a rock beat in it.  After the service, David  takes aside the Music Director

and privately states his concern over the song that was sung by Delilah, when compared with

Ephesians 5:19 (psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs). On Monday evening, David receives a call

from the Music Director stating that the Pastor and himself want to have a meeting with David

in regard to this matter. At the meeting, David is rebuked for being critical of Delilah’s music,

and is told that all music is neutral.   He is warned that the real danger is not the type

of music being used, but the people who create disunity  over it, because it does not

happen to be the style of music that they personally enjoy.

This change that the NIV has made to this verse becomes deadly to a church, because it makes the real enemy disunity — not doctrinal error. Now, anyone who dares to say that something is not scripturally right, is accused of creating disunity in the church.

    1. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever __________________ in him should not ____________, but have everlasting ________.”

Note:   That used to be the most well-known Bible verse in the world. We are now told that that is no longer the case, but that it has been replaced by the following verse.

    2. Matthew 7:1 says, “__________   ______, that ye be not judged.”

Note:   It is important to note that Matthew chapter 7 does not forbid all judging, but warns about judging others when you are not willing to judge sin in your own life.

    3. Matthew 7:3-5 says, “And why beholdest thou the ________ that is in thy ________________ eye, but considerest not the ________ that is in thine ______ eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, __________ cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and ________ shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.”

Do you see how the context of that passage does not forbid all judging, but is warning us to judge sin

in our own lives first?   When we have our lives in order, then we are to go to our brother about his problem.

    4. Galatians 5:11 says, "And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the ______________ of the __________ ceased."

Note:   Just witness to lost people about the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be accused of being divisive. Whenever people are brought under conviction, they accuse the one instrumental in it of being divisive. Consider carefully what Jesus said.

    5. Matthew 10:34-39 says, “Think ______ that I am come to send __________ on earth: I came not to send peace, but a __________. For I am come to set a man at ______________ against his father, and the daughter ______________ her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's ________ shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”

Note:    Biblical living is always divisive, because man has a sinful nature, and does not like to be told that he is a sinner. Many times just living a holy life is an aggravation to those around you — without even speaking a word.

Let a woman wear a modest dress all of the time, instead of body-hugging jeans or

short or slit skirts or dresses, and it will often aggravate the women around her.

They just cannot stand it, and will automatically think of the modestly dressed woman as having

a holier-than-thou attitude, even though she may never even mention the matter of proper attire.

    6. Proverbs 29:27 says, “An ____________ man is an ______________________ to the just: and he that is ______________ in the way is ______________________ to the wicked.”

Note:   Any time that a person decides to live by the Word of God, it is going to bring conviction upon those around that one. That is not being divisive, that is being Biblical.

#24 — Revelation 5:9-10

KJV (King James Version)    -   “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed ____ to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made ____ unto our God kings and priests: and ____ shall reign on the earth.”

NIV (New International Version)    -   “And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased MEN for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made THEM to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and THEY will reign on the earth.”

Note:   These people are in heaven singing a song. In the KJV it is personalized, “Thou… hast redeemed US… And hast made US… kings and priests… and WE shall reign on the earth.” The NIV changed this song to be an impersonal song: “You purchased MEN... You have made THEM to be a kingdom and priests... THEY will reign on the earth.”

 

The NIV has people singing in heaven that are evidently not able to make the song personal.

The error here is clear — no one will be in heaven who is not personally redeemed.

    1. John 3:3 says, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be ________   __________, he ____________ see the ______________ of God.”

Note:   They not only make impersonal the matter of redemption, but also the matter of rewards. “You have made THEM to be a kingdom and priests... THEY will reign on the earth.”  Rewards are a personal incentive in the Christian life to be faithful and ambitious in serving the Lord. Just like you cannot get saved for someone else, neither can you gain rewards for someone else — these matters are personal. It is always a personal decision whether to yield to the Lord and to obey Him. No one else can make that decision for you.

    2. Revelation 3:11 says, “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which ________ hast, that no man take ______    __________.”

    3. Romans 14:11-12 says, “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every ______ of us shall give ______________ of ______________ to God.”

#25 — Revelation 5:14

KJV (King James Version)    -   “And the four beasts said, Amen. And the ________ and ____________ elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.”

NIV New International Version)    -   “The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”

 

What is missing in the NIV in this verse? First, the number of the elders. Is it beyond the average person’s

ability to count to 24? If the translators were trying to update Old English, why did they make this change?

Note:    Remember the warning given in the end of the Book of Revelation?

    1. Revelation 22:19 says, “And if any man shall take ________ from the __________ of the book of this prophecy, God shall take ________ his part ______ of the book of ________, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

    2. Revelation 20:15 says, “And __________________ was not found ______________ in the book of ________ was ________ into the lake of ________.”

Note:   These verses are very clear that anyone who would tamper with God’s Word and remove parts of it, is not truly saved.

 

We often use Revelation 22:19 to warn people of the seriousness of what these new

translations do, in removing words, verses, and whole passages from the Bible.

In response, the statement is often made, “Oh, that only refers to the Book of Revelation!”

Well, here the NIV translators have removed words from the Book of Revelation.

Sometimes people refer to the translators as good and godly men. That is not what God says. He says that anyone who would take away from the words of the Bible is an unsaved man who will spend eternity in the lake of fire.

 

The NIV translators also took away the last seven words of this verse, “Him that

liveth for ever and ever.”  Is that important? Yes it is, because it is describing the One

that is being worshipped. No one but the eternal God is to be worshipped.

Who would want these words removed?   Satan, because he is not the eternal God, and he will cause many people to fall down and worship him.

    3. Isaiah 14:12-15 says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O ______________, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will __________   ____   ____________ above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to ________, to the sides of the pit.”

    4. Revelation 13:4-8 says, “And they ____________________ the ____________ which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in __________________ against ______, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall ______________ him, whose __________ are ______    ______________ in the book of ________ of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

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