**This comparison will be the passages of Matthew 7:13-14

KING JAMES VERSION: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION: “Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Both the NKJV and the NIV change the word “strait” gate to “narrow” gate. The word “strait” sets forth that which is restricted to God’s way, whereas the word “narrow” implies that which is limited. Jesus is the gate to salvation, “the door” (John 10:9), “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6), and the only “name” whereby any can be saved (Acts 4:12). This is strait, i.e., restricted to God’s one Saviour for mankind.

“Narrow is the way”, thus there is no margin for error, the way is limited to just “the way” with nothing else. While Jesus is the strait gate, He is not limited in what He is. But the way is limited to nothing more than Jesus. Calling the gate narrow implies that Jesus, Himself, is limited, whereas calling the gate strait implies it is restricted to Jesus.

The NIV says, in verse 14, “small is the gate”. There is certainly nothing small about the Saviour or His salvation, even though the way to be saved is limited to none other than Jesus Christ.

The NKJV says, “difficult is the way that leads to life”. This does not hold true with salvation by grace through faith. How difficult is it to receive the “gift of eternal life” by faith in Jesus Christ? Rather, saying that the way that leads to life is difficult is lending itself in support of being saved through works, which requires that one go through much difficulty before they actually arrive at having attained to life.

The King James says it like it is, declaring the supremacy of Christ, as well as manifesting the clarity of salvation only by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

**This comparison will be the passage of Romans 3:25

KING JAMES VERSION: “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.”

NEW KING JAMES VERSION: “Whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed.”

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION: “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.”

The KJV uses the word “declare”, while the NKJV and NIV substitute the word “demonstrate”. DECLARE = to make clearly known to be; to show, to reveal in definite terms. The KJV “declares” the righteousness of Christ to be the merits upon which sinners of the past are made acceptable to God. The KJV reads “through the forbearance of God” = to refrain; an extension of time for the payment of a debt. Thus, God saved those who lived and died before Calvary on the merits of Christ’s sin offering, the same as we who live on this side of Calvary. He was able to do this by forbearing their sins until Jesus actually paid their sin debt, because Jesus’ death was a predestined fact, foreordained by God, being as sure a thing as if it had already come to pass, due to Divine predestination.

The NIV leaves out (omits, takes away – Revelation 22:19) that God declared his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past. The NIV says God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement to “demonstrate” his justice. But this reduces Christ’s death to nothing more than “an example” of Divine justice against sin. There are many examples (demonstrations) throughout God’s Word of God’s justice against sin. Christ’s death is not just a demonstration of Divine justice, it is the one and only propitiation by which any sinner can be saved.

The NIV says, “in his forbearance he had left sins committed beforehand unpunished”. THIS IS NOT TRUE! (cp Hebrews 2:2 “For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and obedience received a just recompense of reward”.) God judged sin in the Old Testament! The unbelievers died and went to hell. The forbearance of God had to do with God’s ability to go ahead and forgive the believer’s sins and save them–based on the certainty of Christ’s death to happen in the fullness of God’s appointed time.

The NKJV, like the NIV, refers to Christ’s offering as a “demonstration” of God’s righteousness, and also fails to present (omits) that Christ’s offering was the declaration of Christ’s righteousness as the merits by which sinners are made acceptable to God. The NKJV also states that God’s forbearance was a matter of passing over the sins that were previously committed. BUT GOD DID NOT PASS OVER any sins committed, except those atoned for by the shedding of blood: “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35

Heaven and earth have not passed away, so therefore we have not come to the place where we don’t have an inerrant Bible. One’s belief about Divine inspiration is lacking if one doesn’t accept the fact of Divine preservation. To have doubts about God’s Word being or remaining inerrant is where Satan begins all his works of deceit. It opens people’s minds to consider other things outside of the way God’s Word reads–as having so much good to offer (like Eve in the Garden of Eden.)

Did God’s promise of an inerrant Bible fall through the cracks because of language barriers? Has the process of true translation (not revised versions, which are all perversions of sacred inspiration) resulted in an inerrant Bible being lost along the way? “…and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20 Jesus very well knew the continuance of His word to all nations, till the end of the world, would involve translating the scriptures.

How difficult is it to make an inerrant translation from one language to another? It happens every day, all over the world, between governments, businesses, etc. Yet many religious professions say it didn’t happen where the Word of God is concerned, so they are pushing new versions as the best way to get a full understanding of the scriptures. HOGWASH! This is deception and confusion, denying both God’s ability to preserve His Word, as well as saying that the process of translation doesn’t work and is unreliable. If inerrant translations are beyond God and human integrity, then the truth could not be preached unto all nations, unto the end of the world, and all international transactions would be flawed.

The Bible foretells everything, but it never speaks of the day coming when man will be left in a limbo of having no inerrant Bible! I read an article once that described “Pulpit Pride”, where preachers set themselves up as the “authority” on the Bible, with such positions as: “A better translation of this would be…” or “In the originals it means this” or “The King James says this, but it’s better rendered…”. NO ONE NEEDS A PREACHER TO RENDER THE BIBLE! This is not preaching faith in God’s Word, it is sowing doubts in men’s hearts and raising uncertainties in people’s minds about the credibility of God’s Word!

The Devil wants everybody uprooted from the inerrancy of God’ Word. He wants to keep man looking for something else, always open to the ideas of men (private interpretations) rather than settling down with the truth and doctrines of God’s Word.

Those who embrace revisions of the Bible, will also go for the “overviews” of men concerning the Bible, rather than get down to a verse by verse ministry and acceptance of the Bible. All who revise the Bible are in violation of the sacredness of God’s Word. Proverbs 30:5-6, Revelation 22:18-19

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:5

Man’s apostate theology seeks to project that God’s love and grace functions on an entirely different plane than the inspired laws of God’s Word. Thus, the inclusion of that which is unlawful, such as the ordaining of homosexuals, etc. The idea that God really works in other dimensions outside of His laws, is what Satan beguiled Eve with, i.e., what God knows and does is really different than the way His law reads. (cp Genesis 2:17 with Genesis 3:4-5)

This has opened a flood gate of religious error, where people are now emphasizing all the “good things” that exist and go on outside the context of God’s laws. But (cp Matthew 7:21-23) Jesus rebuked every religious position that maintains that God has an operation that includes anything on the outside of God’s written Word. In Matthew 5:19, He indicted the error of breaking the least of God’s commandments and teaching others to do so, as that which will demote even a saved person to the lowest position in God’s kingdom.

There is to be no inclusion of anything outside of God’s commandments in a New Testament Church, which is rather commissioned to teach people to observe all things that are commanded, Matthew 28:19-20.

The idea that Christians are no longer to follow the principles set forth in God’s laws, because of a private interpretation of the Biblical statement concerning redemption from being held under the law, “we’re not under the law”, there is now a wholesale sellout of God’s Word taking place. People now are sold out to doing things that are contrary to the way God’s Word is written, as if these things are now good. To say that Christianity now includes ways that differ with the way that “all scripture” reads, is to say that God is no longer the God of His Word, and is to deny that God will judge according to His Word. In spite of this apostasy, true Christianity still abides with: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Any teaching or position that is not according to the principles set forth in all scripture, does not pass the test of being correct New Testament doctrine.

The term, “we’re not under the law”, has to do with the fact of being redeemed from all the demands of the law upon our soul, since that in Christ, all the demands of the law are fulfilled through the offering of Christ’s Divine righteousness in our stead. Jesus fulfilled all the ceremonial laws! Jesus fulfilled all the types projected through the Old Testament system. Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us–through His death, we are dead to the law, it can never condemn us again! But GOD FORBIDS those who are made free, to live in transgression of His law, which is sin! (Romans 6 and 1 John 3:4) Rather, “the law is holy, just, good, and spiritual.” Romans 7:12,14

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The truth of God’s Word supplies enlightenment and faith. When human reasoning sets aside any part of God’s Word, this allows the cloud of deception, as was introduced to Eve in Eden (Genesis 3).

While many profess to stand for the Divine inspiration of all scripture, they fall for the reasons that abandon “all scripture” as being the standard for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.

Just as all scripture is given by Divine authority, all scripture is what sets forth God’s authority on all matters for us. To agree with the inspiration of “all scripture”, without accepting “all scripture” as the authority on God’s will for our lives, is the condition of having a form of godliness, but denying the power (authority) thereof (2 Timothy 3:5). To study “all scripture” without accepting the way of “all scripture”, is the condition of ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:7).

False Christianity would be exposed instantly, if the rule was applied that “all scripture” is required for true doctrine. False Christianity is able to establish itself with men, because it persuades men that not all scripture applies to us. Most take the position that truth is dispensational, i.e., that what was the truth in a former dispensation is no longer truth for our present dispensation, etc. For example, many teach that the way Jesus saved sinners, such as the thief on the cross, is different than how one becomes a Christian today. So false Christianity is built on the principle that while all scripture is given by inspiration of God, yet all scripture is not profitable for doctrine, etc.

Sad to say, many professed Baptists have fallen for the same false interpretation of the scripture. While they may not accept the false teachings on the plan of salvation that have departed from the doctrine of all scripture, they eagerly accept the departure from “all scripture” as being profitable for their doctrine on how they want to live, dress, and observe the Lord’s Day. They do so as if they have impunity (exemption) from “all scripture”, misapplying a borrowed term from the scriptures, “we’re not under the law”. They thus will no longer be reproved nor corrected unto God’s will by what “all scripture” has to say. They have limited themselves to an acceptance of only some scriptures of their choosing, while having their eyes and ears closed to what “all scripture” has to say.

Since “all scripture” must be used to establish doctrinal correctness, the departure from this principle of Divine authority is to enter the pathway of doctrinal error, that sanctions false religion. SELAH!