1. What VPP Claims
VPP teaches that every single word of the original Bible manuscripts was perfectly preserved without error in one specific translation (usually the King James Version/KJV). Followers claim:
"If you don’t have the KJV, you don’t have God’s perfect Word."
2. The Problem: VPP Isn’t Biblical
❌ Error #1: It Adds to Scripture
The Bible never promises perfect preservation of every word in one translation.
What Scripture actually says:
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." (Matthew 24:35)
→ God preserves His message (His truth), not necessarily every pen stroke on a page.
❌ Error #2: It Ignores How We Got the Bible
We don’t have the original manuscripts (autographs) of any Bible book. We have copies.
God used faithful scribes, translators, and scholars across centuries to preserve Scripture — but they were human. Minor copying errors exist (like spelling differences), yet not one core doctrine is affected.
VPP treats the KJV (finished in 1611) as if it dropped straight from heaven. But the KJV was translated by 47 scholars using Greek/Hebrew copies available in the 1600s — copies we now know weren’t the oldest or most accurate.
❌ Error #3: It Divides Christians
VPP/KJV-Onlyism says:
"Your modern translation is corrupted! Only WE have God’s true Word!"
→ This breeds pride, suspicion, and fractures the church.
Paul warned:
"I appeal to you, brothers, that there be no divisions among you." (1 Corinthians 1:10)
❌ Error #4: It Misses the Point of the Bible
God gave us Scripture to know Christ, not to worship a translation.
Jesus said:
"You search the Scriptures... yet you refuse to come to Me!" (John 5:39-40)
Arguing over words while missing Jesus is like studying a recipe but never eating the meal.
3. What the Bible Actually Teaches About Preservation
God preserves His TRUTH:
"The Word of the Lord endures forever." (1 Peter 1:25)
→ His message of salvation is intact in all reliable translations.
God uses means:
He worked through copyists, archaeologists, and translators (like Jerome, Luther, Tyndale) to give us His Word in our language.
Our focus should be Christ, not consonants:
"For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 3:6)
A Simple Illustration
Imagine your dad wrote you a life-saving letter 2,000 years ago. The original is lost, but you have 5,000 copies. Some copies have a typo (like "lave" instead of "love"), but every copy says:
"Come home! I’ll forgive you! I sent my Son to bring you back!"
VPP says: "Only this ONE copy from 1611 is perfect!"
But the truth is: All faithful copies carry your dad’s message — even with tiny scribal differences. Don’t miss his love because you’re arguing about ink.
The Bottom Line
Trust God’s faithfulness — He kept His Word secure for 2,000 years.
Use reliable translations (ESV, NASB, NIV, CSB, NKJV — even the KJV!) but test them against the oldest manuscripts.
Major on the gospel, not on grammar.
If a teaching causes pride, division, or distracts from Jesus — it’s not from God.
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly... with thankfulness." (Colossians 3:16)
If you have questions about specific verses or manuscripts, I’d be glad to walk you through them.
No comments:
Post a Comment