Four Christian truths
First, man’s greatest need is justification, or
acceptance with God. In comparison with this, all other human needs pale into
insignificance. How can we be put right with God, so that we spend time and
eternity in His favour and service?
Secondly, justification is not by works of the law, but
through faith in Christ. Luther expresses it
succinctly: ‘I must hearken to the Gospel, which teacheth me, not what I ought
to do (for that is the proper office of the Law), but what Jesus Christ the Son
of God hath done for me: to wit, that he suffered and died to deliver me from
sin and death.’1
Thirdly, not to trust in Jesus
Christ, because of self-trust, is an insult both to the grace of God and
to the cross of Christ, for it declares both to be unnecessary.
Fourthly, to trust in Jesus
Christ, and thus to become united to Him, is to begin an altogether new
life. If we are ‘in Christ’, we are more than
justified; we find that we have actually died and risen with Him. So we are
able to say with Paul: I have been
crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me;
and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me (verse 20).[1]
These four Christian truths are a strong gospel foundation, and when we hold them up against Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP), Perfect TR, and KJV-Onlyism, the error becomes clear. Let me structure the refutation directly on those four truths:
Refuting VPP, Perfect TR, and KJV-Onlyism with Four Christian Truths
1. Man’s greatest need is justification, not a perfect manuscript.
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The heart of the gospel is our acceptance with God through Christ. Compared with this, whether one holds the “right text” or “correct translation” is insignificant.
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VPP and KJV-Onlyism wrongly elevate textual theories above justification by faith. They make it seem as if true standing before God requires possession of a flawless Bible edition.
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Scripture, however, proclaims: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). Justification comes through Christ, not through a perfect TR or KJV.
2. Justification is not by law, nor by works—including textual works.
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Luther rightly said: the gospel teaches not what I must do, but what Christ has done for me.
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VPP and KJV-Onlyism, however, add a new “law”: you must believe in one perfect edition or translation to have the pure Word of God. This becomes a human work added to faith.
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Paul is clear: “By works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight” (Rom. 3:20). Trusting in Christ alone—not Christ plus a perfect text—is the only gospel.
3. To trust in anything other than Christ is an insult to grace and the cross.
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If we place our confidence in the KJV or TR as the only preserved Word, we shift our trust away from Jesus Himself. That is a subtle but real insult to His cross, for it suggests that His work is insufficient unless coupled with textual perfection.
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Paul rebuked the Galatians for such distortions: “If righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose” (Gal. 2:21). Likewise, if truth depends on a “perfect Bible version,” then Christ’s cross is sidelined.
4. To be in Christ is to begin a new life, not to join a sect around a translation.
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True salvation is union with Christ, so that we can say, “I have been crucified with Christ… it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).
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This new life is lived by faith in the Son of God, not by allegiance to one text family.
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VPP and KJV-Onlyism foster division in the body of Christ by making a translation or manuscript the mark of true spirituality. But the real mark of life in Christ is the Spirit’s transforming work, not textual loyalty.
Conclusion
The four great truths of justification, faith, grace, and union with Christ completely dismantle the claims of Verbal Plenary Preservation, Perfect TR, and KJV-Onlyism. These teachings shift the focus from Christ to a man-made idol of textual perfection.
The gospel says:
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Our greatest need is to be justified in Christ, not to defend a version.
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Our justification is through faith in Christ, not through textual theories.
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To mistrust Christ by trusting a “perfect TR” insults the cross.
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To trust in Christ means new life in Him, not sectarian loyalty to a translation.
Therefore, the gospel itself refutes these false teachings: Christ alone is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30).
[1] John R. W. Stott, The Message of Galatians: Only One Way, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986), 66–67.
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