Exposing the Unfruitful Works of Darkness

To my brothers and sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As a steward of the Word and a fellow laborer in the Gospel, I find myself compelled by the Spirit and the clear command of Scripture to address a growing shadow within our midst. While we all share a deep, abiding love for the Holy Scriptures, there is a distinct difference between revering the Word and enshrining a specific human tradition as if it were the fourth member of the Trinity.

Ephesians 5:11 commands us: "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." It is in this spirit—not of malice, but of protective love for the Church—that I must address the theological errors of Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP) and King James Version (KJV)-Onlyism.

The Weight of Our Concern

The doctrines of "Perfect Preservation" in a single manuscript tradition (like the Textus Receptus) or a single English translation (the KJV) are not merely matters of "preference." They represent a fundamental shift away from historic orthodoxy for the following reasons:

1. It Denies the Doctrine of Original Autographs

Historically, the Church has held that only the original writings (autographa) were divinely inspired and inerrant. By claiming that a 16th-century printed text or a 17th-century translation is "perfectly preserved" to the point of excluding all others, we are effectively claiming a second inspiration. This is a theological novelty that the Bible never promises.

2. It Creates a "Language Barrier" to the Gospel

KJV-Onlyism suggests that God’s perfect Word is locked within the English of 1611. This creates a functional "Latin Mass" for the modern era, where the believer must learn an archaic dialect to hear God clearly. The God of Pentecost speaks every language; He is not a captive of Elizabethan English.

3. The Danger of Textual Idolatry

When we elevate the Textus Receptus (TR) as a "perfect" reconstruction, we ignore the reality of textual criticism. The TR was compiled by Erasmus using a handful of late medieval manuscripts. To claim it is superior to thousands of earlier manuscripts discovered since is to ignore the providential hand of God in providing us with more evidence of the original text over time.

Why This is a "Work of Darkness"

Calling these teachings "darkness" may seem harsh, but consider their fruit:

Division: These doctrines often breed an elitist spirit, causing churches to break fellowship over translation choices rather than core tenets of the faith.

Fear: They rely on "scare tactics," suggesting that modern translations (based on older, reliable manuscripts like the Codex Vaticanus or Sinaiticus) are "corrupted" or "satanic."

Anti-Intellectualism: They discourage the honest study of history and linguistics, demanding a blind faith in a specific tradition instead of an informed faith in the living God.

Our Path Forward

We must return to a Biblical Bibliology. We can love the King James Version for its majesty and its historical impact without making it an idol. We can respect the Textus Receptus without pretending it is the only witness to the truth.

Our foundation is Christ. Our authority is the Word as given by the Spirit through the Prophets and Apostles. Let us not be bound by the "unfruitful works" of man-made textual absolutism, but instead walk in the light of the truth that sets us free.

In Christ's Service,

Your Fellow Servant

Reverend So & So