Mark 16 (3)

Some manuscripts end the book with 16:8; others include verses 9–20 immediately after verse 8. At least one manuscript inserts additional material after verse 14; some manuscripts include after verse 8 the following: But they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they had been told. And after this, Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. These manuscripts then continue with verses 9–20

As a side note: The manuscripts that contain, “But they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they had been told. And after this, Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.” are referring to the Douay-Rheims Bible, the Bible used by the Catholic Church!

Even my own Bible, a KJV Bible, the Bible that I preach from states:

The passage from verse 9 to the end is not found in the two most ancient manuscripts, the Sinaitic and Vatican, and others have it with partial omissions and variations. But it is quoted by Irenaeus and Hippolytus in the second or third century.

Therefore, depending on the Bible I use - or even had I taken seriously the note in my own Bible, I wouldn’t have even been able to preach the message which I did this past Sunday morning!

Having preached from Mark chapter 16, gives me a perfect opportunity to preach at least a couple of messages on one item that appears in our doctrinal statement - our statement of faith.

The first item in our statement of faith reads:

We believe in the verbal (every word) and plenary (complete) inspiration of the Old and New Testaments; that they are the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried.

We believe in the verbal (every word) and plenary (complete) inspiration of the Old and New Testaments;

2 Timothy 3:14–17 KJV 1900

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 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.

All … Every word of the Bible is God-breathed. (The Bible does not simply contain God’s Word. All of it is God’s Word.)

Scripture … The very words of the Bible are God-breathed.

This [Bible] is the writing of the living God: each letter was penned with an Almighty finger; each word in it dropped from the everlasting lips; each sentence was dictated by the Holy Spirit.

Inspiration … Every word - the very words - of the Bible is God-breathed.

2 Peter 1:19–21 KJV 1900

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

God breathed out His words over a period of about 1,500 years to approximately forty specially chosen and prepared men of God who wrote them down to give us our Scriptures, the Word of God. - A Beka Bible Doctrines

Just as a musician breathes into a trumpet to produce the notes he wants, so God breathed into forty chosen writers of the books of the Bible the exact words that He wanted preserved for all mankind. - A Beka Bible Doctrines

King David, near the end of his life said:

2 Samuel 23:2 KJV 1900

The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, And his word was in my tongue.

King David also wrote:

Psalm 68:11 KJV 1900

The Lord gave the word: Great was the company of those that published it.

Hebrews 1:1 KJV 1900

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

We believe that God’s Word is the final authority for faith and life.

Because it is truth, it is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried.

2 Timothy 3:16 KJV 1900

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

God’s Word teaches us what is right.

God’s Word points out what is wrong.

God’s Word shows us how to get right.

God’s Word shows us how to stay right.

Psalm 119:105 KJV 1900

NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.

The Word of God trumps man’s authority, church tradition, and our own opinions!

When the Bible clearly reveals a truth, we believe it with all our hearts.

When the Bible clearly commands us to do something, we make sure we are doing it.

So, to say that the Bible is our final authority for faith and practice may seem extremely apparent to us but we must not make the assumption that every “Christian” believes that.

In their book, “Why Baptist?,” James Alter and Dolton Robertson, II, makes these distinctions:

Traditional Christianity

This would include Roman Catholic, Eastern-Orthodox, and many of the “main-line” Protestant churches of our day.

Their stated authority is the Word of God and tradition.

When conflicts arise between the Word of God and their tradition; tradition over-rules the Word of God.

Mark 7:13 KJV 1900

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Charismatic Christianity

Their stated authority is the Word of God and experience.

When conflicts arise between the Word of God and their experiences; experience over-rules the Word of God.

The Apostle Peter addresses this in 2 Peter chapter 1:

2 Peter 1:16–19 KJV 1900

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

Peter here states that God’s Word was/is more reliable than his own experience. Why?

The inspiration of God’s Word (by God Himself) is superior to experience (Peter’s eyewitness account) because inspiration is not influenced by fallible man.

Illustration: Gentleman getting fighting mad when I dared to question his experience based upon the truth of God’s Word.

Evangelical Christianity

Their stated authority is God’s Word and scholarship.

When conflict arises between the Word of God and scholarship; scholarship over-rules the Word of God.

Recently, just such an evangelical Christian wrote the following article:

2 Reasons Why ‘Jehovah’ Should Not Appear in English Bibles

This “scholar’s” article ends with:

“Even if its origins lie in a blunder, Jehovah has become a word in many languages, a word that’s here to stay. I don’t mind if people say it.”

https://blog.logos.com/jehovah-in-bible/

Finally, the last group:

Bible-Believing Baptists

Our authority is the Word of God.

God said it and that settles it, regardless of who believes it.

Understanding these four groups of Christians should help us to understand why it is that, for example, some “Christian” denominations can accept LGBTQ+ clergy and why some denominations are openly accepting of the homosexual lifestyle and agenda.

Now, moving on to

We believe that it is inerrant (without error) in the original writings, infallible (not capable of being wrong) and God-breathed.

If it is God’s Word than it must be without error because God is without error!

If it is God’s Word than it is not capable of being wrong because God is incapable of being wrong!

Psalm 19:7–9 KJV 1900

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

John 17:17 KJV 1900

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

At this point, I must also point out that one of our stated beliefs is that...

We believe that God has preserved His Word so that we, in 2022, can confidently say, “Thus saith the Lord.”

Psalm 119:89 KJV 1900

LAMED. For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.

Isaiah 40:8 KJV 1900

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: But the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Matthew 24:35 KJV 1900

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

1 Peter 1:23–25 KJV 1900

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

We no longer have the original documents. And yet we know that God is mighty and powerful enough to preserve His Words through the generations so that we can confidently stand, with the Bible in our hand, and say, “This is the inerrant, infallible Word of God!”

Which leads me to this statement:

We believe that God has preserved His Word, for English speaking people, in the King James Version of the Bible.

As you have heard me say many times,

“We are King James only but not King James ugly.”

But the question is: Why?

Allow me to share with you a little of my testimony:

I grew up attending an independent Baptist church which taught its congregation that they should use the KJV. The pastors that I had were never ugly about it nor did they shove the KJV down people’s throats. The Christian school that I attended, as part of that church, required the students to use the KJV,

I have always used the KJV. I knew that there were other translations out there - the Living Translation, The Message, etc. - but I was always taught to use the KJV and I never questioned that.

I did not realize that there was such a big “issue” until I was a student at Pensacola Christian College and there were a series of interactions between PCC and Bob Jones University about the text “issue.”

I have always served in churches where the KJV was the only Bible translation that was used.

I have never been in the position where I really needed to “defend” my position. I have simply followed leadership. Until now...

Gone are the days when church congregations simply did (or didn’t do) whatever the pastor said. If the pastor said, “Use the KJV,” then people used the KJV. That those days are gone can be a bad thing. It’s almost as if many Christians have an attitude of “You can’t tell me what to do!”

That those days are gone can also be a good thing. If it is accompanied with a Berean Attitude!

Acts 17:10–11 KJV 1900

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Now, as pastor of South Charlotte Baptist Church, I need to be able to explain to our church congregation why it is that we exclusively use the King James Version of the Bible. Having preached from Mark chapter 16 is an excellent opportunity to do that and that is the purpose of these next couple of messages.

As I begin to wrap things up tonight, I really need to set the stage.

The issue that we will be considering, really isn’t an issue of the translation.

I have heard things like:

This translation says...

This is a more reliable translation...

This translation is easier to understand...

In fact, most textual critics lump all translations into one big pot as if they were all the same.

Mark Ward, a textual critic who works for Faithlife and Logos Bible Study Software, wrote an article entitled, Which Bible Translation Is Best? All the Good Ones. At the very beginning of that article you will find this list:

The NIV 2011 is the Bible of the broad swath of centrist evangelicals.

The TNIV is the Bible of egalitarian leftist evangelicals.

The ESV is the Bible of complementarian, conservative, neo-Reformed evangelicals.

The NASB is the Bible of conservative evangelical serious Bible students.

The KJV is the Bible of fundamental, independent Baptists.

The HCSB is the Bible of Southern Baptists.

The NLT is the Bible of seeker-sensitive evangelicals.

The NET Bible is the Bible of computer nerds.

The NRSV and CEB are the Bibles of Protestant mainliners.

However, comparing the KJV to other translations cannot be done because that is like comparing apples to oranges.

Why?

Because of the text each is translated from. The KJV is translated from a different underlying text than the other translations.

The KJV has been translated from what is called the Textus Receptus (the received text) or what is called the Majority Text.

The other Bibles have been translated from what is called the Westcott-Hort Text which is based upon two specific texts, the Codex Sinaiticus and the Codex Vaticanus.

Prayer Requests

Nadia - marital problems

Carley - being treated unfairly by those around her

Dewey - relationship issues

Sara - becoming a Christian

Brea - her mom thinks there is something wrong with her and she (Brea) hates it

Cynthia - My marriage, my husband left me. My grandson has covid .my daughter is in abusive relationship . I need God My stress level is high, please pray that God heals my family give me directions to make right decisions and strength to move forward

Amina - forgiveness and guilt

Angie - childhood trauma, dreaming of still living in the past... abuse...

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