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THE BIBLE VERSION ISSUE

The Case Against the New King James Version

(Rev. 22:18, 19; Jude 3)

Dr. Gene Lasley

The editors and translators of the NKJV along with the Thomas Nelson Publishers made the claim that they were only updating outmoded language and remained firmly committed to the same Greek and Hebrew text used for our KJV. This claim was not fulfilled, as we shall see.

Allow me to give you a few reasons I cannot recommend the NKJV.

1. THE DECEPTIVE CLAIMS

The Thomas Nelson Publishers claimed they stood in the same tradition with the men who originally produced the Authorized Version (KJV).

Sadly this is not the case of the men who translated the NKJV nor the publishers.

The deceptive claim made by the Thomas Nelson Publishers is not true and is proven by the New King James Version Preface which says, "the NKJV modifies the Masoretic Hebrew with the Septuagint, the Latin Vulgate, a variety of ancient versions and the Dead Sea Scrolls."

II. THE UNNECESSARY CHANGES

It has been estimated that the NJKV made around 100,000 changes. That averages 80 per page when compared with our KJV.

Most of these changes were done solely to get a copyright and the huge financial profits accruing there from.

III. THE INCORRECT PRONOUNS

The Hebrew and Greek languages make a distinction between the singular and plural second person pronouns. The NKJV translators made the decision not to use the old-English, second person pronouns such as: "ye", "thou", "thine", and others. They substituted the modern second person pronouns such as "you" for "ye" and "thou". Also, the NKJV substitutes "your" and "yours" for "thy" and "thine".

The problem is that "thou" is second person singular and "ye" reflects second person plural. The NKJV use of "you" makes no difference in number. This makes it less accurate than the old KJV.

IV. THE DOCTRINAL DEVIATIONS

1. It weakens the Deity of Christ

Matthew 20:20. KJV "Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him."

NKJV "Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him."

The Greek word translated worship here in the KJV is "proskuneo" and is also translated "worship" in other passages referring to the worship of Jesus Christ. This is indisputable evidence that Jesus is God because only God can be worshipped.

Another verse where the NKJV weakens the testimony to Christ’s deity is:

I Timothy 3:16 in the King James Version reads "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."

The NKJV has an asterisk by "God" that refers to the footnote where it says the NU translates it "WHO" rather than "God". The NU is the Nestles-United Bible Society Greek New Testament that is based on the corrupted Codex Vaticanus and Codex Siniaticus.

2. It Air-conditions Hell.

In eleven different verses the NKJV replaces the word "hell" with the word "hades". This is a transliteration of the Greek word "hades" right into the NKJV.

Luke 16:23: KJV "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."

NKJV "And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."

Revelation 20:14: KJV "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."

NKJV "Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."

They make this change, probably in order to get a copyright. But, it gives ammunition to those like the Jehovah’s Witnesses who do not believe in a literal, burning, fiery, eternal place called Hell.

3. It’s footnote leaves out the Blood.

Colossians 1:14: KJV "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:"

NKJV "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

NKJV footnote for 1:14 NU, M omit through his blood.

This weakens God’s Word that clearly teaches redemption is by the death and the shed blood of our Saviour.

4. It has wrong salvation implications.

Matthew 7:14: KJV "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

NKJV "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

The Greek word translated "narrow" in the KJV is "thilbo" and, when referring to a path, it means one’s way is restricted. The context of Matt. 7:14 concerns salvation. The Word of God in many places teaches that salvation is not difficult as the NKJV teaches.

I Corinthians 1:18: KJV "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

NKJV "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Salvation takes place immediately when a sinner humbles himself and receives Christ. The NKJV implies in this verse that salvation is a process rather than a completed work of God.

V. THE MARGINAL NOTES HAVE A CORRUPTED SOURCE.

The marginal notes or footnotes of the NKJV rely heavily upon the abbreviation NU. In the Publisher’s Foreword page XI the explanation for the abbreviation NU is:

"The modern eclectic, or (critical) text of the Greek New Testament, published in the twenty-sixth edition of Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament (N) and in the third edition of the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament (U)."

All of the scholars who gave us these two Greek New Testaments were liberals, evolutionists and apostates.

VI. THE MOST DANGEROUS PROBLEM

The greatest danger of leaving the KJV and moving to the NKJV is, as David Cloud says, "those who move from the KJV to the NKJV are lulled into a sense of security that they have moved merely to an updated and improved King James, but actually they are being brainwashed to be weaned away from the King James altogether and to accept the modern versions."

ED: In his conclusion, Dr. Lasley encouraged his congregation "to stay with the Old KJV until the trumpet sounds or until our Lord calls us home."

Dr. Lasley has served as pastor of the Buffolo Ridge Baptist Church [BRBC] in Gray, TN for 43 years.