THE
wESTMINSTER CONFESSION OF FAITH dispels KJV-VPP
The
truth about KJV Verbal Plenary Preservation is
that it teaches that the underlying Hebrew-Greek
texts of the Bible were imperfectly preserved
until perfectly restored by the KJV 1611 Translators.
This essential fact is however not well perceived
or understood due to various confusing KJVO-VPP
claims. One such baseless claim is that
the Westminster Confession of Faith supports their
view. This brief evaluation will prove the
contrary is true.
1.
Chap I Sect III: “The books commonly called
Apocrypha … no part of the Canon of Scripture”
The 1611 King James Bible
included the Apocrypha. If the KJV Translators
“in the fullness of time, were specially and supernaturally
guided by God to restore a perfect Hebrew-Greek
text, that is jot and tittle exact with the Original
Autographa,” why did they not exclude these books?
This section by the Westminster Divines in 1646
would effectively act to pre-empt recurrences
of this inclusion in Bibles thereafter.
2.
Chap I Sect VIII: “the Old
Testament in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek,
being immediately inspired by God, and by his
singular care and providence kept pure in all
ages
are
therefore authentical;”
God’s ancient people
recognised the Divine nature of God’s utterances,
and reverently exercised diligent care in making
its millions of copies down the ages. The
result, after thousands of years, is that a good
number of ancient copies have survived down to
this day: some 5,488 Greek manuscripts, over 8,000
Latin manuscripts, supplemented by manuscripts
of ancient translations such as the LXX, Syriac-Peshitto,
Arabic, plus writings of the early Church Fathers
which contain over 1,000 verbatim Scripture quotations.
All in all, these are thousands of times more
evidence than any other ancient document!
Through these thousands
of surviving manuscripts, we know assuredly that
God’s Word has been kept pure in all ages!
Clearly, the KJV-VPP hypothesis that God’s Word
was not kept pure until 1611 is mistaken and proven
erroneous by the WCF!
3.
Chap I Sect VIII: Ps 12:6-7 is omitted
from proof texts
Ps 12:6-7 is a critical
proof text for KJVO-VPP. However this verse
is omitted from Chap I Sect
VIII! Moreover, the Westminster Divines
in their companion “Annotations of the Bible”,
1647, says this verse refers to the preservation
of the saints, not to the “words”!
4.
Entire WCF: No mention by name is made
of the King James Bible
Finally, as if to erase
any remaining doubt, the WCF makes no name mention
of the KJV!
Of Bible versions, Sect
VIII states, “the
Scriptures … are to be translated into the language
of every people unto which they come”!
In conclusion,
the Westminster Confession of Faith would clearly
expose and dispel, rather than support, the Perfect
KJV - Verbal Plenary Preservation error.
Lim Seng
Hoo, 29 July 2006
APPENDIX:
THE WESTMINSTER CONFESSION OF FAITH (1646)
CHAPTER
I Of the Holy Scripture
I.
Although the light of nature, and the works of
creation and providence, do so far manifest the
goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave
men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to
give that knowledge of God, and of his will, which
is necessary unto salvation; therefore it pleased
the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners,
to reveal himself, and to declare that his will
unto his Church; and afterwards for the better
preserving and propagating of the truth, and for
the more sure establishment and comfort of the
Church against the corruption of the flesh, and
the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit
the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the
holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former
ways of God's revealing his will unto his people
being now ceased.
(Rom 2:14-15, Rom. 9:19-20,
Ps 19:1-3, Rom. 9:32, with chap 2:1, 1 Cor 9:21,
1 Cor 2:13-14, Heb 9:1, Prov 22:19- 21, Luke 9:
3-4; Rom15:4, Matt. 4:4, 7, 10, Isa 8:19-20, 2
Tim 3:15, 2 Peter 1:19, Heb 1:1-2)
II.
Under the name of holy Scripture, or the Word
of God written, are now contained all the Books
of the Old and New Testament, which are these:
|
Of
the Old Testament |
|
Genesis |
I
Kings |
Ecclesiastes |
Amos |
|
Exodus |
II
Kings |
The
Song of Songs |
Obadiah |
|
Leviticus |
I
Chronicles |
Isaiah |
Jonah |
|
Numbers |
II
Chronicles |
Jeremiah |
Micah |
|
Deuteronomy |
Ezra |
Lamentations |
Nahum |
|
Joshua |
Nehemiah |
Ezekiel |
Habakkuk |
|
Judges |
Esther |
Daniel |
Zephaniah |
|
Ruth |
Job |
Hosea |
Haggai |
|
I
Samuel |
Psalms |
Joel |
Zechariah |
|
II
Samuel |
Proverbs |
|
Malachi |
|
Of
the New Testament |
|
The
Gospels according to |
Corinthians
I |
Timothy
I |
The
First and Second
Epistles
of Peter |
|
Matthew |
Corinthians
II |
Timothy
II |
|
Mark |
Galatians |
Titus |
The
First, Second, and
Third
Epistles of John |
|
Luke |
Ephesians |
Philemon |
|
John |
Philippians |
The
Epistle to the
Hebrews |
The
Epistle of Jude |
|
The
Acts of the Apostles |
Colossians |
The
Revelation |
|
Paul's
Epistles to the Romans |
Thessalonians
I |
The
Epistle of James |
|
|
Thessalonians
II |
|
All
which are given by inspiration of God, to be the
rule of faith and life.
(Lk
16:29, 31, Eph 2:20, Rev 22:18-19, 2 Ti 3:16)
III.
The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being
of divine inspiration, are no part of the Canon
of Scripture; and therefore are of no authority
in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise
approved, or made use of, than other human writings.
(Luke 24:27, 44, Rom
3:2, 2 Pet 1:21)
IV.
The authority of the holy Scripture,
for which it ought to be believed and obeyed,
dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or
Church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself),
the Author thereof; and therefore it is to be
received, because it is the Word of God.
(2 Peter 1:19, 21, 2
Tim 3:16, 1 Jn 5:9, 1 Thess 2:13)
V.
We may be moved and induced
by the testimony of the Church to an high and
reverent esteem of the holy Scripture; and the
heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the
doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent
of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which
is to give all glory to God), the full discovery
it makes of the only way of man's salvation, the
many other incomparable excellencies, and the
entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby
it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word
of God; yet, notwithstanding, our full persuasion
and assurance of the infallible truth and divine
authority thereof, is from the inward work of
the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the
Word in our hearts.
(1 Tim 3:15, 1 Jn 2:20,
27, Jn 16:13-14, 1 Cor 2:10-12, Is 59:21)
VI.
The whole counsel of God, concerning
all things necessary for his own glory, man's
salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly
set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary
consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto
which nothing at any time is to be added, whether
by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions
of men. Nevertheless we acknowledge the inward
illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary
for the saving understanding of such things as
are revealed in the Word; and that there are some
circumstances concerning the worship of God, and
the government of the Church, common to human
actions and societies, which are to be ordered
by the light of nature and Christian prudence,
according to the general rules of the Word, which
are always to be observed.
(2 Tim 3:15-17, Gal 1:8-9,
2 Thess 2:2, Jn 6:45, 1 Cor 2:9-12, 1 Cor 11:13-14,
14:26, 40)
VII.
All things in Scripture are not alike plain
in themselves, nor alike clear unto all; yet those
things which are necessary to be known, believed,
and observed, for salvation, are so clearly propounded
and opened in some place of Scripture or other,
that not only the learned, but the unlearned,
in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain
unto a sufficient understanding of them.
(2 Pet 3:16; Ps 119:105,
130)
VIII.
The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native
language of the people of God of old), and the
New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the
writing of it was most generally known to the
nations), being immediately inspired by God, and
by his singular care and providence kept pure
in all ages, are therefore authentical; so as
in all controversies of religion the Church is
finally to appeal unto them. But because these
original tongues are not known to all the people
of God who have right unto, and interest in, the
Scriptures, and are commanded, in the fear of
God, to read and search them, therefore they are
to be translated into the language of every people
unto which they come, that the Word of God dwelling
plentifully in all, they may worship him in an
acceptable manner, and, through patience and comfort
of the Scriptures, may have hope.
(Mt 5:18, Is 8:20, Acts
15:15, Jn 5:39, 46, 1 Cor 14:6, 9, 11, 12, 24,
27, 28, Col 3:16, Rom 15:4)
IX.
The infallible rule of interpretation
of Scripture, is the Scripture itself; and therefore,
when there is a question about the true and full
sense of any scripture (which is not manifold,
but one), it may be searched and known by other
places that speak more clearly.
(2 Pet 1:20-21, Act 15:15-16)
X.
The Supreme Judge, by which all controversies
of religion are to be determined, and all decrees
of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines
of men, and private spirits, are to be examined,
and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no
other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.
(Mt 22:29, 31, Eph 2:20
with Acts 28:25)
|
