Hebrews 1:3 Textual Variant

Recently, I was speaking about the afterlife in a message at Flint River and engage in a tangent about the concept of Purgatory. My point was simple; at death, a person goes to one of two places: Paradise or Torments. If a person has been redeemed by Christ, their soul goes to be with Him…

The Value of God’s Word

“7) The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8) The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9) The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10) More to be desired are they than…

Three Historic Theologians on the Johannine Comma

It has become popular today for those who deny the authenticity of the Johannine Comma (1 John 5:7) to speak condescendingly of those who believe it is inspired by saying they went “Full Comma.” Just remember, when you mock those that believe it is inspired you may be condemning some of your heroes from the…

Early Testimony to the Date of Revelation

Today I found an interesting quote from Irenaeus. If you are unfamiliar with him, he was a minister not long after the time of the apostles. Many call them the apostolic Fathers or early church fathers. Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp. Polycarp is believed to be a disciple of the Apostle John. Here is…

John Gill on the Johannine Comma

One of the more crucial passages at the core of the debate over which family of manuscripts should be the basis for any Bible translation in any language is 1 John 5:7, also called the Johannine Comma. While it’s true that the passage is absent from the two older, Alexandrian manuscripts (dating to the 4th…

Short Note on the Preservation of the Word

Point to consider: If we found an ancient manuscript of a portion of God’s word, and this manuscript was considerably different than what we’ve recognized as God’s word throughout the centuries, rather than embracing the new text and altering our Bibles, we would keep our current reading. Why? It is a fundamental tenet of the…

Where There Is No Vision, The People Perish

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18 This verse is often quoted to show the importance of long term goals in the church, particularly in the mind of the pastor. A person would define “vision” as the goals or ambitions of the pastor….

The Superior English of the King James Version

By Benjamin Winslett The KJV’s English is superior to modern Bible versions in that it contains singular and plural pronouns (thee and thou, ye and you) and also first, second, and third person verb tenses (believe, believest, believeth). Modern versions lose the ability to communicate contextual information through the watering down of the language. EXAMPLE: And…

Which version of the Bible should I use?

By Josh Winslett For English speaking people, my preference and strong conviction is the King James (Authorized) Version. Here are some reasons why: Because it is a translation and not paraphrased. One of the today’s most popular versions, the NIV, is 10% paraphrased. In other words, 10% are in mans words and not Gods. There…