THE SCRIPTURES ALONE

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

We have not always had the Bible we enjoy today. For over half of the 2,000+ years of church history there was no Bible readily available to the common man outside of a small number held by scholars and the church hierarchy. The King James Version is the greatest and most widely accepted English translation of the Bible. The KJV we have today (the 1769 Cambridge Edition) is the seventh edition of the ninth translation of the scriptures. And statistics indicate the KJV is read five times more than the modern New International Version.

In 1604 King James I appointed a translation committee consisting of fifty-four of the most brilliant minds of the time. Their work; named after their king was published in 1611. Interestingly, ninety percent of the KJV came from prior versions, namely the Tyndale, Coverdale and Geneva Bibles. But it is the relationship between the Geneva and the King James Version that has an interesting and ironic twist.

King James hated the Geneva Bible and specifically instructed his translators to avoid using the Geneva as a source document unless absolutely necessary. James’ contempt for the Geneva Bible was that it included two commentary notes supporting resistance to corrupt authorities (Exodus 1:9; 2 Chronicles 15:16). Needless to say, the translation committee ignored the king and used more of the Geneva than any other source. The narcissistic king could not stand any one (or thing) challenging the authority of his position.

There has always been a conflict between man’s arrogance and God’s authority. Jesus’ authority as the Son of God was challenged during His earthly ministry (Mark 11:27-33). God’s Word is the perfect reflection of His mind (Philippians 2:5), and is authoritative whether it is believed or obeyed (Exodus 7:1-4; Revelation 22:18-19). The authority of the Bible is tied to its inspiration and sufficiency; the Sola Scriptura, Latin for “the Scriptures Alone.” Earthly rulers and potentates may use their given authority to promote themselves and silence their enemies, but it is God and His holy Word that stands above all (Matthew 5:18). Sola Scriptura---the Scriptures Alone. Think about it.