Why do we use only the KJV in our worship Services?

2Tim.3:16. Pray.

Some people have approached us recently who found our website on the world-wide-web. They found us as they were searching for a King James Only Church. While talking with them and answering some of their questions, it dawned on me that I have never preached a sermon on this topic. I’m sure I’ve taught on it but I cannot find a single sermon outline of mine on this topic alone. Why do we use only the KJV in our worship services? The topic is worthy of a series of lessons and perhaps we will put together such a series one of these days but for now let us answer the question as best as we can with this one sermon. One of my favorite sayings is “God is real, God has spoken and God cannot lie.” With that foundation, let us consider 5 points about our text.

  1. We believe all scripture is inspired by God. 2Tim.3:16a.
  2. Not every written word is scripture. Scripture is God breathed. 2Pet.1:20-21. 1Thess.2:13. Heb.4:12-13. Christ is the living word of God and the Bible is the written word of God that tells us of Him. Most of the modern Bibles leave out Christ in many places where He is found in the KJV.
  3. Not every author writes God breathed words. Shakespear? No. Peter, Paul, James and John? YES! Literary inspiration is not the same as God breathed words.
  4. Not every translator is infallible, in fact, none of them are infallible. So…
  5. Not every “KJV ONLY” man is a “Ruckmanite.” What’s that?

A. A man named Ruckman & his followers teach that the KJV translators were inspired of God & their words in the KJV supersede and even correct the original autographs written by the O.T Prophets and the N.T. writers. We use only the KJV in our worship services but we do NOT believe the KJV translators gave us the KJV to correct what God inspired the writers of the 66 books in the original autographs wrote. No, we have God’s words today because God preserved them for us in the textus receptus.This is also called the “received text”. More about this in a moment.

  1. We believe all scripture is prophitable for doctrine. 2Tim.3:16b.
  2. Scripture brings good teaching to men. The most important teaching of them all is the doctrine of Christ and His gospel. 1Cor.15:1-4.
  3. Scripture in the original autographs have perished over time. The papyrus became spoiled and crumbled away. Does that mean we donot have God’s word anymore? No. Why? This is the heart of this issue.
  4. Scriptureis preserved in thousands of copies in the textus receptus.

A. We still have the God breathed words of the original autographs in the form of the textus receptus but there are other old texts, like the Westcott and Hort texts, which have been tampered with and corrupted. The Westcott and Hort texts are what most of the modern translations come from. These texts are older and unused because they were discarded and found later in a waste can of an old Catholic Monastery. Older texts are not necessarily better. The texts of the textus receptus are younger because they were what the people of God used and often wore out, which is why there are more of them due to more copies being made to replace the used ones.

  1. Scripture in the textus receptus is the same as the original autographs.
  1. We believe all scripture is for reproof. 2Tim.3:16c.
  2. The 66 books of the canon are what tests and proves all men & all things.

A. The canon is the one and only rule that settles all issues. Isa.8:20.

  1. The 66 books of the canon are the plenary word of God. Rev.22:18-19.

A. The canon is the full and complete system of order. 1Cor.13:9-10.

  1. The 66 books of the canon sum up the final authority on all matters. Lk.4:16-21. Everything about Christ was a fulfillment of scripture. Yes! Our King James Bible proves that Christ is who He said He is.
  1. We believe all scripture is for correction. 2Tim.3:16d.
  2. The Bible, as properly translated from the textus receptus, sets things right. Our King James Bible can indeed correct the modern Bibles.
  3. The Bible from the textus receptus can correct all Bibles from the corrupted texts like Westcott and Hort. Why use them when you can have a real Bible, a good King James edition of the words of God. Jn.10:34-36.
  4. We believe all scripture is for instruction in righteousness. 2Tim.3:16e.
  5. Faith in scripture and Christ bring righteousness. Rom.4:3.
  6. Faith in scripture will not bring shame. Rom.10:11.
  7. Faith in scripture brings salvation to even the Gentiles. Gal.3:8,

Conclusion: Knowing there aremany other questions that might be asked on this topic, we pray that this condensed presentation on inspired scripture is sufficient for the moment. Think about the meaning of various different terms used in a discussion like this. Terms like inspiration, preservation, illumination, application, sanctification, activation and so on. Do we believe the KJV is better than the modern versions? Yes. Is the text for the KJV complete and uncorrupted from the original autographs? Yes. Do the modern translations have any good things about them at all? Yes but coming from an incomplete and corrupted text, they cannot be trusted like the King James. Hasn’t there been several different editions of the King James since the 1611 edition that corrected mistranslations and errors found in the early editions? Yes but those corrections were mostly on printing errors, which were very common in the early years of the printing press and did in no way destroy the reliability or integrity of the book being printed as a whole. Furthermore, asking foolish questions about the use of words like dragon and unicorn is not enough of an argument to cause a rational person to toss a KJV in the trash for something that comes from a textual manuscript that is faulty in the first place. That is all. AMEN.