Topic #3a: THE NIV & THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

I realize this is a long post, but I wanted to include as much supporting evidence as space would reasonably allow.  My basic point is that we all should exercise some due diligence when it comes to which translation of the Bible we’re using.   Some versions admitedly are easier to understand than others; however, for myself this isn’t a valid biblical reason to reject the KJV.  After all, Owner’s Manuals are seldom easy to read, but if I want to operate the equipment properly (or use that new computer, or digital camera, or HDTV, etc), I diligently read and study the specifications so that I have an adequate understanding the equipment. I said to myself, “shouldn’t I be at least as diligent with God’s Word?”

If after reading this post each visitor reflects just a bit more than before on the accuracy of the translation he/she is using and perhaps even goes so far as to compare them with the original Greek & Hebrew texts (using Strong’s Concordance at (www.blueletterbible.org/index.html), then this post will have served its purpose.   
 

May the Lord Jesus Christ bless each of us. 

One of the more unfaithful modern Bible versions on the market today is the New International Version.  Many verses have been identified below which omit the name of Jesus, Christ, Lord, Son of Man, etc. These names are associated with the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. This attack is designed to make Jesus appear that He is less than God. 

The Bible is about the Lord Jesus Christ and translations that repeatedly attempt to belittle Him are evidence to me that they aren’t God glorifying but are enemy plants in the sheep’s pasture. 

Mat 8:29)
KJV – And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

NIV – “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
 

(Mat 13:36)
KJV – Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

NIV – Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
 

(Mat 13:51)
KJV – Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

NIV – “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked. “Yes,” they replied.
 

(Mat 15:30)
KJV – And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them:

NIV – Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.
 

(Mat 16:20)
KJV – Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

NIV – Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
 

(Mat 17:20)
KJV – And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

NIV – He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
 

(Mat 18:2)
KJV – And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

NIV – He called a little child and had him stand among them.
 

(Mat 18:11)
KJV – For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

NIV – Omitted
 

(Mat 23:8)
KJV – But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

NIV – “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.
 

(Mat 24:2)
KJV – And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

NIV – “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
 

(Mat 25:13)
KJV – Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

NIV – “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
 

(Mat 28:6)
KJV – He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

NIV – He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
 

(Mark 5:13)
KJV – And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

NIV – He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
 

(Mark 6:33

KJV – And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.
 

NIV – But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.
 

(Mark 7:27)
KJV – But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

NIV – “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”
 

(Mark 9:24)
KJV – And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

NIV – Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
 

(Mark 11:10)
KJV – Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

NIV – “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!”
 

(Mark 11:14)
KJV – And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

NIV – Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

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The following verse is very serious attack on the Lord Jesus Christ by the NIV.

Luke 2:22
KJV – And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

NIV – When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord

If you notice in the above verse, that Mary, after giving birth was required to go through a period of purification for 42 days according to the law found in Leviticus 12. If the child was a male, he was to be circumcised on the 8th day but the child was not to be purified, only the mother. If you notice the King James Bible states that clearly. However, when we look at the NIV, it clearly states that both Mary and Jesus had to go through purification. Jesus Christ was sinless and did not need to be purified from any sin, yet the NIV teaches that Jesus had to be purified. They are teaching that the Lord Jesus Christ was born with sin and had to be purified according to the Law. The King James Bible specifically states that only Mary was to be purified.  The bottom line is that a singular word was changed to a plural word in the corrupted texts, resulting in another attack on the Lord Jesus Christ in the area of Him being without sin.

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(Luke 4:41)
KJV – And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

NIV – Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.
 

(Luke 7:22)
KJV – Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

NIV – So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
 

(Luke 7:31)
KJV – And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?

NIV – “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?
 

(Luke 9:56)
KJV – For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

NIV – and they went to another village.
 

(Luke 9:57)
KJV – And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

NIV – As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
 

(Luke 13:25)
KJV – When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:

NIV – Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
 

(Luke 22:31)
KJV – And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

NIV – “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.
 

(Luke 23:42)
KJV – And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

NIV – Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
 

(John 4:16)
KJV – Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

NIV – He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
 

(John 4:42)
KJV – And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

NIV – They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
 

(John 4:46)
KJV – So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.

NIV – Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.
 

(John 6:69)
KJV – And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

NIV – We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
 

(John 8:20)
KJV – These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.

NIV – He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.
 

(John 9:35)
KJV – Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?

NIV – Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
 

(John 19:38)
KJV – And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

NIV – Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away.
 

(Acts 2:30)
KJV – Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

NIV – But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.
 

(Acts 3:26)
KJV – Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

NIV – When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
 

(Acts 4:24)
KJV – And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:

NIV – When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
 

(Acts 8:37)
KJV – And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

NIV – Omitted
 

(Acts 9:5-6)
KJV – And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. {6} And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

NIV – {5} “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. {6} “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
 

(Acts 9:29)
KJV – And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him.

NIV – He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him.
 

(Acts 15:11)
KJV – But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

NIV – No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
 

(Acts 16:31)
KJV – And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

NIV – They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.”
 

(Acts 19:4)
KJV – Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

NIV – Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”
 

(Acts 19:10)
KJV – And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

NIV – This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
 

(Acts 20:21)
KJV – Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV – I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
 

(Acts 22:16)
KJV – And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

NIV – And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’
 

(Rom 1:16)
KJV – For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

NIV – I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
 

(Rom 6:11)
KJV – Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

NIV – In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
 

(Rom 14:6)
KJV – He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

NIV – He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
 

(Rom 15:8)
KJV – Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

NIV – For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs
 

(Rom 16:18)
KJV – For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

NIV – For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
 

(Rom 16:24)
KJV – The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

NIV – Omitted

(1 Cor 5:4)
KJV – In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

NIV – When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,
 

—- In the interest of space, I’ll skip to Revelation —

 

(Rev 1:9)
KJV – I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

NIV – I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
 

(Rev 5:14)
KJV – And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

NIV – The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
 

(Rev 12:17)
KJV – And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

NIV – Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring–those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
 

(Rev 16:5)
KJV – And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.

NIV – Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: “You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged;
 

(Rev 19:1)
KJV – And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

NIV – After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
 

(Rev 22:21)
KJV – The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

NIV – The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

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Why is the name of the Lord Jesus separated from deity in many NIV verses?

In many of the NIV verses identified above we’ve seen that when the name “Jesus Christ” is mentioned, we will either see  “Jesus” is omitted or “Christ” is omitted.  There is a deliberate reason for this. 

The line of manuscripts which underlie the modern versions came out of Alexandria, Egypt.  Alexandria was the center of learning and had a library of 600,000 books, so all the scholars went to Alexandria to learn. However, it was also the center of heresy. Great heretics such as Origen was there. Origen was a Gnostic and an enemy of Christianity.

A great heresy had begun to surface among this Anti-Christ crowd and that was the belief that matter was evil and good could not co-exist in the same body. As a matter of fact, the Gnostics believed that only through knowledge can one become a free person. In the Greek knowledge is “gnosis.”

From that camp came a heretical belief about the Lord Jesus which is openly seen in the modern versions. The modern versions are Gnostic in origin and are by no means the Word of God. In the second century the belief rose about the Lord Jesus that He was just a common man of tremendous morality which resulted in God adopting Him into His family, making Him a divine son. They believed that Jesus received the “Christ Spirit” at His baptism. This means that Jesus became Christ at His baptism. This teaching was widely accepted and the fact that Jesus was Christ from eternity was rejected. They believed that Jesus’ flesh and the Christ spirit were united for a period of time, but they remained separate personages.

This same belief system was adapted by a man named Nestorius who also believed and taught that Christ was two persons, flesh and Spirit, and the divine part of Christ remained separate from the human part of Christ. It became known as Nestorianism and was condemned as a heresy in 431 AD. Nestorius was the Patriarch of Constantinople from 428-431 AD. Even though he was deposed for being a heretic, the teaching spread widely.Now enter the modern Bibles. Since their manuscript line became corrupted in the second century by Origen and other Gnostic heretics, the modern versions continue to render the Gnostic heresies of the 2nd Century.

This is why you will see in the modern versions, the separation of Jesus from Christ, because the modern versions and their translators do not believe that Jesus is God. God never gave His Word to unsaved men to correct the Manuscripts. In 1881, the Gnostic manuscripts were revived by two Roman Catholic Professors from Cambridge, Hort and Westcott, who disbelieved the deity of Christ and created the Revised Version of 1881, which was not a revised version but a completely new translation from the Gnostic manuscripts from Alexandria.

God gives us warnings in Scripture concerning the denial of Christ.  When we use one of the many modern versions which deny the deity of Christ, then we are unconsciously and/or unintentionally advocating that Jesus is not God:

(1 John 2:22 KJV) Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

(1 John 4:2-3 KJV) Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: {3} And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

(1 John 5:1 KJV) Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

(2 John 1:7 KJV) For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

Scripture calls these people who reject the Lord Jesus as coming in the flesh as liars and deceivers.  This begs the question, “Why would we still want to use their Bibles?”

(Rev 21:8 KJV) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

SUMMARY:  Our eternal souls depend upon how we view Christ and the only way we can view Him is through the eyes of Scripture. If we use a Gnostic version, then we are siding with the Gnostics that Christ is not God.  If we do not view Him as God, then He is not our Savior either.  Let us all choose this day whom we will serve.

To God Be The Glory!