I’m stepping out on a limb here, but I want to discuss something that many (maybe even most) Christians believe — but they might not know why they believe it, or even realize that they do.

But first, I have a question:

Have you heard of the term “KJV-only”?

And if you have, would you describe it as a positive or negative thing?

Negative, right? At least that’s been my experience with the term. In fact, I was one of the people who used it negatively whenever anyone would try to convince me to read the King James Bible.

Chances are, if you’ve heard about KJV-only-ism, it was from someone scorning it. Or from someone who wanted to disregard other Christians who trust the King James Bible to be God’s pure and perfect words, without error, in English today.

Most of the time, the term “KJV-only” is used by critics of the King James Bible to discourage other people from reading it — or from listening to the people who do.

KJV-only or originals-only?

Here is another question:

Since you’ve heard the term KJV-only, have you taken time to consider, perhaps, that the opposite view exists?

It’s the one that claims God gave his word perfectly *only* in the originals. But then man intervened and proceeded to mess them up, so that none of the bibles we have today can be considered 100% perfect and without error.

As a result, men are constantly changing or updating God’s words in a futile and never-ending effort to find for “what God really meant” in the originals.

You’ll find this philosophy on the websites of a lot of churches, when they say in their doctrinal statements: “We believe the word of God was inspired (only) in the originals….”

In other words, just like people who believe the King James Bible is the only trustworthy Bible in English today, so do originals-onlyists believe that God’s perfect words can be found only be found in “the originals.”

Originals onlyism: What is it?

Originals-onlyism is the belief that God perfectly inspired his words one time, when they were first given. But then he left them in the hands of man to preserve. And since imperfect, sinful man in his own strength can never preserve the perfect words of God, they are forever lost as God spoke them.

According to those who put their faith in the originals, man’s best hope is to continually search the Greek and Hebrew dictionaries, consult the scholars, flip through concordances, and wait expectantly for new archeological evidence. Because then, some day, maybe, we might be able to reconstruct what God inspired but man has lost. Until then, we are left to pick and choose the version we like and understand, the one that seems right in our own eyes. Or we must trust the scholars and their footnotes when they said, “The oldest and best manuscripts say….”

Can you see how this belief is actually unbelief? And because of the lack of certainly of the words (Proverbs 22:21) the church is ripe for deception.

There’s one very big problem with this originals-only philosophy: The originals do not now exist — nor have they ever — in book form anywhere on earth. Which means the whole concept of finding out what God said in “the originals” is futile, because we can never know.

Originals-only-ism denies the nature of God: That he is the Author and Finisher of our faith. That what he inspired he will preserve. And that what he spoke in one language, he can perfectly communicate in any other language of his choosing.

And, if we’re being honest, do we really want to put our faith in a God who can inspire his words one time but then has no power to preserve them?

That’s not the God of the Bible.

That’s not the God who has the power to raise Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, from the dead.

That’s not the God who preserves and translates us (Colossians 1:13) into the kingdom of his dear Son.

As a side note, some who are proponents of originals-only-ism refer not just to the original manuscripts as the only repository of truth, but even view the original languages as superior to English. They find it hard to believe that a new language can carry more meaning than an original language, or that one language can be translated accurately into a new language.

To which I would ask: Who is the inventor of language? And who foreknew that in the fullness of time, from the invention of the printing press, that English would be the world-wide language in these last days?

(Which leads to another question: Do I really need to learn Hebrew or Greek to know what God is saying to me in my language? But that’s a post for another day.) 😉

Is originals-onlyism biblical?

I think after reading this far, you might already know the answer to this question. But I would challenge you to search the scriptures and try to find even one reference to a time when God tells his people that only the first time he breathed out his words were they inspired. (Hint: It’s not there.)

If you study the scriptures as God tell us in 2 Timothy 2:15 (the King James Version being the only version that tells us to study), you won’t be able to find the concept of originals-onlyism anywhere.

Nowhere is Scripture does God place a higher value on “originals” than he does on a copy or translation.

In fact, what you’ll find is the opposite: Multiple times, in multiple places, centuries-old copies of his words are called scripture (2 Timothy 3:15, for example, and Luke 4:21).

God has always worked through copies when originals have been destroyed (check out the Ten Commandments in Exodus), even adding new information when he gives his words to his people again. I don’t want to spoil all the fun of studying this for yourself, but Jeremiah 36 is a great place to start.

The truth is, originals-only-ism is nowhere to be found in the Bible. And if you are blindly following your church’s statement of faith on this topic, I encourage you to look into it for yourself before jumping on the originals-only bandwagon.

Be a Berean and search the scriptures.

I really appreciate what Brandon Peterson says about this current trend in his book Sealed by the King:

“Original-only philosophy assumes God’s words were *once* supernaturally inspired: prophets once moved by the Holy Ghost, but thereafter preserved by mankind. Supernaturally inspired by God but naturally preserved by man.

“There is a massive problem with this philosophy.

“If you believe the Bible is truly God’s word… may I ask you to do something?

“Search the scriptures. Be a Berean. And prove ‘original-onlyism’ from the Bible. Search for yourself and see if this ‘originals-only’ philosophy is derived from the living word of God, or if, perhaps, it originates from the feeble wisdom of men?

“If you do, you will come to the same conclusion millions of KJB believers around the world have come to: The Bible doesn’t say anything about ‘only the original scriptures’ being inspired. In fact, it says the opposite.”

All scripture is inspired.

What the Bible actually says, in no uncertain terms, is that God himself is the one who preserves and will continue to preserve his word:

The words of the LORD are pure words:
as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Thou shalt keep them, O LORD,
thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

Psalm 12:6-7

The idea that God inspired ONLY the originals, and then left them to the faulty copying, reproduction, and translating whims of man, means ultimately that there is and can never be a perfect Bible on earth today.

But the Bible itself says that all scripture is given by inspiration of God — which means it is still being given.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

2 Timothy: 3:16-17

Scripture is by definition inspired. So it makes no difference if we are hearing scripture as it is spoken the first time, or repeated for the four millionth time. If it is scripture, it was and is still perfect, infallible, and inspired.

All scripture is given by God — it is and always has been living and active, eternal, working in our hearts today just as it was the very first day God spoke it.

Why does it matter?

The question, ultimately, comes down to this:

Did God inspire his words and preserve them, as he promised? Or did he put them out there one time, and then abandon them to sinful man to them?

If you believe God gave his words to us for all generations, and that the King James Bible is the only English version that is authorized and sealed by God himself, you might calls yourself KJB-only.

If you believe God was only powerful enough to eek out his words in the originals, and that they exist nowhere on earth today where we can find them, handle them, or read them in one infallible book, this is a belief in the doctrine of originals only.

Chances are, this originals-only philosophy is even in your church’s doctrinal statement. Take a minute to check it out on your church’s website. I’d love for you to copy and paste what you find in the comments.

The statement of faith that says, “We believe God’s words are (were) infallible (only) in the originals,” is actually saying that, as a church, they actually don’t believe there is a Bible today that contains those perfect words. It’s a sneaky and deceptive (dare I say ‘subtil’) way of expressing disbelief and doubt.

The most important thing when it comes to this doctrine (or any other) is for every Christian to be a Berean — to study the scriptures, and to see whether these things are so.

As much as we might like the pastor or scholar, everything anyone claims to be from the Bible should be considered false until proven true. And it’s the job of each of us as believer to know our Bibles well enough to affirm or deny what they say.

Also, don’t let any other believer tell you this isn’t an important issue. God himself has magnified his word above all his name (Psalm 138:2) — and therefore because we love him, we should love and magnify what he loves and magnifies.

One final thought for the day: How can we trust a God to preserve our souls and translate us into his kingdom if he is not powerful enough to preserve and translate even his own words? (Look up all of the instances and forms of preserve and translate in the King James Bible, and you’ll be well on your way to studying this important topic.)

I pray this article was a blessing and pray that God himself will speak to you through his word as you study your King James Bible.