“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭2‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭KJB

One of the most important doctrines in all of scripture is the deity of Jesus Christ. If Jesus was not God in the flesh, then his perfect life, his death and resurrection could not save men from their sins. While it would certainly be supernatural (see, Lazarus), it would not have the power of God unto salvation. Only the blood of God can save us from sin, death and hell. Only God himself can conquer Satan (his creation), and deliver us from the eternal wrath we deserve. God did exactly that, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Islam says Jesus was merely a prophet. The New Age claims that Jesus was an ascended master. Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists claim that he was nothing more than an archangel (probably Michael). Therefore, as an evangelist, I need every single scripture that clearly and directly states that Jesus is God.

The men who deleted those key verses, Westcott & Hort, wrote the Greek text that ALL new version Bibles use as their New Testament foundation. Unfortunately, they neither liked nor believed the Bible (according to their letters published by their children after their deaths). They were hardcore Catholics (and proud occultists), who dedicated their lives to turning the Anglican Church to Rome via the Oxford Movement, and destroying the true biblical text, which happens to be the oldest and the best, despite the lies and half truths of most seminaries. See, The Tale of Two Greeks, a Brief History of the War Over God’s Eternal Word

Unfortunately, the Greek text used by the new version bibles (the 1881 “critical” Greek text and its progeny) along with the Greek Old Testament text (the corrupt Egyptian Septuagint), delete or neuter at least 6 excellent verses proving the deity of Christ. All of the verses I will comment on below are from either the ESV, which used the 1881 “critical” Greek text, which hails from Egypt, and the KJB, which used the Syrian “Textus Receptus” Greek text along with the Masoretic Hebrew text for the Old Testament. The two manuscripts used by the KJB were also used by every non-Catholic Bible on earth until the 1881, when Westcott & Hort’s critical Greek text was published…and the corrupt Revised Version soon followed.

As I mentioned, the deity of Christ was attacked even in the Old Testament. In the KJB, we see a clear prophecy of Jesus in Micah 5:2. It unambiguously established that a future “ruler,” (meaning the messiah), who will come from Bethlehem, is eternal, meaning that He is God:

“But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬ ‭KJB

In the ESV, while the coming messiah is prophesied to be REALLY old, ancient even, he is NOT eternal. That implies that Jesus is merely a created being, and thus, cannot be God:

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The new version edit to 1 Timothy 3:16 is an excellent example of how textual critics operate. In that verse (below), despite the fact that 253 of the 254 extant Greek manuscripts of 1 Timothy, have the word “God,” rather than the generic “he,” Westcott & Hort, the UBS, and Nestles Aland, reject it. Why would they do this? The answer: the original textual critics, Westcott & Hort, neither liked nor believed the Bible. Hort called the Textus Receptus vile and villainous. They didn’t believe in Eden, the flood, heaven, hell, and the blood atonement. They did however, worship Mary, took part in seances and believed in baptismal regeneration. That is why, in their eyes, one Egyptian/Catholic manuscript can trump 253 Syrian manuscripts:

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

As we can clearly see, “He” obliterates THE most important point made in a massive portion of the existing manuscripts: the one who was manifested in the flesh wasn’t just a “he.” He was God.

In the passage below, the reference to Jesus as God is clear but can be missed with a quick reading. In Revelation 1:6, Jesus is specifically called God, and then God the Father is named separately. It is one of the best and least cited deity of Christ verses in scripture. In fact, I’ve never seen it listed in any of the vast resources I have on the Bible version issue. There are two more like it, which I will address as well. There was no reason to rephrase any of these verses other than for the purpose of editing out the references to Jesus Christ as God (parentheses and emphasis below are my own):

“and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God (obviously Jesus) AND his Father (two separate persons); to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭KJB

In the ESV, Revelation 1:6 does not put any separation between the reference to God and the Father, making the verse, which originally established the deity of Christ, now only about the Father. The reference to Jesus as God was erased:

“and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

A similar nullification of Jesus as God is found in Galatians 1:4. Once again the separation between Jesus and the Father, which is in the Textus Receptus Greek, and thus, the KJB, is edited out.

“who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The phrase “our God AND Father” is, like in Revelation 1:6, pointing to a singular being, God the Father, while the KJB (below) unequivocally points to God AND the Father.

“who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God(Jesus) and our Father:”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬ ‭KJB

A third verse that does this exact same thing is found in James 1:27

“Pure religion and undefiled before God AND the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭27‬ ‭KJB

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Again, the only logical explanation for the extreme rephrasing in the three verses above is to nullify the references to Jesus as God. Knowing the character and beliefs of Westcott & Hort, it really shouldn’t be a surprise.

There is not a verse in the Bible that has faced more scrutiny than 1 John 5:7, as it is rendered in all 7 of the reformation bibles, including the Geneva, Tyndale and King James bibles. Not only is it an excellent deity of Christ verse, but it also illustrates the Trinity like no other verse in scripture. I believe that is why it is so often maligned.

Because this verse, as rendered in the aforementioned bibles, doesn’t show up in a Greek manuscript until the 15th century, it is dismissed out of hand by textual critics. However, is it in the three oldest existing bibles, which pre date the oldest critical Greek manuscripts by almost 200 years. These are: the Vetus Latina (aka, the original Latin Vulgate, (circa 148-420 AD), the Syrian Peshitta (circa 158 AD), and the Italla Bible (circa 159AD). In order for that verse to be in those bibles, there had to have been even earlier Greek manuscripts with it as well.

Furthermore, there are multiple quotations from early church leaders (Tertullian, Cyprian and Priscillian), which confirm its authenticity and antiquity. If it didn’t exist, they obviously wouldn’t quote it or even refer to it. I would love to write a long, detailed and vigorous defense of what is known as the Johannine Comma, but will save that for a future article.

Below is the rendering of 1 John 5:7 in the KJB, and the other previously mentioned Textus Receptus bibles:

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
‭‭1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬ KJB

Here is the verse, as rendered in the new versions, beginning with the 1881 Revised Version, which was translated in conjunction with Westcott & Hort’s 1881 critical Greek text verse 8 is included as well in order to show what was put in its place:

7”For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭7-8 ESV‬‬

This means exactly…nothing. I have no idea what the point of that verse, as rendered, is. The spirit, water and blood testify – and agree?? How exactly do water and blood do that? So, while this verse destroys perfect references to both the trinity and deity of Jesus Christ, it also transforms it into nothing more than nonsense.

Epilogue

I could go on and on about many more of the horrific corruptions in the new version bibles thanks to the fraudulent Greek text they ALL use. Because this issue is so fundamental to our faith and understanding of God, I have written six articles about it (see below). Verses on repentance, false teachers, believer’s baptism, the blood of Christ, dealing with heretics, withdrawing from those who equate godliness with financial gain, the compassion of Jesus, a warning on false science (like evolution), and of course, the deity of Christ have been edited in a way that weakens them in terms of their intended repetition, or they are simply destroyed altogether.

If this topic interests you, I’d encourage you to read the first article below, one that I’ve spent 13 years researching, writing and updating. I actually began my extensive examination of the Bible version issue while I was still a long-time NIV lover. I did not want to switch to the KJB, but the evidence for the Textus Receptus Greek was absolutely incontrovertible. All the arguments against it contains either lies, half truths or critical omissions. Jesus said “thy word is truth,” but not if it’s been intentionally corrupted by proud and notorious heretics.

Other articles by this author:

The Bible Version Controversy: Tale of Two Greeks

Another Reason for the KJB: One Man’s Torment at the Hands of the NASB

Desedirius Erasmus: Reformer, Iconoclast and Hero of the Faith

Repentance, Salvation and the Bible Version Issue: Yes, it Really Does Matter

The Mark of the Beast and the New Bible Versions: A Subtle but Critical Change

Unanswered Prayer: What do the Scriptures say about this important Topic?

The Certainly and Supremacy of Scripture

My Evangelism Trip through the Beauty and Darkness, of the Florida keys and Key West

Jacob, Esau and Vessels of Wrath: Romans 9 Rightly Divided(meaning not as the Calvinists do it)

Limited Atonement and Unconditional Election: Does Everyone HAve an Opportunity to be Saved?

Hell and The Wrath of God

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