What does it mean to be a Bible-believer?

This is a question that I hear (and sometimes receive) with relative frequency. Basically there are two ways to define what it means to be a "Bible-believer."

1.     When it comes to the English Bible debate, the term "Bible-believer" is one who believes that the Authorized King James Bible is the sole authority for anyone who speaks English.

2.     This term is also used when defining someone who believes that the English Bible (the KJB) has not a single error in it, and is thus is the absolute and final authority for all matters of faith, and practice, for the Christian life.

I do not doubt that there are people on the opposite side of the aisle in the English Bible debate who view their Bible as authoritative. But there is a key difference between the AV/KJB-Only Bible-believer and the Non AV/KJB-Only Bible-believer: Inerrancy of the English text. You cannot believe that the English Bible has an error in it, and be a Bible-believer.

Not one of the modern version defenders that I have read believes that a translation of any kind can be perfect, and that it will have errors in it. Now, many of these people are good people, and have simply taken the word of someone else - generally a college professor, preacher, or friend - instead of thinking it out for themselves. If they had, they would see just how ridiculous their position is.

Allow me to explain.....

If a translation cannot be perfect, then you are going to have a serious problem with much of the written text - in any form: original or translation. You see, some of the Bible was written down after the fact, and some of it was translated into a different language when it was first penned, than when it was spoken. For example: Joseph spoke Egyptian when his brothers came to Egypt to purchase grain during the famine. He did not speak to them in Hebrew - yet it was written in Hebrew many years later for the first time. Another example, this time from the New Testament: In the book of John, chapter 21, we have the famous passage of Christ asking Peter "lovest thou me?". In this passage, nearly every preacher will get up and quote the Greek words "agape" and "phileo" in regards to what Jesus was asking Peter. What they apparently forget is that Jesus and Peter did not speak Greek to each other; they more than likely spoke Hebrew. So to say that Jesus' questions were asked in Greek originally is simply not true.

In a nut-shell, a Bible-believer takes the Bible at face value and does not question it. He/she accepts it exactly as it is - the word of God - and acts accordingly. If they don't understand something, they do not question the accuracy of what is written in English, they merely get on their knees and talk to the Author and ask for wisdom concerning what they don't understand. They do not switch to another version of the English Bible; they trust the accuracy of the God-honored and time tested KJB. They do not run to another language that they cannot fully understand to interpret a language that they can understand; they simply keep reading the pure word of God that is before them, and allow for the Author to explain it along the way.

I hope this has helped clear up what it means to be a true Bible-believer.

God Bless!