Recognizing the Canon, Text & Faithful Translation of Scripture
BY VCG 7/30/2026
Dear friend, begin by distinguishing God’s inspired revelation from the particular printed Bible you hold in your hand.
1. What Scripture says about itself
The Bible presents Scripture as originating with God through human writers:
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”— 2 Timothy 3:16
“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man:
but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”— 2 Peter 1:21
Strictly speaking, inspiration belongs to what the prophets and apostles wrote—not automatically to every later copy, typesetting decision, marginal heading, or translation.
2. Three separate questions
When someone asks,
“Which Scripture is correct?”
they may be asking three different things.
Which books belong in the Bible?
Protestants generally receive the 66 books from Genesis through Revelation.
Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions include additional Old Testament books or portions, while all three major traditions share the same 27-book New Testament.
The Protestant case for the 66-book canon rests principally upon:
the Old Testament Scriptures received in the Hebrew canon;
Christ’s and the apostles’ treatment of the Law, Prophets, and Writings;
apostolic origin or authorization for New Testament books;
widespread recognition among early Christian congregations;
consistency with previously received revelation.
The table of contents in the uploaded King James Bible contains these 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books.
This does not mean a church council created Scripture by voting.
The more defensible Protestant position is that the churches recognized writings already possessing prophetic or apostolic authority.
Which underlying wording is correct?
The Old Testament was written predominantly in Hebrew, with some Aramaic; the New Testament was written in Greek.
The original handwritten documents no longer survive, but many copies, ancient translations, and quotations remain.
The existence of manuscript differences should neither be concealed nor exaggerated
Most involve matters such as spelling, word order, repeated words, or whether a phrase was included.
Some are more meaningful and deserve careful examination.
Therefore, one should ask:
- Which reading has the strongest and broadest manuscript support?
- Which reading best explains how the alternatives arose?
- What did the author most likely write in this context?
- How was the passage quoted or understood elsewhere?
- Is a doctrine being built upon one genuinely disputed wording?
Textual comparison is not unbelief. It is an attempt to determine carefully what was written.
Which translation is correct?
A translation can faithfully communicate God’s Word without reproducing every Hebrew or Greek construction with one fixed English word.
The King James translators themselves said that translations should be tested by the Hebrew and Greek “fountains.”
They consulted earlier translations and commentators, revised their own work, and placed alternative readings in the margins where more than one rendering was plausible.
They also rejected the notion that a Hebrew or Greek word must always be translated by exactly the same English word.
They wrote that preserving the sense was essential, while English synonyms could legitimately differ according to context.
Most importantly, they did not claim that only one English translation could be called God’s Word.
They argued that even translations containing some imperfections could properly bear that name, just as a translated royal speech remains the king’s speech.
They noted that the apostles themselves used the Greek Old Testament even though it did not agree with the Hebrew wording at every point.
3. Where does that leave the King James Bible?
The King James Version is a serious, historically important, doctrinally sound English translation.
A person can learn the gospel, grow in sound doctrine, and study Scripture deeply through it.
But Scripture nowhere says:
that God would produce one exclusively perfect English translation in 1611;
that one later Cambridge printing would be uniquely inspired;
that every other faithful translation is corrupt;
or that the translators themselves would be infallible.
The KJV translators did not make those claims for themselves.
They recognized difficult passages, alternate readings, legitimate revision, and the value of consulting multiple translations.
They described translation as opening the window so that ordinary people could understand the original-language Scriptures.
Therefore, I would neither despise the KJV nor elevate it to a status that the biblical text and its own translators did not claim.
4. A trustworthy way to examine the matter
Use the KJV as your principal reading Bible if its language is understandable to you.
Then, when a doctrinal question or unusual expression appears:
- Read the entire paragraph and book context.
- Compare other faithful translations.
- Examine cross-references.
- Consult the Hebrew or Greek evidence through reputable tools.
- Note whether the passage contains a known textual variant.
- Refuse to build a major doctrine on one obscure or disputed phrase.
- Test every teacher—even a beloved one—against Scripture.
The Bereans were praised because:
“They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”— Acts 17:11
Notice the balance: they received readily, but they also searched carefully.
Faith was not gullibility, and examination was not unbelief.
5. The clearest doctrines are not hidden in one disputed verse
The central biblical message is repeated throughout Scripture:
- God created all things.
- Humanity has sinned.
- Jesus Christ is the promised Son of God and Messiah.
- He died for sins.
- He rose bodily from the dead.
- Forgiveness and eternal life are offered through him.
- God commands repentance, faith, holiness, love, and perseverance.
- Christ will return and judge the world.
These truths do not rest upon one English spelling, one publishing house, or one contested manuscript line.
They run through the Law, Prophets, Gospels, and apostolic writings.
6. My honest conclusion
The correct Scripture is the prophetic and apostolic Word God originally gave.
We seek its wording through the surviving Hebrew and Greek evidence and receive it through translations that communicate that wording faithfully.
You do not need to believe that every translation is equally good.
They are not.
Some are more literal, some more interpretive, and some contain questionable theological choices.
But the choice is not simply:
“One English edition is perfect, or God’s Word has been lost.”
God’s Word was being read, copied, preached, and translated centuries before modern English existed.
A faithful translation is truly Scripture insofar as it accurately communicates what the inspired writings say.
Hold your Bible reverently—but worship the God who spoke, not the binding, publisher, typeface, or name printed on its cover.
Search patiently, compare honestly, and never be frightened by careful examination.
Truth does not fear examination.
Recognizing the Canon, Text & Faithful Translation of Scripture
Recognizing the Canon, Text & Faithful Translation of Scripture – Library of Rickandria