Bible Doctrine
Your King James Bible Tells You That God Was Manifest In The Flesh As Jesus Christ, A Precious Truth Snuffed Out In Nearly All The Modern Versions

1 Timothy 3:16 in the King James Bible shows you God manifest in the flesh, a truth snuffed out by nearly all the modern versions
There is a verse in 1 Timothy 3 in your King James Bible that is one of the most-powerful verses anywhere in either Testament showing you the deity of Jesus Christ in clear and precises terms. This verse tells us that “God was manifest in the flesh”, that is to say that God the Father put Himself inside a human body to make Himself open and visible. Paul declares this clarion truth to us, and nearly every one of the modern versions take that truth and erase it from the passage like it was never there.
“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 (KJB)
Of course, this is the teaching of the Bible, giving you written proof that God prepared Himself a body in order to come into this world as the sinless Saviour. Isaiah show us God the Father, born into this world as a baby, who grows to be the Saviour of mankind and the King of the world. We see these verses so often at “Christmas” that they become stripped of their prophetic power and meaning, reduced to being used as fodder for greeting cards.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:6,7 (KJB)
Jesus Christ is not a “second God”, he is the Father in human form, that’s exactly Who He is. It is the Roman Catholics who tell you about “God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost”, but the Bible doesn’t say any such thing. The Bible says that it is God – Father, Son and Spirit – in one body, Paul calls this the Godhead, and so it is. So why would all the “easier to read” modern versions want to prevent you from receiving and understanding this clear and precious truth about God? It’s an attack on the deity of Jesus Christ which they all love to do. With that in mind, let’s do a quick comparison between the King James and the modern versions.
KING JAMES BIBLE: “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 (KJB) Using zero footnotes, Paul tells us that God, the Father, was manifest in the flesh of Jesus Christ, in such clear language that controversy and private interpretation becomes impossible. This is why the modern versions take it out.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION: “Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit,[fn] was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (NIV). Doesn’t tell you who the “He” is, could be God, could be the Devil. Footnote added to sow doubt in your mind about the accuracy of the passage. Billy Graham was a paid spokesperson for the NIV.
ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION: “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He[fn] was manifested in the flesh, vindicated[fn] by the Spirit,[fn] seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (ESV) Doesn’t tell you who the “He” is, could be God, could be the Devil. Multiple footnotes added to sow doubt in your mind about the accuracy of the passage.
LEGACY STANDARD BIBLE: “And by common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was manifested in the flesh, Was [fn]vindicated [fn]in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (LSB) This is the version championed by John McArthur, which is basically a slightly updated ESV. Doesn’t tell you who the “He” is, could be God, could be the Devil. Multiple footnotes added to sow doubt in your mind about the accuracy of the passage.
And the Grand Prize for biblical heresy is reserved, of course, for the Roman Catholic Church, these being the same people who at every turn try and tell you that they are the ones who “gave us the Bible”. Nothing could be further from the truth or more laughable.
DOUAY-RHEIMS BIBLE: “And evidently great is the mystery of godliness, which was manifested in the flesh, was justified in the spirit, appeared unto angels, hath been preached unto the Gentiles, is believed in the world, is taken up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (DRB) The modern versions all remove the word “God” and substitute it with the word “He”, leaving you with a masculine being of some sort to contend with. Pure garbage, but the Catholics do worse. They take the “He” that modern versions reduced God to and substitutes it for the neuter “which”.
Christian, your Bible is under attack and the sooner you figure that out the better off you will be. This is not a matter of “King James Onlyism” as our opponents mockingly suggest, this is a war designed to rip God’s preserved word right out of your hands and replace it with cut-rate slop like the modern versions.
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