"To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality,
eternal life..." -
In some religious circles we have been hearing that the KJV is too hard to understand. We hear it so much that many of us are tempted to believe it. The common complaint is that there is a need for something easier to understand and that all the "Thee" and "Thou" is more than the average English speaking person can understand. The professors of theology in the universities are saying that we must have the new translations and that they are the only ones capable of understanding the old English of the KJV.
Yet in these same schools and even in high schools we have English teachers that insist that people should read and understand Shakespeare. They have required reading of some of the most sinister stories cooked up in the imagination of a warped mind. No one makes the claim that these tales are too difficult for people to read and yet the language of these writings is older and harder to understand than is the language of the KJV. The students who are subjected to these stories are told that they must learn and understand this stuff. Some are expected to act out on a stage the stories. No one suggests to these students that it is beyond their comprehension. They are not given new translations of Shakespeare and told to learn that. No they are told to study it out.
So why are we being told that we need new translations of the Bible? Because something more than words are being changed. The theology is being changed. Take any newer translation and a KJV and put them side by side and pick any basic doctrine and see what has been done to it. Ask yourself if what the two versions say match each other. In about 9 out of ten cases you will probably find that they don’t say the same thing.
Can anyone tell me why the KJV is too hard to understand and Shakespeare isn’t? Is it because some of these "higher critics" don’t like the theology of the KJV? If we applied our hearts and minds to understand the KJV we would find that it is far easier to understand than Shakespeare and of infinitely more value. We would find our lives transformed into the image of our dear Saviour. We would see our own sinfulness and see our need of His transforming power. Christ told many things in parables to see who would put out the effort to study the subject and understand the truth, wouldn’t God want us to put out a little effort to understand His holy word? If we aren’t willing to research what a difficult word means perhaps we are not interested enough in our own salvation?
Which one is harder to understand? Which one is of more value?