NIV – things you should know

by Doug Schofield

(The following study notes on the NIV were assembled from a number of sources, including my own personal study with the prayerful hope that Christians will benefit from this knowledge.)

First, a little background: In the 60’s and 70’s my Dad had a Bible bookstore, so I got a copy of all the new translations, versions and per-versions that were coming out at that time, including The Amplified Bible, Good News for Modern Man, (TEV) Today’s English Version, The New English Bible. But when Kenneth Taylor’s “Living Bible” came out it didn’t take him long to put his advance copy back and in its box and return it to Tyndale House Publishers. He refused to sell this book in his store, and he later stopped selling the TEV. By the time the NIV came out in 1978 he had sold the store, but he wouldn’t have had it on his shelves either, because he didn’t want to be guilty of distributing error to unsuspecting customers.

In about 1973, I think it was, as a member of the Arlington Church of Christ in Arlington, TX, I served on the committee that established what would later become the World Bible Translation Center, (www.wtbc.com). We raised the funds to purchase the very first Wang word processing equipment that was used in Bible translation work. The original goal of the committee was to produce a version of the scriptures for the deaf population, taking into account their limited exposure to spoken language. A long term goal was also to publish the scriptures in various dialects of many of the minor languages of the world. The project was later handed off to another congregation, and after I moved away from Texas I lost track of it until 2,000 when the Easy-to-Read Version was published. It troubles me to learn that the translation team chose to use the “dynamic equivalence” method of translation instead of word-for-word translation. I am told that their rationale was that translating ideas instead of words would make the text easier to understand. Later in this study we’ll see why that is not a valid way to treat the scriptures.

Every sincere Christian should know that the New International Version translation of the Bible, (NIV), has many very serious flaws. It may make for a quick read, but it should never be used to teach or preach. A number of highly respected scholars from the religious world at large have expressed serious concerns about many aspects of the NIV; and most respected scholarly authorities within the Lord’s church have stated their opposition to it.

John cautions in 1 John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

Paul instructed in 1Thessalonians 5:21 “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” How do we do that? By careful study of the scriptures.

Those who worked on the translation of the Bible into the English language under the auspices of King James in the early 1600’s used the earliest Masoretic texts in their work on the Old Testament. This was handed down from generation to generation by Jewish scribes who followed very rigorous procedures in transcribing the pages of holy writ. They would carefully count each line of text, each word and each letter to make certain of their accuracy. It is said that when they came to the name of Jehovah, before writing it they would stop and wash their hands and get a new quill; such was the care and respect they demonstrated for the scriptures. It was this very text that was no doubt used by our Lord when he read in the synagogue, (Luke 4:16). In Luke 24:44 He makes reference to “the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms”, this was the precise order of books in the Masoretic text. We might say then that this manuscript was approved and endorsed by our Lord Himself.

NIV - New International Version, Published in 1978 by the International Bible Society

Based on work started by the National Society of Evangelicals

Problems with the NIV begin in its preface where it introduces itself as a “transdenominational” version. This lets you know that it was the intent of the publishers to provide something for everybody – everybody except New Testament Christians, that is. It is perverted and twisted so as to give comfort to promoters of numerous false doctrines. The very term itself is a slap in the face of our Lord who died for His one church. Because the Lord’s church is not a denomination, that statement alone should say to you that the NIV is not to be trusted.

SOURCE PROBLEM for NIV:

Those who did the work on the NIV did not choose to use the most respected sources, such as the Textus Receptus; or the Elzevier or numerous other credible sources; instead they relied on the UBS Nestle/Ashland Greek version, and the Codex Sinaiticus, which are both known by many scholars to be seriously flawed.

The Codex Sinaiticus was so named by the German scholar Constantine Tischendorf, who noticed some scrap manuscript pages in a waste basket in the library of the monastery of St. Catherine at Mt. Sinai and managed to retrieve them. After some great effort he managed to obtain most of the remaining pages, which eventually ended up in the British Museum. They are from the mid-fourth century, and thought to have been written by Eusebius after the Emperor Constantine had decreed Christianity to be the official state religion.

There are fragments of the New Testament, dating from the 2^nd century; just 50 years or so after many of the original NT letters were written. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1945 yielded over 800 scrolls, dating from the 2^nd century BC into the 1^st century AD, and containing most if not all of the text of the OT, and some fragments of the New. Today we have more than 25,000 manuscripts of portions of the NT. The translators of the NIV choose to ignore most of these resources.

Even the corrupt Codex Vaticanius, the primary document used to support Catholic dogma, and the closet comparative work to the Codex Sinaiticus, contradicts it in more than 4,000 places. Both are known to depart from 95% of all other available manuscripts in numerous places. Yet in full knowledge of this, and with an abundance of other far more highly respected source material available, the NIV translators chose to base their work on these flawed texts.

Perhaps THE most significant problem with the NIV is the fact that instead of literal, word-for-word translation, the NIV uses a method called ‘dynamic equivalence’; that is translating ideas instead of words. It is true that translating any language is not an exact science, (like mathematics, for example), but the ‘dynamic equivalence’ method makes the text vulnerable to the personal bias and opinions of the translator. This method also flies in the face of the concept of the VEBAL inspiration of the scriptures, (2 Tim 3:16). The importance of this may be seen in Galatians 3:16 where Paul makes a major point about Jesus on the basis of one letter! (seed versus seeds). If the difference between singular and plural is so important, (and it obviously is), then translating ideas instead of words is a totally unacceptable way to handle the word of God.

In Luke 4:4, Jesus says, “...man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” By the way, "but by every word of God" is one of thousands of phrases that has been omitted in the NIV.

Jeremiah 26:2, “Thus saith the Lord; Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord’s house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:”

(Emphasis added, DS)

“Every word of God is pure…” Proverbs 30:5

Revelation 22:18-19, “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

The words written by the inspired writers are holy and sacred, therefore must be respected. This principle alone requires word-for-word translation, not ‘dynamic equivalence as employed by those who wrote the NIV. By not using a word-for-word method of translation, many words which give meaning to a passage are omitted.

No translation of the Bible is entirely perfect in every detail, but those that are faithful to the manuscripts do not vary on any crucial doctrinal points. When even the best efforts are made, sometimes it is simply difficult to render an exact translation because of sentence structure, rules of grammar, tense and case. But so-called translations that do not make the best effort to maintain accuracy and remain as true as possible to the best resources available are very dangerous. Many people want a Bible that is written in familiar language, using terms with which they are familiar, feeling that it makes reading easier.

In my own studied opinion, the New King James Version (NKJV) is an improvement in this regard, but of all the modern language versions on the market today, I like the English Standard Version, yet, it too has a number of problem passages. Many are anxious to accept easy-to-read, modern language versions, without being aware of the potential dangers many of them contain.

The KJV is certainly not without its own problems, but it is thought by many to be the best and most accurate translation available. The American Standard Version of 1901 was a significant improvement; and the New King James Version corrects many of its earlier flaws. For example, in Acts 12:4, the KJV team translated the word pascha as Easter. Everywhere else in the entire text it is translated ‘Passover’. Here is an example of editorial bias on the part of the translators influencing the product of their work. King James’ translators were loyal to the traditions of the apostate church, hence they reflected a doctrine needed to support their dogma. The mistranslation of pascha is corrected in the NKJV, as it is in the ASV in 1901, and has been in a number of translations since then, including the NIV.

The NIV contains many paraphrased verses – perverted verses. For example, 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” The Greek word katakaiow is properly translated ‘burned up’; it means burn up, burn utterly, consume by fire. NIV translates it ‘laid bare’. There is a significant difference between being burned up and laid bare. This supports the false doctrine of premillenialism.

A dear sister asked the question, “what’s the difference between should and shall?” (as relates to John 3:16).

So, “What is the difference between ‘should’ and ‘shall’?

Should means “could” and shall means “will”.

Should – used to express condition, or what is expected based upon certain circumstances;

implies an option.

Shall – used to express a command, or that which is inevitable.

---Webster

Should – part of the translation of the tense of a verb; to be, about to…

Shall – indicates certainty or necessity.

---Vine

John 3:15, “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, …”

John 3:16, “that whosoever believeth in him SHOULD NOT perish, …”

For context, consider also John 3:17, “…; but that the world through him MIGHT be saved.”

The Greek phrase translated “should not perish” in 15 and 16 is “eiv auton mh apolhtai”. The phrase contains the participle mh (pronounced may); it is a primary participle of qualified negation. It is in the subjunctive mood: The subjunctive mood is the mood of possibility and potentiality, (compared to the indicative mood, which is more absolute). The action described may or may not occur, depending upon circumstances.

- Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

Consider the traffic laws: “Vehicles approaching should come to a complete stop; or

Vehicles approaching shall come to a complete stop.”

Consider criminal laws: “Persons convicted of grand theft auto should go to jail; or

Persons convicted of grand theft auto shall go to jail.”

Consider daily life: “A student who studies should get an ‘A’; or

A student who studies shall get an ‘A’.”

There is a big difference in the meaning of Should and Shall. The changing of these words in the NIV can result in false teaching, causing many to lose their souls. By implication, the mistranslation teaches salvation by ‘faith only’. The difference between shall and should is Heaven and Hell.

I have heard preachers using the NIV quote John 3:16 thusly, “that whosoever believes in him shall not perish” and nobody ever blinked an eye. False teaching comes from using a perverted, flawed and corrupt translation, and members of the Lord’s church need to know better, and take a firm stand against such false teaching.

Jesus stated (John 3:5) "…Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." If we are saved by faith alone why did Jesus condemn the devil and his angels to hell (Matthew 25:41), after all, they believed? James 2:19-26 teaches that we are NOT saved by faith alone.

Here are some examples of verses arbitrarily omitted from the NIV:

Matthew 17:21 -- "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."

Matthew 18:11 -- "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."

Matthew 23:14 -- "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."

Mark 7:16 -- "If any man have ears to hear, let him hear."

Mark 9:44 -- "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Mark 9:46 -- "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Mark 11:26 -- "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."

Mark 15:28 -- "And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors."

Luke 23:17 -- "(For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)"

John 5:4 -- "For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had."

Acts 8:37 – (The absence of this verse implies incorrectly that one can be baptized and saved without believing on Jesus). The manuscripts read, "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." Can you imagine simply cutting this verse out of your Bible? DS

Acts 15:34 -- "Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still."

Acts 24:7 -- "But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,"

Acts 28:29 -- "And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves."

Romans 16:24 -- "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

There is a line in the NIV text after Mark 16:8 followed by this statement: “The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20.” An obvious effort to discredit the resurrection account, and even more so our Lord’s emphatic command to be baptized in order to be saved. The truth is that only two uncial codexes omit the verses, and one of them, the Alexandrinus Manuscript leaves a space into which these twelve verses could fit as if the copyist knew of their existence but without having them before him left them space. And, thousands of the cursive manuscripts do include these verses. The NIV rendering permits this passage to be used to promote the false doctrine of salvation faith only.

There is, to put it mildly, considerable dispute concerning the NIV’s appraisal that these are the most reliable manuscripts they could have used. These two manuscripts differ from each other 3,036 times in the gospels alone, and more than 7,000 times throughout the New Testament. When witnesses are in such disagreement, it would indicate something other than being "the most reliable" witnesses.

In 1 John 5:7, the NIV is very deceptive, for it does have a verse 7, but it is really part of verse 8. Verse 8 has been split into two verses in the NIV (verses 7 and 8) so that you won’t know that verse 7 is missing. The NIV splits this verse 8 into two verses to give the appearance of having a verse 7, “For there are three that testify (bear witness), 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.

The true verse 7 has been removed. It reads, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

Here are more verses with critical phrases removed:

(The underlined portions are missing in the NIV)

Luke 11:2-4 - Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 27:35 - And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, they parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

Again, the underlined portions are missing in the NIV, hiding the fact that this verse is a fulfillment of Psalm 22:18. 26 words have been omitted this time.

Matthew 5:22 - But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment ..The phrase, without a cause, has been removed in the NIV.

Mark 1:2. – NIV says, “It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way" This is actually a quotation of Malachi 3:1. The King James has the proper reading, for it says "as it is written in the prophets". Verse 2 is quoting Malachi, and Verse 3 is quoting Isaiah.

The word "Christ" has been removed dozens of times. (Rom. 1:16; Acts 16:31; etc.) The word "Jesus" has been removed dozens of times. (Matt. 8:29; 2 Cor. 5:18; etc.) The word "Lord" has also been removed in a number of places.

NIV challenges the deity of Christ in 1 Timothy 3:16. The KJV says: “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.

The NIV has changed "God" to "He". This is a big difference. In this verse, the KJV clearly states that Jesus Christ is God, and the NIV obscures this important fact.

NIV uses the word ‘hell’ only 14 times, omitting it 40 times!

The word “For” is omitted from Acts 2:39 – attempting to disconnect the promise of salvation from repentance and baptism enjoined in verse 38.

Acts 2:47 the Greek word eÍkklhsiða (Ekklesia) does not mean “their number” as rendered in NIV, it means ‘church’. That is a significant fact relative to the establishment of the Lord’s church!

Acts 8:37 is omitted from NIV, deleting the connection between belief and baptism, as the Holy Spirit inspired the apostle writers to record.

Acts 10:35 NIV changes Ergazomai Dikaiosune from “worketh righteousness” to “does what is right”; teaching the idea of salvation by simply ‘doing right’. The Bible teaches a great deal about working righteousness, beginning with the righteous works of obedience to the commands of our Lord in Mark 16:16 and others. Jesus said “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS…”(Matthew 6:33).

MISTRANSLATIONS

There are many overt mistranslations. In Genesis 2:6 – changing the word ‘mist’ to ‘streams’. There is a difference.

Another is Hebrews 9:16, changing “testament” to “will”. The Greek word diatheke means covenant or testament. It is translated this way 13 times in every reputable version; and 12 times in NIV. But in Hebrews 9:16,17 it is changed to “will”. There is a difference between a covenant and a will.

Matthew 1:25 NIV “…until she gave birth to a son.”, omitting “firstborn”. Important?

Matthew 2:7 NIV transliterates magos into “Magi”, completely twisting the meaning.

John 5:28 NIV changes “hour” to “time”, making room for the falsehood of 2 resurrections as taught by premillienalists.

Other serious mistranslations occur in Matthew chapter 1 where NIV substitutes the words ‘the father of’ for the correct word, “begat”. The words begat and begotten indicate a purpose for which the named person is in the line of succession. In Hebrews 11:17, NIV asserts that Isaac was Abraham’s ‘one and only son’; instead of using the correct phrase, ‘only begotten son’. We know that Abraham had other sons, and we know that Isaac was referred to as his ‘only begotten son’ for a very specific reason. The term could correctly be translated ‘son of promise’ – that term would exactly fit Isaac, as it would Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the father, John 1:14.

In Romans 3:25 NIV reads, “…because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished…” This is patently wrong! Of COURSE God punished sins in the OT! This verse attempts to obviate the blood of Christ as the means of the forgiveness of those sins.

The distortions, omissions, and paraphrasing in the entire book of Romans are far too extensive to examine in this short time. But is has been rendered by the NIV team to support the false doctrines of salvation by faith only, original sin, once saved-always saved, predestination, and others.

1 Corinthians 14:15 is perverted to suit those who want to practice will worship; to do their own thing; to have it “MY way”, as the popular song suggests. NIV suggests that one pray not with THE spirit, but with MY spirit; not sing with THE spirit, but with MY spirit. This feeds the incorrect idea that worship is about pleasing the individual, not about pleasing God, to whom it should be directed.

More omissions:

John 17:21 omits "one" in Jesus’ prayer for unity. This destroys the very thought of the prayer. He was praying for unity, not just for men to be "in us."

Acts 9:6 omits the question of Saul, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"

Mark 13:11 omits "Neither do ye premeditate" which shows the divine guidance of the chosen witnesses of the Lord.

Matt. 19:9 omits "and shall marry her which is put away doth commit adultery."

Matt. 5:44 omits "bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you."

Mark 10:24 omits "them that trust in riches." Riches are not wrong per se. It is the "trusting" in them that is condemned.

John 17:17 omits the expression "through thy truth." The expression shows the means of sanctification, which the NIV omits and says, "truly sanctified." That is a significant difference.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6

When the KJV and other credible translations add words to clarify meaning they appear in italics. The NIV does not do this -- it therefore gives no warning or notice to the reader as to what has been supplied or supplemented by the translators. For example, 1 Cor. 7:9 states "it is better to marry than to burn,". The NIV adds, "to burn with passion," an addition to the text that is not indicated by any italics which makes an editorial statement. Acts 5:20 says, "all the words of this life," but the NIV reads "the full message of this new life." The word "new" is nowhere to be found in any Greek manuscript, it has been added by the NIV translators and clearly adds a "new thought" to this verse -- a thought which is man's and not God's at this place.

It is understandable that the common vernacular language of the NIV that makes the Holy Scriptures read like a novel is appealing. The sales figures prove that it is. Yet, for many, particularly those who are merely casual Bible readers and not serious students of the word, it is dangerously misleading; John 3:16, for example.

The NIV suggests that if an unbeliever leaves his or her Christian mate, the Christian “is not bound” to the relationship any longer (which is at variance with Matthew 19:9). The correct rendering, however, is that the Christian is “not enslaved,” i.e., is not obligated to pursue the abandoning mate, maintaining perpetual proximity.

The false doctrine known as "Total Depravity" results from the NIV’s corrupt work in Romans 7:5, 18, 25; 8:3, 4, 8, 12, 13; Galatians 5:16, 19; and Colossians 2:11-13. The word "flesh" is replaced with the words "sinful nature."

 The allowable grounds for putting away a spouse mentioned in Matthew 19:9 is the sexual sin of "fornication", but it is broadened to "marital unfaithfulness" by the NIV. "Marital unfaithfulness" would include but not be limited to "fornication" and is, therefore, inappropriate.

Romans 15:16 has been changed to make the proclaiming of the Gospel a priestly duty instead of keeping the responsibility among all ministers of Jesus Christ.

Rom 15:16 (NIV) “ to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

Rom 15:16 (KJV) “That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

In Matthew 12:4, the shewbread has been changed to “consecrated bread” to correspond with the Roman Catholic dogma.

Notice in Hebrew 1:3 that it has been changed to reflect that He has provided for the purification of sins instead of the proper rendering of "He had by Himself purged our sins." This opens the door for the Roman Catholic practice of the priests being able to forgive sin.

Heb 1:3 (NIV) “… After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Heb 1:3 (KJV) “…, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

In Matthew 1:25 the term firstborn is missing. This is to give credence to the Roman Catholic doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary.

Matt 1:25 (NIV) But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Matt 1:25 (KJV) And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. NIV completely ignores the presence of the Greek word prototokos in this passage.

Notice that the last part of Revelation 2:15 has been omitted. This has to do with the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which Jesus hates. The reason for this is because the Roman Catholic church is built upon this doctrine. Nicolaitan is a term which means "To conquer the laity." It sets up a priesthood which rules over the people. This is the thing that Jesus hates, but you notice the NIV presents it in such a way that the doctrines of the Roman Catholic church won't be in question.

Rev 2:15 (NIV) “Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”

Rev 2:15 (KJV) “So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.”

Rom 1:16 (NIV) “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile”.

Rom 1:16 (KJV) “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek”.

The question is, "What gospel is the NIV not ashamed of?" There are many gospels in the world, and the NIV can encompass all of them with such statements as this, as its stated intent as a “transdenominational” translation. The KJV presents this rightly for it is only the Gospel of Christ that brings about salvation.

Col 1:14 (NIV) “In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Col 1:14 (KJV) “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”

Through His blood is a very important part of this Scripture. This is the only way we can have redemption.

John 6:47 (NIV) “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”

John 6:47 (KJV) “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life”.

One of the greatest dangers with the NIV, and many other modern per-versions is the fact that some members of the church are buying these translations for their children because they think an easy-to-read version will encourage the youngsters to read the Bible more. Some adults may say that they know the difference when there is a translation (which is not a justification for using a flawed version), but do the children? Are the parents going to be able to show them all of the verses that have been miss-translated? Can you imagine giving your children a Bible and then pointing out several verses to them which they are not to believe? Can you imagine putting a little rat poison in your child’s breakfast every morning?

You may have heard that a member of the Church of Christ worked on the translation team. It was Jack P. Lewis, professor at Harding Graduate School of Religion in Memphis, TN. Brother Lewis actually had nothing to do with the work of translating; he served only in an advisory capacity on the Old Testament section. He has stated that he did not work on the translation, and that he never even saw the work until after it had been published.

The NIV teaches that little babies are sinful from the time they are conceived by translating Psalms 51:5 as follows: "Surely I have been a sinner from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” The correct translation is: “behold I was brought forth in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” It means that David’s parents were sinful human beings, not that he came into the world guilty of sin. Ezekiel 28:15 says, “Thou wast perfect in they ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Jesus made it clear in Mark 10:14 that we must become as innocent as little children in order to be saved.

NIV implies that Luke was not inspired, but discovered the things of which he wrote from his own investigations. The NIV says, "Since, I myself have carefully investigated everything . . ." (Lk. 1:3). The KJV and NKJV ‘ read that he had "perfect understanding of all things ...", this is in keeping with the Lord’s promise that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth, John 16:13, and with the verbal inspiration of the writers.

The NIV aserts by means of the footnotes that the church was built upon Peter. "And I tell you that you are Peter, "And on this rock I will build my church . . ." (Matt. 16:18). Then when you look at the footnote (b) it says, "Peter means rock." Now read the text supplying "rock" for Peter. Paul taught that there is but one foundation on which the church can be built and that is Christ (1 Cor. 3: 11).

In Matt. 16:17 Peter is correctly referred to as Simon, son of Jonah" as does the KJV, ASV and NKJV. But the NIV has Jesus addressing him at least four times as "Simon, the son of John" in the following passages: John 1:42; 21:15,16,17. Did he have two fathers, or is the NIV just not reliable?

In John 1:14 NIV omits the word "begotten" and renders it "one and only" Son. They do the same with John 3:16, omitting again the word "begotten." This is surely without scholarly justification since the Greek term "monogenes" clearly means "only begotten."

Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the scriptures…” Acts 17:11 also teaches that we are to search the scriptures, “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” It is not possible to do that with the NIV because the words are not translated directly; thus making lexicons, dictionaries and concordances almost of no value. These folks have now published a plethora of NIV based commentaries, but after seeing what they did to the Holy Scriptures would you really trust any commentary they would write?

Following is a list I found of things you cannot learn from the NIV:

1. Fill in the missing words in Matthew 5:44. "Love your enemies, ________ them that curse you, _____________ to them that hate you, and pray for them that __________ and persecute you."

2. According to Matthew 17:21, what two things are required to cast out this type of devil?

3. According to Matthew 18:11, why did Jesus come to earth?

4. According to Matthew 27:2, what was Pilate's first name?

5. In Matthew 27:35, when the wicked soldiers parted His garments, they were fulfilling the words of the prophet. Copy what the prophet said in Matthew 27:35 from the NIV.

6. In Mark 3:15, Jesus gave the apostles power to cast out devils and to:

7. According to Mark 7:16, what does a man need to be able to hear?

8. According to Luke 7:28, what was John? (teacher, prophet, carpenter, etc.). What is his title or last name?

9. In Luke 9:55, what did the disciples not know?

10. In Luke 9:56, what did the Son of man not come to do? According to this verse, what did He come to do?

11. In Luke 22:14, how many apostles were with Jesus?

12. According to Luke 23:38, in what three languages was the superscription written?

13. In Luke 24:42, what did they give Jesus to eat with His fish?

14. John 3:13 is a very important verse, proving the deity of Christ. According to this verse (as Jesus spoke), where is the Son of man?

15. What happened each year as told in John 5:4?

16. In John 7:50, what time of day did Nicodemus come to Jesus?

17. In Acts 8:37, what is the one requirement for baptism?

18. What did Saul ask Jesus in Acts 9:6?

19. Write the name of the man mentioned in Acts 15:34.

20. Study Acts 24:6-8. What would the Jew have done with Paul? What was the chief captain's name? What did the chief captain command?

21. Copy Romans 16:24 word for word from the NIV.

22. First Timothy 3:16 is perhaps the greatest verse in the New Testament concerning the deity of Christ. In this verse, who was manifested in the flesh?

23. In the second part of First Peter 4:14, how do [they] speak of Christ? And, what do we Christians do?

24. Who are the three Persons of the Trinity in First John 5:7?

25. Revelation 1:11 is another very important verse that proves the deity of Christ. In the first part of this verse Jesus said, "I am the A__________ and O___________ , the _________ and the _______:"

1 Timothy 3:16: The clearest verse in the Bible proclaiming that Jesus Christ was God. The correct rendering is "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: GOD WAS MANIFEST IN THE FLESH. . ." The NIV reads, "HE appeared in a body". The NIV "twists" "GOD" to "HE". "HE appeared in a body"? So What? Everyone has "appeared in a body"! "He" is a pronoun that refers to a noun or antecedent. There is no antecedent in the context! The statement does not make sense!

Philippians 2:6: The text clearly declares the deity of Jesus Christ: "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery TO BE EQUAL WITH GOD" The NIV reads, "Who, being in very nature God, DID NOT CONSIDER EQUALITY WITH GOD something to be grasped,".

LUKE 2:33: The text says, "And JOSEPH and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him." The NIV reads, "The CHILD'S FATHER and mother marveled at what was said about him." The "CHILD'S FATHER"? Was Joseph Jesus's father? Not if you believe the virgin birth!

The NIV removes the blood of Jesus Christ! Colossians 1:14: The text reads, "In whom we have redemption THROUGH HIS BLOOD, even the forgiveness of sins:" The NIV reads, "In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." The NIV rips out the precious words "THROUGH HIS BLOOD"! Redemption is ONLY "THROUGH HIS BLOOD". Hebrews 9:22, reads, ". . . without shedding of BLOOD is no remission."

There are many problems with the NIV’s treatment of JOHN 3:16, in addition to it’s changing ‘should’ to ‘shall’: The NIV reads, "For God so loved the world that he gave his ONE AND ONLY SON, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" Jesus was NOT " God’s one and only son" - Adam is called the "son of God" in Luke 3:38, there are "sons of God" in Job 1:6 and Christians are called "sons of God" in Phil 2:15, I John 3:2. John 1:12 teaches that those who are obedient become the sons of God. Jesus was God’s "ONLY BEGOTTEN SON"! By removing the critical word "BEGOTTEN" - The NIV perverts John 3:16 into a LIE! The NIV does the same in John 1:14, 1:18, and 3:18.

The word “sodomite" is completely removed from the NIV. (Deut. 23:17, I Kings 14:24, 15:12, 22:46, II Kings 23:7) And of course, I Cor. 6:9, ". . . effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind. . ." is replaced with the non-offensive ". . . nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders. . ." Notice the NIV in I Cor. 6:9 does NOT condemn "homosexuals" or the "act of homosexuality" - but ONLY "homosexual OFFENDERS". The change from sodomite to "shrine prostitute" tries to imply that homosexuality isn't bad, there are just some homosexuals doing bad things. But the scripture says the effeminate and abusers of themselves with mankind won't inherit the kingdom of heaven.

The fact that there were at least two practicing homosexuals on the translating team may very likely have influenced this egregious error. They were Virginia Mollenkott and Dr. Marten H. Woudstra, (now deceased). In Deuteronomy 23:17, 1 Kings 14:24, 1 Kings 15:12, 1 Kings 22:46 and 2 Kings 23:7 the NIV refuses to use the word ‘sodomites’, and substitutes ‘shrine prostitutes’.

In Matt. 8:2, 9:18, 15:25, 18:26, 20:20, Mark 5:6, 15:19 "worshipped him" is removed in the NIV! Why doesn't the NIV want Jesus Christ to be worshipped? Hint: see Luke 4:7, Matt. 4:9.

LUKE 11:2-4: The KJB reads, ". . .Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil." The NIV removes everything that refers to a Holy God in heaven -"WHICH ART IN HEAVEN. . . Thy will be done, AS IN HEAVEN, so in earth. . . but DELIVER US FROM EVIL." Everything that distinguishes God from the Devil is REMOVED! "OUR FATH

The NIV omits 64,576 words, (on average, when compared to the other respected English language translations). Words like "mercyseat", "Jehovah", "Godhead", remission, regeneration, impute, propitiation, new testament and many others are all missing from the NIV text! Despite God's clear warnings about "taking away" from His words - the NIV removes roughly 12 percent of God's words.

The NIV removes major portions of at least 147 verses!

Here's a small (very small) sampling of words removed in the NIV!

Matt. 6:13, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
Matt. 15:8, "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth"
Matt. 19:9, "and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery."
Matt. 20:7, "and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive."
Matt. 20:16, "for many be called, but few chosen."
Matt. 20:22, "and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with"
Matt. 25:13, "wherein the Son of Man cometh."
Matt. 27:35, "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet They parted my garments among them and upon my vesture did they cast lots"
Mark 6:11, "Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city."
Mark 10:21, "take up the cross."
Luke 1:28, "blessed art thou among women"
Luke 4:4, "but by every word of God"
Luke 4:8, "get thee behind me Satan"
Luke 4:18, "he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted"
Luke 11:2-4, "Our ... which art in ... Thy will be done, as in heaven so in earth... but deliver us from evil"
John 1:27, "is preferred before me"
John 3:13, "which is in heaven"
John 3:15, "should not perish"
John 11:41, "from the place where the dead was laid"
John 16:16, "because I go to the Father"
Acts 10:6, "he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do"
Acts 15:18, "Known unto God are all his works"
Acts 20:24, "But none of these things move me"
Acts 23:9, "let us not fight against God"
Rom. 8:1, "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit"
Rom. 13:9, "Thou shalt not bear false witness"
I Cor. 6:20, "and in your spirit which are God's"
I Cor. 11:24; "Take eat... broken"
II Cor. 10:4, "but mighty through God"
Gal. 3:1, "that you should not obey the truth"
Eph. 5:30, "of his flesh, and of his bones"
Phil. 3:16, "let us mind the same thing"
I Tim. 6:5, "from such wthdraw thyself"
Heb. 7:21, "after the order of Melchisedec"
I Pet. 1:22, "through the Spirit"
I Pet. 4:14, "on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified"
I John 4:3, "Christ is come in the flesh"
I John 5:13, "and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God"
Rev. 1:11, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last"
Rev. 5:14, "him that liveth for ever and ever"
Rev. 14:5, "before the throne of God"
Rev. 21:24, "of them which are saved"

Jesus says, in Luke 4:4, ". . . It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY WORD of God." But not according to the NIV! In fact, the NIV removes the last half of Luke 4:4 - "BUT BY EVERY WORD OF GOD"! In this passage Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 to Satan! The NIV implies that our Lord Himself did not know Deuteronomy 8:3.

If nothing else that has been pointed out has convinced you that Satan is very pleased with the NIV, consider the way the translators twisted Romans 10:10 - "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." If confession was enough why did the Eunuch not stop at that (Acts 8:37)?  [If you are using the NIV you will have to look at another version to read Acts 8:37, because the NIV has taken it out. 

Revelation 22:14 KJV: Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life . . . 

NIV: Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life . . .

I Timothy 3:16 KJV: 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.

NIV: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

CONCLUSION:

Respect for the sanctity of the scriptures, for the authority of the word of God, should move us to be far more careful about the translations we are willing to accept at face value. Those who enjoy reading from a modern language translation would be well advised to choose the NKJV over the NIV, but should be aware that all translations should be studied carefully. In most cases, (though not necessarily true of the NIV), one can be alerted to translation errors by comparing passages of major doctrinal points to similar passages in other locations. Our Lord instructed the Pharisees to “search” the scriptures; Paul told Timothy to “study” and the Hebrew writer lets us know that God rewards them that “diligently” seek.

When used as a part of a careful study effort, different translations can be helpful. But we must be aware that Satan uses many apparently innocent devices to deceive us and lead us astray. That’s why we have these admonitions from the scriptures: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” - 1 John 4:1; and “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:21.