THE ORIGINAL
By DR. ROBERT E. CLARK
POST OFFICE BOX 991
BASTROP, TEXAS 78602

Those who are real "Bible Believers", "King James Bible cultists", as Lynchburg calls those who believe in a preserved Bible, are constantly bombarded with statements from the scholars such as: "In the originals, it says . . ." or "In the original Greek, it says . . ." or "A better rendering would be . . ." All of these phrases are familiar to those who believe God has preserved His Word. (Psalms 12:17)

Now if the Thomas Nelson Publishers and those on top of Liberty Mountain in Lynchburg, who produced and promote the NKJV would tell you the truth, they would have to say the originals do not exist. The real students of the Word know that original manuscripts have never been uncovered.

The Bible believer is continually going to God's Word for authority, strength, and comfort. Then in 2 Timothy 3:16 we are told that:

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

Now a strange thing is the fact the Bible never makes any reference to It not being the Word of God. Anyone who reads from Genesis to Revelation is struck with the fact that the A.V. 1611 never once presents Itself as anything but the Word of God.

Now, if only the original manuscripts which were inspired of God are the Word of God, then the believer is left hopelessly to his own devices because the originals have never been found.

The saved man is not left to the mercy of the scholars, which we thank God for, because the scholars can't even agree among themselves as to what the original manuscripts actually said.

Paul wrote in Colossians 3:16: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

Paul called the Word of God, "The Word of Christ." The Lord Jesus Christ is God. He was "found in fashion as a man . .." (Philippians 2:8). Christ is the Living Word, and you cannot separate the Living Christ from His Word. (John 1:14)

Therefore, if the Word of God has not been recorded and preserved and given to a people, how then could we allow the "Words of Christ" to dwell in us richly?

This verse in Colossians 3:16 could not be valid if the Word of God only existed in the original manuscripts. Do you not see that? If the Word of God is to be found only in the original manuscripts (which have never been found), how can the believer let the Word of Christ dwell in him?

The Word of God is essential for every believer in this dispensation of grace. Without God's inspired, preserved Word, it would be impossible to have genuine faith, for "faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)

Paul's writing shows the importance of the Word of God. Real faith, saving faith, is the result of hearing and reading the Scriptures. The failure to believe God has preserved His Word as the final authority without error, allows and relegates institutions like those at Liberty Mountain, Chattanooga, Springfield and Greenville to become the authority as to what God said and means to hundreds of young preachers yearly.

Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, ". . . the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

Turning from the Word to so-called fundamental institutions that propagate fables concerning God's Word is a dangerous thing. In times of apostasy, lack of separation and Neo-Fundamentalism it is a shame to depend on the scholars to tell us what God's Word says and means for our faith.

GOD HELP US TO TRUST HIS PRESERVED WORD!!!