Jesus claimed that the true text of the scriptures testifies of Him (John 5:39). The apostle John claimed that the true text of the scriptures shows a person how to get saved (John 20:31). The apostle Paul claimed that the true text of the scriptures was profitable for correcting a sinner and getting him saved (2 Timothy 3:16).

If these claims are true, the New International Version of the "bible" (NIV) is not a real Bible. Not only does it erect "roadblocks" to salvation in many verses, but more than a dozen times in its "new testament," in God's accounts of sinners getting saved by grace through faith, the NIV sabotages the Holy Spirit's efforts to lead souls to Christ. Consider these examples.

A THIEF:

Robbed Of Salvation

In Luke 23 we find the account of a repentant thief's salvation. The true English text of Luke 23:42 says, "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me. . ." (my emphasis).

The NKIV, however, leaves out something: "Then he said, Jesus, remember me . . ."

The NIV's omission of "Lord" causes a problem (Deut. 4:2): it robs the dying thief of his salvation, because the Bible stipulates that "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13, my emphasis).

AN ADULTERESS:

Robbed Of Salvation

The entire account of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11) is questioned by the NIV, which separates the passage from the rest of the text and prefaces it with the words "The earliest and most reliable manuscripts do not have John 7:53 - 8:11." (So why does the NIV even include the passage, unless the manuscripts in question are not reliable or unless its translators lacked the courage to be true to their convictions?)

After questioning the passage's authenticity, the NIV omits "as though he heard them not" from 8:6 and "being judged by their own conscience" from 8:9, and changes "Lord" to "Sir" (!) and "sin no more" to "leave your life of sin" in 8:11.

As noted already, according to Romans 10:13, salvation comes not to a person who calls on a "sir" but to "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord"" by changing "Lord" to "sir," the NIV removes from the passage the only evidence that the adulteress repented and was saved. It robs her of her salvation.

A BLIND MAN:

Robbed Of Salvation

John 9 contains the account of a blind man's salvation. In the true English text of John 9:35, Jesus asks, "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" (my emphasis). In the NIV, though, He asks something different: "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

The NIV's substitution of "Man" for "God" causes a problem: it robs the blind man of his salvation, because the very purpose of John's gospel is to prove that salvation involves belief not in "the Son of Man" but in "the Son of God": "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John 20:31).

As the Lord Jesus Christ Himself noted in Matthew 16:15-17, recognition of Him as "the Son of God" is the result of a supernatural revelation from God the Father. The NIV has no such revelation because it didn't come from God.

AN ETHIOPIAN:

Robbed Of Salvation

Acts 8 tells us about the salvation of an Ethiopian eunuch. In the true English text of Acts 8:36-38, when the Ethiopian asks if he can be baptized, we read these words: "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" (v. 37).

The NIV, however, leaves out something: all of verse 37! The NIV goes straight from verse 36 to verse 38, leaving the verse numbers intact as testimony of its faultiness.

This omission of Acts 8:37 causes a problem (John 12:48): it robs the Ethiopian of his salvation, because it allows him to be baptized without first believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.

PAUL:

Robbed Of Salvation

In Acts 9 we find the account of Paul's salvation. The true English text of Acts 9:5-6 contains these words: "it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" (my emphasis).

The NIV, though, omits both of sentences. The NIV's omission of the second half of 9:5 and the first half of 9:6 creates a problem: it robs Paul of his salvation, because it leaves out the account of his calling on the name of the Lord and of his submission to the will of God (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9).

A ROMAN FAMILY:

Robbed Of Salvation

Acts 10 contains the account of the salvation of Cornelius and his family. The NIV contains numerous changes from the true English text of this chapter: for example, "God" is omitted from verse 22; "the word [of] God" is omitted from verse 37 and replaced with "the message" in verse 3:36; and the truth of the Lord's resurrection is compromised in verse 40; the most damaging changes, however, are found in 10:44-48.

The true English text of Acts 10:44 says that "the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word" (my emphasis).

Now we see that by omitting "the word" of God and replacing it with "the message," the NIV robs Cornelius and his family of their salvation, because the word of God (not "the gospel message") is necessary for a man to have faith in God and to be born again (Rom. 10:17; 1 Pet. 1:23).

Likewise, the true English text of Acts 10:48 tells us that after these Romans were saved, Peter "commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord" (my emphasis).

The NIV, however, has Peter ordering "that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ."

This change causes a problem: it gives the Romans false instructions, because when Jesus commissioned his disciples to convert and baptize Gentiles ("all nations"), He told them to baptize not in "the name of Jesus Christ" but in "the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Mt. 28:19; there is only one name that the scriptures apply to each member of the godhead: Lord."

A JAILER:

Robbed Of Salvation

Finally, in Acts 16 we see the salvation of a Philippian jailer and his family, In the true English text of Acts 16:31, Paul gives this answer to the question of how does a man get saved: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (my emphasis). The NIV, though, again omits something: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved."

The NIV's use of "in" instead of "on" and its omission of "Christ" cause a problem: they rob the Philippian jailer of his salvation, because God commanded us not just to believe "in Jesus" but to believe "on the Lord Jesus Christ" (John 20:31; Acts 8:37; Rom. 6:23 and 15:20; 1 Cor. 1:23-24; Phil. 2:11 and 3:20; 1 Thess. 5:9; Titus 2:2:13; 2 Peter 1:11 and 2:20 and 3:18).

John explains it well: Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (1 John 5:1).

John also tells us what to think of the NIV: "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?" (1 John 2:22). Since it's a liar, the NIV adds water as an ingredient of salvation and removes the only begotten Son of God, the Lord's deity, the need of repentance, and the threat of hell from the salvation message given to Nicodemus by the Lord Jesus Christ in John 3.

As a liar, the NIV makes a dozen different perversions to one account of a sinner (the rich young ruler) being called to salvation. Why, then, would anyone trust the NIV to tell a lost person how to be saved?

Because the NIV is a liar, it cannot be the word of God (John 14:6 and 17:17) it can only be the word of Satan (John 8:44). A Bible-believing Christian will avoid it and never resort to it in trying to lead souls to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.