KJV 1John 5:7?

In this blog post I want to briefly look at the King James Bible. First of all, this is not an attack on the KJV Bible, but to give an understanding of the Greek text for which the KJV is based upon, which is the Greek New Testament of Erasmus.

Erasmus produced five editions of his Greek New Testament, translating them in both Greek and Latin. Erasmus had only about half a dozen Greek manuscripts in his possession, and they were around the 10th to the 12th century. Compare that to what is available today, with over 5600 Greek manuscripts, and some even dating back as early as the 2nd century. For the Book of Revelation, the end part was missing, which was Revelation 22:16-21, so Erasmus back translated Revelation 22:16-21 from Latin to the Greek for his Greek New Testament.

In 1519, Erasmus did his 2nd edition of his Greek New Testament, where he made some corrections from the first edition, while having the Roman Catholic Hierarchy on his back, complaining about how he had worded in his Greek New Testament regarding 1John 5:7 to 8, for it did not match with their official translation which was the Latin Vulgate, for In Erasmus' first edition, 1John 5:7-8, read, For there are three that bear witness: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. This was different to the Latin Vulgate, which read,  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

This reading of 1John 5:7 to 8 in the Latin Vulgate was based on late copies- for this reading would not get into the Latin Vulgate until hundreds of years after it was completed. These words found in the Latin Vulgate were not found in any Greek manuscripts until one popped up, a made to order Greek manuscript for Erasmus.

Erasmus said he would not include this reading found in the Latin Vulgate unless he had a Greek manuscript with this reading. A made to order Greek manuscript was produced, with the Latin Vulgate reading included, and eventually found its way to Erasmus, and was included in his third edition. 

Interestingly, the made to order Greek manuscript for Erasmus which added in the Latin Vulgate reading of 1John 5:7, was corrected by Erasmus because the Greek was badly written. These words were not found in any other Greek manuscript until this one materialized.

As a matter of fact, there are only a few Greek only manuscripts which are known, to have this reading found in the KJV for 1John 5:7, and they are late manuscripts.  It is clear that the wording which is found in the KJV for 1John 5:7, which was based on the Erasmus' Greek New Testament, was not the original reading, but clearly a Latin addition.

Also, to add, the Majority Text does not match the Textus Receptus in regards to 1John 5:7-8, but the Majority text says, like many modern translations say, For there are three that bear witness: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. The rendering of 1John 5:7 in the TR is a Latin addition, and the Majority text has the original and correct reading. 

Now, do not get the idea this is an attack on the Trinity, absolutely not, I believe the Bible teaches the Trinity, God is Triune, but as one person said, the Trinity does not live or die on 1John 5:7. We have many places in the Bible where it teaches the Trinity, the Trinity is a Biblical doctrine, but this verse is not one of them, for the verse as written in the KJV has been proven to be a Latin addition and not an original reading.

The False Doctrine of Modalism

There are so called Bible teachers called modalists who attack the doctrine of the Trinity (One God, but three persons), when they teach their false doctrine.

When a person rejects the Trinity, naturally they will present a false gospel which says the Father did not send His Beloved Son, whom He has had an eternal relationship with, to enter into His own creation and take on humanity, to lay down His life for sinners.

They do not believe that God is One God, three Persons, but they believe God is One God, one person, who takes on three modes or manifestations, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They believe God manifested Himself as the Father, then God manifested Himself as the Son, and presently, God is manifesting Himself as the Holy Spirit. 

First of all, the Bible clearly teaches that the Father and the Son had an eternal relationship before the world was created. John 17:4 LITV, And now Father, glorify Me with Yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the existence of the world. Notice Jesus prayed "And now Father, glorify Me with Yourself, with the glory which I had with you". The Son is communicating with another person, the Father, and He expresses their eternal relationship. It is not as some suggest, the human nature praying to the divine nature, because the human nature had a beginning, but His divine nature did not have a beginning, and we see here that the Son is praying to another who had no beginning like Himself, which is the Father, sharing the glory together before the world ever was. 

Secondly,  in John 14:16 LITV, the Lord Jesus said to His disciples, And I will petition the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may remain with you forever. Notice the word 'another'. The word in the Greek in the context it is written means, 'Another of the same kind',  not the same person, but of the same kind, meaning the One true God. Jesus says in John 14:26 LITV, Jesus says, "but the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and shall remind you of all things that I said to you."  Notice all three person are in verse 26, the Father, and the Son (in My name), and the Holy Spirit, and they are expressed clearly as three distinct persons. 

Thirdly, there is only One God. The Bible says in Isaiah 46:9 LITV, Remember former things from forever, for I am God, and no one else is God, even none like me. Isaiah 44:6 LITV, So says Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts: I am the First and I am the last; and there is no God except Me. And in Revelation 1:17-18, Jesus calls Himself, The First and the Last which is a title for God alone, He says, "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet, as dead. And He put His right hand on me, saying to me, Do not fear. I am the First and the Last, and the Living One; and I became dead; and behold, I am living forever and ever." The Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three distinct Persons, but They are the One true and living God, Yahweh.

Just looking at these fews verses, this truth can be seen, but there are many other verses in the Bible, which testify to this very truth about God.

The Father has declared in His Word that only through the Son, can you come to the Father. The modalists teach that the Father did not send His Beloved eternal Son, but the one person of God who was the Father in the Old Testament, then became the Son. This is a false gospel. They reject the testimony of the Father, and believe not in the unique Son of God.

The Bible says in 1John 5:10 to 13 LITV, The One believing in the Son of God has the witness in himself. The one not believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has witnessed concerning His Son. And this is the witness: that God gave us everlasting life, and this life is in His Son. The one having the Son has life. The one not having the Son of God does not have life. I wrote these things to you, the ones believing in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have everlasting life, and that you may believe in the name of the Son of God.

This makes it very clear that God gives everlasting life in His Son, and not in a person who was first the Father, and then became the Son, because this is not the Son declared in scripture. You have to have the Son recorded in scripture to have life. The Bible says, The one having the Son has life. The one not having the Son of God does not have life.

The Bible says the one denying the Father and the Son (notice two persons) this is the antichrist. The Bible says in 1John 2:22-25 LITV says, Who is the liar, except the one denying, saying that Jesus is not the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one denying the Father and the Son. Everyone denying the Son does not have the Father. The one confessing the Son also has the Father. Then what you heard from the beginning, let it abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you will abide both in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise which He promised us: everlasting life.

Notice the Bible says, both in the Son and in the Father, which speaks of two persons, not one person, not two modes or manifestations, but two persons. Modalists who reject the Triune God, deny the Son found in scripture, and the Bible says, "Everyone denying the Son does not have the Father." Someone can only know the Father through the Son, the Son who is revealed in scripture, the reason it is important you have the right Jesus,  because it is only through Him, you can have the Father also. There are many false Jesus' out there, and believing in any of them will led a person to hell, there is only one true Jesus, the Jesus found and taught in the Bible, and believing in Him will give you an eternal home with Him in heaven by the grace of God. Make sure you have the right Jesus.

Brothers and sisters in the Lord, If you ever come across a person who claims to be a Christian minister, and rejects the Triune God revealed in scripture (Three persons, but one God), and teaches God is one person, they are a false teacher teaching people to reject the Triune God revealed in scripture, and to believe in a lie. 

The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ