I will be wrapping up this study soon. Nevertheless, as we continue our study on the NIV bad wine and other versions like it, let us turn our attention to I Timothy 3:16. I picked this scripture because it is an important verse which helps us to see the deity of Christ. All scripture in the Bible is important and necessary for us to know who Jesus is. Jesus said “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” St. John 5:39.
King James Bible I Timothy 3:16
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.
Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. It is hard for the human mind to fathom. The scripture says, God was manifest in the flesh. Who is God? He is the creator of the universe, he made all things. Genesis 1:1 says, in the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth. Yet the Bible says in Colossians 1:16 that Jesus made all things. “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” How can this be possible? God was manifest (made known) in the flesh (in the person of Jesus Christ). He (God) was justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles. When was God preached unto the Gentiles? The gospel was preached unto them, beginning with Cornelius in the book of Acts. He (God) was believed on in the world, but who do we preach about? We preach and teach about Jesus. He (God) was received up into glory. What? You may say, but God is a Spirit, he was never on earth. But he was, in the person of Jesus Christ. His spirit overshadowed Mary and she was with Child of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God (there is only one), The everlasting Father (God is the Father), The prince of peace.”
Now let us look at the NIV, bad wine. One of the changes that the NIV made was to change “God” to “he.”
New International Version I Timothy 3:16
Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, 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.
It says “he” appeared in the flesh. Who is “he” that appeared in the flesh? Why did the NIV change “God” to “he?” We know that Jesus was born and seen of angels, preached in the world, etc. But the KJV scripture says God appeared in the flesh. To understand this you must know the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, Ephesians 4:13. In John 6:51 Jesus said, I am the living bread that came down from heaven…In John 6:53 it says, “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” This is the mystery. How can God who is a Spirit, appear in the flesh? How can he be both human and divine? Jesus told Phillip in the book of John, that when you see him you see the Father. This is hard for our human mind to fathom. The man Jesus did not pre-exist before the incarnation (the uniting of humanity with divinity). However the WORD pre-existed. St. John 1-2 & 14 “In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was God. The same was in the beginning with God… And the WORD was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” In the book Edifying the Body of Christ: Unbinding the Strong man by Prophet Elmore Richmond Jr he writes “In John 6:62-63 Jesus said, ‘What and if you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’ Here we can see that it is not about the (human) flesh, however it is about the Word of God.” Jesus was the spiritual bread that came down from heaven. Why is this important? Because often people get caught up on the fleshly side of Jesus and they fail to realize that he was the WORD of God made flesh and it was the Father within him that did the work.
We are discussing the bad wine in the NIV, scriptures that have been removed or changed. This teaching is complex. However, it is imperative that all Christians understand that Jesus declared the name of the Father. The new and declared name for the Father is Jesus.
Let us now look at another scripture.
King James Bible St. John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
New International Version St. John 3:16
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.
In this passage of scripture the NIV changed “begotten” to “one and only.” If you look up the Greek definition of begotten for this particular passage of scripture it does mean one and only, but it can also mean unique. The question to ask, was Jesus the “one and only” Son of God? No, but he was unique in that he is the only son that was born of a virgin, he was without sin and in him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Christians are called sons of God. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God…” I John 3:1-2. “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” Philippians 2:15 and “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” St. John 1:11-12. When we receive Jesus as our savior, receive the Holy Spirit and do what he commands of us we then become sons of God. In the book of Matthew the 12th chapter some of Jesus family wanted to see him. The people said, your mother and brothers desire to see you, and Jesus answered. Who is my mother? And who are my brethren? Those who do the will of my Father in heaven.
Again when we look at the changes that have been made in scripture we can see again how the integrity of the word of God has been corrupted by the NIV.
Prophetess Nadine Richmond
The Church Readiness Ministries
