Which Version Most Glorifies Jesus Christ, Part 3

We may well expect the Holy Ghost to bear abundant testimony to the Lordship of Jesus Christ as He glorifies Him. It is interesting to notice that in numerous instances the word Lord is deleted from the modern versions in places where it occurs in the AV. These several testimonies to the Lordship of Jesus Christ must not be considered unimportant. The Saviour Himself once based a doctrinal question on a single occurrence of the word Lord in Psalm 110:1 which He quoted in this passage:

Matthew 22:43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

Hence, we should never de-emphasize any place in the Bible where the Holy Spirit employs the word Lord. Notice these examples of the usage of the word Lord in the AV. In Matthew 13:51 the disciples called Jesus “Lord.”

Matthew 13:51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

In Mark 9:24 the father of a boy possessed of a devil prays to Jesus addressing Him as “Lord.”

Mark 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

In Luke 7:31 the gospel writer refers to Jesus as “Lord” when quoting Him.

Luke 7:31 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?

Then the apostle Paul gives Jesus Christ the title of “Lord” in all of the following passages of his epistles:

2 Corinthians 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Colossians 1:2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom….

Titus 1:4 To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

This word Lord is missing from every one of these examples in the RSV, NASV, NIV, LB, DCV, and ESV. In fact, in the citation of Luke 7:31, the whole phrase “and the Lord said” is missing. The LB at least inserted the words “Jesus asked,” but left out the title “Lord.” Some might argue by pointing to the several instances where Jesus is mentioned in the AV without the title of “Lord.” Nevertheless, Jesus is called “Lord” more in the AV than He is in the RSV, NASV, NIV, LB, DCV, and ESV. Hence, the AV glorifies Christ more in this respect than do these other versions. And remember, each place the Holy Ghost employs the word Lord is important, as we saw above. Doesn’t it glorify Christ more to have the praying father call upon him as Lord, than to simply call upon Him without addressing Him as Lord? Doesn’t calling someone “Lord” magnify that person? Think about it.

Then note this further testimony in the AV to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

This is a clear proof that the second man, Who is Jesus Christ, is the Lord. That expression “the Lord” is missing from the RSV, NASV, NIV, DCV, and ESV. In these verses Jesus is merely said to be the second man from heaven rather than identified as “the Lord” from heaven. The LB says, “Christ came from heaven above.” But none of these versions tell that this man is the Lord! This demonstrates a distinct contrast between the AV which outright declares the Lordship of Jesus Christ in this verse and the other versions that do not! This again confirms that the AV is the testimony of the Holy Ghost glorifying Christ.

One of the single most important places where Jesus Christ is called Lord is found in the prayer of the dying thief who was crucified next to Jesus.

Luke 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

The thief addressed Jesus as “Lord.” According to 1Corinthians 12:3, “no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” This unmistakably reveals that the Holy Ghost was working on that thief, moving him call Jesus Lord. Yet this word Lord is deleted from the thief’s prayer in the RSV, NASV, NIV, LB, and ESV. It seems the more recent and widely popular ESV is just as corrupt as the rest of the modern versions. Note how these versions delete the very evidence of the Holy Spirit leading a man to acknowledge Jesus as Lord. The AV unquestionably bears the mark of the Holy Ghost in this verse as opposed to these other versions. In this case the Roman Catholic DCV agrees with the AV. 

John the Baptist clearly exalted Christ above himself as is evident in this verse:

John 1:27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

That expression “is preferred before me” is missing in the RSV, NASV, NIV, LB, and – you guessed it – the ESV. Yet they have John quoting these words of his in verse 30! But they don’t give the words in verse 27 that he was quoting in verse 30. On the other hand, the AV has John speaking these words in verse 27 and then quoting himself in verse 30. In this instance the AV glorifies Christ in verse 27 in plainly saying that He is preferred before John the Baptist. The AV is also more consistent in that it renders the words John refers back to in his statement in verse 30. Here again, the Catholic DCV confirms the AV. So far we have found DCV to line up with the AV on three verses (John 3:13; Luke 23:42; JOH 1:27), which can’t be said of these other versions used among Protestants and Baptists so called.