In this series of articles (this being the third article), we have exposed how the NIV both adds and removes from God’s word.  We spent some time talking about how the NIV translators want to make man sinful by nature, instead of sinful by choice.  This week we will talk about the NIV’s effort to change God’s plan of redemption.  It should be no surprise to anyone who has spent any time noticing the changes the NIV has made to God’s word, to find out that they want to make the Lord’s plan of redemption looser than the Lord did.  The NIV justifies man as being sinful by nature.  Since the NIV makes man sinful by nature it then must provide the “fool hole” into Heaven for those who believe such foolish hogwash.  This however is truly contrary to God’s word.  As we examine these errors let us consider what God has really said and even how grossly the NIV contradicts itself.

     The NIV has John writing: “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” (NIV John 3:16).  We will aim to expose the idea that Jesus is the one and only son of God in future articles.  We know that Christians are God’s children (Romans 8:16) which makes that contradiction number one of the NIV’s translation of John 3:16.  Our aim however is to examine the fact that the NIV says that those who believe “shall not perish” showing that those who believe “should not perish” (KJV).  Why the blatant mistranslation here?  Once again, we must realize the NIV is the Calvinistic Bible instead of God’s word.  Teaching faith alone is not new, but having a translation that teaches it is as new as perversions like the NIV.  However, even these perversions contradict their goal of teaching the faith alone doctrine.

     While the NIV certainly translates John 3:16 to affirm the faith only doctrine, it also translates other passages that contradict that teaching closely enough to have contradictions.  In this case, one could us the NIV against the NIV as we will in this section of this article.  For example, the NIV says the following to contradict its faith only doctrine: “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone” (NIV James 2:24).  The truth, as the NIV actually does show, is that one is not saved by faith alone.  Works are necessary to the salvation of one’s soul.

    To look further at the context from which we have drawn the inspired words of James, let the case be made that faith without works is dead: “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?  If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?  Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?  Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.  Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.  Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:14-26).  Realistically, any honest Bible student that reads the words of James would come to the conclusion that faith without works is dead.  The inspired words of James should be enough, but there is more to disprove the false doctrine of “faith only”.

     The devils believe in God.  The Ethiopian Eunuch, Saul (the Apostle Paul), and Cornelius believed in God, yet more was required of them that they might be saved (cf. Acts 8:25-39, Acts 9:1-18, and Acts 10:1-48).  Through the words of Ananias presented by Paul we know that baptism was required, not faith alone, to wash away Paul’s sins: (Acts 22:16) “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

     Throughout Hebrews the eleventh chapter, we find that Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph, Moses’ parents, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, and many others were not saved by faith alone.  Their faith promoted them to do works unto obedience.  Faith saves, but not faith alone.  Faith leads one to follow the instructions of the Lord and to produce fruit from their works (Matthew 13:1ff.).  Clearly put, more than faith is required to be saved.

     One grave error within the NIV is the teaching one will find on confession.  The NIV states: “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:10 NIV).  When one reads the King James Version they will note that the word “unto” is found as it is translated from the Greek word “eis”.  The KJV reads: “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).  Confession brings us “unto” or, up to salvation.   From the point of confession you are not into Christ, you are unto Christ.   The NIV has one saved at confession.  The Scriptures of course teach that this is error.  It is interesting to note that the NIV removed Acts 8:37 which has the Ethiopian Eunuch confessing Christ AND THEN being baptized in the following verse.

     If faith and confession alone were sufficient for salvation, the demons would be saved.  We have already noted that the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19).  Notice that they also confess who Christ is: “And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.  And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time” (Matthew 8:28-29)?  The NIV does not omit these two passages, this of course makes the NIV perversion contradict itself once again.

     One must hear the Gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16 and Romans 10:17).  They must then believe the Gospel of Christ (Acts 16:30-31).  Once one obtains faith through the word of God they must repent of their sins (Acts 3:19).  Faith and change will allow one to confess that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 8:37).  We see in the Great Commission that faith and baptism are required for one to be saved (Mark 16:15-16).  Baptism is not something that is done after, but prior to salvation.  One is baptized unto the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38).  Baptism is a point wherein one has been put into Christ (Galatians 3:27) and baptism is a result of one’s faith.  However, that is not the end of the road.  We have this life on earth wherein a child of God must spiritually grow (II Peter 1:5-10 and II Peter 3:18), while remaining faithful throughout the entirety of life (Revelation 2:10).  We have the blessing as Christians wherein when we do sin we can repent and confess those faults, with the result of being forgiven by God (I John 1:9).  However, we cannot escape the fact that a child of God can fall away (I Corinthians 10:12, Galatians 5:4, and Revelation chapters 2-3).   Thus, in addition to faith and confession, we must obey the Gospel and remain faithful unto the Lord (Matthew 7:21).

     The NIV is certainly a friend of Calvinism.  As we have seen however, those errors are easy to expose.  Next week we will examine how the NIV attacks the deity of Christ.  The NIV simply does not want Jesus to be known as God.  These sad doctrines ought to show any honest Bible student that the NIV is a perversion of the Bible, not a translation of it.  Prayerfully, those who learn of the errors of the NIV will be able to teach those who are ignorant to them.  The NIV is a common false teacher in the hands of believers and in the pockets of pews.  We need to end this work of Satan!