Problems with the NIV Bible

When I was a teenager, the Lutheran church put a NIV translation of the Bible in my hands, and I grew up with it. Years later, I received a New Kings James Version (NKJV) and started using it. Not long after, I heard that there were some problems with the NIV, and a couple were pointed out. I accepted that and put it in the back of my mind. Now, I’ve done some research and found that a lot more is wrong with the NIV than I even knew! I have found that some scholars are saying over 64,000 words are missing from the NIV! If that weren’t enough, some verses do not exist in the NIV at all.

Verses Missing from the NIV

  • Matthew 17:21; 18:11; 23:14
  • Mark 7:16; 9:44; 9:46; 11:26; 15:28
  • Luke 17:36; 23:17
  • John 5:4
  • Acts 8:37; 15:34; 24:7; 28:29
  • Romans 16:24
  • 1 John 5:7 (truncated)

Don’t believe me? Go to an online Bible resource like BibleGateway and look them up. Compare the NIV text with the NKJV, KJV, ASV, or NASB. Supporters of the NIV say these missing texts do not matter or that what they teach appear elsewhere. Do you want to rely on a Bible that is, without question, omitting portions? Revelation 22:18-19 gives you something to think about.

Also consider the NIV translation of John 3:16.

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.

Now look at the NKJV of John 3:16.

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Note that the word is “should”, not “shall” (this matches in the KJV, ASV, ESV, 21CKJV, and so on). Changing this one word can lead to some serious errors in Christian thought, such as “belief only” salvation (disproved in Matthew 7:19; John 15:8; John 15:10; John 15:14; Titus 1:16; Titus 2:7; Titus 3:8; 1 Peter 2:15; 1 Timothy 4:12; 1Timothy 6:18-19) or the thought that once a Christian you cannot loose salvation (disproved in Galatians 5:4; Hebrews 3:12-13; Hebrews 4:1; Hebrews 4:11; Hebrews 6:4-8; 2 Peter 2:20-21).

If you regularly use the NIV, I urge you to do some research on your own. Find out more about it. The Word of God is too important; don’t ignore these concerns without finding out for yourself!

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