Like the doctrine of verbal plenary inspiration (VPI), the doctrine of verbal plenary preservation (VPP) must be identified.
The doctrine of VPI needs to be identified. If it is not identified the doctrine is useless. It might as well not be taught from the Scriptures if the inspired books with inspired words are not identified. Imagine someone saying, ‘I believe in the doctrine of VPI but I do not know where these books are’. This will immediately render the doctrine of VPI null and void. VPI becomes meaningless. The doctrine of canonization identifies for us the inspired books with the inspired words! These books are the 39 OT books from Genesis to Malachi and the 27 NT books from Matthew to Revelation. This was done by the early Church Fathers in the 4th Century AD. The number of inspired books is not mentioned in the Bible at all. But the LORD Himself intimated that there were only 39 Books for the OT [see Matthew 23:35 ; Luke 11:51 - Abel is mentioned in the Book of Genesis, the first to die for his faith and Zacharias refers to Zechariah of 2 Chronicles 24:20-21. The arrangement of the 39 books of the OT in the Hebrew Bible has Genesis as the first book and 2 Chronicles as the last]. The doctrines of inspiration and canonization are both found in the Scriptures.
The inspired books and inspired words cannot be separated. Similarly the words of the doctrine of VPP (and not a theory as the opponents of the doctrine of VPP have caricatured since VPP is clearly taught in Scriptures) must be identified or else the doctrine would be meaningless. The nature of the doctrine of VPP demands that the preserved texts be in continuous usage or circulation throughout the ages. The texts were not hidden somewhere and then suddenly dug up as the preserved texts. Those who think this way do not understand the meaning of preservation. All the inspired words of God are found in these God preserved manuscripts. In 1611, the King James Bible Translators used all the available God preserved texts and identified for the church all these inspired words. They are known as the Ben Chayyim Hebrew Texts for the OT and the Greek Textus Receptus (Received Texts) for the NT. In layman’s term they are also called the Hebrew and Greek Texts underlying the King James Bible.
The reason the KJV Bible is given this distinction is because it is the only English Bible today that uses these texts.
In the OT, modern versions use the Biblia Hebraica Stugarttensia (BHS) whereas the KJV Bible used the time tested Ben Chayyim Hebrew texts.
In the NT, modern versions are based upon the Westcott and Hort’s texts which were buried and discovered later in the 19th Century. Some may say that there is no big deal between the Westcott and Hort’s Texts and the Greek texts underlying the KJV until they realize the differences between them. According to Dean Burgon’s notations, the total number of real differences between the Westcott and Hort’s Texts and the Textus Receptus of the NT are 16,550. For example, using the NIV for comparison, some of these differences include omission of Bible verses such as Matthew 18:11, “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.”; and Acts 8:37, “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” The NIV casts doubts on the Word of God when they suggest that these passages of the Bible ought not to be there in the first place. They are: Mark 16:9-19 and John 7:53 to John 8:1-11.The NIV translates Luke 9:55-56 so convolutedly as, “But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village.” However the KJV translates them as, “But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.” The real meaning of Jesus’ words have been lost by the NIV’s rendition of the Greek texts.
Beware of the warning from God’s Word to any one who adds to or subtracts from God’s perfect Word. Revelation 22:18-19, “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
It is true that after 1611 many more Greek manuscripts were discovered for the NT. Therefore some would argue that we should re-evaluate the Texts identified for us by the KJV translators until they realize the result of the comparison done by Dean Burgon. Below is a table done by Dean Burgon when he compared the 5,000 over Greek manuscripts against the Textus Receptus and the Westcott and Hort’s texts. You will find that the majority of the newly discovered manuscripts follow the Textus Receptus. These newly discovered texts affirm the doctrine of VPP as well as the identity of the doctrine of VPP which are the Hebrew and Greek texts underlying the KJV.
Papyri- the word of God written on paper made from papyrus plant;
Uncials – the Word of God written in capital letters or upper case;
Cursives – the Word of God written in cursives or lower case;
Lectionaries – the Word of God quoted by Church Fathers and read during worship services for public reading.