THE KING JAMES BIBLE AND GRACE BELIEVERS

By Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama)

July 21, 2010

1 Cor. 15:9-10 says; For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain: but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Through the years I have read the books of Cornelius Stam, J. C. O'Hare, E. W. Bullinger, Charles Welsh, Charles Baker, C. I. Scofield and many others who call themselves dispensationalists and grace preachers. I have stacks of their books. These men are called the "pioneers of the grace message". They developed a theology they call grace theology, dispensational theology or the "grace message".

Most preachers today who call themselves grace preachers or dispensationalists follow the doctrine and theology of these men. Many deny this, but they do. Some follow Stam in their preaching. Some follow O'Hare in their preaching. Some follow Bullinger and Welch. Some preach a mixture of Stam and Bullinger. Some preach the theology of Stam and Bullinger and Scofield in a "watered down" version like Pete Ruckman.

Most of these preachers and their followers make the claim that they follow Paul and his doctrine. Many refer to Paul's doctrine as the grace message and the grace message as Paul's doctrine. They call themselves grace believers and they all claim to preach the grace message and the grace message according to them is the doctrine God committed to Paul. They say the grace message was "lost" for many years, but they have "recovered it". They say that men of God like Calvin, Luther, Whitfield and Wesley, etc. did not know the grace message, but men like Bullinger, Welsh, Stam, O'Hare and Baker "recovered it". They believe they are the only group who preaches the so called grace message today and if you don't agree with them you are wrongly dividing the word of truth.

I am a believer in grace so I am a grace believer as is anyone who believes in grace. I preach the gospel of grace and salvation by grace so I am a grace preacher as is anyone who preaches salvation by grace. And I follow Paul as he followed Christ as is any one who preaches what Paul preached. But I do not agree with the so called theology of grace and the so called grace message developed by these men. It is one thing to be a believer in grace and a grace believer. It is one thing to preach the gospel of grace and be a grace preacher. It is one thing to preach a message of grace and preach what they call the grace message.

There are two main reasons why I disagree with these people who call them selves grace believers who preach what they call the grace message. First, the so called grace theology, dispensational theology or so called grace message was not founded or developed by men who believed the King James Bible is the word of God. Not a one of the men I mentioned at the beginning ever professed to believe that God had a perfect Bible any where on the face of this earth! Read their books and see for yourself. These so called "pioneers of the grace message" constantly attack, change and malign your King James Bible. They never professed to believe it. How any one who says they believe the King James Bible is the word of God can follow or trust these men is beyond me. The so called "grace message" was not developed by men who believed the Bible you have in your hands is the word of God without error. That should throw up a red flag to any real Bible believer.

Would you follow the doctrine, teaching and writings of men who do not believe the King James Bible is the word of God? If a man changed the word of God as much as these men do, would you continue to come and listen to him preach? Would you preach the same message that a man preached who was not a Bible believer like you? Wouldn't you doubt his message if he didn't believe the King James Bible is the word of God? Even if he called his message by such names as "love or grace" would you still believe him if he didn't believe the King James Bible is the word of God?

If you call yourself a grace preacher or grace believer and preach the so called grace message you are following a group of men who never based their doctrine and writings on the belief that the King James Bible was the word of God without error. The so called grace message was created by men who never professed to believe that God had a Bible any where that was free from error. They all changed it constantly.

Those of you who claim to believe the King James Bible and preach and believe the so called grace message need to consider this. I began to consider this a few years ago and I reached the conclusion that good does not come from bad and sound doctrine does not come from corruption. I made up my mind that I would not follow a man's message if he did not believe the King James Bible is the word of God. I don't care how pretty he wraps it up or how spiritual he makes it sound, if he does not believe the Bible that I believe is the word of God, I will not preach his message no matter if he puts the name grace on it. God knows the lies and damage that has been done to people in the name of grace and love. Don't be fooled by a message just because it has the word grace attached to it. Many heresies in the church have scriptural names attached to them.

To sum up this point, if you are preaching the so called grace message you are following the theology and doctrine of men who never believed the King James Bible is the word of God. The pioneers of the so called grace message never believed God preserved his word in any Bible without error. If you believe the King James Bible is the word of God, how can you follow these men who never professed to believe it?