The New American Standard Version
Another Gnostic Version
By Dr. Ken Matto

The New American Standard Version is a book which uses manuscripts corrupted with the Gnostic heresy dating back to the 2nd century AD. With men like Clement of Alexandria and Origen corrupting the Scriptures according to their Gnostic beliefs, what we have today are the descendants of these evil corruptions. The Gnostics disbelieved the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and this is why we see His divine name and title dismembered in many verses. Unfortunately too many Christians listen to men like James White, Kenneth Barker, or D.A. Carson and just take their words as if they are Gospel. What they say and what you see will always be different! You will see some major corruptions in the NASV in this short article. Please keep in mind that we are dealing only with a small part of the corruption in the NASV, there is much more, but I am focusing only on this subject.

John 1:18
KJV - No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

NAS: No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

This verse is very revealing verse showing the Gnostic influence on the modern versions. The Textus Receptus clearly reads in the Greek “
s s” which is “monogenęs huios.” It means the “only begotten son.” Let us look and see if there is a history of the words being translated that way.

Wycliffe Bible (1382) - No man sai euer God, no but the `oon bigetun sone, that is in the bosum of the fadir, he hath teld out.

Tyndale Bible (1525) - No ma hath sene God at eny tyme. The only begotte sonne which is in ye bosome of ye father he hath declared him.

Matthews (1537) - No man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Geneva Bible (1560) - No man hath seene God at any time: that onely begotten Sonne, which is in the bosome of the Father, he hath declared him.

King James (1611) - No man hath seene God at any time: the onely begotten Sonne, which is in the bosome of the Father, he hath declared him.

We have plainly seen that there is over 600 years of testimony that the phrase is “only begotten son.” Let us look at the NASV rendering and why they changed it and the reason behind it.

In the Greek which underlies the NASV the words have been changed to “
s s” (monogenas theos) which means “only begotten God.” It may sound theologically correct but analyze that statement. It is saying that God has been begotten, in other words, they are claiming that Jesus was a created being. He never ceased to be God, even on earth. God always is and can never be created, since He is from everlasting to everlasting. When I look at the UBS Greek textual note on this verse, the names Origen and Clement appear in the footnote. Both of these men were heretics and Gnostics which denied the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am speaking of Clement of Alexandria, Egypt where both he and Origen had corrupted the Bible manuscripts with Gnostic heresies which resulted in continued transmission of the corruption which we still have in the NASV. The NASV along with the NIV has been corrupted with the Gnostic heresy and yet Christians and pastors accept these corrupt books and call them God’s Word. This is why S. Franklin Logsdon, the chief translator of the NASV had renounced the translation as vile corruption. God never did, nor will He ever hand over His Word to unbelievers. The 1611 King James Bible was the last translation made which was done by all true Christians with impeccable credentials. The modern Bibles have been translated by unbelievers, sodomites, Roman Catholics (The NASV is a Roman Catholic book as all modern translations are), Gnostics, Unitarians, Occultists, those who reject the literal creation and other parts of the Bible, etc. Tell Me, when you really get down and compare the unqualified translators of today and their view of the Lord Jesus Christ to the KJB translators who were all saved and godly men, which Bible should you be reading? You know as well as I do.

The Title “Lord Jesus Christ”
The phrase “Lord Jesus Christ is used 84 times in 81 verses. Out of those 84 times, the phrase is corrupted 26 times by omitting one of the names of the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that 31% of those verses have been tampered with by the Gnostics in the second century and has been transmitted to the modern versions today and accepted with open arms by Christians.

Acts 15:11
KJV - But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

NAS - "But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are."


Acts 16:31
KJV - And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

NAS - They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

 
Romans 16:18
KJV - For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

NAS - For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

 
Romans 16:20
KJV - And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

NAS - The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

 
Romans 16:24
KJV- The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

NAS - [The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.] - In brackets mean they doubt the authenticity of this verse.

 
1 Corinthians 5:4
KJV - In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

NAS - In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus,

 
1 Corinthians 16:22
KJV - If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

NAS - If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha.

 
1 Corinthians 16:23
KJV - The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

NAS - The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.


2 Corinthians 11:31
KJV - The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.

NAS - The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.

 
Ephesians 3:14
KJV - For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

NAS - For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

 
Colossians 1:2
KJV - 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.

NAS - To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

 
1 Thessalonians 1:1
KJV - Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

NAS - Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

 
1 Thessalonians 2:19
KJV - For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

NAS - For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?

 
1 Thessalonians 3:11
KJV - Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.

NAS - Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you;

 
1 Thessalonians 3:13
KJV - To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

NAS - so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.

 
2 Thessalonians 1:8
KJV - In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

NAS - dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

 
2 Thessalonians 1:12
KJV - That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

NAS - so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 
1 Timothy 1:1
KJV - Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;

NAS - Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope,

 
1 Timothy 5:21
KJV - I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.

NAS - I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.

 
2 Timothy 4:1
KJV - 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;

NAS - I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:
 

2 Timothy 4:22
KJV - The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.

NAS - The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

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

NAS - To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior

 
2 John 1:3
KJV - Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

NAS - Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

 
Revelation 22:21
KJV - The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

NAS - The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.


The Title “Jesus Christ”
Let us look at the title Jesus Christ and see what they have done to that. It is used 196 times in 187 verses. If we do not count the name “Jesus Christ” in the phrase “Lord Jesus Christ” from above, we have a total of 112 times the phrase “Jesus Christ” appears. It is tampered with 10 times which means we have 8% tampering with that name by the same Gnostics who deny the deity of Christ.

Romans 1:3
KJV - Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

NAS - concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,

 
Romans 15:8
KJV - Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

NAS - For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers,

 
1 Corinthians 9:1
KJV - Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?

NAS - Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

 
2 Corinthians 4:6
KJV - For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

NAS - For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

 
2 Corinthians 5:18
KJV - And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

NAS - Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,

 
Ephesians 3:9
KJV - And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

NAS - and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;

 
1 John 4:3
KJV - And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

NAS - and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

 
Revelation 1:9
KJV - I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

NAS - I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

 
Revelation 12:17
KJV - And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

NAS - So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

 
Conclusion
It is obvious from looking at the corruption in these verses that the New American Standard Version, as with all the others, attack the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and attempt to make Him no more than a mere mortal man who had very high morals. This version is a severely corrupted version and should be discarded. If you are serious about growing in the faith, then you need to use the King James Bible because it is the only God glorifying, complete Bible on the market. Remember, publishers and Christians book stores and sellers don’t care about your spiritual growth or your eternal soul, their bottom line is to make a sale and they will sell you anything to pump up their profits. Why would you want to pay $50-80 for a leather bound Gnostic book which only defames the Lord Jesus?
 
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