Updated December 17, 2001 (first published August 12, 2000) (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org) - Following are eight key New Testament passages on biblical separation compared in the King James Bible and the New International Version. The NIV weakens or destroys five of the eight. Since separation is one of the most important means of protecting the churches from error, the NIV has promoted apostasy by weakening these passages. The NIV is the preferred Bible of New Evangelicalism, and it is not surprising that it strengthens the New Evangelical tendency to ignore separation.

** ROMANS 16:17-18

KJV -- "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 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."

NIV -- "I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people."

The NIV turns this passage on its head by making it appear that anyone who causes division should be rejected. In fact, the KJV translation is correct in making it plain that it is only a certain kind of division that is wrong, that is, division based on false doctrine. As the NIV stands in this passage, the danger does not appear to be false doctrine but divisiveness itself, regardless of the cause of the division. The Bible, though, plainly tells us that the truth itself causes divisions. In fact, the truth demands divisions!

2 CORINTHIANS 6:14-17

KJV -- "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM, AND BE YE SEPARATE, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you."

NIV -- "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." Therefore COME OUT FROM THEM AND BE SEPARATE, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."

The NIV translation in this passage is not as precise in every detail as that of the KJV, but the call of separation is plain.

** 2 THESSALONIANS 3:6

KJV -- "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us."

NIV -- "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us."

The NIV severely weakens this passage by paraphrasing the Greek words peripateo ataktos (correctly translated by the KJV as "walks disorderly") as "who is idle." This limits the passage to only one certain type of disobedience. While the passage would certainly apply to one who is idle and refuses to work, that is only one application. The Greek and the King James Bible's accurate English translation thereof allows for a much broader application. Correctly translated, the verse teaches that a professing Christian who openly disobeys the plain teaching of the Epistles is to be avoided. Many Fundamentalists have applied this to New Evangelicals who brazenly reject the Bible's commands of separation, and rightfully so; but the NIV paraphrase does not allow for this.

** 1 TIMOTHY 6:3-5

KJV -- "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: FROM SUCH WITHDRAW THYSELF."

NIV -- [The phrase "from such withdraw thyself" is entirely omitted because it is omitted in the critical Greek text used by the NIV translators.]

** 2 TIMOTHY 2:15-18

KJV -- "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But SHUN PROFANE AND VAIN BABBLINGS: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some."

NIV -- "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. AVOID GODLESS CHATTER, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some."

The NIV translation "godless chatter" is another example of paraphrasing which weakens the passage. The KJV, on the other hand, carefully and precisely translates the Greek words bebelos (profane) kenophonia (vain babblings). The English word "profane" is a good translation of bebelos, but godless is not, because "profane" allows for the full meaning of the Greek word bebelos, whereas "godless" refers to only one possible aspect of the term. Bebelos refers to a wide variety of errors, including Jewish and pagan fables, anything, in fact, that is contrary to God's Word. Further, the NIV completely ignores the Greek word keno, meaning vain or empty. Thus the NIV paraphrase severely reduces the application of this verse and renders it largely impotent in the battle for separation from end-time apostasy. The KJV translation, on the other hand, carefully follows the Greek and teaches us that any babbling or teaching that is either profane or vain is to be shunned.

2 TIMOTHY 3:5

KJV -- "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: FROM SUCH TURN AWAY."

NIV -- "having a form of godliness but denying its power. HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM."

The NIV paraphrases this verse instead of translating it. The Greek word translated "have nothing to do with them" is apotrepo. It is correctly and precisely translated by the KJV as "turn away." The NIV has the basic idea of separation, but it is not as precise as the KJV. It amazes me that the NIV translators thought they could take such liberties with the Word of God.

** TITUS 3:10-11

KJV -- "A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."

NIV -- "Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned."

The NIV destroys the meaning of this passage and renders it ineffective by mistranslating the word "heretic." The King James Bible, on the other hand, simply transliterates the Greek word hairetokos, which is from the root word hairetizo, to choose. A heretic in the biblical sense is not merely a divisive person. A person can be divisive and not be a heretic, because division can be made for the truth's sake as well as for error. We saw this in the comments on Romans 16:17. The Lord Jesus Christ caused division (John 7:43; 9:16; 1019) and even said that this was one of the purposes of His coming (Lk. 12:51). Likewise, the Apostle Paul caused many divisions. He sought to divide the churches in Galatia from the false teachers there, for example. Diotrephes doubtless charged the Apostle John with divisiveness when John wrote to one of Diotrephes' church members and criticized the proud church leader's self-willed ways (3 John 9-11). The number of proud Diotrephes-type false teachers increased rapidly after the death of the Apostles, and within a few hundred years the false teachers outnumbered sound teachers and began to persecute them, and the real heretics, those who had departed from the New Testament faith, began to label apostolic Christians the heretics! Thus from about 400 A.D. even to this day, there have been more unscriptural churches than sound Bible ones and the unscriptural churches have labeled sound churches as false and have charged the apostolic churches with heresy and division from the "Catholic" church. The NIV translation of Titus 3:10-11 gives incredible support to the false churches in their rush to label any division as sinful. The NIV translation, though, is wrong. The heretic of Titus 3 is more than merely someone who causes division. A heretic causes division, but it is division on the basis of his self-willed choice of error and his refusal to obey the apostolic faith. The NIV mistranslation turns this passage on its head. Instead of calling for separation from heretics, it calls for separation from anyone causing division for any reason. By mistranslating the passage, the NIV actually calls for separation from separatists and fundamentalists rather than separation from heretics, thus supporting the ecumenical New Evangelical philosophy.

2 JOHN 7-11

KJV -- "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, RECEIVE HIM NOT INTO YOUR HOUSE, NEITHER BID HIM GOD SPEED: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."

NIV -- "Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, DO NOT TAKE HIM INTO YOUR HOUSE OR WELCOME HIM. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work."

The NIV translation of this passage is not as precise as the KJV and it ignores phrases such as "of Christ" in verse 9, but the call of separation is intact.