For many years the Congregational churches used the King James Bible, which rendered Philippians 2:7 as “made himself of no reputation.” That wording reflected the long-held, orthodox belief that Christ humbled Himself without ceasing to be fully God. It emphasized His humility and willingness to take on the form of a servant, not that He emptied Himself of divine power or attributes. However, when modern translations such as the Revised Version (1885) and the American Standard Version (1901) began to replace the KJV in seminaries and pulpits, they translated the same verse much differently as “emptied Himself.” This single change of wording, though seemingly small, had enormous theological influence. It came at a time when liberal Protestant thought and German theology were spreading in American seminaries, including those connected to the Congregational churches. The new phrase “emptied Himself” appeared to support the modern kenosis theory, the idea that Christ laid aside or limited certain divine qualities while on earth.
As these modern translations gained popularity, many ministers and teachers within the Congregational tradition gradually began adopting or sympathizing with this newer interpretation. The shift was not sudden, nor was it officially declared; it developed over time as the language of the new Bibles aligned with the liberal theological trends of that era. In short, when the Congregational churches held to the KJV, they held to the traditional doctrine of Christ’s full divinity during His incarnation. But when they exchanged the KJV for the ASV and RSV, their theology began to change with it. The rendering “emptied Himself” became the key phrase that made kenosis theology not only thinkable but believable in those circles.
I have ran into Christians who believed false things because of what was stated in a Modern Bible.
One guy told me Jesus sinned and he quoted a Modern Bible.
It is also no secret that Unitarian groups generally dismiss 1 John 5:7.
Verses in Which Modern Bibles Weaken the Authority of Scripture:
- Psalms 96:13 — “truth” changed to “faithfulness.”
- Psalms 12:6–7 — preservation of God’s words changed to preservation of His people.
- Psalms 138:2 — “magnified Thy Word above all Thy name” changed to “exalted Your solemn decree.”
- Psalms 119:140 — “word” changed to “promises.”
- 2 Corinthians 2:17 — “corrupt the word of God” changed to “peddle the word of God.”
- Romans 10:17 — “word of God” changed to “message about Christ.”
- 1 Peter 1:23 — “incorruptible” replaced with other words (such as “imperishable”), obscuring the truth that God’s Word cannot be corrupted.
- 1 Peter 2:2 — removes “of the word,” leaving only “milk,” disconnecting spiritual growth from the Word of God.
- Proverbs 22:21 — “certainty of the words of truth” changed to “reliable words.”
- Isaiah 28:10 — “precept upon precept” changed to “order on order.”
- John 5:39 — “Search the scriptures” (command) changed to “You search the Scriptures” (statement), making it sound like Jesus was criticizing the Jews for studying the Scriptures.
These eleven changes reveal a troubling pattern. Many Christians today who have been taught to hold a lower view of Scripture, believing that the Bible is not perfect and contains errors, are reading from Bibles that reflect that very mindset. Modern versions not only weaken doctrines but also downgrade the noble characteristics and divine power of Scripture itself. They subtly diminish its purity, authority, and eternal preservation, leading believers to view the Word of God as merely inspired in part rather than perfect in whole. There are Christians that I and other TR/KJV defenders have encountered who say we take the Bible too seriously, and yet these same people do not have any problem with the Modern Bibles.
