Should the Spanish Bible Controversy Be Approached the Same as the King James Bible Controversy?
- Emanuel Rodriguez
- May 16
- 9 min read
By Pastor Emanuel Rodriguez
Some have excused themselves from getting embroiled with the Spanish Bible controversy by reasoning that the Spanish Bible controversy is not the same as the English Bible controversy. To be fair, they have a point, even if it’s not a point that excuses them from responsibility in this issue as I will explain, but a point still.
It is true that a level of grace is in order when dealing with disagreements over the Spanish Bible and perhaps the main reason why is because of time. We have had over 400 years of the King James Bible. The KJB is time-tested and battle-proven. It is the most scrutinized and vetted Bible of all time. No other Bible has proven itself like the KJB. With the KJB we have over 4 centuries of history and fruit to consider along with all of the textual arguments and the abundance of manuscript evidence that has developed over the years.
We have not had the same advantage in recent times with the Spanish Bible controversy. When I first began researching this issue about 20 years ago, there was not much material available to work with. I got my hands on all that I could but it wasn’t much. What I found and accumulated over time eventually became enough to help me develop the position that I, and many others like me, hold to today.
Today is a different day, however. Today we have an abundance of material available to work with.
For example, the website of the RVG Bible Society (www.sociedadrvg.com) is hands down the #1 online resource for information on this subject. We currently (at the time of the writing of this article) have exactly 169 articles in Spanish and 97 in English, covering this issue from every angle. …and much more on the way! In addition, we have all kinds of other resources such as charts, spreadsheets with Bible verse comparisons, Bible apps for your phone and computer, free downloadable books, videos, and more.
With the wealth of information available nowadays, no one has any excuse anymore to be ignorant on this issue.
The Reina Valera Gomez Spanish Bible has only been around for a little over 20 years now. Its first edition came out in 2004. There is no comparison between the amount of time the KJV has had to prove itself and that of the RVG. No doubt.
However, at some point after 1611, people had to make the decision to use the KJV over the Geneva, the Bishops, the Coverdale, the Great Bible, and the others that people were using. We know from history that the KJV eventually replaced all English Bibles as the premiere one and enjoyed pretty much exclusive acceptance among orthodox English-speaking Christians for over 200 years until Westcott and Hort forced a paradigm shift by the replacement of the Textus Receptus with their own corrupt Critical Text.
I know that timing is everything. My question is, however – when will the time be right for a paradigm shift to finally take place in the Independent Baptist Spanish-speaking world? When should the 1960 Reina Valera finally be replaced with a pure text, like the RVG, in the Spanish-speaking world?
Are we wrong to insist that we do the right thing today instead of committing the same error of the governor Felix who waited for “a convenient season” in Acts 24:25?
What about new converts today who only speak Spanish? Should they be given a Spanish Bible that we know for a fact is corrupted with the Critical Text, like the Reina Valera 1960 edition, simply because that’s what the majority of Spanish-speaking Fundamentalists use and we don’t want to upset them? Is this our criteria now? The majority rules?
Is the majority always right? What if the majority is wrong? What if the majority is being misled? Should the minority who know better speak up? Or is it more virtuous to remain silent so as to not upset the majority? Is this what Fundamentalism has become?
What if the majority of Americans vote for a liberal anti-God President instead of a conservative pro-God President in the U.S.? Should we all just go along with the majority and not complain about someone who will mislead our country? Is that the way Christians are to approach matters? Just go with the flow? Or do we still believe in standing on the right principles and speaking up no matter what?
To be fair, I can sympathize with the fact that it would be a hard pill to swallow for a church that has used the 1960 Reina Valera for many years to change. A couple things must be considered, however.
First of all, all emotions and sentimentalism aside, what is the right thing to do? Of all the questions to be asked, shouldn’t that be the biggest question? What is right?
Should a pill that is necessary for our health be avoided because it is hard to swallow?
Just how important is purity anyways? Bible purity. Is it only important in English, but not so much in Spanish and other languages? Is that consistent? Does consistency matter and does it matter to God? How important is Bible purity to God who gave us His word? Should it be just as important to us? If God cares about Bible purity, is He worth taking whatever measures necessary to align with His position on the matter? Or is He not worth it so let’s just live and let live?
Secondly, what about missionaries preparing to go to the foreign field today? They have a golden opportunity to start out right. Why not encourage them to start out right?
Imagine if every missionary and Spanish church planter for the next 20 years was resolved to start out correctly, with the same pure Bible. Eventually we’d see a paradigm shift for the better! Unfortunately, this is not being encouraged in our IFB circles and academic institutions. Instead, missionaries are being discouraged from considering the RVG. Missionaries are being encouraged to dismiss those of us who are trying to point out the truth on this important fundamental issue. They are instead being encouraged to repeat the same faulty decision to use what has been proven to be defective Bibles and if anyone tries to encourage them to do better they are seen as villains and troublemakers.
When I was on the mission field, a veteran missionary brother asked me, “How are you convincing your people to use the RVG when everyone else uses something else?” I responded, “It’s easy. I win souls.” New converts will look to soul winners and pastors for guidance on matters of discipleship. When they do, the timing will be perfect to get them grounded in what is right from the very beginning. This is what we should be encouraging the next generation of missionaries, church planters, and soul winners to do. Instead, too many are encouraging them to repeat the same errors of the past.
The point I’m trying to make is this. If we don’t start some time, we will be forced to always settle for what is wrong. If we continue to be intimidated by the majority and afraid to upset others we will never see the right kind of progress.
I understand that American Pastors are busy. I understand this because I am an American Pastor. We have a lot on our plate and our time is precious. What we must consider, however, is that our brethren on the foreign field still depend largely upon us to facilitate them. They depend on us for financial support. They depend on us for Bibles, literature, and other important resources. Let’s face it. IFB churches in the U.S. are the facilitators for much of what happens in foreign missions. Due to the Great Commission, we have a responsibility.
Yet we have church leaders in the U.S. that dodge this issue because they are waiting for the smoke to clear or the dust to settle. These are the kinds of statements being made. Meanwhile, missionaries, church planters, and soul winners need Bibles NOW. They don’t want to wait for “a convenient season” to do what is right. Many are willing to stand today but trying to convince Fundamental Baptist leaders to grow a backbone and work with them is like pulling teeth.
I know of one missionary in Mexico who moves Bibles all over that country and also outside of the country. He is so frustrated with trying to get Bible printers to print the right Bible that he has taken matters in his own hands by getting RVG Bibles printed overseas in places like China. It is frustrating because even the good ministries that do print the RVG have a difficult time supplying him because they can’t keep up with the demand from everyone else that need Bibles. So instead of waiting forever this dear missionary brother is forced to depend upon a bunch of anti-God communists in China to help him instead of his IFB brethren in the U.S. This is a shame!
Meanwhile, IFB churches are helping to supply missionaries with the corrupted 1960 edition of the Reina Valera Bible. Yet they have not considered (or they are ignoring the fact) that since that edition of the Spanish Bible is owned by the United Bible Society, a percentage of the purchase of these Bibles is required to go to the UBS due to copyright laws. The UBS is responsible for many corrupt Critical Text Bibles such as the NIV. The UBS is an ecumenical organization aligned with the World Council of Churches. The World Council of Churches is the headquarters of the ecumenical movement which collaborates with the Vatican. So through the use and support of the 1960 RV you have IFB churches financially supporting an ecumenical organization aligned with the WCC and the Vatican. I heard one Mexican pastor argue one time that the size of the percentage is so small that we really shouldn’t be concerned about it. Personally, I wouldn’t want to send a dime of my money to the support of an ecumenical, apostate organization!
Again, if we point things like this out, somehow we are the bad guys and we are causing problems for IFB churches. What ever happened to earnestly contending for the faith?
Where are the Fundamentalist leaders with the guts to take a stand for Bible purity today instead of tomorrow?
We’re not asking American pastors to be mean and nasty to those who use defective Bibles. We’re just asking that they put their money where their mouth is and help us to promote the truth and provide those with the guts to stand with the resources they need. Let’s be as tactful and diplomatic as possible. Let’s display brotherly love, the right spirit, and all of the fruit of the Spirit. But why not tell the truth also!
Because of the silence of American pastors, so many compromisers are misleading the masses on the foreign field and so long as this continues we will never see the type of progress we should see if only IFB churches were more consistent. The silence and indifference of Fundamentalist leaders and pastors is enabling the misinformers who are leading many astray while those who are willing to stand for what is right struggle.
I’ve heard American pastors argue “It’s really none of my business since I don’t speak the language anyways.” This is wrong. First, it is inconsistent because most American Pastors couldn’t recite the Greek alphabet yet that doesn’t seem to hold them back from taking a very strong stand for the Textus Receptus and against the Critical Texts.
Also, once you decided to support foreign missionaries with your hard-earned money and that of God’s people, you have literally made it YOUR business!
Maybe the 2 issues, the Bible in Spanish and English, are not entirely the same and therefore they should be approached a little differently. OK, fine. Let's approach it differently, but LET'S approach it! Some act as if it shouldn't be approached at all.
If you want to argue for more grace when dealing with this issue because there are some differences between this controversy and that of English, I will concede. Let’s approach this issue with as much grace as possible. But let’s approach it. Let’s deal with it. Let’s take steps in the right direction. Let’s set a goal to do what we can on our part to ensure that the Gospel is being preached on the foreign soil with a pure Bible, not one that has been tainted with the Critical Text, like the 1960 Reina Valera.
We have a great option! We’ve worked hard on the Reina Valera Gomez. It has been vetted and scrutinized by thousands. I know, since I headed up the project to proofread every word of it in the last edition. We collaborated with over 70 proofreaders for this last edition. I have over 200 pages of observations documented. We want purity. Good missionaries are using it and seeing good fruit of souls saved, churches established, and native men being trained for the ministry.
Why shouldn’t we all work together and rally around the RVG? Is not Bible purity a worthy cause to rally around?
Psalms 133:1 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"
