Moral Law Removed in Modern Bibles

Modern versions delete the word 'fornication' 21 times and weaken God's moral standards. See how they soften sin and compromise biblical morality.

6C. MORAL LAW REMOVED β€” "Fornication" Deleted 21 Times

The Word "Fornication" Systematically Removed

Modern versions remove the specific word "fornication" (illicit sexual intercourse by unmarried persons) and replace it with the vague word "immorality."

Webster's Definitions:

  • "Fornication" = "Illicit sexual intercourse on the part of an unmarried person" (SPECIFIC, CLEAR)
  • "Immorality" = "State or quality of being immoral" β†’ "Not moral" (VAGUE, SUBJECTIVE, NO STANDARD)

The Greek word is "porneia" (pornography comes from this word).

21 Verses Where "Fornication" is Removed

ReferenceKJVModern Versions
Romans 1:29"fornication"COMPLETELY OMITTED
1 Corinthians 5:1"fornication""immorality"
1 Corinthians 6:13"fornication""immorality"
1 Corinthians 6:18"fornication""immorality"
2 Corinthians 12:21"fornication""immorality"
Ephesians 5:3"fornication""immorality"
Colossians 3:5"fornication""immorality"
Galatians 5:19"Adultery, fornication""immorality"
Revelation 2:14"fornication""immorality"
Revelation 2:20"fornication""immorality"
Revelation 9:21"fornication""immorality"
Revelation 14:8"fornication""immorality"
Revelation 17:2"fornication""immorality"
Revelation 18:3"fornication""immorality"
Revelation 18:9"fornication""immorality"
Revelation 19:2"fornication""immorality"
Hebrews 12:16"fornicator""immoral"
1 Corinthians 5:9"fornicators""immoral people"
1 Corinthians 5:10"fornicators""immoral people"
1 Corinthians 5:11"fornicator""immoral people"
1 Corinthians 10:8"commit fornication""act immorally"

TOTAL: 21 verses corrupted

"Whoremonger" Also Removed (4 Verses)

ReferenceKJVModern Versions
Ephesians 5:5"whoremonger""immorality"
1 Timothy 1:10"whoremonger""immoral men"
Revelation 21:8"whoremonger""immoral person"
Revelation 22:15"whoremongers""immoral persons"

Why This Matters

"Immorality" has NO specific definition:

  • What is "immoral" changes by culture, time period, personal opinion
  • Students asked "What is immorality?" give answers ranging from "pollution" to "political issues"
  • Students asked "What is sexual immorality?" cannot give a clear answer
  • The word "moral" means "customs of a nation" (Latin: moralis)
  • What is "moral" in one culture is "immoral" in another

"Fornication" has a SPECIFIC definition:

  • Every young person knows what "fornication" means
  • It is a specific act with a specific definition
  • It is God's standard, not man's changing "customs"

The Result:

Modern versions leave parents and pastors with NO clear verse against premarital sex.

  • Survey: 555 of 677 middle school students (age 12-14) have committed fornication
  • Survey of 1,438 evangelical teens: nearly HALF had committed fornication; only ONE-THIRD said "sex outside marriage is morally unacceptable"
  • Young people say: "If I don't feel bad, it must not be wrong" (no absolute standard)

Modern versions accommodate immorality by removing the specific word "fornication."


Romans 13:9 β€” The 9th Commandment REMOVED

KJV: "For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

Modern Versions (NIV/NASB/NWT): "Thou shalt not bear false witness" is COMPLETELY OMITTED

What is Removed:

The 9th Commandment from the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:16) is DELETED from Romans 13:9 in modern versions.

The Ten Commandments Listed: 1. No other gods 2. No graven images 3. Don't take God's name in vain 4. Remember the Sabbath 5. Honor father and mother 6. Don't kill 7. Don't commit adultery 8. Don't steal 9. Don't bear false witness ← REMOVED IN MODERN VERSIONS 10. Don't covet

Why This Matters:

By removing "Thou shalt not bear false witness" from Romans 13:9, modern versions: 1. Delete one of the Ten Commandments from the New Testament 2. Remove God's direct prohibition against lying 3. Make it easier to justify bearing false witness (lying about others)

This is a direct attack on God's moral law β€” an entire commandment from the Ten Commandments is REMOVED.

Question: If modern versions can remove the 9th Commandment, what else can they remove?


Acts 17:22 β€” Paul's Rebuke Becomes a Compliment

KJV: "Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious."

Modern Versions (NIV, NASB, NKJV): "I observe that you are very religious in all respects."

What Changed:

  • "Too superstitious" = REBUKE (they worship devils/idols)
  • "Very religious" = COMPLIMENT (commending their worship)

The Greek word translated "superstitious" contains the ROOT WORD FOR "DEVIL."

Paul was NOT complimenting them β€” he was REBUKING them for devil worship and idolatry.

Context: Acts 17:16 says Paul's "spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry."

Modern versions turn Paul's rebuke of devil worship into a compliment of their "religiosity."


Ephesians 5:9 β€” "Holy Spirit" Becomes New Age "Light"

KJV: "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth"

Modern Versions (NIV, NASB): "For the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth"

What Changed:

  • "Fruit of the Spirit" = Power comes from the HOLY SPIRIT (biblical)
  • "Fruit of the light" = Power comes from "the light" (New Age term)

The Problem:

"The light" is the #1 term used in:

  • New Age meditation ("visualize white light")
  • Occult initiation ("see a light")
  • Eastern religions (OM mantra = "the One...the light")
  • Luciferianism (Lucifer = "light bearer")

2 Corinthians 11:14: "Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."

Galatians 5:22 confirms: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace..." (NOT "fruit of the light")

Modern versions replace the Holy Spirit with New Age "light" terminology.


1 Corinthians 8:4 β€” Idol Worship Excused

KJV: "we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one."

Modern Versions (NIV/NASB): "We know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world"

What Changed:

  • "An idol is nothing" = Idols have no power; they are NOTHING (worthless, powerless objects)
  • "There is no such thing as an idol" = Idols don't exist (denies reality of idol worship)

The Problem:

The KJV says idols are NOTHING (no power, worthless).

  • Idols are real objects but they have NO POWER
  • They are NOTHING compared to the one true God
  • This is a statement about God's SUPREMACY

Modern versions say "there is no such thing as an idol" β€” which:

  • Denies the EXISTENCE of idols
  • Contradicts Scripture (Exodus 20:4-5, 1 John 5:21, Acts 17:16)
  • Excuses idol worship by saying idols don't really exist

Context:

  • Exodus 20:4-5 forbids making and bowing down to idols
  • 1 John 5:21: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols"
  • Acts 17:16: Paul saw the city "wholly given to idolatry"

If "there is no such thing as an idol," then:

  • Why did God forbid making them?
  • Why did John warn against them?
  • What was Paul upset about in Athens?

The KJV is clear: Idols EXIST (people make them), but they are NOTHING (no power, worthless before God).

Modern versions change this to deny idols exist at all β€” which excuses and minimizes the sin of idolatry.


James 4:5 β€” Man's Lustful Nature REMOVED

KJV: "Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?"

Modern Versions (NIV/NASB/ESV):

  • NIV: "the spirit he caused to dwell in us envies intensely"
  • NASB: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"
  • ESV: "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"

What Changed:

The KJV clearly states the problem: "The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy"

  • MAN'S SPIRIT lusts to envy
  • This exposes MAN'S SINFUL NATURE
  • The spirit IN US has evil desires (envy, lust, jealousy)

Modern versions completely reverse the meaning:

  • Make GOD the subject (He jealously desires, He yearns)
  • Remove MAN'S lustful nature from the verse
  • Make it about GOD'S jealousy instead of MAN'S envy

Why This Matters:

The context of James 4 is condemning MAN'S SIN:

  • James 4:1: "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?"
  • James 4:2: "Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war"
  • James 4:3: "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts"
  • James 4:4: "know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?"

The entire passage is about MAN'S sinful lusts and envy.

Verse 5 continues this thought: "The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy" β€” this is about MAN'S SINFUL NATURE.

The Bible teaches that man has a sinful, lustful nature:

  • Genesis 6:5: "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually"
  • Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked"
  • Romans 3:10-12: "There is none righteous, no, not one... they are all gone out of the way"
  • Ephesians 2:3: "we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind"

By changing James 4:5 to be about GOD instead of MAN, modern versions: 1. Remove the biblical teaching about man's sinful, lustful nature 2. Contradict the context of James 4 (which condemns human lust and envy) 3. Make the verse about God's jealousy (which doesn't fit the context) 4. Obscure the doctrine of man's total depravity and need for salvation

The KJV exposes man's lustful, envious nature.

Modern versions remove this uncomfortable truth and change the subject entirely.


James 5:16 β€” "Confess Your FAULTS" Changed to "Confess Your SINS"

Modern versions change "confess your faults" to "confess your sins" β€” a change that led Catholics astray with the doctrine of priestly confession.

KJV: "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed."

Modern Versions:

  • NIV: "confess your sins to each other"
  • ESV: "confess your sins to one another"
  • NASB: "confess your sins to one another"

What Changed:

  • KJV: "Confess your FAULTS" (mistakes, failings, weaknesses)
  • Modern: "Confess your SINS" (moral offenses against God)

Why This Distinction Matters:

FAULTS and SINS are NOT the same thing:

FAULT (Greek "paraptoma" = παράπτωμα)

  • A mistake, failing, shortcoming, weakness
  • Something you do UNINTENTIONALLY (stumble, slip, fall)
  • Example: "I was too harsh in my words" (fault)
  • Confession to fellow believers for encouragement/accountability

SIN (Greek "hamartia" = ἁμαρτία)

  • Moral offense against God
  • Transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4)
  • Requires FORGIVENESS from God
  • Confession to GOD for forgiveness

Only GOD Forgives SINS:

1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins"

Mark 2:7: "Who can forgive sins but God only?"

Luke 5:21: "Who can forgive sins, but God alone?"

Acts 8:22: "Pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee" (forgiveness comes from GOD)

The Problem with "Confess Your Sins":

By changing "faults" to "sins," modern versions make James 5:16 sound like we should confess our SINS to each other for FORGIVENESS.

This led Catholics to create the CONFESSIONAL:

  • Catholics confess SINS to a priest (not directly to God)
  • The priest claims authority to FORGIVE sins
  • Based on misreading James 5:16 ("confess your sins to one another")

The Catholic Catechism (1456-1457):

  • "Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance"
  • Priests claim power to ABSOLVE sins

This is UNBIBLICAL:

1 Timothy 2:5: "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (NOT a priest!)

Hebrews 4:14-16: "Seeing then that we have a great high priest...Jesus the Son of God...Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace" (go directly to God, NOT through a priest)

The KJV is Clear:

James 5:16 says "confess your faults" (not sins) to one another.

Context:

  • Verse 14: "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him"
  • Verse 15: "the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up"
  • Verse 16: "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed"

The passage is about: 1. Physical sickness / healing 2. Prayer among believers 3. Confessing FAULTS (not sins) to encourage prayer and healing

NOT about confessing SINS to a priest for forgiveness!

By changing "faults" to "sins," modern versions: 1. Support the Catholic confessional system 2. Blur the distinction between faults (to confess to fellow believers) and sins (to confess to GOD) 3. Make it sound like people can forgive each other's SINS (which only God can do) 4. Contradict clear biblical teaching that ONLY GOD forgives sins

The KJV protects biblical truth: confess FAULTS to one another (for prayer/encouragement), confess SINS to GOD (for forgiveness).