"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: GOD WAS MANIFEST IN THE FLESH, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."

This is perhaps the strongest verse in the Holy Bible which clearly proclaims that the Lord Jesus Christ was and is GOD in the flesh.  Little wonder that Satan would wish to tamper with this clear testimony of Christ's Godhead.

"GOD was manifest in the flesh" is the reading found in the King James Holy Bible, the NKJV, Spanish Reina Valera, Italian Diodati, German Luther, Tyndale, Geneva, Webster's, Third Millenium Bible, Darby, Young's, Hebrew Names Version, Worldwide English N.T., Portuguese, French and Russian Bibles.

The NIV says: "the mystery of godliness is great; HE appeared in a body..." while the NASB, ESV say: "He who was revealed in the flesh".

It should be pointed out that there is nothing mysterious about a person appearing in a body.  You and I have likewise appeared in the flesh, but there is no great mystery or wonder in this.  Yet, that GOD was manifest in the flesh is indeed a great wonder and mystery.

The Westcott-Hort text omits the word GOD and actually has a nonsensical, ungrammatical construction, which literally says WHO was manifest in the flesh.  If you consult the UBS or Nestle's critical texts on which the nasb, niv, esv, rsv and Jehovah witness New World translations are based, they give a whole lot of totally bogus information about where their false reading comes from.

Out of approximately 260 surviving Greek manuscripts, all but 2 or 3 read GOD was manifest in the flesh.  Dean Burgon, in his book The Revision Revised, completely demolished the arguments for reading "He was manifest in the flesh" as opposed to "GOD was manifest in the flesh".  He shows that most of the early church Fathers listed as having omitted "God" actually quoted "God was manifest in the flesh" in their writings.  You can find all this documented information in the Revision Revised pages 424-520.

Among the witness for the correct reading of GOD was manifest in the flesh are over 99% of all Greek manuscripts, including Alexandrinus and Sinaiticus correction (there is no  1 & 2 Timothy in Vaticanus), the ancient Gothic, Syriac Harclean and Slavonic versions, and some twenty  church Fathers including Hippolytus 235 A.D., Dionysius of Alexandria 264, Didymus 350, Basil the Great 355, Chrysostom died 407, Gregory Bishop of Nazianzus 355, Gregory of Nyssa 370, Cyril of Alexandria 410, Theodoret 420, and John Damascene.

Some of the footnotes found in the modern perversions are so outrageously wrong in their bias to overthrow the text of the KJB that you have to laugh or you will cry. The ASV says: "The word GOD, in place of HE WHO, rests on no sufficient ancient evidence."  The NASB, NIV footnotes are equally as absurd.  They both say: "Some manuscripts read GOD."  SOME!!??!!.  260 out of 263 is "some"? That is like saying "Some people in the United States are U.S. citizens", or "Some people in China are Chinese."

Even James White, who is strongly anti KJB says in his book, The KJV Controversy, "There is much to be said in defense of the KJV rendering of 1 Timothy 3:16 as "God was manifest in the flesh."  In fact, I prefer this reading, and feel that it has more than sufficient support from the Greek manuscripts.  I can agree with the majority of the comments made on the topic long ago by Dean Burgon." Quoted from page 207.

Of course James may "prefer" or "feel" whatever he wants.  He has no infallible Bible and "feels and prefers" to correct any version whenever he wants to.  He has set up his own mind as being the Final Authority and no bible version is perfect in his view.

The true Holy Bible says that GOD WAS MANIFEST IN THE FLESH. The fake bibles say "He was revealed in a body". God did not inspire both readings. One is true and exalts Christ to His rightful place as full Deity, and the other diminishes His divine Person.  Look at the outright lies and misrepresentations found in the footnotes of the nasb, niv, asv.  That should give you a clue as to which Bible is the truth.

Dean Burgon answered this question many years ago. In part he stated, "the onus probandi  (burden of proof) rests wholly with those who are for setting aside the Traditional Text in favour of another, entirely dissimilar in character,.....Compromise of any sort between the two conflicting parties, is impossible also; for they simply contradict one another. Codex B and Aleph  (Sinaiticus) are either among the purest of manuscripts, --or else they are among the very foulest. The text of Drs. Westcott and Hort is either the very best which has ever appeared, --or else it is the very worst; the nearest to the sacred Autographs, --or the furthest from them. There is no room for both opinions; and there cannot exist any middle view. (Burgon, Revision Revised)"

by Will Kinney

Get it from the scriptures and the scriptures only ...  more irrefutable biblical proof JESUS is GOD:

Is. 9:6.  "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given (God in the flesh): and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, *The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

John 1:1.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

John 20:28.  "And Thomas answered and said unto him (Jesus), My Lord and my God."

Acts 7:59.  "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Acts 20:28.  "Feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with His own blood."

Rom.  9:5.  "Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever.  Amen."

Phil. 2:6.  "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God"

Col. 1:15.  "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature"

Titus  2:13.  "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of *the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ"

1 John  5:20 ...  "that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

  15/7/03.  Updated last 24/2/07 NZ.