I Timothy 1:3.
The truly orthodox Evangelical Lutheran Church, the one that intends by God’s grace and mercy to remain so, acknowledges the Scriptures Alone (Sola Scriptura) as the one and only infallible source of divine, saving knowledge. A test by which this principled confession becomes manifest, whether a church is in full earnest when declaring the Scriptures to be the only source of saving truth, can be found first of all, in the rules and principles it establishes for the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures within its fellowship.
Yet, it is not all together sufficient that a church body simply publicly profess to use the principle of Scripture Alone for Scripture interpretation. For, only that church truly builds on ‘the foundation of the apostles and prophets’ (Scripture) alone and on nothing more, which not only professes Sola Scriptura in its public statement of confession, but also in its practice (that is, throughout its explanation and application) of the Holy Scriptures in its worship services, instruction, exercise of fellowship and church discipline, and publications grants absolutely no quarter to any kind or degree of human authority.
If a church body in its written public statement of confession professes that the Scriptures are the sole source of its every doctrine, yet in its practice consistently uses a mutilated translation for worship, instruction, doctrine and publications and adamantly defends the use of a mutilated Bible translation, (*such as the NIV), then its practice is, by every sound measurement, not consistent with its stated confession. In other words, when, in a church’s explanation of Scripture, it allows for the fallible judgment of man (that is, any man or any group of men) to sit in judgment over against Infallible Scripture, as the Roman pope is wont to do today and just as ** Wescott and Hort so arrogantly presumed to do in their contrived Greek compilation of the five ancient corrupted New Testament manuscripts, which, in turn, was used to produce the NIV and nearly all other modern English translations, then its practice clearly contradicts and makes a mockery of its public profession and the Lutheran Confessors. Contrary to Scripture, the church that does this has set up for itself another authority over God’s Word, and made of sinful man, instead of God, his guide for doctrine and life.
Any church body having drifted so far from the aforementioned orthodox interpretation principle, based on Scripture itself, preferring instead to use in worship, teach in its seminaries and defend the “eclectic textual criticism” approach in its interpretation of Holy Scripture, can no longer rightly be regarded as orthodox. In fact, if the error of unscriptural practice in interpretation methodology is left unchecked, the church body will consequentially over time tolerate and adopt other even more egregious errors in doctrine and practice, as has already repeatedly been personally observed in several of the larger Lutheran Synods by this writer.
1 Corinthians 5:6 (KJV)
Sadly, such a church body must be regarded as heterodox and those church members that become aware of the error are bound by Scripture to ‘mark and avoid’ it and its fellowship, lest they further endanger their souls. (Roman 16:17,18 KJV)
Therein is the second point to be made by which the truly orthodox Evangelical Lutheran Church distinguishes herself concerning the interpretation of Scripture from all other religious societies, no matter what name they take for themselves. For, many a church body there is today that certainly at one time could rightly lay claim to Christian orthodoxy, yet no longer; because of their persistent toleration of error and active false teachings in this and other areas of doctrine and practice. And many more church bodies there are today as well that have simply “co-opted” the name “Evangelical Lutheran Church” without having even the slightest notion as to what that means.
However, the truly orthodox Evangelical Lutheran (Christian) Church alone both professes AND consistently carries out into practice such principles of interpretation, by which the written Word of God in deed and in truth remains our only source and norm in and for all matters of Christian life.
All others, in one way or another, regardless of either use of the term, “Evangelical Lutheran” in their name or their public claim of “adhering to the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions as set down in the Book of Concord (1580)”, in practice ~ in using a mutilated Bible version ~ these admit another judge of doctrine to preside along side, or over and above, the Holy Scriptures and are therefore no longer to be trusted or regarded as orthodox.
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”
Matthew 7:16-18 (KJV)
In conclusion, it is, indeed possible to determine a church body’s orthodoxy by the Bible Version it uses, in as much as the choice of Bible version used for worship, instruction, church life, and publication indicates whether they allow Scripture to interpret Scripture, (Sola Scriptura) or they unscripturally allow man to usurp authority over the interpretation of Scriptures. [Of course, a church body's use of a Bible version not based on the "eclectic texual criticism" of Westcott and Hort, does not guarantee its orthodoxy, for any persistent departure from the truth of Scripture in any area of doctrine and life, if left unchecked and defended as truth, results in that body's loss of an orthodox character.] However it must be said, the church body which uses any modern English Bible version that relies upon the Westcott and Hort "eclectic texual criticism" method of interpretation from the minority Greek manuscripts (man setting himself up as judge and authority over the Scriptures) indicates that body is not orthodox, but heterodox in its doctrine and practice.
If your church uses and defends the use of any of the following sixteen Bible versions in it’s worship, instruction, or publications; your church is, unfortunately, NOT orthodox in doctrine and practice, because these Bible translations are all based on the unscriptural “eclectic textual criticism” method of Scripture interpretation used by Westcott and Hort’s in producing their revised Greek text. These Bible versions therefore ought to be seriously avoided by sincere Christians:
1. NIV - New International Version (All Editions)
2. NASB - New American Standard Bible
3. NRSV - New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
4. NAB, The New American Bible
5. REB Revised English Bible
6. RSV Revised Standard Version Bible
7. CEV Common English Bible
8. GNB Good News Translation
9. TEV Today's English Version
10. TLB Living Bible
11. J.B. Phillips New Testament
12. NJB - The New Jerusalem Bible
13. NCV New Century Version Bible
14. The New World Translation
15. NEW King James Version
* See: ”Why Sincere Christians Will Not Use the NIV For Anything Other Than Comparison” ©2014 by the Lutheran Watchman.
** See: “Modern Bible Versions and Westcott and Hort” by Pastor Tobin Pederson (LCR)
Please see my Essay page for more on the Scriptural Method of Holy Scripture interpretation to which the orthodox Evangelical Lutheran Church uncompromisingly subscribes.