A 12yr old girl recently got saved, because a dear friend told her the Gospel message.  She was excited and eager to read the Bible, and learn as much as she could about her Saviour, Jesus Christ.  She flipped open her dad's King James Version Bible that had been sitting on the family bookshelf for years.  The Bible fell open to John chapter 10.  As she was reading, severe fear struck her to the heart.  John 10:9 said:

"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."  -John 10:9 KJV

She read how Jesus is that door, but the above is giving the salvation invitation to men. 

The next day, she showed this scripture to her friend who lead her to Christ.  Her friend replied that that is an out of date translation, and is incorrect, and she took out the Bible her dad gave her, when she got saved.  It was a 1984 New International Version Bible.  Together, they flipped to John 10:9, and it said:

"I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture."  John 10:9 NIV 1984

"Strange," they both thought. Even the NIV 1984 says 'he.'  They then went to another friend's house, and looked in her up to date, English Standard Version Bible, which is touted to be very accurate.  

"I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture."  -John 10:9 ESV

Just then, the friend's little brother came in, having listened to the conversation, and said "of course girls don't go to heaven.  Don't you remember what Eve did?"

"And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor."  -1 Timothy 2:14 ESV

While the above may seem a stretch, it's actually not.  Most people in this generation were not taught that "he" can sometimes mean "he" or "she."  In fact, that's not how modern English linguistics work. The word "he" being used as a gender neutral, has long passed from English usage, and it wasn't a very good idea to begin with, as it always can cause confusion.  Girls don't know or understand that the above verse includes them. We even see in the NIV 1984 and the modern ESV that they maintain this sloppy and archaic language, which is damaging half of the Body of Christ.

The above KJV's "man" is translated from the Greek word "tis," which literally means 'anyone.'  It does not have a gender stipulation.  As for the pronoun "he" in the above three scripture examples, there are NO GENDER PRONOUNS IN THIS VERSE.  In the Greek, it is 100% clear that John 10:9 is saying that anyone who goes through Christ is saved.

The NIV 2011 properly translates this verse as thus:

"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture."  -John 10:9 NIV 2011

Did you catch that?  The NIV 2011 is not only the most accurate of the above translations, but also translated the most literal from the Greek.

What I'm about to share with you next is a true story...

A woman was visiting in a church service, where the Sunday school children were reciting Bible verses they had memorized in Sunday school.

A little girl got up in the front, and said her Scripture:

"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."  -1 Timothy 2:3-4

After the service, this visiting woman asked the little girl if her memory scripture included her.  "No," the little girl said.  "only boys can be saved."  The woman then opened an NRSV Bible, and read to her the same verses.  They said:

"This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour^, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." -1 Timothy 2:3-4 NRSV 

The woman asked the girl if she is included in that, and she smiled, looked relieved, and said "yes." 

The Greek word underlying "men" in the above KJV rendition is "anthrōpos," which has no gender.  It literally means human being. This is where we get our word 'anthropology' from.

Here's another sad, but true story...

A patriarchal man heard the above story, and he decided to test it on his little girl.  He read to her John 3:18:

"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."  - John 3:18 NKJV

He asked her "who needs to believe in Jesus, so they can go to heaven?"  She responded "boys."

As for all the 'he's' underlined in the above, there are no male gender pronouns in that verse in the Greek.

Here's the properly translated NIV 2011:

"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."  -John 3:18 NIV 2011

In modern English, gender-neutral linguistics, "they" and "them" have taken on a singular form, when referencing a person via a pronoun, but not via a gender.  The average English-speaking person in this generation understands the above NIV 2011 showing that anyone who believes in Jesus can be saved, while today's children read the KJV, NIV1984, ESV, CSB, etc, and they see that only boys can be saved.  This is a real problem.

I remember after I got saved in 1995, I immediately set to reading the Bible.  I was took aback by how many times the Bible seemed to refer to men being saved, and "he" this, and "he" that.  Early on in my newfound walk with Christ, I purchased a Strong's Concordance, and one of the very first things I looked up was "he."  I was relieved to see that all of these Scriptures I kept seeing, with the "he" pronoun in regards to salvation and related, was gender neutral - not referring just to males.  

Fast forward to the 2020's, and I've read the Bible around 30 times, and I still find it fatiguing to have to work out when "he" or "man" is referring to the male gender, or is gender neutral.  After years of this, I got tired.  I just wanted a gender accurate Bible. Is that so much to ask for?  I wanted to be included, without having to go to my Strong's Concordance to see which Hebrew or Greek word was being used, so that I knew for sure when it was referring to males, versus both genders.

There have been some GREAT translations that have been stopped or quashed for various reasons in just recent years, where they were gender-correct translations.  The Patriarcalists called them "gender neutral," and said that these translations, such as the TNIV, ISV, and the upcoming TPT were (or are) "changing the Word of God."  They rallied people who thought they were doing the 'right thing' to stand against these types of translations.  

However, these people are mislead, or are wolves in sheep's clothing.  These translations are not gender-neutral, nor are they changing the Word of God.  In fact, they are being more accurate to the Word of God than most Bibles on the market today are.  They are Gender-Correct Bibles. 

Instead of inserting "he" where there are no male pronouns, they are saying things like they/them.  Instead of translating anthropos as man, they are translating what it literally means - humans, etc.  We don't call both genders "he," nor do we call a mixed crowd of both men and women "men," so why are the Bible translations doing such? We need to support, and stand up for the gender-accurate translations coming out.  Our little girls are counting on us.

Let's look at some more Scriptures, which have  been leaving girls thinking they can't go to heaven, and that only boys get saved:

Romans 10:10

"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  KJV

"For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."  NIV 2011

Revelation 22:17

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."  KJV

"The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life."  NIV 1984

"The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life."  NIV 2011

John 14:6

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."  KJV

"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  NIV 2011

Matthew 7:21

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."  KJV

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."  NIV 1984

"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."  NIV 2011

Acts 4:12

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."  KJV

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."  NIV 1984

"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” ESV

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."  NIV 2011

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved."  TNIV

John 3:36

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." KJV

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."  NIV 1984

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."  ESV

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them."  NIV 2011

John 6:44

"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." KJV

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day." NIV 1984

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." ESV

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day." NIV 2011

Titus 2:11

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" KJV

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men."  NIV 1984

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people."  NIV 2011

Mark 16:16

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." KJV

"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." NIV 2011

Ephesians 2:8-9

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." KJV

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast." NIV 2011

Mark 10:26-27

"And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."  KJV

"The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." NIV 1984

"And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”  ESV

"The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” NIV 2011

"The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”Jesus looked at them and said, “With human beings this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”  TNIV

1 John 5:12

"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."  KJV

"He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." NIV 1984

"Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."  NIV 2011

Matthew 24:13

"But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." KJV

"But he who stands firm to the end will be saved."  NIV 1984

"But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." NIV 2011

Matthew 16:25

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." KJV

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it."  NIV 1984

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."  ESV

"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it."  NIV 2011

Matthew 4:4

"But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." KJV

"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God'" NIV 1984

"But he answered, “It is written,‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"  ESV

"Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"  NIV 2011

"Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” TNIV

1 Corinthians 16:13

"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong."  KJV

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."  NIV 1984

"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."  ESV

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong."  NIV 2011

There are a LOT more scriptures, like the above, including also in the Old Testament.

We also see instances in many Bible translations, where it looks like only Christian brothers seem to be addressed, but in actuality, it's supposed to be to both Christian brothers and sisters.  This is from the Greek word adelphoi.  This word literally means "brothers," when referring to a blood family relation.  However, when referencing Christians, adelphoi usually meant both brothers and sisters, as both genders were usually being addressed.

Romans 10:1

"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved."  KJV

"Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved."  NIV 1984

"Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved."  ESV

"Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved."  NIV 2011

 Romans 12:1

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  KJV

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship."  NIV 1984 

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." ESV

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."  NIV 2011 

  1 Corinthians 12:1

"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant."  KJV

"Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant."  NIV 1984 

"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed."  ESV 

"Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed." NIV 2011 

There are a LOT more instances of this in the New Testament.  The above were just a few examples.

In conclusion, bibles that say "he/his/him" when the Hebrew and Greek means either gender, and where bibles that say "man/men," when the Hebrew or Greek says 'human' are changing the Word of God.  Let's support the Bible translations that are trying to be true to God's Word.  While I find the NIV 1984 to be a poor translation, the NIV 2011 is fairly good, and if you can find it, the TNIV is actually a fabulous translation.  Other great ones are the CEB, CEV, NRSV, NRSVue, ISV, NLT 2013, and possibly The Passion Translation.  I personally do not recommend The Inclusive Bible.