The message of the gospel is foolishness and folly? The message that "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" [John 1:14]; the message "that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" [1Cor. 15:3-4]; the message that it is only by the blood of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ shed on the cross of Calvary that God can forgive sin and man receive redemption [John 19:17; Eph. 1:7]? That one? That message is "foolishness"? And God is "pleased" by the foolishness of it?
Yes yes it is true. The message of the gospel is foolishness and folly and God is pleased. The 'bible' says so...if that is...you will believe the Westcott-Hort aka Nestle-Aland so-called modern bible versions. The gospel message is foolishness and folly - it says so right in 1 Corinthians 1:21:
- RSV - Real-Sorry-Version [1952 - compare ESV] 1 Cor. 1:21 "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe"
- NIV - Non-Inspired-Version: 1 Cor. 1:21 "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe'
- NASB - Not-A-Solid-Bible: 1 Cor. 1:21 "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
- NKJV - Neutered-King-James-Version: 1 Cor. 1:21 "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
- ESV - Error-Saturated-Version: 1Cor. 1:21 "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
The King James Bible says something entirely different though. Nothing whatsoever about the Gospel message in this verse of scripture - especially nothing about the gospel message being foolishness. To say the message of the gospel is foolishness is pure blasphemy. It is not here the message, but rather the method by which the message would be made effective that is deemed foolishness, and that pleased God. It is this method that is described in 1 Corinthians 1:21 as the "foolishness of preaching":
- KJV - King James Bible: 1Cor. 1:21 "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe"
***
Saving men by the method of preaching. This method pleased God because it confounds the wisdom of man. Perform religious rituals? Men will do this. Offer up their own works, as did Cain when he sought to be accepted on his own merits by offering his basket of fruits [Gen. 4:3]? Men will gladly do this. As long as they can 'do' something, anything, they will comply. But man can 'do' nothing. This they must learn [Titus 3:5-7]. Only through the "foolishness of preaching", whereby man is completely removed from the equation, as it were, can he be saved. 'Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God' [Rom. 10:17]. The Word of God preached, and heard. This is God's one only method by which He works the salvation of mankind. The 'foolishness' of preaching. No other way. It is the work of God start to finish. He is Alpha and Omega [Rev. 1:8].
On this subject of the foolishness of preaching, this from Spurgeon. It is excerpted from an 1857 sermon entitled "A Mighty Saviour":
"How is it that Christ is able to make men repent, to make men believe, and to make them turn to God? One answers, "Why, by the eloquence of preachers." God forbid we should ever say that! It is "not by might nor by power." Others reply, "It is by the force of moral suasion." God forbid we should say " ay" to that; for moral suasion has been tried long enough on man, and yet it has failed of success.
How does he do it? We answer, by something which some of you despise, but which nevertheless is a fact. He does it by the omnipotent influence of his divine Spirit. While men are hearing the word (in those whom God will save) the Holy Spirit works repentance; he changes the heart and renews the soul. True, the preaching is the instrument, but the Holy Spirit is the great agent. It is certain that the truth is the means of saving, but it is the Holy Ghost applying the truth which saves souls. Ah! and with this power of the Holy Ghost we may go to the most debased and degraded of men, and we need not be afraid but that God can save them. If God should please, the Holy Spirit could at this moment make every one of you fall on your knees, confess your sins, and turn to God. He is an Almighty Spirit, able to do wonders.
In the life of Whitefield, we read that sometimes under one of his sermons two thousand persons would at once profess to be saved, and were really so, many of them. We ask why it was? At other times he preached just as powerfully, and not one soul was saved. Why? Because in the one case the Holy Spirit went with the word, and in the other case it did not. AH the heavenly result of preaching is owing to the divine Spirit sent from above. I am nothing; my brethren in the ministry around are all nothing; it is God that doeth every thing. "Who is Paul, who is Apollos, and who is Cephas, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as God gave to every man." It must be "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord." Go forth, poor minister! Thou hast no power to preach with polished diction and elegant refinement; go and preach as thou canst. The Spirit can make thy feeble words more mighty than the most ravishing eloquence. Alas! alas! for oratory! Alas! for eloquence! It hath long enough been tried. We have had polished periods, and finely-turned sentences; but in what place have the people been saved by them? We have had grand and gaudy language; but where have hearts been renewed? But now, "by the foolishness of preaching," by the simple utterance by a child of God's Word, he is pleased to save them that believe, and to save sinners from the error of their ways. May God prove his word again this morning."
***
The main number-one argument of 'modern bible' proponents is always that "no doctrines are affected". Obviously this argument is 'foolishness' and 'folly'. A horribly blasphemous lie is it not.
Rev. 18:4
[credit: original source]
***
see also: Is The Holy Ghost Gone From Your Bible? - Unless You Have A KJV The Answer Is Yes
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Hebrews 10:29 'Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, where with he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?'
Yes yes it is true. The message of the gospel is foolishness and folly and God is pleased. The 'bible' says so...if that is...you will believe the Westcott-Hort aka Nestle-Aland so-called modern bible versions. The gospel message is foolishness and folly - it says so right in 1 Corinthians 1:21:
- RSV - Real-Sorry-Version [1952 - compare ESV] 1 Cor. 1:21 "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe"
- NIV - Non-Inspired-Version: 1 Cor. 1:21 "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe'
- NASB - Not-A-Solid-Bible: 1 Cor. 1:21 "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
- NKJV - Neutered-King-James-Version: 1 Cor. 1:21 "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
- ESV - Error-Saturated-Version: 1Cor. 1:21 "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
The King James Bible says something entirely different though. Nothing whatsoever about the Gospel message in this verse of scripture - especially nothing about the gospel message being foolishness. To say the message of the gospel is foolishness is pure blasphemy. It is not here the message, but rather the method by which the message would be made effective that is deemed foolishness, and that pleased God. It is this method that is described in 1 Corinthians 1:21 as the "foolishness of preaching":
- KJV - King James Bible: 1Cor. 1:21 "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe"
***
Saving men by the method of preaching. This method pleased God because it confounds the wisdom of man. Perform religious rituals? Men will do this. Offer up their own works, as did Cain when he sought to be accepted on his own merits by offering his basket of fruits [Gen. 4:3]? Men will gladly do this. As long as they can 'do' something, anything, they will comply. But man can 'do' nothing. This they must learn [Titus 3:5-7]. Only through the "foolishness of preaching", whereby man is completely removed from the equation, as it were, can he be saved. 'Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God' [Rom. 10:17]. The Word of God preached, and heard. This is God's one only method by which He works the salvation of mankind. The 'foolishness' of preaching. No other way. It is the work of God start to finish. He is Alpha and Omega [Rev. 1:8].
On this subject of the foolishness of preaching, this from Spurgeon. It is excerpted from an 1857 sermon entitled "A Mighty Saviour":
"How is it that Christ is able to make men repent, to make men believe, and to make them turn to God? One answers, "Why, by the eloquence of preachers." God forbid we should ever say that! It is "not by might nor by power." Others reply, "It is by the force of moral suasion." God forbid we should say " ay" to that; for moral suasion has been tried long enough on man, and yet it has failed of success.
How does he do it? We answer, by something which some of you despise, but which nevertheless is a fact. He does it by the omnipotent influence of his divine Spirit. While men are hearing the word (in those whom God will save) the Holy Spirit works repentance; he changes the heart and renews the soul. True, the preaching is the instrument, but the Holy Spirit is the great agent. It is certain that the truth is the means of saving, but it is the Holy Ghost applying the truth which saves souls. Ah! and with this power of the Holy Ghost we may go to the most debased and degraded of men, and we need not be afraid but that God can save them. If God should please, the Holy Spirit could at this moment make every one of you fall on your knees, confess your sins, and turn to God. He is an Almighty Spirit, able to do wonders.
In the life of Whitefield, we read that sometimes under one of his sermons two thousand persons would at once profess to be saved, and were really so, many of them. We ask why it was? At other times he preached just as powerfully, and not one soul was saved. Why? Because in the one case the Holy Spirit went with the word, and in the other case it did not. AH the heavenly result of preaching is owing to the divine Spirit sent from above. I am nothing; my brethren in the ministry around are all nothing; it is God that doeth every thing. "Who is Paul, who is Apollos, and who is Cephas, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as God gave to every man." It must be "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord." Go forth, poor minister! Thou hast no power to preach with polished diction and elegant refinement; go and preach as thou canst. The Spirit can make thy feeble words more mighty than the most ravishing eloquence. Alas! alas! for oratory! Alas! for eloquence! It hath long enough been tried. We have had polished periods, and finely-turned sentences; but in what place have the people been saved by them? We have had grand and gaudy language; but where have hearts been renewed? But now, "by the foolishness of preaching," by the simple utterance by a child of God's Word, he is pleased to save them that believe, and to save sinners from the error of their ways. May God prove his word again this morning."
***
The main number-one argument of 'modern bible' proponents is always that "no doctrines are affected". Obviously this argument is 'foolishness' and 'folly'. A horribly blasphemous lie is it not.
Rev. 18:4
[credit: original source]
***
see also: Is The Holy Ghost Gone From Your Bible? - Unless You Have A KJV The Answer Is Yes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hebrews 10:29 'Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, where with he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?'
This morning I was reading an article on another blog and the author quoted a verse from the ESV that was a red flag for me:
ReplyDelete“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain” (Phil 2:14–16, ESV).
Huh? So that I may be proud? That doesn’t sound right to me. My KJV consistently teaches that God hates pride in all its forms.
Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
(Php 2:14-16, KJV)
What a difference.
Crossway Reverses Decision to Make ESV Bible Text Permanent
Amid much public debate, publisher says strategy for a 'stable' Bible was a 'mistake.'
http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2016/september/crossway-reverses-decision-esv-bible-text-permanent-mistake.html
Crossway Statement on the ESV Bible Text
https://www.crossway.org/blog/2016/09/crossway-statement-on-the-esv-bible-text/
John C.
ReplyDeleteAh the hissss of the serpent
...and how is it that they do not detect it
You're hissing is blasphemous itself.
ReplyDeleteAnd Joash said...Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? - Judges 6:31
ReplyDeleteGood job, leaving out the best comments. No one is pleading for baal except for you.
ReplyDelete