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NASB | 1 Corinthians 1:18 ¶ For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Corinthians 1:18 ¶ For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God's grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God. |
Subject: sharing our faith to unbelievers so hard |
Bible Note: Dear Jesusman :: It happens but rarely, sir, that on Study Bible Forum I disagree with a statement with any more vigor than with yours which opens your Post 199448. It reads as follows: "Without the overwhelming historical, scientific and archeological evidence to support the Bible's claims, we might as well tell the unbelieving to believe in Santa Claus, Rudolph and the Easter Bunny." ....... Frankly, sir, this statement is not only unpersuadable, being corroborated neither by Scripture nor anything else, but it also appears strikingly atypical of your thinking insofar as I've been able to determine your convictions from reading your production on SBF. ...... Tell me, do you really believe God's word needs man's supplementation in order to deliver its message to the sinner? Does it in fact require these things you list, i.e., "overwhelming historical, scientific, and archeological evidence"? Just how "overwhelming" are these things anyway? Tell me why, if you can, must the Bible, the word of the living God, have these kinds of support to validate its claims? When the Spirit led Philip to join the chariot of the Ethopian eunuch in which he sat reading from the book of Isaiah, did Philip teach him science, history and archeology to convert the eunuch, or did he preach unto him Jesus? (See Acts 8:26-39). When the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?", did they try to open the mind of the jailer with a series of long-winded dissertations on the "historical Jesus" or some sort of "scientific proof," or did they tell him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? (See Acts 16:25-34). ....... Must we supply the Bible with these supplements that you speak of lest it be reduced to nothing more than baseless tales having no more power or credulity than the fables of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny? No! No! No! A thousand times no! ...... Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away" (Matt. 24:35). Oh, how wrong even to hint that the eternal, inerrant, plenary word of the Almighty God needs man's puny help in order to be effective in delivering its message to a fallen world! The word of God is eternal and absolutely true. The highest literary output of which man is capable is ephemeral and freighted with all manner of error. ....... The Bible is unlike any other book that has ever been written or that will ever be written. No other book in human history can make the following claim: "For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). ...... It always grieves my soul to read on any page, be it on this Study Bible Forum or elsewhere, even the slightest hint or suggestion that the word of God needs man's help in any way to empower it to reach the heart of the unregenerate. This Forum has striven to present, promote, and encourage the highest view of Scripture possible, and it expects no less from its registrants. Sola Scriptura! --Hank |