Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Romans Comparison Pt. 4 - Rom 1:20-25

Here is my next batch of comparisons.  I hope they may be of value to those who want to compare but don't have the time to do the work.  They are of value to me.  I hope they are of value to you:

Rom 1:20 KJV - For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:20 NKJV - For since the creation of the world His invisible [attributes] are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
Rom 1:20 ESV - For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Rom 1:20 NASB - For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
God keeps his thoughts clearly visible to us by using holy words.  When he inspires a comparison of the "invisible things" of him to the visible "things that are made" he uses the same word.  The visible things illuminate the invisible things.  The vast expanse of creation, the mountains, hills, clouds, sun, moon, stars, etc. all give testimony of the greatness of God, but they are things and they give testimony of the "things" of God but they do not give testimony of the heart of God.   People without the written word of God look at creation and instead of their hearts knowing the goodness of God, their wicked hearts deceive them into vain imaginings, foolish reasonings and stupid speculations that elevate the creation above the creator.  They are without excuse because their heart is free to see the glory of God yet their wicked heart leads them to do what is right in their own eyes and by so doing they fill the earth with violence.

To clarify:  God compares things to things NOT things to attributes.  God is intensely jealous of the words he uses to reveal his own thoughts, judgments, creativity and truth.  He knows the tendency of man to mis-direct his own thoughts and of the devil to use words to keep him mis-directed.  Holy words are God's first line of defense against evil.  Know the truth and the truth will set you free.  These comparisons are for the benefit of myself as well as for the wise reader.
Rom 1:21 KJV - Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:21 NKJV - because, although they knew God, they did not glorify [Him] as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Rom 1:21 ESV - For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Rom 1:21 NASB - For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
What is the difference between “when” they knew God and “although” they knew God?  The use of “when” indicates a condition that occurs at a point in time.  The use of "although" indicates the possibility of an existing condition that is not confirmed.  When is a specific time.  Although is a conjecture without a point in time in which a change occurred where they went from not knowing God to knowing God.  When sin happened, mankind was separated from God.  Paul is referring back to verse 20 saying, When man observed the invisible God in his creation, he knew God existed because he had observed God’s creation, but they did not glorify him as God, nor were they thankful (which would have given them purpose in life) but they became vain (without purpose) in their imaginations (the thoughts of their hearts) and their foolish heart (following these vain imaginations) became darkened (separated from the light of the glory of God.)  The imitations blur the point in time and they blur the thoughts of the heart that are wicked.  The thoughts of the mind emanate from what they saw in creation.  The thoughts of the heart emanate from their response to what they saw in creation.

 Here is a little fun thing about the King James Bible1:
  • Gen 2:4 KJV - These [are] the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
  • Exd 13:17 KJV - And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not [through] the way of the land of the Philistines, although that [was] near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:

On the first occurrence of a word in the text of the whole bible, there will be a little clue-like definition of the word in question nearby the first occurrence of the word.  The context upon which this word is based is another clue as to the positive or negative nature of the word (this is not a law – this is just a fun fact that is observable in the word of God).  So, the first occurrence of when reveals that when means in the day.  That is the definition of when.  So, our Romans text would read “in the day they knew God…” if we were to substitute the King James’ internal definition in lieu of the God breathed word when.  As for context, we are speaking about the generations of the creation of heaven and earth, on the completion of which God pronounced “it was very good”. So, our perception of the use of the word when is a good perception (it is definite).

In contrast, if we check out although we find the confirmation of my original instincts when I assessed the difference between “when” and “although” in the first paragraph above.  The word although does not indicate a definite condition exists.  Although is a position from which God’s people may return to Egypt.  Not only that: God led them not…  so we have the context of although set in a setting of God not leading his people near to Egypt because their wicked hearts would lead them to return to Egypt.  Our natural perception of the use of the word although is negative (or indefinite).

Now is the time to synchronize our hearts and our minds.  It takes both a rational analysis (the thoughts of the mind) and a holy spirit led decision (the thoughts of the heart in submission to God’s spirit) to follow the path.  Then it requires further analysis and prayerful listening:  Are my conclusions in keeping with the “altogether good and righteous” laws, statutes and judgments of God?

Gen 6:5 KJV And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. (I have an analysis of imagination in progress – but I came back to Romans to try to stay focused.)  But, the only mention of man’s imagination is evil only, always, continually!

Boy, oh boy – does the deceiver hate to denigrate the word “imaginations”?  That is because it is one of his best tools!  Why do you think our public education system bases the foundations of their reasoning strategies on vain imaginations?  They are free to preach “read to your children 20 minutes a day” – they are not free to preach “read the Kings James Bible to your children 20 minutes a day”.  The one would turn this nation around toward becoming a generation that dwells in righteousness.  The other promotes the proliferation of every evil device the deceiver and his minions can imagine.  Socialists love to promote vain imaginings.  They can turn millions of people into mind numbed robots, smiling at one another as they hold hands and wipe each other’s mouths on their way to their own destruction.  Come on everybody…. smile… hold hands… you are not alone!  2 million people can’t be wrong…. (Wasn’t it about 6 million that were killed in the death camps in Germany?)  Germany is a beautiful country, with beautiful people, they are very kind to one another.  How did they allow it to happen?  The same way that America is allowing it to happen today.  We are selling our children and our grandchildren into slavery to whoever holds the papers on the national debt.  While everybody heads off to their government job (while drawing their government pension), setting up a new government job base databank (where there are no private industry jobs because the government has destroyed the private market), while digging the debt deeper with government grants for re-distribution of wealth programs (re-distributing the wealth of our kids and our grandkids from their survival to the survival of the people holding the paper on the debt).  While everyone imagines that one day our prince will come.  Meanwhile, we elect another worker of iniquity into another position of public trust while smiling and telling each other how good everything is.  Isn’t Socialism wonderful??? – who needs God?  Let’s all just trust in the imaginations of our wicked hearts because after all folks – hasn’t Jesus overcome the world?  A:  Yes, if we follow him in obedience to God’s commandments, we too will overcome the world.  Otherwise, there is hell to pay.

1I learned this fun thing from Gail Riplinger’s book “In Awe of Thy Word” – great book – great fun, life changing clues to getting the most out of the holy word of God.  You can get it from her website at www.avpublications.com (http://www.avpublications.com/avnew/home.html).
Rom 1:22 KJV - Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:22 NKJV - Professing to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:22 ESV - Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:22 NASB - Professing to be wise, they became fools,
Considering that it is “professors” who are leading this parade to our own destruction, I think God got it right once again.  
Rom 1:23 KJV - And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Rom 1:23 NKJV - and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
Rom 1:23 ESV - and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Rom 1:23 NASB - and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
From Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary:
UN, a prefix or inseparable preposition, Sal un or on, usually an, 0. an, D. on, It is a
particle of negation, giving to words to which it is prefixed, a negative signification. We use un or in indifferently for this purpose; and the tendency of modern usage is to prefer the use of un, in some words, where un was formerly used. Un admits of no change of n into I, m or r, as
in does, in illuminate, immense, irresolute.  It is prefixed generally to adjectives and participles, and almost at pleasure. In a few instances, it is prefixed to verbs, as in unbend, unbind, unharness. As the compounds formed with un are so common and so well known, the composition is not noticed under the several words.

IN, a prefix, L. en, is -used in composition as a particle of negation, like the English Un,
of which it seems to be a dialectical orthography; or it denotes within, into, or
among, as in inbred, incase; or it serves only to augment or render emphatical the
sense of the word to which it is prefixed as in inclose, increase. In, before 1, is changed into it,as in illusion and- before r, into ir, as in irregular; and

Now, reading only the words in red,  Who do you think got the full gist of God’s condition of being completely separated from corruption?  Pure, holy, undefiled --- completely separated from corruption.  Is God incorporated into corruption (incorruptible) or separated from corruption (uncorruptible)? (Yes, I know that incorruptible can reasonably be said to mean the same thing as uncorruptible -- the question is:  Why revise it down from perfectly uncorruptible?)
Rom 1:24 KJV - Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:24 NKJV - Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
Rom 1:24 ESV - Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
Rom 1:24 NASB - Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.

Rom 1:25 KJV - Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Rom 1:25 NKJV - who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Rom 1:25 ESV - because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Rom 1:25 NASB - For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
They didn’t exchange the truth for a lie!  They CHANGED THE TRUTH INTO A LIE!  That is the big problem!  If they had exchanged the truth for a lie, people may have recognized the lie for being a lie!  The IMITATIONS actually changed the truth into a lie.  That is what makes it so dangerous.  People think they are speaking the truth because it contains the truth that has been changed into a lie with the slip of a pen.  So, now we as an untoward generation worship and serve the creatures who identify themselves as bible scholars and tell us how the holy word just doesn’t measure up to the definitions they’ve read in their Greek lexicons, or studied in their defiled Greek classes at their exalted university…  This generation through the lusts of their own hearts dishonour their own bodies between themselves and they are now demanding that we teach our kindergarten children that their abominations are natural expressions of love between men.  How sick do people have to get before they start figuring out that there is a problem going on?

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