Fixin' To Finish The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God

The common phrase here is "I'm fixin'," which places the action in the indeterminate future. Example, "I'm fixin' to rake the leaves." That is often done at the end of winter here, rather than the end of autumn.

I'm fixin' to finish The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God, but that will be soon. I contacted our finishing editor, Janie Sullivan, who is free for the second half of June. Yes, I mean June of this year.

 Norma A. Boeckler is our artist-in-residence.

Good News! - Norma A. Boeckler - our award-winning artist - has agreed to do the graphics for the book, which will be full color, covers and interior. 

Deadlines are good for writers, but such goals tend to be fragile.

I always learn a lot with each new title. Our coffee table in the living room is covered with the books used for this one. I learned a lot more about the pre-Reformation era.

I began this with posts about text criticism of the Greek New Testament, which gave me good perspective about translations, the value of the Majority Text, and the dishonesty of the modern translations (NIV, ESV, TEV, etc). Looking up statistics, the KJV still outranks the modern versions, even more so when the percentages for some modern KJVs are added. So, happily, the majority of readers favor the Majority (KJV) Text.

One example has intrigued me, and it is not the one favored by the so-called scholars. It is easier to corrupt a text by erasing than by adding words. Mark 1:1 starts - "The beginning of the Gospel of Mark, the Son of God." KJV family

Westcott-Hort has in Greek - "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." The last phrase, the Sonof God, has been erased. Items like that are explored in The Bible Book.

Where are your synodical leaders, college and seminary professors? They favor the modern translations - to the exclusion of the KJV, which they ridicule - the current NIV which is even worse than the old NIV, the ESV, and so forth. They are minority translations based on the minority fantasies of Westcott-Hort in the 19th century.

 The "confessional, conservative, orthodox Lutheran" leaders (WELS-LCMS-ELS-CLC) promote the Westcott-Hort style text - to the exclusion of the Majority KJV text - and ridicule the translation which began with Luther, polished in English by Tyndale, and employed in the King James. 

Years of Labor and Frustration Led to Yesterday's Creation Garden Experience

People laugh at gardeners and raz them for their failures, until the bees, butterflies, and birds show up to say "Thankyou."

The trouble with a sunny patch of land is the way weeds take hold of it and possess it with demonic ferocity. Crab grass can grow several feet high and make thousands of seeds, because it was brought over as a grain to be harvested. Tough orchard grass can grow even better - ugly and tough to dig.

 Wild Ginger- Hidden Lily is as fickle as the weather.

The Butterfly Garden was once a plot of roses from a rainbow roses sale. We knew Mrs. Wright would love them, just as Mrs. Gardener did on the other side. However, they were hard to see and manage because that side of the house has no windows and no path from the backyard to the front. Mrs. Ichabod said, "Move them under the maple tree!" I pleaded that maple tree roots were a menace to muscles, patience, and emotional stability. Mushroom compost had been added to the area, so I bought some tools and flailed away at the maple tree area. That turned out well in spite of warning in all gardening books about planting under a greedy maple tree. Our neighbor did plastic surgery on it, shaping the tree to be more of an elm, with a lot less shade.

So I decided to make the extra rose area a straw-bale garden. I stacked up the bales, added water, planted strawberries, and watched slugs ravage everything like a team of Planned Giving Counselors. I put out beer bowls to capture them and found that some animal had enjoyed the beer and dead slugs overnight. I tried to get that out of my mind but there it is again. 

So the sunny area had years of organic matter thrown on it - wood mulch, newspapers, straw bales. I was going to make a forest of hidden lilies. They grow like crazy, have strange flowers, but also fail to appear after a tough winter. 

I even worked out an area just for butterfly plants, and the lawn crew weed-whacked the effort into oblivion (my fault for not putting up warnings). So I planted, fenced, and guarded two Joe Pye Weeds, one Yarrow, one Comfrey, and one Chaste Tree. They did well.

Yesterday - Rewards

I had a few Bee Balm bargain roots to plant. I was ready to grit my teeth, grind my molars, and dig into tough soil. Instead, the first shovel's worth was as soft and rich as the topsoil in Illinois, where buffalo processed prairie grass for centuries and developed topsoil measured in yards rather than feet.

 Joe Pye Weed

Most of my labor had been in vain, it seemed to me. But all that time, God's Creation was at work through the creatures of the air and soil. Wood mulch, newspapers, and crab grass were digested and turned into soft earth. Birds took Yarrow seed and planted two more tall butterfly plants in the Rose Garden. The Joe Pyes will be nine feet tall and mix a musty aroma with vanilla when the butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds stop by.

That is the way congregations used to work. The pastor was called by a few people to start a congregation. He stayed there and worked, like Schwan working decades in Cleveland as a pastor, district president, and synod president. The labor is long but the rewards come from the effective Word in the Means of Grace, not from gimmicks and fads promised by the uncertain and insincere.

 Objective Justification merges the Atonement with Justification and confuses both at the same time.

Hymn - Jesus My Great High Priest

Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

"Jesus, My Great High Priest"
by Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

Tune - Bevan - linked here

1. Jesus, my great High Priest,
Offered His blood and died;
My guilty conscience seeks
No sacrifice beside.
His powerful blood did once atone,
And now it pleads before the throne.

2. To this dear Surety's hand
Will I commit my cause;
He answers and fulfils
His Father's broken laws.
Behold my soul at freedom set;
My Surety paid the dreadful debt.

3. My Advocate appears
For my defense on high;
The Father bows His ears
And lays His thunder by.
Not all that hell or sin can say
Shall turn His heart, His love, away.

4. Should all the hosts of death
And powers of hell unknown
Put their most dreadful forms
Of rage and mischief on,
I shall be safe, for Christ displays
Superior power and guardian grace.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #220 from
Text: Hebrews 9:11, 12
Author: Isaac Watts, 1709, cento
Titled: "Join All the Glorious Names"
Composer: John Goss, 1853
Tune: "Bevan"

Luther-Tyndale-KJV: The People's Bible, But the NIV-ESV-TEVs Belong to the Romanizing Scholars.The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God

Kurt Aland and his second wife, Barbara, buried the Majority Text.
They have dubbed their highly polished version of Westcott-Hort - "The Standard Text."

How ironic that the modern scholars have tried to replace the reliable Majority New Testament text with a bad one they conjured from Vaticanus – a dubious source unimproved by the accolades of Romanizing Protestants and rationalists. The modern scholars, publishing companies, and denominations have filled their pockets by corrupting the Gospel and telling the people – “You are not smart enough or educated enough to understand our great work of emancipation.” As the text scholar - Kurt Aland - said, “The Majority Text is dead.” But Tyndale had the exact opposite attitude toward the Bible –

“Which thing only” he says, “moved me to trans late the New Testament. Because I had perceived by experience, how that it was impossible to establish the lay people in any truth, except the Scripture were plainly laid before their eyes in the mother tongue.”[1]

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[1] The Translators Revived, p. 16.

These Objective Justification experts turned their backs on the Reformation. Is it a co-inky-dink that Church Growth arose from the ashes of the KJVs they burned (symbolically, of course)? The Reformation would not have tolerated such bumpkins to lecturing everyone as if they were certified doctors. Let's hear from a real doctor, PhD Harvard University, in Semitics.

Tyndale in Print. The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God

 Luther praised the printing press for bringing the Word of God to everyone inexpensively.

 

The first decided steps, however, toward giving to the English nation a Bible printed in their own tongue, were the translations of the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, made by William Tyndale, and by him printed at Hamburg, in the year 1524; — and a translation of the whole of the New Testament, printed by him partly at Cologne, and partly at Worms, in 1525. After six editions of the Testament had been issued, he published Genesis and Deuteronomy, in 1530; and next year the Pentateuch. In the year 1535 was printed the entire Bible, under the auspices of Miles Coverdale, who mostly followed Tyndale as far as he had gone; but without any other connection with him. Of Coverdale, further mention will be made. But in the year 1537 appeared a folio Bible, printed in some city of Germany, with the following title, — “The Byble, which is the Holy Scripture; in which are contayned the Olde and Newe Testament, truely and purely translated into Englysh —by Thomas Matthew.— MDXXXVII.” This is substantially the basis of all the other versions of the Bible into English, including that which is now in such extensive use. It contains Tyndale’s labors as far as he had gone previous to his martyrdom by fire about a year before its publication. That is to say, the whole of the New Testament, and of the Old, as far as the end of the Second Book of Chronicles, or exactly two-thirds of the entire Scriptures, were Tyndale’s work. The other third, comprising the remainder of the Old Testament, was made by his friend and co-la borer, Thomas Matthew, who was no other than John Rogers, the famous martyr, after wards burnt in the days of “bloody Mary;” and who, at the time of his immortal publication, went by the name of Matthew.[1]

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[1] The Translators Revived, p. 16.

Tyndale - The Connection with the KJV and Luther. The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God

The Martyr - William Tyndale - is worth knowing.

It was not long after this, that in disputing with a divine reputed to be quite learned, Tyndale utterly confounded him with certain texts of Scripture; upon which the irritated papist exclaimed, — “It were better for us to be without God’s laws, than without the Pope’s!” This was a little too much for Tyndale, who boldly replied, “I defy the Pope, and all his laws; and if God spare my life, ere many years, I will cause a boy that driveth the plow to know more of the Scripture than you do!” A noble boast; and nobly redeemed at the cost of his life![1]

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[1] Alexander McClure, The Translators Revived, p. 14.

 Don't laugh - it's worse than this!

Tyndale Perfected in English What Luther Created in German. The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God

Tyndale Perfected in English What Luther Created in German

              The Wycliffe Bible was an early translation of the Bible from a group of Oxford scholars connected with John Wycliffe. He translated part of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate to English, and his associates translated the Old Testament – it is thought. This began the early stages of English reform, which often teetered back and forth between Protestantism and Romanism, depending on the actual faith of the monarch. The criticized and glamorized Ann Boleyn moved Henry VIII toward Protestantism. Edward VI followed his father Henry VIII but only reigned as a Protestant for six years. Queen Mary, following her mother’s Catholic convictions, reversed King Edward’s gains and prosecuted Protestants. Queen Elizabeth I favored the Protestants but always kept everyone off-balance. A pope said, “She only controls part of an island, and yet all of Europe is afraid of her.” England supposedly chose a Protestant in King James I, but that began an era where the Stuart kings left an indelible bad impression on England.[1]

            William Tyndale is the pivotal figure in the history of the English Bible, because he translated from Greek and Hebrew – and Henry VIII had him killed and then burned at the stake. Tyndale was born in 1494, between the births of Luther (1486) and Melanchthon (1497). He shared the excitement of the Bible being available in Hebrew (with help from Reuchlin, Melanchthon’s uncle) and Greek (thanks to Erasmus). Tyndale was an exceptional scholar in many languages. He earned his first degree from Oxford in 1512 and his master’s degree in 1515. He was fluent in Hebrew, Greek, German, Latin, and more – beyond the requirements of a PhD in theology today. But he found the same ossified principles that plagued Luther and cased the Reformer to learn directly from the Scriptures. Tyndale wrote:

They have ordained that no man shall look on the Scripture, until he be noselled in heathen learning eight or nine years and armed with false principles, with which he is clean shut out of the understanding of the Scripture.

Tyndale also studied at Cambridge, where Erasmus had previously taught, another step in giving the linguist the best of language training.

            Tyndale could get no support for translating the Bible in England, so he traveled to Germany and enrolled at Wittenberg University. He translated the New Testament into English by 1525. He also stayed at Worms for a year, according to Spalatin. Since Tyndale was fluent in German, Luther’s Bible was a great help, but as every language student knows, having another translation in a different language is an aid in many ways, but the path to clarity in another language is still laborious. However, this safe haven in Germany brought together Tyndale and the Luther circle; their concentration of genius and faithfulness to the Word of God channeled the Reformation into Tyndale, and through Tyndale, the King James Version and the British Empire.

            The way of the cross means persecution. England resisted freelance publishing of the Bible, which was illegal. Moreover, the English bishops were prone to strike out against Tyndale, because he openly despised their lordly power, perks, and use of force. Lazy and overpaid ecclesiastics do not tolerate disruption of their realm. Cardinal Woolsey and Thomas Moore opposed Tyndale, so he stayed in Europe.

            In 1535, Tyndale was betrayed by a friend, seized in Antwerp, strangled, and then burned at the stake. His dying words were, “Lord, open the king’s eyes,” but it was another king – James – who had the Tyndale fashioned as the official, royal, and only Bible for English-speaking people. Four Bible translations were derived from Tyndale’s –

1.      The Coverdale Bible, 1535, Antwerp, used Tyndale and other sources.

2.      Coverdale revised this as the Great Bible in 1539.

3.      The Bishop’s Bible

4.      The King James or Authorized Version

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[1] The monarchs between Henry VIII and James I provide a fascinating look at the time when the Bible was becoming the Book of the people, which really started with Wycliffe. The rumors and facts are abundant about the rulers involved, narratives mixed together in Biblical dramas and romances.

 Wycliffe

From Luther to the King James Version

We took Veterans Honor Roses, Enchanted Peace Roses, and Little Joe Pye in a planting pot to a former Army nurse, PhD, diabetics specialist. It was her birthday, so she was delighted. 

Since it is June, I need to finish The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God. I was aiming at a larger book for a time, but I decided not to pursue every topic with abundant information. Some call that "leaving no research note-card behind."  A shorter volume makes it easier to have only color copies at a reasonable price. People can get started on the issues and read about them extensively. 

The connection between Luther and the KJV is Tyndale, the translation that became the KJV. Why have Lutherans abandoned the English version of Luther's Bible?

I find the Greek New Testament fraud (Westcott-Hort-NIV-ESV) to be the key to the denominations' rapid switch to rationalistic Biblical "scholarship" - treating the Bible as merely a book by men about God. Those weighty books and "scholarly" journals have turned Biblical studies into a safe haven for skeptics, Unitarian-Universalists, and cell group leaders. 

The post below this one - A Short Definition - may seem obscure, but it means that the Lutherans sects self-identified as - conservative or orthodox or confessional or orthodox - are another version of the mainline Protestant denominations of the National Council of Churches - strange bedfellows indeed. That claim is proven by the joyous participation of WELS-LCMS-ELS in chambering with ELCA. (Chambering is KJV for bed-hopping.) But the affinity with the NCC is also shown in those sects' rejection of the KJV, loathing of Luther, and promotion of Justification without Faith.

Romans 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

How did WELS geeks get into Church Growth, centered at the liberal, Pentecostal, all-denominations Fuller Seminary? They took classes there - with their LCMS, ELCA, Roman Catholic and ELS buddies. That got them and many others key synodical positions, a lot more money, perks galore, and far less parish work! They splashed around in other Church Growth cesspools - like Andy Stanley's road shows. Eight WELS bean-brains went to one, and the chatter-box Ski blogged about worshiping with the great Stanley.

Short Definition for Orthodox, Conservative, Confessional Lutherans - OCCLs

Toss your Dogma-Tanics, toss your Girl Scout cookies. I have a shortened textbook for Orthodox, Conservative, Confessional Lutherans (OCCLs) - LCMS, WELS, ELS, CLC, and the micro-mini sects.

OCCL - "We believe in the inerrancy of the Scriptures."

Longer version - "...except for Abraham believing in the Messiah and being justified, Paul's Justification by Faith, and the rest of the Bible."

OCCL - "We believe, teach, and confess the Chief Article of the Christian Faith."

Longer version - "...except for faith in Jesus Christ, which is bad, and would make us Arminians." And - "Lenski is good, except for Justification."

Leupold - Genesis Link

The link to H. C. Leupold's Genesis Commentary can be found here: 

download, or read online.

People will find Leupold more readable than Keil-Delitzsch. Yale University once taught the historicity of Adam and Eve, the Virgin Birth of Christ.

Looking at all the Lutheran synods now, it is easy to see how they are marching backwards in the same retreat.

The three greats of Capital Seminary remain:

1. Loy
2. Lenski
3. Leupold.

They were replaced by apostates and largely forgotten.

House and Senate Oath of Office Illustrated - "I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."

JFK’S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60’s when DeGaule decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaulle said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible. Rusk responded “does that include those who are buried here? DeGaulle did not respond.

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When in England, at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush. He answered by saying, ‘Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.’

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There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying ‘Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?’ A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: ‘Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?’

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A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, ‘Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?’ Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, ‘Maybe it’s because the Brit’s, Canadians, Aussie’s and Americans arranged it so you wouldn’t have to speak German.’

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Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on. “You have been to France before, monsieur?” the customs officer asked sarcastically. Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously. “Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.” The American said, ‘The last time I was here, I didn’t have to show it.” “Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France !” The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, ‘’Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn’t find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.”

Creation Gardening - Early and Late

Discounts for flowers are easily obtained early, when most gardeners have not thawed out or even thought about new plants. Surprisingly, gardening interest and purchasing drops off early in the summer, prompting another round of discounts. End of the season discounts in tools are especially fun to exploit. Rose clippers will not rust or rot over the winter.

I never got Bee Balm going in Phoenix, because the desert is good for cacti and little else. I was a marvel with cacti - everything grew like crazy. A lady stopped by to harvest prickly pear fruit because I had hundreds of them along the outside cinderblock fence. The fruit are great for jam and tea, but murder on the skin, with little hair-like needles easy to attract, difficult to extract.

I tried to get red Bee Balm during peak buying and missed out. Another supplier had leftovers, so some are on the way. They seem especially attractive to hummingbirds, though the color attraction is hotly debated.

The Butterfly Garden already boasts two Joe Pye Weeds, large and tall. I have Yarrow growing there, plus Comfrey. A Chaste Tree is on the corner toward the main garden. But lo, the area around these flowers is weedy-grassy and extremely fertile. Below is how I will exploit this for Bee Balm.

The only way to block weeds in the sunniest spot in our yard is to block the sun thoroughly. I have been gathering big cardboard boxes for the first layer of sun blocking. Jessica Walliser pointed out the trick of laying down cardboard in the fall and cutting holes in it for plants in the spring. I will lay down cardboard and cut holes for the expected Bee Balm. I can keep the cardboard in place with water buckets, bags of leaves, and wood mulch. In the fall, the Bee Balm will be growing well, d.v., and I can piled up leaves around them. The weeds that exploit a heavily mulched area are tall and strong, so they are also easy to snip at the base, blessing them for opening up the soil and fertilizing it. 

The Butterfly Garden is a long walk around the house, out the front door, down to the sidewalk, walk over and up the south side of the garden, voila - butterflies and bees. Some will shake their heads and say, "Why so much trouble for an almost hidden secret garden?"

My answer, "We may not see them most of the time, but they provide a home base for a number of beautiful creatures, all of them spilling into the adjoining Rose Garden for the feeders, plants, birdbaths (note the plural), and bird food.

Our porch is modest but perfect for after noon pour-over coffee. We are in the shade, usually sheltered from wind, and just a bit above the garden sloping down to the sidewalk. Yesterday Ranger Bob, Mrs. Ichabod, and I watched for bunnies, birds, and bees. Sassy stood watch over the treats when she was not scanning the cul-de-sac for enemies of the U. S. Constitution, foreign and domestic.

A grand porch would put us high above God's Creation, with a porch built of sturdy fencing to keep children safe. Yes, I fell off our little porch, because the base is a bit above the garden. I bent over the tiny fence to clean the bird bath, and the laws of gravity over-ruled my Franciscan ideals. Nothing was harmed, and Ranger Bob had a good laugh about it later.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity, 2021.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity, 2021

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

Video of Bethany's Trinity Service

https://video.ibm.com/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church Link

The melodies are linked in the hymn name. 

The lyrics are linked in the hymn number.

• The melody site is linked here.
• TLH Lyrics are linked from the Bethany Hymnal site.

The Hymn # 246               Holy, Holy, Holy               

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity: let us give glory to Him because He hath shown His mercy to us.

Psalm. O Lord, our Lord: how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast given unto us, Thy servants, grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity, we beseech Thee that Thou wouldst lump us steadfast in this faith and evermore defend us from all adversities; who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual       

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who beholdest the deep; 

and who dwellest between the cherubim.

V. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven: 

and greatly to be praised forever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers: 

and greatly to be praised and glorified forever. Hallelujah!

The Gospel               

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Athanasian Creed             p. 53
The Sermon Hymn #250      Holy God We Praise Thy Name
       

The Unity of the Trinity

 

The Communion Hymn  #297                The Gospel Shows

The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #660                I'm But a Stranger Here  

            Prayers and Announcements

• This weekend we honor and mourn the soldiers who gave their lives in the service of the United States of America.
• Prayers - Christina Jackson is on a lighter regimen; Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris Shrader have health challenges; Alec's brother is better.
• Next in video - saving previous videos and editing them for YouTube, etc.
• Ichabod the Glory Has Departed - 7,000 views in 24 hours. The normal amount is around 1,800.

 By Norma A. Boeckler

Luther’s Trinity Sermons Linked Here

Romans 11 33 ω βαθος - O the depth

1. πλουτου 0f the riches
2. και σοφιας  and of the wisdom
3. και γνωσεως θεου and of the knowledge of God.

ως ανεξερευνητα τα κριματα αυτου και ανεξιχνιαστοι αι οδοι αυτου.

34 τις γαρ εγνω νουν κυριου η τις συμβουλος αυτου εγενετο

35 η τις προεδωκεν αυτω και ανταποδοθησεται αυτω

36 οτι 

1. εξ αυτου και - from Him and
2. δι αυτου και - through Him and
3. εις αυτον τα παντα αυτω - in Him are all things.

 η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην

KJV Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

KJV John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

The Unity of the Trinity

Background for the Gospel, John 3:1-15

The people who deny the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - are like the person who said, "There is no shepherd's purse growing in our yard." Someone who knew herbs and wildflowers (my mother) said, "I will show you." She went to the spot and pulled some out for our family pet rabbits. "Are those shepherd's purse?" My eyes were opened.

Denying the Trinity in the Bible is a popular way for unbelievers, rationalists, cynics, and theology professors to make their claim that the Scriptures are only a book written by man. But we can start with Genesis 1, find the Holy Trinity, and throughout the Old Testament - the Father, the Promised Son - and the Son before His Incarnation - and the Holy Spirit at work in the prophets. In the New Testament, the Father Son and Holy Spirit are named within two verses all through those 27 books, and named in the familiar group of three many times, such as in the Great Commission at the end of Matthew. The denial of the Trinity in the Bible is proof that the Spirit is effective in hardening and blinding those who willfully reject the Scriptures. The more they know in academics, the less they know about the spiritual realm. John's Gospel is a great way to begin and to support our knowledge of God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

KJV John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

When we read the Gospel of John, we find that many details are provided that add a great deal to our knowledge of that history and also about the future. The passage points us to the connection between Old Testament Judaism and the conversion of Jews in the New Testament and beyond. My Old Testament students often express the fallacy that the Old Testament is all Law and is for the Jews, the New Testament is all Gospel and is for the Gentiles. 

Note the three-fold connection revealed - Jesus was presented in the Temple for His circumcision. He stayed deliberately in Jerusalem to have a conference with the elders and scholars there. He converted Nicodemus, a leader of the Pharisees. Besides that, there are many descriptions of the Jewish opponents following Jesus to dispute anything He did or said. Opposition is a great way to spread the Word of God. In the process of arguing and studying their own writings, many became Christians.

Nicodemus was a leader of the Pharisees, so that meant he was the strictest observer of the Law. Like Paul, no one was more observant or more painstaking in pursuing the righteousness of the Law. And what happens in obsessive perfection is the lack of fulfillment through perfection. Jesus knew this and saw this in Nicodemus, so He completely got Nicodemus off balance, wondering, thinking.

2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 

One question is - why by night? Perhaps he studied by day and could not by night, so he came to Jesus very late. More likely, since evening light was never better than moonlight and often lacking that, Nicodemus came at night to avoid being seen by his fellow Jews and Pharisees. Nicodemus had the beginning of faith - "Who had heard our Report?" Isaiah 53 and later Romans 10. But he was also uncertain and fearful. His help with the body of Jesus proved that "perfect faith casts out fear" when he did the unthinkable in honoring someone condemned by the Roman Empire and his fellow Pharisees.

I have seen a lot of pastors scared just for questioning the edicts and actions of their Synod Popes.

So Nicodemus' address was tentative and seems to be polite and even flattering, but rather weak. A "teacher from God" is a good address but not different from the colleagues of Nicodemus.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again [from above], he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Often, when discussing the Christian Faith with a skeptic, it is better to let him beg for the answer. As I have said many times, when someone equivocates about Christianity, I tell him - "All world religions are alike." 

The person responds with a smile. So I add one tidbit. "All are alike except for one thing." Silence. The person has to know. He says, "What is the exception." 

I say, "All religions teach the Law, what man has to do to please God. Christianity teaches God's grace - what He has done for us through Christ." 

Nicodemus also talked about the miracles of Jesus, which were part of His evangelism. The miracles proved that Jesus was teaching with the authority of God. All the religious leaders taught about God, but Jesus taught as God. Jesus said, If you do not believe My teaching, at least believe in the miracles. So Nicodemus' acknowledgement of the miracles was the start of faith, and that faith drew him to go to Jesus.

The phrase "born from above" has the secondary meaning of "born again." Nicodemus heard obstetrics  when he should have been thinking about Jesus as the One from Above. In this discussion, Jesus showed His divine knowledge by keeping Nicodemus off-balance and therefore eager to learn more.

What is the "good and perfect gift from above" in James. 

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

This is a lame, strange, and absurd response, so it has never been forgotten. Almost anyone with a little knowledge of the Gospel has heard this from Nicodemus. What the befuddlement promises is a flood of Old Testament Promises about the Messiah, where a host of phrases and images combine in the New Testament to show the fulfillment and the precision of those words.

This is doubly true because this passage peaks with John 3:16, founded upon the bizarre example of the bronze serpent lifted up to heal the wounds of the Israelites. That strange image is isolated, either trivial or strange or both, ignored, until they are the anchor for the Little Gospel - John 3:16. So God set up this miracle in the desert to foreshadow the crucifixion of His only-begotten Son - long before there was a Roman Empire or crucifixion. 

The New Testament does not engage just some of these Promises but all of of them.

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Here we must honor Queen Grammar, who rules over Greek grammar. The Greek text literally means - Unless a man be water/Spirit born, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. I won't get into the reasons, because you have not had enough coffee yet. But water and Spirit are together, not two separate actions. As many know from other passages, Spirit and Word together, never one without the other, so we can say - Unless a man be baptized with water using the Gospel Word, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. This passage is all about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Yes, there are exceptions with baptism, but baptism is given to us as a gift, a visible Word to help us when we are weak, and a powerful Sacrament to keep us with God and the Good Shepherd of our souls.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again [from above]. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 

This is beautiful prose, poetic and yet simple in language. If we have a rebirth through the Spirit at work in the Word, we belong to God in the Spirit - guided by the Spirit - truth revealed by the Spirit. 

In Greek and Hebrew, wind and Spirit are the same word. Pneumonia comes from the Greek word. No one has seen the wind, but many of us have been near tornadoes and their destructive power. With harmonics, wind can bring down a skyscraper or the George Washington Bridge. That is the power of the Word/Spirit.

9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak  [solemnly teach] that we do know, and testify [witness, martyr] that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven,

Jesus is saying here (verse 11) that He is solemnly teaching Nicodemus earthly things and He is witnessing about Heaven because He has come down from above (another indication of the Incarnation and the Virgin Birth). Jesus is the connection between the mysteries of God's will and work, so He teaches nothing but the truth about these matters, earthly and heavenly.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Moses asked from God and God gave. Example - manna, bread from heaven. Jesus provided the bread for the multitude and taught them "I am the Bread of Life from Heaven." Moses asked, the Son of God provided.

 By Norma A. Boeckler