Sunday, September 22, 2024

Tom Fisher Points Out That the Lax and Corrupt NT Translations Omit God and Faith

 





Dear Pastor Jackson,

Jesus is God and man in one person! Luther taught us to believe this. Scripture also clearly teaches this in Colossians 2:9:

For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.

5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.

6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Colossians 2:1-15

Notice that precious little word "Godhead" in Colossians 2:9 immediately brings to mind the Holy Trinity: God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus bodily!

9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Colossians 2:9

This is the Jesus we believe in: God and man in one person! We confess this in the Athanasian Creed:

"Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believes faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man.

God of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man of the substance of His mother, born in the world;

Perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.

Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood;

Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but one Christ:

One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God;

One altogether; not by confusion of Substance, but by unity of Person.

For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ;

Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead;

He ascended into heaven; He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty; from whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies and shall give account of their own works." (The Lutheran Hymnal, CPH, 1941, pg. 53)

Notice that precious little word 'Godhead' occurs three times in the Athanasian Creed. It is there because it is in God's Word: Colossians 2:9:

 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Colossians 2:9 KJV

Is this little word 'Godhead' precious to your faith? It is precious to my faith!! I am at this moment opening my Bible to Colossians 2:9 and read as follows:

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, Colossians 2:9 NIV

WHAT!!! Where is my precious little Word 'Godhead'??
Let's try another Bible from my vast library. So I select another Bible and read:

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, Colossians 2:9 ESV

WHAT!!! Where is my precious little Word 'Godhead'??
Let's try another Bible. So I select another Bible and read:

9 For in him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily, Colossians 2:9 RSV

WHAT!!! Where is my precious little Word 'Godhead'??
My library is vast so let's try another Bible. So I select another Bible and read:

9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, Colossians 2:9 NASB

WHAT!!! Where is my precious little Word 'Godhead'??
Will I ever find it??? Well, let's try another Bible. So I select another Bible and read:

For in him, bodily, lives the fullness of all that God is. Colossians 2:9 Complete Jewish Bible 

WHAT!!! Where is my precious little Word 'Godhead'??
Will I ever find it??? Maybe it's really NOT in God's Word! Well, let's try another Bible. So I select another Bible and read:

9-10 Yet it is in him that God gives a full and complete expression of himself (within the physical limits that he set himself in Christ). Moreover, your own completeness is only realised in him, who is the authority over all authorities, and the supreme power over all powers. Colossians 2:9 PHILLIPS 

WHAT!!! Where is my precious little Word 'Godhead'??
Will I ever find it??? Maybe it's really NOT in God's Word! The majority of Bibles omit it. Well, let's try another Bible. So I select another Bible and read:

9 For the full content of divine nature lives in Christ, in his humanity, Colossians 2:9 Good News Translation 

WHAT!!! Where is my precious little Word 'Godhead'??
Will I ever find it??? Maybe it's really NOT in God's Word! The majority of Bibles omit it. Maybe scholars have found older more accurate manuscripts that omit it. Well, let's try another Bible. So I select another Bible and read:

Make sure that no one leads you astray with an empty and deceitful philosophy that depends on human tradition[a] and worldly principles, and not on Christ.

God Has Given You Life in Christ. 9 For it is in him that the entire fullness of deity dwells in bodily form,[b] 10 and you share this fullness in him who is the head of every ruler and power.

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Footnotes

  1. Colossians 2:8 Human tradition: literally, “philosophy,” a word that occurs only here in the New Testament. In this context, it refers not to systematic thought but to religious speculations.
  2. Colossians 2:9 The entire fullness of deity dwells in bodily form: i.e., in the risen and glorified body of Christ. Colossians 2:9 New Catholic Bible

WHAT!!! Where is my precious little Word 'Godhead'??
Will I ever find it??? Maybe it's really NOT in God's Word! The majority of Bibles omit it. Maybe scholars have found older more accurate manuscripts that omit it. Maybe modern scholars have better more accurate and scientific methods to produce more accurate translations. Well, let's try another Bible. So I select another Bible and read:

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, Colossians 2:9 NRSV 

WHAT!!! Where is my precious little Word 'Godhead'??
Will I ever find it??? Maybe it's really NOT in God's Word! The majority of Bibles omit it. Maybe scholars have found older more accurate manuscripts that omit it. Maybe modern scholars have better more accurate and scientific methods to produce more accurate translations. Maybe their Dynamic equivalent paraphrasing more accurately translates the Greek text. Well, let's try another Bible. So I select another Bible and read:

9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Colossians 2:9 King James Bible 

I finally found it!! It's been in the King James Bible for over 400 years!! Wait a minute! The King James Bible is the Bible of the reformation to the English speaking world at a time when English became the international language. It's the only English translation with the seal and approval of the most powerful King in the world: King James of England!!! Tyndale prayed while being burnt at the stake for God to open the eyes of the King of England. God answered Tyndale's prayer as he gave his life for translating the Word of God into English. God has promised to preserve His Word He inspired the apostles and prophets to write in Psalm 12:

The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

7 Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. Psalms 12:6,7

Wow!! I will trust God and His Word rather than men no matter how smart, erudite, and scientific they appear to be!!!! Away with your 'older more accurate manuscripts' footnote nonsense. Doubt creating footnotes are NEVER found in the Bibles (TEXTUS RECEPTUS, King James Bible, Luther's Bible) chosen by God. God's Word is pure, certain, and eternal. Away with your dynamic equivalent paraphrasing. God's Bible translations (King James Bible, Luther's 1545 German Bible, etc) are exact, literal translations of the Greek Text (TEXTUS RECEPTUS) and Hebrew Masoretic Text. Away with your older, more accurate, scientific Greek Texts (Vaticanus, Sinaticus, Nestle-Aland, United Bible Society etc.). God REJECTED all of these corrupted Greek texts and CHOSE the Greek TEXTUS RECEPTUS to be the foundation of all translations ( King James Bible, Luther's 1545 German Bible, etc) for the reformation of the world. 

Perhaps Colossians 2:9 is an isolated occurrence. Let's take a look at all the English translations and see how many omit that precious little word 'God' from 1 Timothy 3:16:

And beyond controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; He who was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the spirit, Seen of angels, Preached among the nations, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
And great, we confess, is the mystery [the hidden truth] of godliness: He (Jesus Christ) who was revealed in human flesh, Was justified and vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.
And great and important and weighty, we confess, is the hidden truth (the mystic secret) of godliness. He [God] was made visible in human flesh, justified and vindicated in the [Holy] Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, [and] taken up in glory.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Without question, the mystery of godliness is great: he was revealed as a human, declared righteous by the Spirit, seen by angels, preached throughout the nations, believed in around the world, and taken up in glory.
Great beyond all question is the formerly hidden truth underlying our faith: He was manifested physically and proved righteous spiritually, seen by angels and proclaimed among the nations, trusted throughout the world and raised up in glory to heaven.
Here is the great mystery of our religion: Christ came as a human. The Spirit proved that he pleased God, and he was seen by angels. Christ was preached to the nations. People in this world put their faith in him, and he was taken up to glory.
And confessedly the mystery of piety is great. God has been manifested in flesh, has been justified in [the] Spirit, has appeared to angels, has been preached among [the] nations, has been believed on in [the] world, has been received up in glory.
And the mystery of godliness is confessedly great: Who was revealed in the flesh, was declared-righteous in the spirit; was seen by messengers, was proclaimed among the nations; was believed in the world, was taken-up in glory.
And evidently great is the mystery of godliness, which was manifested in the flesh, was justified in the spirit, appeared unto angels, hath been preached unto the Gentiles, is believed in the world, is taken up in glory.
Without a doubt, the secret of our life of worship is great: Christ was shown to us in human form; the Spirit proved that he was right; he was seen by angels. The message about him was told to the nations; people in the world believed in him; he was taken up to heaven in glory.
Yes, the message that God has shown us about Jesus Christ is very great. We all agree to this: God showed him to us as a man. God's Spirit showed that he always did what was right. Angels saw him. People taught his message in many countries of the world. People in the world believed in him. God took him up to be with himself in heaven.
Undeniably, great is the mystery of godliness: He was revealed in flesh, was justified in spirit, was seen by messengers, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
·Without doubt [or And we all agree], ·the secret of our life of worship [or the truth revealed in our faith/worship; L the mystery of godliness; v. 9] is great [C what follows may be from an early Christian hymn]: He ·was shown to us [appeared; was revealed] in ·a human body [T the flesh], ·proved right [vindicated] ·in spirit [or by the Spirit], and seen by angels. He was proclaimed ·to [among] the ·nations [Gentiles], believed in ·by [or in; throughout] the world, and taken up in glory.
And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness, which is, God is manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of Angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up in glory.
The mystery that gives us our reverence for God is acknowledged to be great: He  appeared in his human nature, was approved by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was announced throughout the nations, was believed in the world, and was taken to heaven in glory.
No one can deny how great is the secret of our religion: He appeared in human form, was shown to be right by the Spirit, and was seen by angels. He was preached among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, and was taken up to heaven.
And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Without doubt, the secret of our life of worship is great: He was shown to us in a human body, proved right by the Spirit, and seen by angels. He was preached to the nations, believed in by the world, and taken to heaven in glory.
By common confession, the secret of our godly worship is great: In flesh was he revealed to sight, vindicated by the Spirit’s might, adored by angels singing. To nations was he manifest, believing souls found peace and rest, our Lord in heaven reigning!
At the moment of writing I hope to be with you soon, but if there should be any considerable delay then what I have written will show you the sort of character men of God’s household ought to have. It is, remember, the Church of the living God, the pillar and the foundation of the truth. No one can deny that this religion of ours is a tremendous mystery, resting as it does on the one who showed himself as a human being, and met, as such, every demand of the Spirit in the sight of angels as well as of men. Then, after his restoration to the Heaven from whence he came, he has been proclaimed among men of different nationalities and believed in all parts of the world.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
And by common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was manifested in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.
And most certainly, great is the mystery of godliness: Who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the Gentiles, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
It is quite true that the way to live a godly life is not an easy matter. But the answer lies in Christ, who came to earth as a man, was proved spotless and pure in his Spirit, was served by angels, was preached among the nations, was accepted by men everywhere, and was received up again to his glory in heaven.
I hope to visit you soon, but just in case I’m delayed, I’m writing this letter so you’ll know how things ought to go in God’s household, this God-alive church, bastion of truth. This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough: He appeared in a human body, was proved right by the invisible Spirit, was seen by angels. He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples, believed in all over the world, taken up into heavenly glory.
Without question, great is the mystery of godliness: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, taken up into glory.
And undeniably great is the mystery of godliness, who was revealed in flesh, was vindicated in spirit, appeared to angels; was preached among the nations, was believed in the world, was taken up in glory.
The mystery that gives us our reverence for God is acknowledged to be great: He appeared in his human nature, was approved by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was announced throughout the nations, was believed in the world, and was taken to heaven in glory.
Undeniably great is the mystery of devotion, Who was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.
Beyond question, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.
By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.
Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was made visible in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.
Without doubt, the secret of our life of worship is great: He was shown to us in a human body, proved right in spirit, and seen by angels. He was proclaimed to the nations, believed in by the world, and taken up in glory.
And we all agree, our religion contains amazing revelation: He was revealed in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
There is no doubt that true godliness comes from this great mystery. Jesus came as a human being. The Holy Spirit proved that he was the Son of God. He was seen by angels. He was preached among the nations. People in the world believed in him. He was taken up to heaven in glory.
Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
It is important to know the secret of God-like living, which is: Christ came to earth as a Man. He was pure in His Spirit. He was seen by angels. The nations heard about Him. Men everywhere put their trust in Him. He was taken up into heaven.
Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.
And there is no denying, great is the mystery of godliness: God was shown in the flesh, was confirmed in the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached to the Gentiles, was believed on in earth, and received up in glory.
Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.
Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.
Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.
Without any doubt, the mystery of godliness is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.
Indeed, the mystery of godliness is certainly great: He was revealed in the flesh, and vindicated in the spirit; he appeared to angels, and was announced to Gentiles; he was believed in the world, and taken up in glory.
And confessedly great is the sod of chasidus [in Moshiach 3:9], who was manifested in basar, was vindicated [proven just] by the Ruach HaKodesh, was seen by malachim, was proclaimed among the Nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in kavod.
And admittedly, the mystery of godliness is great: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up in glory.
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Now beyond question, great is the mystery of godliness: He was revealed in the flesh, Vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Trusted throughout the world, Taken up in glory.
and I think you will agree that the mystery of godliness is great: He was revealed in the flesh, proven right in the Spirit; He was seen by the heavenly messengers, preached to outsider nations. He was believed in the world, taken up to the heavens in glory.
Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory.
God's plan is very great as we all know. Here it is: we saw God as a man; God's Spirit proved he was right; angels saw him; the nations were told about him; people of the world believed in him; God took him up into heaven.
And openly it is a great sacrament of piety, that thing that was showed in flesh, it is justified in Spirit [And openly it is a great sacrament of piety, that that is showed in flesh, is justified in Spirit], it appeared to angels, it is preached to heathen men, it is believed in the world, it is taken up into glory.
and, confessedly, great is the secret of piety -- God was manifested in flesh, declared righteous in spirit, seen by messengers, preached among nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

The vast majority of English translations omit that precious little word 'God' from 1 Timothy 3:16. REMEMBER God only used ONE English Bible for the reformation: the King James Bible. God has used this Bible( King James Bible) for over 400 years and continues to use it. Would God continue to use an English Bible with errors and omissions in it? Absolutely not!! God continues to confirm His pure Word in the Greek TEXTUS RECEPTUS and all literal translations (King James Bible, Luther's 1545 Bible, etc) emanating from it. In contrast God continues to expose errors, omissions, and proven false doctrine in the corrupt Greek texts (Vaticanus, Sinaticus, Nestle-Aland, United Bible Society) and all translations (NIV, ESV, NASB, RSV, NKJV, Beck's etc) emanating from them. Remember that all the corrupted Greek texts (Vaticanus, Sinaticus,  Nestle-Aland, United Bible Society, etc.) omit the Greek word 'Theos' (God) from 1 Timothy 3:16. 


και ομολογουμενως μεγα εστιν το της ευσεβειας μυστηριον θεος εφανερωθη εν σαρκι εδικαιωθη εν πνευματι ωφθη αγγελοις εκηρυχθη εν εθνεσιν επιστευθη εν κοσμω ανεληφθη εν δοξη 1 Timothy 3:16 Stephanus 1550 Greek TEXTUS RECEPTUS (God chose this text for the reformation and rejected the Vaticanus text)

Here is a corrupted Greek Text God rejected during the reformation:

16 καὶ ὁμολογουμένως μέγα ἐστὶν τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον· [a]Ὃς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί, ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι, ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις, ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ, ἀνελήμφθη ἐν δόξῃ.

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Footnotes

  1. ΠΡΟΣ ΤΙΜΟΘΕΟΝ Α΄ 3:16 Ὃς WH Treg NIV ] θεὸς RP
This is from the corrupt SBL Greek New Testament Text. Notice the footnote references the ultra corrupt Westcott-Hort text. Both omit:
θεος (pronounced 'Theos' :God)

Here is the ultra corrupt Westcott-Hort Greek Text:

16 και ομολογουμενως μεγα εστιν το της ευσεβειας μυστηριον ος εφανερωθη εν σαρκι εδικαιωθη εν πνευματι ωφθη αγγελοις εκηρυχθη εν εθνεσιν επιστευθη εν κοσμω ανελημφθη εν δοξη

I must stress that God REJECTED the corrupt Vaticanus Greek Text and the corrupt Greek texts (Westcott-Hort, Nestle-Aland, United Bible Society, etc) emanating from it. All of the modern English Bibles (NIV, ESV, RSV, NASB, Beck's, NKJV, Etc) are obviously also corrupt since they are translated from the corrupt Vaticanus family of Greek Texts (Vaticanus, Sinaticus, Nestle-Aland, United Bible Society etc). All of these corrupt Bibles create doubt in the text of the Word of God. If the text is in doubt then nothing is certain. This sort of doubt completely destroys your Christian faith.

 God did not want anyone to doubt the text of His Word so He only allowed one reformation text to be used and flourish during the reformation: the Greek TEXTUS RECEPTUS and all the translations (King James Bible, Luther's German Bible of 1545, etc) emanating from it. So the TEXTUS RECEPTUS, King James Bible, and Luther's Bible of 1545 reigned supreme and were the ONLY reformation Bibles published for over 300 years until wicked Westcott-Hort created their own corrupted Greek Text in 1881, followed by the corrupt Nestle-Aland Text in 1898. See Pastor Jackson's book (The King James Version, Apostolic Texts, Precise Translation versus Fraudulent Texts and Heretical Translations, Gregory L Jackson, PhD.; ISBN 9798429093451) beginning on page 170 for a detailed history of how the Bible was corrupted by evil wicked men.

Now I must become very CONFRONTATIONAL against you wicked, evil Lutheran 'pastors' who stubbornly continue to create doubt in the text of God's Word by using corrupt Bible translations (NIV, ESV, RSV, NKJV, NASB, Beck's, etc). Doesn't it bother you that the ESV, NIV, NKJV, NASB, RSV, etc, all bracket or footnote Mark 16:9-20 as most likely not being in the text at all? Why aren't you alarmed that the word 'God' is omitted from 1 Timothy 3:16? Has your wicked vile reasoning completely destroyed your faith and blinded your understanding to the point you don't even care that the word "Godhead" is omitted from Colossians 2:9? You are all lying and deceiving by God's name by promoting and using corrupt  Bibles that create doubt in the very text of God's Word. All I hear from you blasphemous vipers is: "God's Word only exists in the original autographs. The autographs are gone, therefore all Bibles contain some errors and omissions." You vile liars and deceivers. God has promised to preserve His Word that He inspired the prophets and apostles to write.


He has perfectly preserved His Word that He inspired the prophets to write in the Greek TEXTUS RECEPTUS and the literal translations (King James Bible, Luther's German Bible of 1545, etc) emanating from it. Why do you show such vile satanic hatred against the TEXTUS RECEPTUS, King James Bible, and Luther's 1545 German Bible?? Obviously God clearly CHOSE these Bibles and REJECTED all the corrupted Bibles (Vaticanus, Sinaticus Nestle-Aland, United Bible Society, NIV, ESV, RSV, NKJV, Beck's, etc) that you continue to use and promote. You are lying and deceiving by God's name and Word. Even worse you openly and fearlessly blaspheme God the Holy Ghost who has obviously attached Himself to His pure Word in the TEXTUS RECEPTUS, King James Bible, Luther's 1545, etc). REPENT!! You have fallen from grace. Your vile, wicked reasoning has completely destroyed your Christian faith. There can be no doubt in the text of the Word of God.

 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

7 Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. Psalms 12:6,7

 Here stands the invincible Word of God. We must believe God and His Word rather than you vile, wicked Lutheran pastors who lie and deceive by God's name and Word. 

In Christ,

Tom Fisher 

The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity - 2024. The Powerful Ephesians Epistle

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The Hymn #37            Lord Tis Not That I Did Choose Thee              
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Righteous art Thou, O Lord: and upright are Thy judgments.
Deal with Thy servant: according to Thy mercy.
Psalm. Blessed are the undefiled in the way: 
who walk in the Law of the Lord.

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

Lord, we beseech Thee, grant Thy people grace to withstand the temptations 
of the devil and with pure hearts and minds to follow Thee, the only God; 
through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual       

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: 
and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance.
V. By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made: 
and all the host of them by the Breath of His mouth. 
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. Hallelujah!

The Gospel              
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed             p. 22



 The Unity of the Triune God


8. By faith I call Thy holy Table
The testament of Thy deep love;
For, lo, thereby I now am able
To see how love Thy heart doth move.

9. What higher gift can we inherit?
It is faith's bond and solid base;
It is the strength of heart and spirit,
The covenant of hope and grace.

10. This feast is manna, wealth abounding
Unto the poor, to weak ones power,
To angels joy, to hell confounding,
And life for us in death's dark hour.

11. Thy body, given for me, O Savior,
Thy blood which Thou for me didst shed,
These are my life and strength forever,
By them my hungry soul is fed. 

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
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 # 361                  O Jesus, King

                    In Our Prayers 
In treatment - Dr. Lito Cruz and family, Sarah Buck, Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris Shrader. Alicia Meyer - throat difficulties. Lori Howell - remission! 

KJV Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

KJV Luke 14:1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. 2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. 3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? 4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; 5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? 6 And they could not answer him again to these things. 7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, 8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; 9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. 10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. 11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Seventeenth Sunday After Trinity

Lord God, heavenly Father: We beseech Thee so to guide and direct us by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not exalt ourselves, but humbly fear Thee, with our whole hearts hear and keep Thy word, and hallow the Lord's day, that we also may be hallowed by Thy word; help us, first, to place our hope and confidence in Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who alone is our righteousness and Redeemer, and, then, so to amend and better our lives in accordance with Thy word, that we may avoid all offenses and finally obtain eternal salvation, through Thy grace in Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God. world without end. Amen.

The Unity of the Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit


2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

KJV Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

The Apostle Paul wrote this letter from prison, knowing he was considered guilty and still under a death sentence. The New Testament is not a history book but the revelation of God's will, revealed to us so that the Christian Faith would continue and thrive, not only surviving but expanding around the world. Paul was a Roman citizen so he had a lot of standing in the system. A weakness was not his Jewish background - Rome accepted that. Paul was considered a trouble-maker because so much conflict came from his preaching.
    This letter was his final statement in writing, and even now we do not know exactly what happened at the end. Did he have another missionary trip or not? We have so many books full of the tiniest details, but God did not turn this into This Is Your Life (a famous TV series).
    The calling reference is about the Lord Jesus Christ inviting people to hear and continue in the Gospel - faith in the Good Shepherd. Faith is the opposite of fear. The disciples felt fear that when Jesus stilled the storm, walked on water, and was taken prisoner. "Do you not care if we die?" That is the opposite of faith. Something bad happens and faith flies out the window.
    We are all fragile when fear wells up in our lives. We have a national, bizarre election going on. It is easy to look at those details and think, "Yes, this is the beginning of the end." If we listen to the mainstream news, we can go crazy. Like Paul, we do not know. Only God knows.
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
    These are attributes of Jesus Christ. He had all the power - and still does - and yet He only uses that power for healing and bringing back life. When I look at the painting by Norma Boeckler about the girl raised from death, I think of two daughters with no diagnosis (plenty of medical bills); another with fragile bones, even missing ones; another girl with every seizure medicine and operation possible - but wrecking a college education - because all her measures failed, even the latest and best. I can also name three successes in our little congregation - a newborn, a mother and daughter.
    The way our Good Shepherd works is through protecting His flock and driving away the predators. We strengthen that by calling upon the Savior in all the situations we know - including our own. The old TV show, multiplied many times has the distraught person ask, "What can we do, Doctor?" He always says, "There is nothing left to do but pray." There are many ways to communicate with Jesus Christ, starting in the morning, when it is a good time to go over immediate needs for others and ourselves. The end of the day is the best time to remember everyone for various reasons, to ask for help for ourselves, to ask for forgiveness and give thanks for so many blessings from Our Savior. Some may fall asleep because it is so relaxing, but that is better than staying up all night worrying.
    What makes a congregation strong is not money, property, or community esteem, but study in the Scriptures, worship, and the Sacraments. Thus the True Vine bears fruit, the gifts of the Spirit.
3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
    The meaning of this verse is either very difficult or very clear, derived from knowing how much divine wisdom is placed before us. We live in an era where people offer snips of messages aimed at making bits of knowledge into slogans of absurdity. Everything is iconic, so that is the word of the day, meaningless and annoying. The unity of the Spirit is clearly taught throughout the Bible, starting with Creation. The Father commands and the Son executes the commands, as taught by the Holy Spirit. The unity of the Spirit is the Three Persons of the Trinity together. 
    Proof of spiritual blindness is revealed in the modernists' rejection of the Trinity, because they cannot find the word "Trinity" anywhere in the Bible. This same group of intellectualoids rejects the divinity of Jesus Christ, His miracles, and Justification by Faith. The scandals outnumber their "campus count" and the known scandals. The modern Leftwing saints also drive away the faithful so they can include as many radicals as possible, exclude the rest, and drain the endowment funds. 
    The Spirit is always at work in the effective (energized, efficacious) Word, which plants and builds the Word. The same Holy Spirit hardens the hearts of those who deny that the Scriptures God's Word. I shocked some people by reminding them that Acts 8:27 is erased from many new Bibles. 
    The unity of the Spirt in the bond of peace is another way to say we are gathered by the actual Word of God and drawn together by one common theme - the Son of God dying for the sins of the world, rising from the dead, ascending to Heaven, and responding to our worries, fears, losses, and benefits. Do not worry - ignoring the Proverbs can always be replaced by modern self-help books (and the old ones too).
Denying the divinity of Christ will always cheer up the apostates who want their lack of the Christian Faith watered down to nothing. Not all of the clergy, professors, and Church Growth experts are apostates. The faithful will rise from the ashes of their pride.
    Pardon me for chuckling but the last 50 years have meant that roughly 7 (seven) seminaries have merged into the Lutheran School of Chicago, and that the 7-way merger limped along with the McCormick Presbyterian Seminary, moving like a rat-king (Luther's image, which really does exist). Those 8 are now housed at the CTU (Catholic Theological Union), much like the conglomerate in California where the similar seminaries are also collapsing, moving. 

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
    Reading and hearing God's Word opens us up to the brilliant simplicity and depth of God's Word. This section names the Holy Trinity, names the unity of all Paul is revealing through the Word of God, and names the seven ones within this remarkable passage.
    I get to teach the Psalms as part of the Old Testament course, and the students discuss their favorite. The students come from all over, all kinds of vocations, military, and grandparents, plus younger graduate students. The most named Psalm is the 23rd. One student was struggling to describe how this Psalm can be so simple and so moving. I pointed out that the Bible has about 500 examples of sheep and shepherding. With a little software, people can track these passages, which help us understand how close our Savior is to us at all times.
    
    


Saturday, September 21, 2024

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Trinity 17 Epistle - To guard against such disaster, Christians should be particularly careful to give, in their conduct, no occasion for offense, and to value the name and honor of their God too highly to permit blasphemy of them.

 



Seventeenth Sunday After Trinity.— Exhortation to Live According to the Christian Calling, and in the Unity of the Spirit. Ephesians 4:1-6.


7. To guard against such disaster, Christians should be particularly careful to give, in their conduct, no occasion for offense, and to value the name and honor of their God too highly to permit blasphemy of them. They should prefer to lose their own honor, their wealth, their physical wellbeing, even their lives, rather than that these, their most precious possessions and greatest blessings, should suffer disgrace. Let them remember that upon keeping sacred the name and honor of God depends their own standing before God and men. God promises (1 Samuel 2:30), “Them that honor me I will honor.” But pursuing the opposite course, Christians bring upon themselves God’s sternest wrath and effect their own rejection and shame. For he says further: “They that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” And in the second commandment God threatens certain and terrible punishment to abusers of his name; that is, to them who do not employ it to his honor and praise.

8. Well may every Christian examine his own life to see if he is careful to guard against offense to the Gospel and to regulate his words and conduct by God’s first commandment, making them contribute to the honor and praise of the divine name and the holy Gospel. Weighty indeed and well calculated to cause complaint are the sins to which every Christian is liable in this respect; well may he avoid them lest he heap to himself the wrath of God. Especially need we be careful in these last and evil times when the Gospel is everywhere suppressed by great offenses. Man was created to be the image of God, that through this his image God might himself be expressed. God’s image, then, should be reflected in the lives of men as a likeness in a glass, and a Christian can have no higher concern than to live without dishonor to the name of God.

ADMONITION TO SPECIAL CHRISTIAN VIRTUES.

9. Such is the first part of Paul’s admonition concerning the general life of Christians. He goes on to make special mention of several good works which Christians should diligently observe: humility, meekness, longsuffering, preservation of the unity of the Spirit, and so on. These have been specially treated before, in other epistle lessons, particularly those from Peter. Humility, for instance — mentioned in today’s lesson — is taken up the third Sunday after Trinity; patience and meekness, the second Sunday after Easter, and the fifth Sunday after Trinity.



Friday, September 20, 2024

From Boomers to Bust - Shrinking University Results - The Four Waltherian Cults - LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic),

 

The new home for Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, called A School in Motion. The Catholic Theological Union has cleverly bundled together a beehive of academic drones.

Saving Planet Earth while smoking weed.

50.7% of college applicants to Cook County's 98 universities were admitted for fall 2022


Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, University of Illinois Chicago stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 33,747 students.

U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.

This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.

NCES shows that enrollment data was not available for 19 institutions in Cook County, including Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, National Latino Education Institute and Catholic Theological Union at Chicago.

***

GJ - The registrars know that telling everyone about their enrollment shrinkage will only drive away more potential students. Online studies have also kept many at home to earn money. 

No, I don't follow Notre Dame football.


I drove 100 miles round trip for Notre Dame studies, which were free. Waterloo Seminary was $150 tuition for the first year, and married housing was very inexpensive. LSTC tuition!!!!

WELS and LCMS bragged about their DMin degrees from Fuller Seminary, a higher number than their own seminaries. This accelerated the downfall of both sects - and the ELCA as well.



ELCA Shrinking and Merging Seminaries - 

All in One Internet Promotion

"Brett, we are doing the best we can."


Where Does LCMS Start And End? Holy Mother Synod!

 




From Rolf Preus, Co-Editor of His Father's Justification (by faith) And Rome


"It's not that Concordia doesn't owe some loyalty to the LCMS.  It's rather that the BOR statement spoke of the LCMS in terms that apply only to the one holy, Christian, and apostolic church.  She is the Jerusalem which is above who is our mother.  (Galatians 4:26)  We confess in the Large Catechism, on the Creed, third article (paragraph 42), "For, in the first place, He has a peculiar congregation in the world, which is the mother that begets and bears every Christian through the Word of God, which He reveals and preaches, and through which He illumines and enkindles hearts, that they understand, accept it, cling to it, and persevere in it."  We should not refer to a synod as our mother."   




***

GJ - Rev. Dr. Matt the Fatt Harrison wants to hang onto Concordia University in  Texas, but I would dump that property as soon as possible. CTX! - get it? Missouri hates the Book of Concord, so every little or big synod entity has to be fasioned Concordite.

"We confess in the Large Catechism"

We can overlook the hundred or so Preus boys who have endured the continued inbreeding of Rambach-Stephan-Walther dogma in their synod. Everywhere they look or listen, one of the relatives is singing their favorite hymn (in Norwegian) "How Great We Art."

Rolf should know better, because he is listed as an editor of Justification and Rome. ELS loyaltists thought it was Just A Vacation in Rome. That shows how devoid of scholarship the Little Norwegians are.

Rolf Hisself continues to argue against the book he edited, more importantly - against the Book of Concord, which always teaches Justification by Faith in harmony with the Scriptures. 

The windbags of the deceased Synodical Conference (LCMS-ELS-WELS-Fuller) are blind to the Scriptures and enchanted by the Enthusiasts. They even have their own Fuller-lite training facility in WELS, some of the worst examples charging money for their own clergy to be more like them.

This relative of the Preus clan was a seminary professor for CFW Walther - his book still a classic in Objective Faithless Justification humor. Ed Preuss looked for a vision and saw a brilliant red sky, so he joined the Church of Rome and became a famous scholar for them. And yet The Four Waltherian Cults - LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) continue to honor Mr. Ed.



Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry - Alec Satin - New Releases

 


Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Trinity 17 Epistle - "The ground of all doctrine, of all right living, the supreme and eternal treasure of him who is a Christian in the sight of God, is faith in Christ. It alone secures forgiveness o£ sins and makes us children of God. Now, where this faith is, fruits should follow as evidence that Christians in their lives honor and obey God."

 


Seventeenth Sunday After Trinity.— Exhortation to Live According to the Christian Calling, and in the Unity of the Spirit. Ephesians 4:1-6.


TEXT:

EPHESIANS 4:1-6. 1 I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called, 2 with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.

THE CHRISTIAN CALLING AND UNITY.

1. This, too, is a beautiful sermon, delivered by Paul to the Ephesians, concerning the good works of Christians, who believe and are obedient to the doctrine of the Gospel. In the knowledge of good works Paul desires Christians to grow and increase, as we learned in the epistle for last Sunday. The ground of all doctrine, of all right living, the supreme and eternal treasure of him who is a Christian in the sight of God, is faith in Christ. It alone secures forgiveness o£ sins and makes us children of God. Now, where this faith is, fruits should follow as evidence that Christians in their lives honor and obey God. They are necessary for God’s glory and for the Christian’s own honor and eternal reward before him.

2. Paul, remembering the imprisonment and tribulations he suffered because of the Gospel and for the advantage, as he before said, of the Ephesians, gives the admonition here. He would have them, in return for his sufferings, honor the Gospel in their lives. First he names a general rule of life for Christians. “To walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called.”

THE CHRISTIAN CALLING.

3. The chief thing that should influence a Christian’s outward walk is the remembrance of his calling and appointment by God. He should be mindful of why he is called a Christian, and live consistently. He must shine before the world; that is, through his life and God’s work, the Word and the name of Christ the Lord must be exalted. Christ exhorts his disciples: “Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.

4. Similarly, Paul would say: “You have received God’s grace and his Word and are a blessed people. In Christ all your needs are blessedly supplied. Be mindful of this and remember you are called to a far different and vastly higher life than others know. Show by your manner of living that you seek a higher good than the world seeks — indeed, that you have received far greater blessings. Let your lives honor and glorify the Lord who has given you such blessings. Give no occasion for dishonoring your treasured faith, or for scorning his Word. Rather, influence men by your godly walk and good works to believe in Christ and to glorify him.”

5. Let the Christian know his earthly life is not unto himself, nor for his own sake; his life and work here belong to Christ, his Lord. Hence must his walk be such as shall contribute to the honor and glory of his Master, whom he should so serve that he may be able to say with Paul, not only with respect to the spiritual life — the life of faith and of righteousness by grace — but also with respect to its fruits — the outward conduct: “It is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me.” Galatians 2:20. The Christian’s manner of life may be styled “walking in Christ”; yes, as Paul elsewhere has it (Romans 13:14), “putting on” the Lord Jesus Christ, like a garment or an ornament. The world is to recognize Christ by his shining in us.

6. But the so-called Christian life that does not honor Christ makes its sin the more heinous for the name it bears. Every sin the people of God commit is a provocation of Jehovah; not only in the act of disobedience itself, but also in the transgression of the second commandment. The enormity of the sin is magnified by the conditions that make it a blasphemy of God’s name and an occasion of offense to others. Paul says in Romans 2:24: “For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” So a Christian should, in his life, by all means guard the honor of God — of Christ. He must take heed that he be not guilty of blaspheming that name and of doing wickedness. The devil, aided by the world, construes every act, when possible, to reflect upon God’s honor and glory. His purpose is to manifest his bitter hatred against Christ and the Word; also to injure the Church by charging offenses, thus deterring unbelievers from embracing the Gospel and causing the weak to fall away.