Meherally tries
once again to discredit the beloved apostle of our risen Lord and immortal Savior,
Jesus Christ. Yet, this particular attempt is perhaps one of his worst efforts ever
and only reinforces our assessment regarding the unscholarly nature of his writings.
In typical fashion, Meherally tries to impress his readers with his big, bold lettering
as if screaming at the top of his lungs will convince his readers that he said something
profound and true:
RESPONSE:
Had Meherally carefully examined the original languages of the Holy Scriptures, as opposed to basing his ENTIRE argument on a translation, he would have realized that the words which the translators have rendered as foolish or fool ARE NOT THE SAME IN GREEK! The three passages use THREE DIFFERENT GREEK WORDS.
"You have heard that it was said to them of ancient times. You shall not murder; and whosoever murders shall be liable to judgment. But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, You fool (more), you will be liable to the hell of fire." Matthew 5:21-22
The Blue Letter Bible's online Lexicon defines more as:
Strongs # 3474
moros {mo-ros'}
1) foolish
2) impious, godless
(Source: Blueletter Bible)
Throughout Matthew moros refers to both unbelievers and false Christians. Cf. Mat 7:26; 23:17,19; 25:2-3,8
This suggests that Jesus statements may have been intended to warn his followers from hastily and falsely accusing a fellow Christian of being an unbeliever or ungodly. The Apostle Paul states something similar in his epistle to the Romans:
"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand." Romans 14:1-4
We now turn to the passages Meherally cites from Paul:
"But someone will ask, How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come? You fool (aphron), What you sow does not come to life unless it dies." 1 Corinthians 15:35-36
Again, note the definitions listed by the Blue Letter Bible's online Lexicon:
Strongs # 878
aphron {af'-rone}
1) without reason
2) senseless, foolish, stupid
3) without reflection or intelligence, acting rashly
(Source: Blueletter Bible)
As Thayers Lexicon indicates, the context implies that aphron is best rendered "without reflection or intelligence." Paul is speaking to individuals who have failed to properly reflect on the nature of the resurrection, especially as it relates to Christs resurrection and to the truth claims of Christianity (cf. 1 Cor 15:12-23, 30-34, 37-56).
Here is the final passage:
"You foolish (anoetoi) Galatians, who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified." Galatians 3:1
Blue Letter Bible's online Lexicon states:
Strongs #453
anoetos {an-o'-ay-tos}
1) not understood, unintelligible
2) not understanding, unwise, foolish
(Source: Blueletter Bible)
Again, a careful reading of the context shows that Paul was accusing the Galatians of failing to understand the severe error they were making in abandoning the true Gospel for a false one.
Whatever the meaning may be, one thing is for certain. Paul cannot be accused of breaking a command of the Lord Jesus Christ since Paul never called a fellow believing Christian a moros (fool). If anything, this provides additional evidence for the inspiration of the Scriptures as well as for Pauls apostleship. That Paul never used the word moros to degrade a believing brother shows that Paul was aware of the teachings of Christ and tried to personally live up to those teachings. This also shows the Holy Spirits providence in preventing the inspired NT authors from contradicting one another! In the words of the Apostle Paul himself:
"This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness (moria) to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:13-14
"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1
Meherally concludes with these words:
RESPONSE:
We have shown that Meherallys examples have failed to demonstrate any contradiction between Pauls writings and the commands of the Lord Jesus. Meherally has only been able to expose his inability to understand and/or accurately exegete the Holy Bible. Since there are no real errors in Gods pure word, we see no reason to reject any of the 66 inspired books of God.
In answer to Meherallys last question, we conclude with the beloved Apostles own words regarding the judgment which awaited him:
"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;" Philippians 1:20-23
"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:6-8
In the service of our immortal Lord and risen Savior, Pauls eternal God as well as ours, Jesus Christ. Amen. Come Lord Jesus, come. We love you immortal King of everything.
Note: For a response to Meherallys red herring regarding the Protestant and Catholic canon, we recommend this response to Meherally which briefly addresses this issue, and also our detailed response to Johnny Bravo on the Old Testament Canon (Part I, Part II).
Interestingly, despite being aware of our response (see, for instance, this article), Meherally has thus far been unable to offer a MEANINGFUL rebuttal. Meherally simply repeats the same worn out arguments as if this by itself proves his point. Meherally operates under the false assumption that if he repeats something ad infinitum he will somehow convince his readers of the soundness and truthfulness of the argument. All this shows is that Meherally simply has no responses to the facts presented against his position.
Responses to Akbarally Meherally
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