₦airaland Forum

Ihedinobi: ^^^ That was a great help, sis.

We thank Mr Colley & Mr Cottrill for well written articles

I must have been around 12 yrs old when I first asked my big sister about this "fool" verse (she'd just called someone a fool)... she didn't give me a good answer but even then I figured there was a better explanation that I would know/figure out later .... such is the quiet assurance the Holy Spirit gives to clueless souls

Ehm...I'm not a "Bible Teacher or Interpreter" oh...

but here's a piece that I fully support. This is simply a case of one word "fool" meaning two different things in two different times/cultures/context.

Does God Permit a Person to Call Someone a Fool?

The inspired writers of the Bible have given many unwise sinners the title “fool.” David wrote: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’ ” (Psalm 14:1; cf. 53:1; 92:6). Ecclesiastes 5:13 reads: “[A] fool’s voice is known by many words.” Psalm 49:10 reveals that “The fool and the senseless person perish, and leave their wealth to others.” Solomon wrote that a “prating fool” would fall (Proverbs 10:10). In Christ’s parable of the rich fool, God said: “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you” (Luke 12:20). In apparent contrast with these passages is Christ’s warning concerning calling another a fool:

You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.” But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, “Raca!” [a Syriac word indicating great contempt, meaning “empty head” or “one who acts as a numskull” see Barnes, 1972, p. 52; Lenski, 1943, p. 219—CC] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, “You fool!” shall be in danger of hell fire (Matthew 5:21-22).

In the Old Testament, “fool” carried a more serious connotation than that of “raca” (see Deuteronomy 22:21; Joshua 7:15; Psalm 14:1)—it denoted someone who had committed a great crime or sin—more than just an empty-headed person. Bert Thompson commented:

In biblical usage, the term “fool” generally does not indicate a person of diminished intelligence.... Instead, the term carries both a moral and religious judgment....

https://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=6&article=1049

The fool in Bible terms is not quite what we might think. Why does calling someone a “fool” put a person in danger of going to hell, according to Jesus? The answer is, it does, and it doesn’t.

There is a marked difference in how we use the word today contrasted with what Jesus meant. Today, we likely think a person is a fool if he does something ill-advised. But in Bible times it meant far more than that . The statement is found in Matthew 5:22, and it is part of what is commonly known as Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. There, He says, “Whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother ‘Raca!’ [an Aramaic word referring to an empty-headed person] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” To grasp the meaning of this warning, we need to understand the context.

In that day, some had reduced Judiasm to a matter of externals. Act the right way, and perform the right rituals, and you were a good Jew. Matters of the heart were being ignored. But using several commandments of the Old Testament Law, Jesus demonstrates to His hearers that God’s standard involves not only outward acts (as the Pharisees taught) but inward attitudes (cf. vs. 27-28). In vs. 21-22, the discussion concerns the act of murder and the underlying attitude that can lead to it, malicious anger. In vs. 22, three levels of severity are described, each falling short of physical murder, but each sinful and destructive.

1) If a person nurses a hateful and malicious attitude toward a fellow Jew (“his brother”), he could well be brought up before the local magistrate (“the judgment”).

2) If his hatred is expressed in words of angry contempt (such as “Raca!”–the equivalent of “You stupid idiot!”) it could be a matter for the Jewish supreme court, called the Sanhedrin (“the council”).

3) Worse still, the one who calls his brother a “fool” thereby suggests his own unsaved condition, which therefore means he is in peril of eternal damnation.

In our own culture, there would seem to be little difference between the last two of these. But the latter term is given a much stronger meaning in the Old Testament. The fool is a godless, and immoral person (cf. Ps. 14:1; Prov. 9:13-18; 14:9). He is a wicked reprobate, destitute of spirituality. Further, and most significantly, many of the translators see the epithet, “You fool!” as implying a curse. Rotherham’s New Testament has, “You cursed fool” [i.e. ‘You damned fool!’].” And the Twentieth Century New Testament paraphrases, “Whoever calls down curses upon him.” The Living Bible paraphrase has, “And if you curse him...”

Out of hateful and malicious anger, one individual is sitting in judgment on another (in effect, taking the place of God) and calling down eternal destruction on the object of his hateful wrath. This bears little relation to our current use of the word, referring to someone lacking in common sense who does something silly. In the Jewish culture, branding someone a fool was close to murder. It reflected an arrogant and hateful attitude calling for immediate correction (vs. 23-24).
http://www.wordwise-bible-studies.com/the-fool.html

This is just plain horrible.

What is the Arab League doing? na only by name abi? or they're waiting for the US/UK & co? The European world & US should stay out (in my opinion) and let Syria's neighbors intervene in this nasty situation. Too too bad for the helpless citizens

musKeeto: Thanks to whoever edited the title of my thread. Seems a bit more appropriate now.

Lol. You welcomes. FP too. You're on a roll sir...

Nice goshen!

SUPER DUPER HAPPY BIRTHDAY To our dear brother Pagan9ja! May you see many many more years and may they be filled with everything your heart desires.

Here is a plate of my special jollof rice & chicken for you. Goshen will supply the drinks
https://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0nm5cMTii1r2w8ubo1_500.jpg

thisisayus: Guess you remember me? I'm back @ ya!
Hello mod. I'm a 400L Student of history
and diplomatic studies and i found this
topic facinating and will like you to 'please
put it on the front page. I want the black
people to be aware of the great task
aheah of them, one of us might be the
one that will justify the cause of
reparation. Front page please!
www.nairaland.com/1229545/m.k.o-abiola-forgotten-reparations-crusade

Oga how body now? Hope everything is well with you. That topic na for politics section now lol. I'll let the mods there take care of it. Cheers!

ROTFLOL...haha...awesome thread

"Ebenezer Dental Clinic ... menstrual pain, fibroid, stomach pain, cough etc" LOL
"Dumping of refuse is secretly prohibited"
"We sell dog childrens"
"Stop evil spiritual soap" lol...

musKeeto: Lovely mods
https://www.nairaland.com/1229278/why-havent-so-called-men-god

Front page, biko

Lovely poster, submitted!

[quote author=inspiredbyGOD:.]I don't think words can really explain this; I'll have to experience the Holy Spirit for myself.
Thanks for your time.[/quote]You're more than welcome sir.
Don't 'over-think' or 'over-seek' the issue my dear brother. I believe you already have the Holy Spirit in you. That you're asking all these questions and going back and forth on your beliefs & why you believe them is actually a symptom of the Holy Spirit working in & on you! You're being shaken so that only what is true may remain. And by the Grace of the Almighty, He will keep you and lead you all the days of your life. Amen!

Fantastic thread. Love the exchange.

@Enigma's bit on "gently & softly" - a very big amen! I do find myself biting my tongue more often than not at such meetings. If I'm passionate about the issue I will just stay silent cos if I begin to talk ehn... soffly soffly goes right out the window! lol. And also to be honest, I have kept silent on issues that may not follow the general church beliefs - because I didn't want to be 'fostering disunity' or 'creating rebels' contra to the church teachings. Its a tricky business. Knowing also that you yourself are not above error and could be wrong - all those things have to be balanced properly.

All in all God in His mercy will lead us into all things. Amen!

nikkypearl: Some preachers can speak for over an hour in churches!to be candid,it get boring some times!how long do you fink a sermon should be?thanks!

Honestly, it depends. I don't think you can stick a time on it.

I've been in 1hr long services and bored to bone. And on the flipside I've been to 2.5hrs long services with the sermon over an hour and loved every second because it was riveting and the message was on point and was from the Holy Spirit. Overall, I think 30mins is a good chunk of time to get a good message across - it should be about quality not quantity.


And lets not forget Acts 20...Paul preached for so long (hours) that even one poor dude got so bored & tired he fell asleep and fell out a window
Acts 20
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. 8There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. 9And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, he was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead. 10But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.” 11When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. 12They took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted.

[quote author=inspiredbyGOD:.]Could you be so kind as to throw more light on the discernment of spirit?[/quote]Sure brother.

Do you mean you can recognise if the spirit dwelling in a man is good or evil or is something else entirely?

Yes. I have walked into churches/church events and immediately left because I felt the presence of evil. Or a preacher opens his/her mouth and I'll know they're lying. Certain relatives I actually stayed away from even as I child because I knew something was 'wrong' with them. I have travelled to certain cities and known it was a devil's stronghold. Sometimes the discernment is a 'feeling', other times it comes in a dream, other times I may actually 'see' it, other times it is a 'perception', other times it is a 'peace' or an 'uneasiness'... much like the other gifts, one must try to 'practice' and stay sharp.

Image123: nice one Ihe and JS.

snr brother, we thank God. Please share your own too so we can all learn.

About one in ten South Africans are HIV positive

28 percent of schoolgirls in the country were HIV positive

These numbers are scary to say the least.

I met her last year at her gallery Nike Art. Absolutely wonderful glow from her spirit and incredibly fantastic art collection she has on display there. Her resume of artistic accomplishments is truly impressive!

HumbledbYGrace: got me thinking really hard may his light shine upon us, woo us in and protect us forever.

My sister na so w see am oh.

Even non-christians can immediately point and say such a show is out-of-step with Christ-like principles. Fearfully, there is a curse upon those who deliberately misrepresent & twist the gospel & name of Christ for personal gain. On that day all of us will answer to God for our actions. May God have mercy!

@Ihedinobi, I saw & digested your comment on the "fisherman thread"...infact found myself reading up many of your topics/threads recently - just not chanced to comment/reply like I would like to. Soon...I'll resurrect one in particular... anyways, hope say you good

[quote author=inspiredbyGOD:.]Thanks @Jesoul & Ihedinobi, your comments were really helpful. Just a few more questions.

* can you both tell me the gifts that you manifest

* The fruits of the spirit; did you have to develop them or did they just come upon you like that?[/quote]Gifts I manifest - from a young age I've always been able to 'discern/distinguish spirits' and have a 'knowledge' of things that I may not have necessarily studied. I've never spoken in tongues and some people will immediately say I am not a christian and have never received the Holy Spirit ...my very life is proof that is just not true.

These gifts are given from God, BUT they also have to be used and thereby are being 'developed' as you grow and mature. Your 'spiritual acumen' must be kept sharp by constant 'practice' which comes from fellowshipping with fellow believers and dwelling in God's presence.

Been seeing commercials for the show...

People will do almost anything for whatever pays.

@pagan9ja, I have replied you.

MMW, the topic is on the FP