Dr Paul Allen

By Duane Garrett Speaking up for biblical principles is a dangerous thing. People may abuse you or accuse you, saying that you are a fool or even that you are evil. But Proverbs 9:7–8 gives us wise counsel in the face of such hostility: Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. The fool The “scoffer” in Proverbs 9:7–8 is a step beyond the “fool.” The fool in Proverbs is not a gullible, easily swindled person, as in “a fool and his money are soon parted.” Rather, “folly” describes actions or words that go against the rules that God established when he made the world. Folly can be immoral, undisciplined behavior (Ps 38:5; 69:5; Prov 5:23; 24:9), and it often shows itself in anger (Prov 14:17, 29). Fools are quick to speak, supposing themselves to be wiser than they really are (12:23; 13:16). They are a danger to those around them (17:12). In short,...

"And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.” ( Colossians 2:4 ) Any man can beguile us with words that are designed to capture our reason. The unusual word chosen by the Holy Spirit to describe the process is paralogizomai. The basic meaning is “alongside of reason.” It is used only one other time, in James 1:22 : “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” That self-deception is accomplished through “enticing words” (Greekpithanologia), used only here in Colossians. It couples the term for “reason” with “persuasion” and contains the foundation for the English word “analogy,” a very similar process of using familiar words to transfer a known idea to something else. It is deception accomplished by transferring truth onto an untruth. During His training of the disciples, Jesus often warned that it was possible for His followers to be deceived by those who would come and make attempts to claim some role with His au...