Various

21 - For since in the wisdom of God THE WORLD THROUGH ITS WISDOM DID NOT COME TO KNOW GOD, God was well-pleased THROUGH THE FOOLISHNESS of the message preached to save those who believe.

23 - but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews A STUMBLING BLOCK and to Gentiles FOOLISHNESS,

24 - but to those WHO ARE THE CALLED, both Jews and Greeks, CHRIST IS THE POWER OF GOD AND THE WISDOM OF GOD..

25 - Because the foolishness of GOD IS WISER than men, and the weakness of God is STRONGER THAN MEN..

26 - FOR CONSIDER YOUR CALLING, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;

27 - BUT GOD HAS CHOSEN THE FOOLISH THINGS of the world to shame the wise, and God HAS CHOSEN THE WEAK THINGS of the world to shame the things which are strong,

28 and the base things of the world and the despised GOD HAS CHOSEN, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are,

29 - SO THAT NO MAN MAY BOAST BEFORE GOD.
30 - BUT BY HIS DOING YOU are in Christ Jesus, who became to us WISDOM FROM GOD, and RIGHTEOUSNESS and SANCTIFICATION, and REDEMPTION,

31 - so that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD."

It is the natural heart of man to boast in himself, in his own doing, and Paul is instructing the Corinthians it is GOD who does all these things. In other words, submit yourself to His Power and grace, and give HIM all His DUE GLORY, and do not boast in your own pride. For we are neither "wise, mighty or noble, according to the flesh;" but void of the wisdom from God. For we are further instructed -

NEW KING JAMES BIBLE -
John 3:12 - If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

John 5:44 - How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that [comes] from the only God?

John 6:36 - But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.

John 10:25 - Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.

John 10:26 - But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.

There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God" (Rom.3:11).

ENGLISH STANDARD BIBLE - II Corinthians 4:3-7

4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.

4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

4:5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

4:6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay (those whom God is saving), to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

NEW INTERNATIONAL BIBLE -

John 3:19 - This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil (whether in thought, word, or deed).

3:20 - Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

Psalm 107:10-16
vrs.10 - Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains,

11 - Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains,

12 - So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

13 - Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

14 - He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.

15 - Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men,

16 - for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.

Mark 4:9-12
9 - Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

10 - When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.

11 - He told them, "The secret (mystery) of the kingdom of God has been given to you (those who believe). But to those on the outside everything is said in parables

12 - so that, " 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'

John 8:43 - Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.

8:44 - You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

8:46 - Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me?

8:47 - He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

Luke 8:10 - He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, " 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'

The preaching of the Gospel is useless to the deaf. The written word is of no effect to the blind. Open God can open blind eyes and deaf ears.

Pro.20:12 - Ears that hear and eyes that see-- the Lord has made them both.

KING JAMES BIBLE -

Rom.5:6 - "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." (Strength - power, ability)

Acts 7:51 - Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers [did], so [do] ye.

Ezek.44:9 - Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary.

11:19 - And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

11:20 - That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

36:26 - A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

36:27 - And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them].

An uncircumcised heart is a heart still enslaved to the filth and pollution of the flesh. A heart of stone is totally unresponsive to spiritual truth. An unregenerate man will no more respond to the Gospel than will a rock. Regeneration is absolutely essential if fallen man is to believe.

AMPLIFIED BIBLE -

Eph.2:11 - Therefore, remember that at one time you were Gentiles (heathens) in the flesh, called Uncircumcision by those who called themselves Circumcision, [itself a mere mark] in the flesh made by human hands

2:12 - That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, HAVING NO HOPE, AND WITHOUT GOD IN THE WORLD.

I Thes.4:13 - Now also we would not have you ignorant, brethren, about those who fall asleep [in death], that you may not grieve [for them] AS THE REST DO WHO HAVE NO HOPE [beyond the grave].

Phil.2:13 - [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work..

John 1:12 - But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name–

1:13 - WHO OWE THEIR BIRTH neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!]

Romans 9:16 - So then [God's gift] is not a question of human will and human effort, but of God's mercy. [It depends not on one's own willingness nor on his strenuous exertion as in running a race, but on God's having mercy on him.

9:18 - So then He has mercy on whomever He wills (chooses) and He hardens (makes stubborn and unyielding the heart of) whomever He wills.

Why is it necessary for God to save?


NEW LIVING TRANSLATION - Romans 1:20-28

1:20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

1:21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.

1:22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.

1:23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

1:24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.

1:25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

1:26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.

1:27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.

1:28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.

The result of sin.

"But God who is rich in mercy, because of His GREAT LOVE with which He loves us, even when we are dead in trespasses, made us ALIVE together with Christ (by GRACE you have been saved)."
(Eph.2:1-5)