Egyptian Sojourn (formerly God and Socialism) 8: The Arrogance of Man vs The Wrath of God

Moses was 80 years old when he returned to Egypt, and Aaron was 83. God instructed them to go before the Egyptian king. God promised He would show His power and "lay [His] hand upon Egypt, and bring [His] armies, [His] people the sons of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. " (Exodus 7:4)

Exodus 7:10-13 And Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh. And they did so, as Jehovah had commanded. And Aaron threw down his rod in front of Pharaoh and in front of his servants, and it became a snake. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers. And they, the magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. For each man threw down his rod, and they became snakes. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. And He hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he did not listen to them, as Jehovah had said.

Plague #1: Blood

In the morning, God sent Moses and Aaron back to confront the king at the edge of the Nile River. After the king again refused to let the Israelites go, Moses instructed Aaron to hit the water with his staff.

And Moses and Aaron did so, as Jehovah commanded. And he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters in the river were turned to blood. And the fish in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river. And there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did so with their secret arts. And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as Jehovah had said. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house; And he did not set his heart to this also. Exodus 7:20-23

This plague is significant, as fresh water is necessary for survival and the Nile was the primary source of it. This was a strike against the Egyptian river god, Hapi. The Egyptians had to dig wells at the edge of the river in order to get usable water. A week passed before Moses returned to the king, and I don't see any specific reversal of the "bloody water" situation.

Plague #2: Frogs

Moses and Aaron repeated the demand for freedom. When the king refused, God caused the land to be overrun with frogs.

And Jehovah spoke to Moses, "Say to Aaron: Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt." And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their secret arts, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. Exodus 8:5-7

The king told Moses and Aaron that if they would ask God to stop flooding the kingdom with frogs, he would let the people go. They agreed to pray the next day and, in response, God caused all the frogs to die. The people had to collect all the rotting carcasses and the stench was overwhelming.The king's heart was hardened against God's instruction. When the crisis was past, the king again refused to allow the Israelites to leave.

At first, I thought this particular scourge seemed to be a rather odd choice, but when I realized the truly invasive nature of this amphibious army, it kind of made my skin crawl. There was no escape from these dirty, slimy creatures as they swarmed into people's homes, beds, and food preparation areas. Also, this appears to be a direct assault by God upon the frog-headed Egyptian fertility goddess known as Heqet

Plague #3: Lice

And Jehovah said to Moses, "Say to Aaron: Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt." And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth. And it became lice in man and in beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. Exodus 8:16-17

The ancient Egyptians were apparently a fastidious people who would have been just as disgusted by this plague as we modern people. Their priests especially were expected to maintain cleanliness. Imagine, the horror of the very dust becoming lice and infesting every living creature in a relatively large community! Even the thought makes me itch. This particular plague would have been against Seb, the earth god.

The sorcerers tried to imitate this sign but could not. " And the magicians said to Pharaoh, 'This is the finger of God.'" And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as Jehovah had said. Exodus 8:19

Plague #4: Flies

Apparently, the king took a bath every morning because Moses again met him early at the water's edge and announced that a swarm of flies was next on the agenda. At this point, God also made it known that He would protect His people from the effects of the plague.

And Jehovah did so. And teeming swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was destroyed because of the swarms. And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go sacrifice to your God in the land. Exodus 8:24-25

This also would have been a horrible situation to be in. I can hardly stand to be in a barn or pasture where clouds of flies hang about the manure. This attack was most likely directed at the god of the air, Shu .

The king attempted to compromise by allowing the Israelites to take some time off and worship the Lord within the bounds of Egypt. But Moses turned down this offer by insisting that they needed to go three day's journey into the wilderness because the sacrifices of the Israelites would be considered abominable by the Egyptians. The king appeared to agree by saying that it would be okay as long as the Hebrews didn't go too far into the wilderness. Moses agreed to pray that the flies be taken away and warned the king to keep his word.

After God removed every last one of the flies, the king again changed his mind and this time it appears he didn't need any intervention from God as the text reads:

And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go. (Exodus 8:32)

Plague #5 Dead Livestock

After yet another warning, Moses predicts that the Egyptian horses, donkeys, camels, oxen and sheep would die.

Another blow to the Egyptian religious system. The Egyptians had deified cattle, which also would explain why the Israelite sacrifices would be considered by them to be a horror.

The Israelite's livestock was spared and the king remained obstinate.

Plague #6: Boils

And Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, "Take to yourselves handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with sores upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt." And they took ashes of the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses sprinkled it up toward the sky, and it became a boil breaking forth with sores upon man and upon beast. Exodus 9:8-10

The targeted Egyptian deity here was apparently the goddess Neith, who supposedly had the ability to heal disease. And Moses' action also referenced the practice of sprinkling ashes into the wind as an offering to their evil god of wind and chaos, Sutech (Set).

The king's magicians were in so much misery, they couldn't stand to face off with Moses over this one.

Plague #7: Hail

And Jehovah said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, So says Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. For I am going to send at this time all My plagues upon your heart, and upon your servants, and upon your people, so that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out My hand, that I may strike you and your people with plagues, and you shall be cut off from the earth. And for this I have made you stand, to make you see My power, to declare My name in all the land. Do you still exalt yourself against My people, that you will not let them go? Behold! Tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as has not been in Egypt since the foundation of it even until now! And now send out, gather your cattle, and all that you have in the field. Upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die."

He that feared the Word of Jehovah among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle to flee into the houses. And he that did not regard the Word of Jehovah left his servants and his cattle in the field. Exodus 9:13-21

Set and Baal were associated with storms.

And there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail struck throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast. And the hail struck every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field. Exodus 9:24-25

The storm was devastating to the Egyptians who did not heed the warning. People and animals were killed and the flax and barley crops were destroyed. Yet God protected His people during this plague.

The king admitted to having sinned, asked Moses to pray that the storm would cease, and promised to let the Israelites go. Moses told the king he knew better, but prayed anyway. The hail stopped and the king again refused to cooperate.

Plague #8: Locusts

And Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go so that they may serve Jehovah their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed? " And Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, Go! Serve Jehovah your God. Who are the ones that shall go? Exodus 10:7-8

Pharaoh still hoped to keep hold of his nation of slaves so he wanted to allow only the Hebrew men to leave. Keeping the families hostage would ensure the return of the Israelite men who could hold the feast to honor God. Moses insisted that no one should be left behind and the king rejected the whole idea.

So, swarms of locusts ravaged fruit trees and devoured the wheat and rye crops which had escaped the devastation brought by the hail. No green thing was left in their wake.

The deity which was connected to agriculture was probably Osirus

The king asked for forgiveness but recanted after God blew the locusts into the Red Sea.

Plague #9: Darkness

As a result of the king's rebellion, God sent a darkness that was so "thick", it could literally be felt. The Egyptians were unable to see anything and were basically trapped in their homes for three days while God provided light to His people. The one true God proved His power is superior to that of even the Egyptian sun-god Re, who was also said to be the creator.

The king tried to bargain again by saying that the people could leave but their livestock needed to stay behind. Moses reminded him that they needed the animals in order to properly serve the Lord. They wouldn't have anything to sacrifice if the herds were left in Egypt!

But Jehovah hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. And Pharaoh said to him," Go away from me! Take heed to yourself; see my face no more. For in the day you see my face you shall die. " And Moses said, "You have spoken well. I will never see your face again." Exodus 10:27-29

Which Bible Translation Are You Reading?

I know there are a lot of different translations available. Some are literal (word for word) and others are paraphrases (thought for thought).

After reading through the responses on the King James Only Post, I started to wonder what all people are using in their daily reading of Scripture.

So, because of my ever curious (um, nosy?) nature, I am conducting my first-ever survey of blog visitors. I would much appreciate it if readers would take a moment to share which translation gets the most frequent workout.

The poll is on the side bar. Feel free to mark more than one if several get consulted and there is no preference :)

Thank you for participating!

Heather

KingJamesivitis

*I wanted to edit here so that I can make sure that potential readers understand that I'm not arguing about whether the King James Version of the Bible is a superior piece of work to other translations. Someday, God may show me ( I'm always concerned about wandering off of the true path) , but I honestly do not know what to make of those claims at this time. There does appear to be evidence that some passages in KJV are more accurate than in other translations (and it IS God's Word), so I don't want to be foolish by making flippant statements about the translation itself. My thoughts here are centered mainly on a very specific extreme human response to the idea that KJV is the best. A recent post over at Pressing In reminded me of my fairly recent online experience concerning King James Only Christianity.

Before I start in on my thoughts, I want to state that I am not against the King James Translation. If a person likes it and is being fed as he/she spends time in it, then hopefully my post is not misunderstood to be one of condemnation or mockery. For the record, I actually prefer KJV when memorizing passages. For some reason, the poetic flow helps the words to "stick" in my mind.

Also, I believe there are certain modern "Bible" paraphrases which are not accurate representations of God's Word. This is one of the things that the King Jamesers will point out and it DOES give their claim some weight because there is truth to it.

However, I was sent into a panic when I first became aware that translations such as New American Standard are considered by some to literally be the work of the devil. Of course, I started immediately questioning whether everything I have learned while using that translation is based on a lie. Thankfully, God has been faithful to show me some things since then.

Perhaps the panicked response should have been my first indication that the "KJV only" claim is not one that should bother me (at least, not to that extent). I'll just list that as the first symptom I discovered as I examined the potentially dangerous spiritual condition known as KingJamesivitis.

1. Fear that binds a person's trust to an organization, specific Scripture application or person is not of God. But it is a classic tool employed by false teachers and cults. This sense of fear preys upon the believer's insecurity concerning the safety of his eternal soul--or the desire to be obedient to God's will in his life. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

2. Pride--or a sense of superiority. A few days ago, Craig mentioned that when he was a child, his family spent some time in a KJV only church. (edit--Craig corrected me...it was his brother and he who attended the church with his grandma)

Me (with eyebrows raised): "Oh, really? What was it like?" Him: "They were big on preaching truth and living holy lifestyles--very concerned about those things. The pastor was an authoritative pound-the-pulpit for emphasis type." Me: (a little concerned that we might need to seriously consider the possibility of the need to catch KingJamesivitis) "Since you've had the experience, what are your thoughts?" Him: "Well, I was a good little Pharisee."

I believe this is also the time in his life he recalls hearing a man emphatically proclaim that "King James was good enough for Saint Paul, so it's good enough for me!" WOW, I did NOT know that!

Lack of humility or love for other believers is often (but not always) a symptom of KingJamesivitis. I'm not saying it to be unkind, but I have seen for myself several internet articles/blog posts wherein the author was berating others who happen to read other Bible translations. The writings of the KJVOers often emanated a smug sense of gleeful condemnation toward the dissenter (regardless of how polite or reasonable the non-KJV person was). In 1 Corinthians, Paul cautions against straining for empty religious perfection while ignoring the need to first be filled with Christ's love. And John wrote: If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. For if he does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 1 John 4:20

3. Paranoid Divisiveness due to a belief that interaction with non-KingJamesivites will somehow contaminate the walk of "genuinely faithful" believers. At this time, I don't have a separate verse "prescription", but I know that James says we can ask God for wisdom and He WILL provide direction for His children. It is not necessary to completely avoid all who think or act differently in order to protect ourselves from error. A personal relationship with Christ is the perfect immunity against doctrinal deception.

4. Willful Ignorance of original languages and haughty disregard for those who study them. This isn't always a "symptom" but I have read statements by KJVers which indicate a disdain for anything that might hint at Biblical Scholarship. This runs the gamut from questioning the authenticity of translations themselves to sneering at those who have gone to seminary. While I think that seminary CAN be a problem for many people, I don't know that I would be willing to say it is, of itself, evil. Certainly, if a person doesn't belong there, more damage than good can be done, for sure.

At any rate, I have seen the statement "All you need to know God's truth is a KJV and the Holy Spirit"--which, although it may be technically true, does not mean we should never listen respectfully to someone who has devoted years to prayerful study of Greek or Hebrew or happens to use a different translation. I'm pretty sure that Paul did not have in mind "Uses King James text only" as a requirement when he wrote: Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in Word and doctrine. Timothy 5:17

5. Delusional belief that apart from the specific King James wording, God is not big enough to make His Perfect Word known to English-speaking believers. To be fair, I need to admit that there are certain verses in KJV which sometimes read more accurately than in others. But I don't see that this makes it necessary to completely avoid other translations. I have often compared two or more in order to better understand what is being said. Many translations have only one or two words which differ and prayer, along with a good Bible dictionary/concordance, can often clear up any confusion. In my estimation, this particular aspect of KJivitis can border on blasphemy. Those who suffer severely from this affliction perhaps do not understand Peter's writing that we need to be knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture came into being of its own private interpretation. 2 Peter 1:20 And Paul tells his readers: But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Co 2:16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:14, 16 The Word of God comes from God and only makes sense to someone God has chosen to enlighten. A non-responsive atheist can read a KJV from cover to cover and walk away as unenlightened as when he opened it.

6. Idolatry may not manifest as a symptom immediately. But it can be a secondary effect, due to the heavy emphasis which is placed on the supposed superiority of the King James text. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make to yourselves any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them. For I Jehovah your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those that hate me, and showing mercy to thousands of those that love Me and keep My commandments. Exodus 20:3-6

So, there it is...my layperson's "research" results. Sometimes, as I am forced to search out God's truth, I have to take a more light-hearted approach or I end up taking myself too seriously. Again, this post was not intended to be an argument against the KJV translation--or for any other version. I don't hate King James readers and hopefully, I have not needlessly offended someone who truly enjoys reading their KJV--Who knows, perhaps God will someday show me that I need to only read King James, too?

The Slow Learner Gets an Object Lesson

Thank you to my blogging friends who offered kind words of encouragement on my previous post. I'm really not as unbalanced as I might seem. I just get shaken up easily, especially when God is working. One more thought about false teachers and then I will move on :)

I know the Lord is longsuffering. And I am extremely thankful, because I seem to be a slow learner.

Hopefully, He doesn't consider that I am being disrespectful to think that He may also have a sense of humor. Does He laugh at my silly behavior the way a father quietly chuckles over his young child's serious-yet-amusing attempts at acting "grown up"?

Today, I received in the mail

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a letter.

But not just any letter. It happened to be from the organization of a "Reverend Ike" whose "church ministry" is for people of "all faiths, ages, races and income levels". The letter assures me that if I only have the "right relationships", I can have health, healing, love, joy, success, prosperity, good fortune and more money! He writes that "no matter what form [my] needs and wants take, God has the power to provide them--and [I] have the right to receive them!"

Apparently he is has received a message that I (and probably 10,000 other people who received the letter) have some things on my mind which are bothering me--and they need to be stopped immediately! Oh, and there are money, help and "new blessings" that are waiting for me!

How's that for a nice, personalized note of concern? He even sent me a little paper "miracle cross" (because, he says, that the Bible teaches that the cross is the power of God) that I can borrow for one night and send back in the morning (with my $20 "faith and love donation" wrapped around it). The warning to not delay is quite stern as I may be robbing someone else of his/her answered need-and robbing myself of the chance to "get blessed".

In order to be able to "cash in" on this great (yet apparently limited) deal, I just need to fill out a short questionnaire and send it back with the paper cross and my $20 (or more)!

WHAT A BARGAIN!

Why am I sharing this bit of information?

Well, it was too good NOT to!

I didn't see this letter until today. We've gotten maybe a half-dozen of this sort of thing during 16 years of marriage. It came from across the country, so had to have been mailed the day before yesterday, at least. My "false teacher" rant was yesterday.

I can't help wondering if God has a sense of humor because the timing could not have been more perfect. Perhaps He was saying: "Okay, slow learner--it's time for the remedial class: THIS is what a false teacher looks like! Now, simmer down and just do what you know is right!"

A similar "coincidence" occurred when I was thinking about Peter's warning concerning false teachers who "creep into houses" and trap "silly women". I had to toss that experience into my original post on this subject because I was amazed at the promptness of His supplying of an object lesson!

I can imagine my Father lovingly shaking His head about the child who wants so much to please--but does it in such a ridiculously clumsy way. Truly, He knows what I need before I even know myself.

False Teachers Again?!

Well, I just deleted some previous posts which contained clips of Paul Washer and John Piper. My reason is not because I decided that I disagree with the content of the specific video clips. But, rather, because I don't want to be seen as promoting any particular man's teaching. While browsing recently, I came across yet another site that vilifies various well-known preachers (this particular one was bashing John Calvin, Paul Washer, John MacArthur, Ray Comfort etc and "Lordship Salvation").

Apparently, the critics of "Lordship Salvation" say it promotes not only a one time act of repentance (God-wrought change of mind which agrees that I am unworthy and vile and deserving of death) but also insists that man must "work" in order to maintain God's gift of salvation. I think the critic basically said that "Lordship salvation" involves an ongoing repentance that somehow supplements Jesus' finished work on the cross. The accusation is that Paul Washer is effectively teaching that repentance is a work of man which manifests as a lifestyle change.

Now, I do believe Mr Washer may have bordered on delivering a "works salvation" message when he stated that a person needs to beg God to grant repentance. From my understanding, if a person knows enough to recognize that salvation is a work of God alone, is aware of his hopelessly sinful condition, need for Christ as Mediator, and has a desire to be saved--> then the work of repentance has already been done. Instead of begging for repentance, perhaps a person needs to be asking for wisdom and direction about how best to obey. But, from what I can tell, Mr Washer is not preaching a "works" based gospel. My understanding is that he has given God all the glory in the process. He has said that only God can change a person's heart/mind because we, in our own sinful state are incapable of seeing OR repenting if left to ourselves. The aspect of begging to be given an attitude of repentance does somewhat detract from the rest of his message that it is God alone Who does this work. Is that heresy? I have also heard Mr Washer state that a recognition of sinfulness involves a brokenness over our condition. The critic stated that this way of thinking is an error because the Greek word for "repentance" only indicates a "change of mind" about God.

So, if a person 's mind changes, and he sees that he is sinful, hopelessly separated from God's righteousness and deserving of wrath... but it doesn't really bother him--and that person lives to the end of his allotted time without ever feeling remorse for his inherent rebellion against God's very essence, then he can safely assume he is saved?

If I am the one changing my mind because of a logical argument concerning sin and salvation, doesn't that mean I am relying on a faulty human "works" based thing? What if someone receives the good news with gladness--even sheds a few tears over some bad things he has done-- yet loses interest in following the Lord after a few years and never shows any renewal of interest? Wasn't false conversion an aspect of Jesus' "Sower" parable? The concept of false conversion does not contradict that of eternal security. Perhaps it would help to know what the Greek definition of "mind" is. Does it simply refer to my physical thinker or is it more holistic in scope? Is the reference actually to a change of heart--as in the performance of a spiritual transplant? I guess I need to research that.

Perhaps I am not sharp enough to pick out the subtle "works" message when Mr Washer emphasizes that a truly changed person cannot continue happily in a life of sin and will (because of having been made a new creature in Christ) desire and make an effort to live a life that more closely aligns with that of Jesus.

If God has truly changed me, shouldn't I, at some point, expect to see some sort of evidence? If there is no evidence, how would I be able to know I was saved? If "works" are irrelevant then what do I do with the entire book of James? Was he also a heretic? After all, he wrote: So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren?James 2:17-20

Should preachers avoid talking about Biblical instruction on how we ought to behave--simply because salvation is by faith alone?

Here is an instruction that could be misinterpreted to mean that we are somehow working with God and earning salvation through our own efforts at good behavior: I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. But set your mind to be right-minded, even as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. Romans 12:1-3

What about the separation of sheep from goats which Jesus described? It was their "works" that identified them...?

Should we just cut passages like that out of our Bibles because some pastors use them to emphasize a need for Christians to not live in a way that causes God's name to be blasphemed? Is it heresy to preach on "holy living" as evidence of repentance? Should we not be encouraging professing believers to examine whether our lives match our words because it places an emphasis on our lifestyle choices?

Is it wrong to say that those who have prayed a prayer yet don't have any sorrow over or desire to abandon their sinfulness may not be saved?

The apostle Paul, James and the author of Hebrews all talk about doing "good works". They don't say that the works save us, they describe the activities as an extension of what God has already done in us.

I am becoming incredibly weary of reading/hearing something that I found to be very helpful in my personal spiritual walk--and then turning around to read that someone else is screaming that the messenger is a heretic--or that anyone who agrees with any aspect of the "heretic's" teaching isn't truly saved.

I don't worship a man and don't hang my salvation on any man's say-so. People make mistakes, either in an understanding or in presentation and all believers are supposed to take ALL information before the Lord and ask for His wisdom as we sort through the piles of information that constantly surround us.

I'm frustrated and very disheartened. All I know to do is cling to Jesus and ask for discernment. Just when I believe God has shown me some new glimmer of Truth, I get smacked down under a brick-load of doubt and confusion. The information overload is getting too heavy. Maybe I just need to stay off the internet. At any rate, I removed the posts because I don't want to cause stumbling in a potential reader who might understand Mr Washer's message to be one centered in "works".

A couple weeks ago, 2 Corinthians 11:3 drew my attention. Interestingly, the "Paul Washer's a false prophet" site also quoted the same verse and reminded me of my initial interest in exploring the meaning:

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Some translations use the word "purity" instead of "simplicity". I believe that there is a tendency for even well meaning people to complicate--and thus corrupt--the message of the Gospel. The Bible is a big book and there is a lot of information in it. I know my own ability to process all the contradictory information about God and the Bible has already been exceeded. It's time to detox.