AK4 I do not understand how you can say that, because the foolishness of preaching is referring to " faith comes by hearing" So someone has to preach the gospel a very embarrassing and ambling thing to do so that people may receive the faith.
Also the message is foolish because it says in a nutshell "he died for our sins and God raised him from the dead" A stumbling block for the Jews, and foolishness for the Gentiles.
See you gotta learn to be able to see the whole Word as One. Never forget that. Everything must be in harmony and never contradict spiritually. With that in mind In that passsage Paul is just reiterating what Jesus said about no one can come Him except by the Father and no one can come to the Father except through HIm. Basically saying only God will give understanding to whomever He wills.
To those God has given understanding, they can preach till they turn blue and if God doesnt want whomever they are preaching to understand then they wont understand--thus by the foolishness of preaching God will save those who He (God) decides to give faith to.
How can i say that you may say. Notice: Jesus could have opened up the understanding to the jews back then IF He wanted to. Yes, if Jesus wanted to at that time He would have. Look
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is
given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,
but to them it is not given. (notice that understanding is given by God, man cant get it on their own)
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13 Therefore speak I to them (those who are not given understanding--and this is still happening today) in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. (is this not still happen to this very day? you cant deny that. this is still in happening in MYSTERY BABYLON)
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: (and this prophecy is still being fulfilled yet "who believes our report")
15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time (keyword here "anytime") they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Now go back up to verse 11 and what does it say---It was given unto YOU, but not unto THEM. So ask yourself why didnt Jesus want to heal (save) everyone? If you say because it was prophecied that way, well you still have to deal with...
Why did He make that prophecy even be spoken way back there by Isaiah.
Now you see Jesus preached and preached and preached in His ministry on earth and how many did He convert before He was crucified?
ZERO.
Yup zero. not one in His earthly ministry. I was going to go into the Paul verse next but that should be enough for you to see that it is by the foolishness of preaching God saves those that believe
Oh i forgot to add this verse to concrete what i put above
Eph 2:8 - For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Do you see the connection? "To you it (faith, and that not of yourselves) is given" but "unto them it (faith, which is not of themselves) is not given"
Oh about faith comes from hearing, yes this is very true, but what does the rest of it say
Rom 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report
F39? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. 19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.
20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.
21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.
"Hearing BY word of God" "For those who have ears to hear, let them hear what the Spirit says". Well we just established that it is God who gives (true) hearing to those He wills so once again we have "by the foolishness of preaching God "by faith, and that not of themselves" "has given until to YOU (his true disciples) the the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" saves those that believe (or given faith, that was not of themselves)
Yes did you notice that in Rom 10:18 they (this also includes everyone today jew and gentile) heard, they hear and see but what does the prophecy say
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith,
By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
lest at any time (anytime, at ANYTIME Jesus wants to heal anyone) ....
and I should heal them.
Ask yourself is the gospel only foolish to the jews and atheists and the like or can christians and their doctrines also make the gospel seem foolish too?