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Question 3

The chapter highlights how Romans “laughed” at the New Testament’s “humble diction” and called it unsuitable for serious literature; what does that reaction suggest about God’s priorities in revelation, and how does it confront our instincts about what a “credible” message should sound like?

Another way to ask: Romans mocked the New Testament’s simple writing style. What does that say about what God values when He speaks, and how does it challenge our idea of what a “credible” message should sound like?

Direct Answer The Roman laughter suggests God prioritized reaching ordinary people with truth over impressing cultural elites with literary polish. It confronts our instinct to equate credibility with sophistication, showing that God’s message may sound “unpolished” yet still be His chosen vehicle.

Support from Transcript:

“The Romans laughed at the humble diction used by Paul and the other New Testament writers.”
Koine Greek was not just “different,” but to educated Gentiles it was “simply poor diction, something unsuitable for serious literature.”
Justin Martyr told Romans to read Scripture with “none expecting to find in them polished diction.”
Origen says Jesus and the apostles adopted speech “suitable to gain over the multitude,” not primarily the literary class.
Origen adds that “few have benefited from the beautiful and polished style of Plato,” who was “only in the hands of… literary men.”

Discussion Follow-ups Do we dismiss plain, Scripture-saturated messages because they lack academic style? What might that reveal about whom we’re trying to impress?

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