F.F. Bosworth: False Teacher or not?

not sure about you, but just walking, or doing farm work, or riding on my 4 wheeler looking at the animals with the mountains in the background, to preaching to my animals about jesus, God is on my mind, when i am awake and alert, 90% of the time and i am always praising Him in my thoughts like Worship. Instant in Season and Out of Season!

All healing today brings God the Glory ----in my view

That is so great to hear -----thanks for sharing that -----

Funny you mentioned …luck… luck shouldn’t even be in a Christian vocabulary really. We have the Spirit of our living God dwelling within us.why would we need some kind of luck at that point?

That is def so but does not mean that faith of the person is always required which was my point.

The point is some are sick because God allows it. I use the word sick loosely because the scripture mentions a man who was blind.

I know why would a loving God allow this? Well, He didn't at first before the fall. The ultimate plan for God is soul salvation so if trials or suffering is what gets rebellious people to surrender, He would rather allow temporary pain versus eternal pain.

Like a parent who knows their child needs dental work. The child will fight, scream, and cry because they do not understand the longterm effects. A little pain now prevents a lot of pain later.

Why are we told not to spare the rod from the children?

But what of a believer? Is God unloving to allow suffering? Well again, ultimate goal is soul salvation. The blind man who had been blind to bring God glory. He was healed. Now how many may have given their life to Christ?

God allowed like Job for Satan or in Paul's case a messenger of Satan

F F Bosworth says, “Both of these translators use personal pronouns, viz., he and him when speaking of Paul’s thorn. These two pronouns, as well as the word angel, or messenger, prove that Paul’s “thorn” was, as he himself plainly shows, a satanic personality and not a disease. We could not use the personal pronouns he or him when speaking of ophthalmia, or any other disease, because there is no gender to ophthalmia.” page 206

Except Bosworth is wrong,


Luke 13:11
English Standard Version

11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.

(interesting enough this teaching contradicts what the same circle teaches in deliverance ministries.)

Paul found great humility and strength from something that God answered no to his prayers.

Did that humility and strength benefit the Kingdom? It definitely did not hinder it. How many people have found salvation due to Paul? Was he hindered by his thorn in the flesh?

But we must keep balance. We know that things happen due to the fallen nature of the world like Jesus responding to the tower that collapsed and killed many people.

Or spiritual warfare, demonic possession and oppression, and sin due to free will.

God to a large degree allows free will which allows true love to exist. So much that occurs, God may allow but it may not be His perfect will. His perfect will is within the New Earth to come. For now, He is patient and patiently putting up with sin and evil while like His Son, watching His children choose to take up their crosses. There is even a crown for the martyrs in Revelation.

Jesus said if we love Him, we will suffer. We will be hated by the world. But do not be discouraged He has conquered the world. Again this was accomplished at the cross but we know it to be a future event. We claim it today because our faith is in what He completed. It is done. We know it and therefore it shall pass.

I just do not see the healing gospel when you study the early church being used as roman candles, roman entertainment in the Colosseum being slaughtered, raped, and torn apart by wild beasts. Being imprisoned, beheaded, impaled, boiled alive, stoned, or crucified.

I'm not saying that healing doesn't serve a purpose as it gave authority to the messengers and sheds light to the gospel but it is not the thing to be worshipped.

We do not worship the power and sign gifts. There is a song that sings about the Holy Spirit saying
“Come rest on us (I feel the fire)
Fire and wind, come and do it again, Open up the gates, let Heaven on in, Your all we want!”

I get the Holy Spirit is of the Trinity and God but we are never once commanded that this be all we want, the fire and wind, the power of Pentecost or as they teach a 2nd baptism that brings power to the Christian.

The first baptism being of salvation but powerless to bring authority to the gospel. So seek the 2nd baptism they say. Create the right hyped up environment.

The song again,

“You're here and I know You are moving
I'm here and I know You will fill me
Come down
Spirit, when You move, You make my heart pound
When You fill the room
You're here and I know You are moving”

My question is, how does something rest on you that you should already have? Scripture says there is but one baptism of Christ.

Jesus your all we want! Everything else comes through You!

Someone should write a book called "Baloney from Bosworth". He implies that Paul was carting around a demon -- "a satanic personality".

"Both of these translators" that Bosworth is talking about are Joseph Bryant Rotherham and Richard Francis Weymouth.

Rotherhams Emphasized Bible was first published in 1872 and was subsequently revised at least twice after that. I couldn't find an 1872 edition, but the 1897 revision and a 1916 edition both use "it" rather than "he"; "he" is relegated to a footnote.

The other, Weymouth's New Testament in Modern Speech was published in 1903 with subsequent editions following. I found a 1929 edition that says "it" in 2 Corinthians 12:8.

So apparently Bosworth's sources were later revised to conform to recent scholarship. The word in question appears to be the Greek apostē (it might depart) which is a verb, not a personal pronoun.

Both of the Bibles I mentioned can be seen at Internet Archive.

That is a False statement ---God want you whole ----not sick ---you cannot serve God if your home riddled with sickness or disease -------Sin causes sickness and disease today along with all the stresses we ourselves allow to consume us as we live in this world ------

Jesus brought back the Blessing for all who want to receive Him ----read Deuteronomy 28 and you will see that under the Blessings there is only health -for obedience ------under the Curses for disobedience is all kinds of sickness and disease ----

God gave us a choice to obey and be Blessed or disobey and be Cursed and that is still in place today -----Life and death is in the power of our own tongue ----we cannot blame God for any sickness or disease that appears in us -----
God's peace in your Spirit ---mind and body brings Health and Healing -----Stress ---anxiety ----unbelief -----fear disobedience to God etc --etc ---brings Dis---ease in the Body --mind and Spirit and causes us to manifest sickness and Disease in our lives -----


what does wholeness mean in scripture ---Greek word for Wholeness

HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 3647 holoklēría – properly, the condition of wholeness, where all the parts work together for "unimpaired health" (Souter). It is only used in Ac 3:16. See 3648 (holoklēros).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3647: ὁλοκληρία
ὁλοκληρία, ὁλοκηριας, ἡ (ὁλόκληρος, which see), Latinintegritas; used of an unimpaired condition of body, in which all its members are healthy and fit for use; Vulg.integra sanitas (A. V. perfect soundness)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is Jesus healing the blind man from birth who had not sinned ------and notice this man obeys what jesus tells him to do -----very important to see ---as obedience is key here ---

NOTICE :HERE -----The Disciples ASK ------- Note -----as there is a Generational CURSE ---that is passed on by the Parents who do not repent of their sins --------read Exodus 34 ----and the Disciples are asking who sinned ----

Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”


John 9

New International Version
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.

2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”


3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

I say --Obedience here is key to his seeing ---------we are to obey and do the word -----for healing --Faith always requires a POSITIVE RESPONSE ------in our healing ---obey the Word ------

Jesus healed and did miracles in first line to proof that he is the prommissed messajah.
Yes, he healed all who came to him. And when he went to heaven, his disciples had this gift for to proof their authority from God.
Then we find that even the followers and servants of Christ became sick.
And so today the most Christians which became sick, stay sick. ( Rheumatism, cancer, diabetic .....) Yes God heals today,too and answers prayer. NO DOUBT!
But he does it not in general, the reason he knows alone.
There is no need for someone to create an mRGN for to inoculate the citizens of the world against God. We have already the sin in us, since the beginning of this world. And the sin works very good in us.
The solution we knows. Jesus Christ!

My main dispute is that there is evidence of God allowing Satan to inflict damage as in Job. There is evidence of a spirit of infirmity. So Bosworth can not say it couldn't be a messenger to inflict an ailment. It very well could be. Job had a skin disease.

Sorry the last part belongs not to the thread

take a little wine for your stomach and your frequent ailments, Timothy.

I'm afraid I'm lost. Bosworth doesn't say it wasn't a satanic personality; he says it was.

John 9
English Standard Version

9 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

That is a False statement ---God want you whole ----not sick ---you cannot serve God if your home riddled with sickness or disease

Click to expand...

We will be made whole with a new body. It is false to say all suffering Christians who are riddled with sickness or disease cannot serve God. Do you forget that testimony, prayer, discipleship, speaking the gospel is serving God? There are many on this site who are home riddled with disease but guess what they use this site to minister to 1000s.

God broke Jacobs hip but Jacob still fulfilled the will of God.

Deuteronomy 28 verse 15 However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:

So do you follow ALL of God's commands?

But still these points you have tried to prove wrong still provide evidence that God does cause or allow sickness.

“These two pronouns, as well as the word angel, or messenger, prove that Paul’s “thorn” was, as he himself plainly shows, a satanic personality and not a disease. We could not use the personal pronouns he or him when speaking of ophthalmia, or any other disease, because there is no gender to ophthalmia”

Here he is saying that a messenger of Satan can not be a disease because their is no gender for disease.

But like I pointed out from other scripture there are disabling spirits.

He is trying to make the case that Paul was buffetted on the outside like beaten, criticized, stoned, etc by men led by Satan.

Okay, you've officially lost me. I think I've contributed about all I can here.

Idk about carting around but whatever was in the flesh was put there by a messenger of Satan.

He is saying that disease has no messenger or gender. But there are other examples of named demons who are spirits of disease or disability.

I'm just quoting his book. I understand that it may lose someone.

No, this isn't what he's saying at all. He's saying it wasn't a disease but a "spirit" that was attacking Paul spiritually.


Bosworth hasn't lost me but your interpretation of him is what has me lost. He's saying Paul's thorn wasn't a physical disease but an attack from a demonic spiritual entity.