Fool:
What is a fool? A fool is a person that is void of understanding and moral sense. A fool’s speculations and doctrines are errant and senseless. A fool’s conduct is typically corrupt – embracing vile affections and abominable deeds. A fool does what they know to be wrong and they omit what they know to be right.
Wisdom:
Wisdom is the integration of knowledge, experience, and a deep understanding of things human and divine applied to matters of human life and duty. It is acquired through experience but experience does not automatically impart wisdom. Wisdom is a quality that is deep, priceless, and rare.
If you spend any time reading user comments, in any forum, on the web you’ll quickly notice that people freely share their wisdom on essentially every subject. Much of the wisdom found on the internet comes from unqualified sources with a strong opinion. Sadly, much of the wisdom found on the web comes from those who are void of knowledge, understanding, experience, and moral sense.
What is true wisdom?
- True wisdom always has it’s foundation in reverence and love for God, and/or love for all of mankind.
- True wisdom is communicated by God through the medium of his Word thus true wisdom requires knowledge of the Holy Bible.
- True wisdom requires experience in walking with the Lord. Experience allows us to develop competence and teaches us how to apply knowledge.
- True wisdom requires deep understanding of how to assemble the pieces of Scripture together to develop wisdom.
God tells us what the result of seeking true wisdom looks like in the Holy Bible, Proverbs 2:6-15:
“For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, and He watches over the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness, justice, and integrity, and every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be delightful to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, to rescue you from the way of evil, from a person who speaks perverse things; from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; who delight in doing evil and rejoice in the perversity of evil; whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.”
The opposite of wisdom is foolishness. God tells us what foolishness looks like in the Holy Bible, Romans 1:22-32:
In regards to the unsaved:
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them up to vile impurity in the lusts of their hearts, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations with women and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing shameful acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper, people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unfeeling, and unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.”
Summary:
To live in God’s world as though there is no God is the height of foolishness and folly. As Christians we must use wisdom when we engage with the unsaved as described in Romans 1:22-32 above. Proverbs 26:4-5 tells us:
- 4Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him.
- 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
Answer not when the fool is incorrigible, irritated, or when it’s not likely to do him good.
Answer when the fool is capable of receiving it, when it is necessary for the glory of God, or for the good of others.
Don’t be impatient with fools
In Mathew 24 Jesus spoke of the end days. In verse 12 He says “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” We must never grow cold. We must never lose sight of what Jesus told us in Matthew 22:39 “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'” When engaged with a fool the end goal is to share the Gospel in a kind and loving manner.
Related content: Digital Bible