"The naive believes everything, but the sensible man considers his steps. A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless." (Proverbs 14:15-16).
One of the big buzz words of the twenty-first century is "open-minded." The only opinion that society today tends to agree on is that there are no absolutes. It is a trend that has sadly even crept into to church. We are urged on a daily basis to be open-minded and tolerant. But is this the Biblical way to live? What does the book of Proverbs, the best book of wisdom ever written, have to say about this?
What Does Naivety Look Like?
The naive are open to just about anything. They will believe anything that you tell them and never seem to question whether something is right or wrong. They will take information from non-reliable sources, and what is presented as being fact when it has never been properly proved, and take it to be fact. They will make comments like, "People say ..." before they give you some kind of factual piece of information, yet are never able to actually prove who the people are. They have taken something to be fact when in reality it is not.
Take the evolution debate as an example. Whenever you watch a documentary dealing with nature or the universe, it is said rather mater-of-factly that the universe is billions of years old, and that certain animals have developed or evolved from other animals. It is taken for granted that this is scientific fact, when in reality, there is no way of proving those things true or false by any satisfactorily proven scientific method.
The naive are also gullible when it comes to god or bad advice, truth or lies, deception, manipulation, disappointment and danger. They are also particularly susceptible to falling into dangerous doctrines promulgated in the church. Many today are falling for the many false teachings in the church that are pulling them away from the true Gospel and causing division in the church.
The Contrast
In contrast to the naive are the sensible. The sensible person is shrewd and takes pains to verify what is presented to them. They test everything. They have what is referred to in the Bible as discernment. They do not believe out of hand what those that put documentaries together are presenting. They do not take for granted that what a pastor is saying from the pulpit is the truth. Instead they are like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 who tested even the words of Paul. This is something sadly lacking in the church today, and John MacArthur is correct when he says in his book Reckless Faith that the crying need of the church today is discernment.
Discernment can be compared to a fly screen. In the heat of an African summer, flies and mosquitoes can become bothersome and can cause diseases. Yet at the same time, light and fresh air are welcome to provide some comfort from the heat. The fly screen's purpose then is to allow the light and air in, while at the same time keeping the pesky insects out. Discernment does the same thing. It filters out the bad that easily destroys, while at the same time allowing in the good things which enrich our lives.
Living With Discernment Today
Are you a sensible person? Do you protect your heart and mind from those things that can destroy you? Do the sources of the information you are given matter? Do you test what people are saying? Does it make a difference to you how accurate the sermons that you hear are, or the devotions and books that you read? How much care do you take when it comes to making decisions?
Take the advice of Solomon in today's verses to heart. Let them be a warning for you to not live a naive life, and so end up following the path of arrogance and carelessness. Instead, pick up your Bible, study it, and allow its wisdom to mould your theology, life, experience, knowledge, words and actions. And let it be the measure and filter by which you discern all information that comes your way.
© 2012
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