Today we’ll discuss the foundation of biblical foolishness and its effect in society.
Defining a fool
The world defines a fool as:
One who is destitute of reason, or the common powers of understanding; an idiot. Some persons are born fools, and are called natural fools; others may become fools by some injury done to the brain —Noah Webster’s 1828 Webster’s Dictionary
The Holy Scripture defines a fool as follows:
Psa 14:1 KJV
(1) The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psa 53:1 KJV
(1) The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
From a scriptural point of view, a fool is defined as one who has said in his heart that there is no GOD. The thoughts of a person’s heart concern GOD because it determines whether S/he is a fool or not. Apostle Paul in his great epistle to the Romans spoke of ow we arrive at being foolish in Chapter 1 of his epistle. He says:
Rom 1:22 KJV
(22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Here Paul speaks of folks who professed themselves to be wise but eventually became fools. The question is, what was the progression from when they self professed till when ‘they became fools?
The road to foolishness
Thankfully Apostle Paul explains this in the preceding verses of the same chapter.
Rom 1:21-22 KJV
(21) Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
(22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
The road to foolishness begins with living a continual lifestyle where we fail to glorify God for his nature, his eternal power and abundant revelation of himself (Romans 1:19-20). Not glorifying GOD leads to having an unthankful attitude towards GOD. Thanklessness or ingratitude towards GOD leaves our imaginations open to roam wild—leaving a vacuum of inspiration which the enemy of GOD will gladly fill. It also leaves us with an existence outside the presence of GOD because we enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. People in a state of thanklessness and ingratitude are open to imagining vain things which lead to the light in their hearts beings snuffed out. Once the light is gone, man becomes foolish and declares that there is no GOD. Instead of taking their knowledge from GOD, they begin to take it from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
The opposite likewise is true. The more we glorify GOD and have a thankful disposition towards GOD, the more we retain GOD in our knowledge (v.28) and the wiser we are.
Foolishness begins with refusal to acknowledge GOD—the source of all light, knowledge and wisdom. And foolishness ends in the denial of GOD’s existence.
So what is the foundation of foolishness? It’s not glorifying GOD. So let’s just glorify him who is beyond all glory.
