Truth Magazine

By Hoyt H. Houchen

Question: What does “foolishness” mean in Mark 7:22? What would be some important applications of this?

Reply: The word “foolishness” is from the New Testament Greek noun aphrosunee and it is defined as “foolishness, lack of sense, folly, thoughtlessness; recklessness,” etc. (Arndt and Gingrich, p. 127, and Thayer, P. 90). Paul applies the word three times to himself (2 Cor. 11:1, 17, 21). While foolishness is the opposite of soundness of mind and involves all forms of moral senselessness, it is not so applied in Paul’s case. He applied the word to himself because he was forced into an argument with the Judaizers. This was distasteful to him and unnecessary. Thus he described it as foolishness, and asked the Corinthian brethren to bear with him. Paul’s self-praise was not to his liking, but he resorted to it only as a vindication of the truth. He was showing that his claims were stronger than those of his enemies — the Judaizers. Actually, Paul gloried in the Lord (Gal. 6:14).

Foolishness is folly in the absence of the fear of God. The psalmist declared: “The fool has said in his heart, There is no God” (Psa. 14: 1). All sin is actually folly; it is the lack of moral sense. The term “foolishness” probably sums up the sins which Jesus said proceed from the heart (Mk. 7:20-23). They are all foolishness. In the context of this passage, foolishness is more moral than intellectual. The pernicious sins of the Gentile world, as described by Paul, present a case in point (Rom. 1:21, 28, 31).

That all wickedness is folly is clearly seen in the words by the Ecclesiastes author. “I turned about and my heart was set to know to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason of things, and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness” (Eccl. 7:25). The fool is described in Isaiah 32:6: “For the fool will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice profaneness, and to utter error against Jehovah, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.”

One of the Hebrew words translated “fool” in the Old Testament is nabal. The man with that name played the part, as is seen by his churlishness (1 Sam. 25, esp. v. 25). He was insensitive to human needs and was spiritually blind. The fool’s selfish philosophy is demonstrated by the rich man in Luke 12:16-21.

The fool is often contrasted with the wise man in the Bible. For example, “The wise shall inherit glory; but shame shall be the promotion of fools” (Prov. 3:35). Again, “The wise in heart will receive commandments; but a prating fool shall fall” (Prov. 10:8). Jesus contrasted the two builders in Matthew 7:24-27. The wise man is compared to the man who built his house upon the rock because he heard and obeyed the words of Jesus. But the man who only heard the words of Jesus, but did not obey them, is compared to the man who built his house upon the sand.

What is wisdom to man is often foolishness to God; and vice versa, what is God’s wisdom is often foolishness to man. The command to Naaman to dip seven times in the river Jordan to be cured of leprosy was foolishness to him (2 Kgs. 5:11,12). He thought the Damascus rivers (Abanah and Pharper) were better than all the waters of Israel. He questioned God’s authority, so he was foolish. He became wise when he humbled himself and obeyed God. To some, gospel preaching is foolishness. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: “For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18; see also vv. 21, 23, 25).

God’s own people sometimes act foolishly. To the Galatians, who had been led astray by Judaizers, Paul asked, “0 foolish Galatians, who did bewitch you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly set forth and crucified?” (Gal. 3:1) Then he asked in verse 3, “Are you so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now perfected in the flesh?”

Wisdom is the opposite of foolishness, and is “pressed by a fear of the Lord and a turning away from all that is evil. It is summed up well by Job. “And unto man, he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom: and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28).

There are many practical applications to be made. Foolishness is characterized by the man who denies God’s reality and lives in ignorance of Him. The one who carelessly and recklessly pursues a path of sin is foolish-it is the carefree philosophy of “do your own thing.” It is foolishness to live for the gratification of the flesh-to live by the epicurean philosophy: “eat today and be merry, for tomorrow you may die.” Those who live only to themselves and are totally indifferent to the needs of others are selfish, thus foolish. To disregard and disrespect divine authority is foolishness and is the basis of all false doctrines. To be carried away by every wind of doctrine that blows, without investigating the Scriptures, is foolishness (1 Jn. 4:1). To live only for this life, without any preparation for the future life, is foolishness (Matt. 6:19-21). To never look at, much less read and study the Bible, is foolishness. These are but a few of some important applications of foolishness. The list is ad infinitum.

Christians should scrupulously avoid foolishness. “Wherefore be ye not foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17).

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 21, p. 645
November 7, 1985

By Roger Hillis

“Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him” (Lk. 8: 18).

The Savior used these words to instruct His disciples concerning their reception of the truth. In order to accept His words and conform their lives to His teaching, His followers would have to possess the proper attitude. Moses had prophesied of Christ: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people” (Acts 3:22,23). With respect to the seriousness of that statement, each person should re-examine his attitude toward the preaching of the gospel.

The book of Acts contains examples of various attitudes men manifest toward the truth of God. As these attitudes are examined, let each reader conduct an honest self-examination to determine his own attitude.

Indifference

Many people display the outward appearance of indifference. Gallio, a Grecian deputy, is an example of such a deplorable attitude (Acts 18). When the Jews had kidnaped Paul, forced him to court against his wishes and made false accusations against him, Gallio refused to sit in judgment over the case. Then the Greeks brought the chief ruler of the synagogue and physically beat him in the presence of Gallio. The inspired record says: “And Gallio cared for none of those things” (v. 17).

All too often we come in contact with this type of individual — too busy, too important, or too bored to be bothered with religion. Indifference is a most unfortunate response to the word of God.

Ridicule

Almost every Christian has run into this attitude. “Religion is just for children and old ladies.” “Only a sissie would be a Christian.” There are numerous manifestations of ridicule. As Paul was preaching to King Agrippa and Bernice (Acts 26), Festus interrupted to inform the inspired apostle that he was crazy. “Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!” (v. 24) Many believe that when Agrippa said, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian” (v. 28), the words were not spoken from a sincere heart, but rather with ridicule or sarcasm. Such may have been the case.

Ridicule is often used as a coverup for ignorance. Rather than admit a lack of knowledge, a sarcastic remark seems a convenient response.

Closed Mind

The Jews constantly exhibited this attitude, The envious Jews of Thessalonica are an excellent example (Acts 17). Rather than hear simple truths of God’s word, they started a riot and attempted to kill Paul and Silas. Not even willing to listen to the apostle’s doctrine, they closed their minds. Jesus expressed the situation this way: “For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their heart and turn, So that I should heal them” (Mt. 13:15).

Open Mind

In contrast to those mentioned above, there are some honest and sincere people who will receive the gospel, examine it, and then obey it. The Jews of Berea were such people (Acts 17). “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (v. 11). All should manifest this attitude. This is the person that Christians must always be looking for.

How is your attitude?

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 21, p. 648
November 7, 1985

By S. Leonard Tyler

This is the question of the ages, “Is there the true, living and eternal God?” Elijah challenged the people of Ahab’s reign when the gods of Baal were popular, to try the gods and, “If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Kgs. 18:21). Balaam, the prophet, told Balak, “God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?. . . I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the Lord saith, that will I speak” (Num. 23:29; 24:13). Here is a true demonstration of faith; although Balaam stumbled along the way, he stood at this point as a true believer. He believed there was the real, true and living God and demonstrated his faith courageously under severe consequences.

Faith Is Essential

The Hebrew writer expressed it: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6).

Two essentials are attached to saving faith: (1) God is. He really exists and, (2) He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. God is not just an imaginative object. He is living, knowing and active. He is the true and living God as depicted by Paul in Acts 17:24-31 and in 1 Thessalonians 1:9. It is not enough just to believe that God exists. One must also believe He is living and active and that He recognizes and responds to man’s seeking. God knows and watches over His people. However to continue to be His people depends upon active faith.

Christians must draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith and “faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

Christians must “hold fast to the profession of our faith without wavering . . . provoke unto love and to good works” (Heb. 10:22, 23, 24). The judgment of God is sure and vengeance belongeth to Him (Heb. 10:3). “The Lord shall judge his people.”

The conclusion: “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul” (Heb. 10:38-39).

God Is Eternal, Self-Existent

“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself” (Jn. 5:26). God was not born. He was not created. God is the Creator. He owes no man, thing, or cause for His life. He is uncreated, unoriginated, having no beginning and no ending. God stands upon His own power, self-existent, eternal, forever and ever (Deut. 3 3:27; Psa. 90:2; Gen. 1: 1; Jn. 1:1-5; 1 Cor. 8:6). Psalms 136 and 139 express David’s conviction and reason for his cry, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psa. 139:24).

God Is Infinite, All in All

Infinite means, “boundless, unlimited, immeasurable, uncircumscribed” (Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary Unabridged). “All in all,” means “considering everything; as a whole” (Ibid.). Thus God is infinite in wisdom, knowledge, power, presence, love and yes, “all in all.” It is beyond man’s finite mind to comprehend the “all in all” of God. But we can believe and sing, “How Great Thou Art!” God is infinite, eternal.

There are so many texts declaring the wisdom, knowledge and power of God that no man who respects the Divine Volume can reasonably doubt. He stands infinitely, for in Him is omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence and “All in All” (Job 11:7-11; Psa. 19:36; 6; 50; 1 Cor. 1:21-25; 2:6-13; Eph. 3:10). Solomon said, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Prov. 15:3; see also Jer. 23:24). Paul declared God’s infiniteness in Acts 17:24-26, 31-31.

If There Is No God

If there is no God, man is merely a highly developed, evolved animal. There is no spirit, soul or eternity. Man dies “like little dog Rover.” Man just happened. How? Nobody knows. Their theory: Man is born with no reflective design of a Creator or Intelligence from which he came. He lives within the bounds of his own thinking which is his ultimate standard of measurement. He is born, lives, dies and returns to nothing-from which he came. This philosophy is fatalistic in life and destructive in death. That is, if there is no God, there is no soul, no hereafter, no divine direction and no eternity.

If God Is

He is the Creator, man the creature (Gen. 1:1, 26-27; Jn. 1:1-5; Acts 17:26-31; 1 Cor. 15:20-22, 50-58; 2 Cor. 5:1-20). Man is an immortal being and shall live after death (Heb. 9:27; see Eccl. 12:7; Jas. 2:26; Jn. 5:28).

The moral standard for man is not of his own personal choosing but comes from God “that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Tit. 2:11-12; Gal. 5:16-26). Yes, there is hope, there is life in Christ Jesus (Jn. 14:1-6; Matt. 25:46; Rev. 14:13). The more abundant life is in being a believer (Jn. 10: 10; 1 Jn. 5:4-5).

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 21, pp. 643-644
November 7, 1985

By Don Givens

What is the first commandment? “The Lord our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” (Mk. 12:29, 30). Can anything take priority over this? What comes before first?

The word “mind” in this passage is from the Greek dianoias which means, according to Thayer: “the mind as the faculty of understanding, feeling, desiring.” Harper’s Analytical Greek Lexicon says dianoids means: “thought, intention; the mind, intellect, understanding; insight, comprehension.”

We must love and serve God with full understanding. Our minds must be devoted to His service, and be pure minds anxious to learn His will and perform it. Be honest with yourself: how much of your mind is given to thoughts which pollute, degrade, and corrupt?

The mind of the Gentiles was corrupted because they did not devote themselves to God. “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting” (Rom. 1:28). A “reprobate mind” does those things that are entirely unfit and degrading in the sight of the Lord, even though it may be things that the world applauds and pursues. While guided by such a corrupt mind, it is impossible to please the Lord.

As one observes society in the eighties, seen on every hand are people with degraded, immoral, ungodly minds. One does not have to watch television, for example, very long before he will see much evidence of degraded minds and reprobate lives. The usual conversation of the worldly individual is filled with ungodly, immoral thoughts and speech. The filthy themes of a high percentage of modern rock, pop, and country and western songs are “adultery, whore-mongering, and drunkenness” (dressed up in more sophisticated speech, of course).

“For they that are after the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:5,6). The one leads to death! The other to life and peace! What a contrast. How tragic it is that some who claim to be church members actually have carnal minds and are sadly lacking in real spirituality.

We can purify our minds by receiving and retaining the life-giving Word of God (Acts 17:11). This spiritual growth is demanded of every saint: “And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2). Our minds must be transformed; that is, changed. We disciples of Jesus are not to be squeezed into the mold of this carnal world. “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Eph. 4:23).

As Jane McWhorter phrases it in her book Caterpillars or Butterflies, “The health department is not alone in inoculating people. It seems that sometimes the devil uses this same method. A small amount of injected smallpox germs will produce a light case of the dreaded disease and allow our bodies to develop a defense against a real attack. In the same way, new converts sometimes receive only a smattering of Christianity and somehow manage to build up a tremendous resistance to the real thing. Christ means nothing in our lives until He is everything…. Our trouble is this: we plant turnip seeds in our minds, allow dandelions to blow in and then wonder why we don’t have a rose garden. When we plant and cultivate the right seed, the right fruit will be produced. This is God’s answer to the transformation of a Christian’s mind.”

Our minds are truly the soil in which the seeds of our thoughts grow. About what are we thinking, and on what are we feeding?

Too many brethren take the Word of God just as they do bad-tasting medicine. They tolerate it when they have to do so just to get it over with and out of the way. Sadly, they have never known the delight that the psalmist experienced as he meditated on the law of God day and night (Psa. 1:2).

Are we taking delight in feeding our minds on the life-giving Words of God? Remember, eternity is getting closer with every breath you take.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 21, p. 655
November 7, 1985