Folly is joy to him
who is
destitute of
discernment,
but a man of
understanding
walks uprightly.
The thoughts of the
wicked
are an abomination to
the LORD,
but the words of the
pure
are pleasant.
Proverbs 15:21;26
In a world
where entertainment and the magnification of celebrities and self
–aggrandizement are the major focus of life can only be considered to be folly
and a lack of discernment. This is an abomination to the LORD and our Savior
Jesus Christ, and grieves the Holy Spirit who is in every way attempting to
change our hearts toward God. Those who are involved in such folly will object
to this characterization and submit many reasons for their attitude of life.
This lack of discernment is the result of ignoring the pure and pleasant words
of God. People of this nature ascribe to what may be considered their gods, and
in disgust toward the true God denigrate Him and His children. What is not
discerned is the fact that all earthly kingdoms, and all that is done on earth,
is done by His power and judgment, and by Him maintaining His creation. Instead
of committing their exercise of their works to the conversion to the LORD they
inhibit any knowledge of Him and will not admit that God will deal with such
folly and lack of understanding: “All the ways of a man are pure in his own
eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirits. Commit your works to the LORD, and your
thoughts will be established. The LORD has made all for Himself, yes, even the
wicked for the day of doom. Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the
LORD; though they join forces, none will go unpunished” (Proverbs 16:2–5). The
enemies of God pursue earthly joys and transitory things and shun all sorrow,
His compassion, and point to God’s severity in punishing evil; they point to
the fact that sorrow exist even with those who claim to be His children. The
enemies of God are roused by those who attempt to impart knowledge upon the
unlearned as though they have the authority due to their scholarship and
experience which makes cause for hatred
towards God’s children. They are angered by the fact that the children of God
do not agree with them in regards to their authority; an authority that is not
founded upon Scripture. One such problem that exists within the ranks of the
enemies of God is a philosophy called Universalism; All things have continued
without change. Therefore they point to the unscriptural follies as having
history to validate their exercise of those follies: Happened then, and it
happens now, therefore it must be normal. When it is pointed out to them that
this is wrong and blasphemy against the true God, the object and especially in
some parts of the world they point to the Christian religion as the cause for
any calamity. The enemies of God use what knowledge they have albeit derived
from that which is false to attempt to educate others in their folly by their
murmurings, diatribe writings in books and essays. They teach a religion
founded upon false gods. They may object once again and say that they are
atheistic, but their gods are those things that they hold dear and give some
form of worship and exert some form of grandeur; this is seen by the yelling
and hollering by participants at music festivals where emotions are unleashed
in unabashed manner. These forms of worship may be called a religion because
they do give a worship to them in some fashion by considering them to be the
most important thing in their lives, whether it is, a theology, or an object,
or some form of politic. Making matters worse they take delight in the crimes
of their folly and misrepresentations to that which is true. The enemies of God
don’t consider whether something is real and true as long as there is some
authority displayed that gives to their folly validity, a validity that is
founded upon that which is false.
How those
evil folly doers cavil, they murmur and point to the fact that evil falls upon
both the good and the bad. Assuming the theory of Universalism, that all that
occurs is natural therefore they should not be condemned by their actions; therefore,
they consider evil to be good as evil brings satisfaction to the evil doer.
Isaiah rightly points to the folly of such thinking: “Woe to those who call
evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in
their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight”(Isaiah 5:20–21). This evil
is done according to self–centeredness and they accept this evil with pleasure.
Those who oppose the Christian religion and use the theory of Universalism to
give validity to their evil, speak against those of ancient times who taught
differently: In his work, De Mundo, Apuleius, (c. 125 – c. 180) was a Latin prose writer, wrote:
(That all earthly things are subject to change, overthrow, and
destruction.”(Italics mine). The enemies of God wish to ignore the writings
of these ancient men who saw life as it truly is thereby ignoring the facts and
to ignore the experience. History records climate calumnies, and those changes
caused by man. Therefore, Universalism does not support the facts. The evil
that imposes itself upon man, this word, and the various powers of nations,
their customs, for they are to be attributed to evil and not God.
A question:
Are you holding close to your vest something, or someone in such high esteemed
to be considered a form of worship to that something, or someone making this
closeness to as a god? Another question: Is there evil in your life that is
folly before our Holy God, an abomination towards God? If so in either case
repent and turn your life completely over to Him.
O LORD, are not Your eyes on the truth?
You have
stricken them, but they
Have not grieved; You have consumed them,
But they
have refused to receive correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
They have
refused to return. Therefore I said,
“Surely these are poor. They are foolish; for they know
the way of
the LORD, the judgment of their God.
Jeremiah 5:4–5
Repent, Commit, Everything to God
Richard L. Crumb
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