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Wise In What Is Good; Stupid About Evil

 In our last Quiet Time passage for the 2007-2008 year (Saturday, August 23rd, 2008) we were looking at the end of Romans 16.  Verse 19 just about jumped off the page at me.  It was so simple, yet so profound.  I really focused in on that and thought about it.  Paul said this as he was closing the book: “For your obedience has become known to all.  Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.”  Let’s take a look at this.  First of all, Paul let’s them know that he knows of their obedience, and that he is happy and proud of them.  But then he offers more encouragement to keep on living that way.  He tells them to be wise in what is good.  The word “wise” means “knowing much from experience; learned”.  So to be wise in what is good means that we are to experience goodness and good things.  We are to learn good from doing good.  Paul is saying to us that we are obedient, and we need to keep learning obedience from doing obedient, good things!

 On the contrary, he tells us to be simple concerning evil.  The word simple can mean many different things.  But it usually means “straight-forward; plain; without complications.”  It can also be an offensive word.  Look at this definition, “an offensive term meaning having an intellectual capacity that does not permit the performance of higher-level cognitive processes.”  I think that is what Paul is wanting us to think of here.  He wants us to not be able to understand or think on or know about evil things.  Really, that idea is to be stupid about evil.  If we are really concentrating on being wise about what is good, then the concept of being simple (or stupid) towards evil.

 So as we are living our lives, be wise towards good, and stupid about evil!