- Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense,
and he says to everyone that he is a fool. -
People do not like the meaning of the word sin.
Perhaps Christians are happy to admit they are sinners in need of a loving savior, but if you define the term, you may find yourself surprised at the cold reception.
Why? To understand that, we must begin by knowing the cultural definition of sin and the Biblical definition of sin.
The cultural definition of sin is the false one most people carry with them. Perhaps, fire and brimstone preaching has pushed this idea on adherents of the Protestant faith.
It reads something akin to sin is all the bad things I have done. The Biblical definition agrees with this notion, yet makes the stakes higher.
Sin is all the bad things you have done and all the good things you have not done or prepared yourself for.
Now we bristle. This changes the map on how I spend my free time. No longer am I called to follow a list of rules, but instead I must live my life in the pursuit of doing good?
Yes. Every time you fail to hit that mark, it’s sin. Life isn’t about getting your fire insurance, never doing drugs, and not watching bad movies.
It is about being a man or woman that follows after Christ’s mission: to make disciples of all nations.
This isn’t about checking boxes and doing whatever you want. It is about a radical shift in the way you approach every situation.
Now, what does that have to do with a fool walking down the street. Let propose this, in what way does a fool act like a fool?
Right, he acts like a fool in every way he can. It is in his demeanor, in the words he chooses to speak, and how he is surprised and overcome by things others find obvious.
He doesn’t care about the performance of his actions, merely (in the worst possible sense) lives in the moment, experiencing the world like a child with none of the innocence.
Now, we can ask ourselves the opposite. How does the wise man act wise?
The answer is the same but with one word changed. He possesses wisdom at all times, walking with her and conversing with her as he speaks to you.
He treats her as a constant companion, a marvelous feat, and like our fool, is most likely to be found in books, imaginations, and ideals we wish to live up too.
Now, despite these characters being fanciful, you know them. In fact, you could go down the list of people you know and split them into fools and wise men and women.
What’s more, you could generate levels in between these people and end up with people who are truly fools and people you could call wiser than most.
In fact, you may be able to pull out a few that are so foolish, it goes beyond your description and possibly a few wise sages who spoke the right word to you at the right time.
Now, how did they get to be there? What lead them to that position? How can you avoid the fool and become like the wise person who spoke into your moment of need?
That is a mystery, but perhaps part of the answer is this, to understand at every moment, you can sin or not sin.
Pray for strength to hit the mark.
Ecclesiastes 10:3