Damnable way of the foolish

The Lord wants those who desire a happy, healthy and satisfactory life on earth to forsake the foolish who “hath said in his heart, there is no God” and “follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” It is essential that we forsake the foolish and follow after righteousness, if we hope to experience the joy, blessing and privilege of living forever with God and Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, in heaven.

We recognise those the Bible calls fools by the emptiness of their utterances, lives and profession. And there are three categories of such people to consider in Psalm 14.

Firstly, those who live like a fool in evil: “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.” Fools do not think about God, His law and the necessity of having a relationship with Him. They live recklessly, dangerously, purposelessly, lawlessly, gracelessly, godlessly, carelessly and senselessly. They are self-centred and forgetful of the day of reckoning. They do not know Jesus Christ, our Peace. They do not know the way of repentance and how to inherit eternal life. As such, “there is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Secondly, those labouring as fools in error: The foolish labours purposelessly “because he knoweth not how to go to the city.” Although they are religious, they do not know the way to heaven. The people who are foolish labour for the wind without thinking of how to stop it. What we labour for today should not be things that would have no value in a few years to come. The Lord wants us to “labour not for the meat, which perisheth but for that meat, which endureth unto everlasting life.” We must labour to get the salvation, sanctification, grace and sufficiency that come from Jesus Christ.

People who live and labour like fools will eventually lament at the end. Since they do not obey “the voice of (their) teachers,” they “shall die without instruction.” The Lord instructs us to live and die peacefully in grace, righteousness and hope of getting to heaven. It will amount to foolishness if we hear God’s word, but fail to prepare ourselves to be with Him in eternity. No one will live on earth forever. Everyone will leave this world and face the future in eternity. Man is not like animals whose existence stops at death; they have no place in paradise. Every person will live forever, either with or without God. Though God created heaven for human beings, its habitation is only for those who have repented of their sins and whose names are written in the book of life.

Those who live like fools face three consequences. One: The Defilement of Fools on Earth: Fools defile themselves because of their disbelief of God’s existence. They may outwardly profess that they know God, but inwardly, they are totally estranged from Him by the kind of dirty and indulgent lives they live. This defilement of the heart is caused by their foolishness.

Two: The Destruction of Fools at Ease: fools are always at ease and do not worry about anything. Some people in the church do not take anything serious. They mistakenly fall into sin and still live at ease. But the scripture says: “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came.” Those who forsake or neglect the teachings on salvation and holiness will face the destruction that will eventually come upon fools. We must constantly prepare and be ready for eternity to escape the judgment that will come upon careless and unrepentant sinners.

Three: The Damnation of Fools in Eternity: The future is very important. Therefore, before we rush into any action, friendship or relationship, we should think about the future. To get to the holy habitation of the Lord like such Bible personalities as Moses, Elijah, Enoch, Daniel, Stephen and other saints, we must consciously take three remedial steps: The first is to abandon the righteousness of fools: many people profess to be righteous, but only display fake, external righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. Before the Lord met Paul the apostle, he had this kind of righteousness. To enter heaven, however, we must abandon the righteousness of fools. Our certificate of righteousness must be recognised and have the stamp of the authority in heaven. It must have the watermark of the Word and blood of the Lamb. It must also have the registration number of our Redeemer.

The second is to accept the righteousness of faith: To get to heaven, we must accept and embrace “the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.” Anything else will be deceptive, as nothing else will do it.

And the third is to abide, abound in righteousness as fruit: The fruit we bear because of our reconciliation with God and redemption in Jesus Christ is righteousness. It makes us allow the Holy Spirit and grace of God to work in us. We then live to please Jesus Christ, the Truth personified and speak the truth in our heart. And as believers, we should never allow persecution, affliction, suffering or misunderstanding to take us away from the righteousness of faith.

• Further reading (King James Version): Psalms 14; 53; Proverbs 9:6; 1 Timothy 6:11; Psalm 15. Psalm 14:1-7. Psalms 14:1-5; 10:4,7,11; Isaiah 44: 20; Romans 3:10-19; Psalm 14:1; Ecclesiastes 10:15; Job 39:13-17; Ecclesiastes 5:16; Habakkuk 2:13; John 6:27; 2 Samuel 3:33; Proverbs 5:13, 23; Jeremiah 17:5, 6, 11; 2 Timothy 3:7-9; Romans 1:21, 22, 28, 32. Psalm 53:1-5; Isaiah 24:5, 6; Mark 7:21-23; Ephesians 5: 3-7, 15; Revelation 21:27; Psalm 53:1,5; Proverbs 7:22,23,26,27; 26:10,11; 2 Peter 2:20-22; Daniel 5:22-28; Psalms 14:7; 15:1-5; 53:6; 2 Timothy 2:4. Matthew 23:17, 19, 23, 28, 33; 5:20; Luke 18:9-14; Romans 9:31, 32; 10:1-3; Philippians 3:6; Galatians 2:21; Romans 10:8 -10; 3:22-25; 4:11, 22-25; 1:17; Hebrews 11:4, 6; Philippians 3:7-9; Galatians 5:5,6; Romans 6:18, 22; Galatians 5: 22-26; Ephesians 5:9-11; Philippians 1:10, 11; James 3:17, 18; 1 John 2:28, 29; Psalm 15:1-5.