“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” (Psalm 14:1)
A fool in the Scriptures in this context is the person that orders his life as if there is no God, they are fools. This is not referring to atheist, for in all reality, there is no such man, only one who has assured himself that he alone is the god of his life, which cannot be validated, for even at its base root, his own flesh would be his master, it must be nurtured and cared for.
Those who give no thought to the Almighty in their day-to-day routines, whose minds do not once contemplate Him are fools, they believe themselves to be the masters of their own destiny, and have determined that the path they are on is the correct one, for it is the one they have chosen. To follow Christ is to deny oneself, in all areas of our lives, and what we must determine here, or at least attempt to expound upon, is how many individuals that profess Christ as their Savior are in all actuality fools. A very touchy subject, as it were, for we are told there is much danger in calling a brother in Christ a fool. (Matt. 5:22)
That is one of the reasons you will hear so many who are as I stated, not truly saved, or who are not versed in the Scriptures repeating that we are not to call anyone a fool, they are either unfamiliar with the verses in this area, or for whatever reason known only to themselves, do not believe it to be Scripturally correct. It more than likely has much to do with the “all judging is judgmental” philosophy that so many mistakenly hold these days.
“A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.” (Prov. 6:23) “Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.” (Prov. 27:22)
The punishment of a fool, in many cases, is itself foolishness, for the fool will remain as he is, it is not impossible, but beyond rare for a fool to see the light. Pride is in the center of the heart of a fool, he may call upon the god of his imagination when a severe trial comes upon him, but when the coast is clear, when the suffering is over, he goes back upon his way, forgetting and denying completely that he was made in the image of God. This is why one must wonder, again with great caution, how many fools are sitting in the pews of the church buildings across this planet today.
At best, many of them that fill these pews are there in an obligatory offering, if you will, at best, it is where they are supposed to be on Sunday morning. You can question them during the week about their faith, and you will receive single syllable words, or an occasional sentence, you may ask how the Lord has been using them for His glory as of late, and the answers, if you receive any, will be broken and haphazardly spoken.
One sure sign that you may be speaking to a fool can only come after an extended period of time, weeks, months or even longer, for they will begin to see your questioning as prying, and soon as judgmental. Your own walk with the Lord will be questioned, and in as much humility as you can, when you answer them honestly, you will be ridiculed, either as sounding too pious or high minded and boastful. “He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.” (Prov. 9:7-8)
This is indeed no lite matter, for the fool is the scorner, he is the brute beast, he is the wicked, he is lost indeed. One cannot doubt the salvation of another, one either is known by his brethren, or he is not. This is not the one who stumbles, for that man will rise seven times, (Prov. 24:16) it is the one whose words and actions do not portray who he claims to be, his heart is far from the Lord, and so he is a fool.
Be very careful, use great judgment when attempting to discern an individual in this matter, you must be sure, but you must not be fearful of voicing the truth when that truth is completely clear to you. Even the fool’s heart can be turned to Christ, I know, I once was one.
