What is your definition of the word “fool,” do you envision a court jester from days gone by, amusing the king and all the ministers of the court, bells on his shoes and dangles hanging from his hat? How about someone who most would consider mentally deficient, unable to cope with the general construct of the world, as least as much as the majority of those in it have decided it should be.
According to The New Unger’s Bible dictionary, “The word is used in Scripture with respect to moral more than to intellectual deficiencies. The “fool” is not so much one lacking in mental powers, as one who misuses them; not one who does not reason, but reasons wrongly.” This person is not saved, they are wicked, and their lives have in mind no purpose but their own desires and the will of God and His word does not enter into their thought processes in any form. They are insolent, ill mannered, presumptuous, and do not have the Holy Spirit of God within them.
According to the American dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, “In Scripture, “fool” is often used for a wicked or depraved person; one who acts contrary to sound wisdom in his moral deportment; one who follows his own inclinations, who prefers trifling and temporary pleasures to the service of God and eternal pleasures.” “The fool has said in his heart there is no God” (Psalm 14:1) We cannot be presumptuous here with this word “fool,” we must have knowledge of every word in the scriptures, but of this one we must use great caution, for many today are fearful to use it when necessary because of that lack of knowledge.
Far too many who profess Christ today rely totally on Matthew 5:22 when thinking of this word fool, and completely miss the context that out Lord was using, forgetting the other almost five dozen times that it is used in the Scriptures. “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” If you remain in the context that our Lord was speaking of here, it is quite clear that He was talking about our brother, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and as was everything else He spoke about, He was clear, concise and directly to the point. If any of us are not discerning in this word fool, then when we are speaking to one that is a follower of Christ, and we call them a fool, we have become “in danger of hell fire.” We have not taken the time to make sure that this individual is saved, and in so doing we have spoken to the Holy Spirit within them, calling in essence the Holy Spirit of God a fool.
The term fool fits the lost only, and within the Scriptures you will see this as evident, for every time, no matter who is speaking, when they are speaking of a fool, they are speaking of those who have not the Spirit of the Lord within them, they are not saved individuals that are referenced to. This seems to be the problem with those who do not study the Scriptures daily, they will pick out a verse, call it what they believe it to be, and search no further for the truths of His Word. Within this world there are many that are wise in the ways of the world, there are individuals that are more than brilliant, there are leaders of entire nations that do an excellent job at what they do, but they are all fools according to the Word of God. In the Book of Proverbs alone there are thirty-seven times that the word “fool” is used, and not one of them is in a positive manner, all relate to the person who will not consider the Lord in their ways, all are of the individual who has no fear of God before their eyes. (Rom. 3:18)
My friends, I am sorry to inform you of this, but every single one of your unsaved, unrepentant friends is a fool, they are wicked, and the wrath of God abides on them. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36) This wrath is not waiting for them in hell, it will not begin when they stand before Him at the great white throne of judgement, it is upon them now, right at this very moment. Now comes the important question, now comes your turn to witness to them, now comes the time for you to decide, are you prepared to tell those lost friends of yours that they are fools.
As I stated earlier, far too many Christians rely on Matthew 5:22 and will not search out the truth of that verse, that all who are unsaved are fools, but that we are never to call any of our brothers or sisters in Christ a fool, the hand cannot say to the foot. Remember, the Lord has determined, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” (1st Cor. 1;21) Almost all of these people are wise in the way of the world, but they are fools in the eyes of the Lord, “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1st Cor. 1:25) The main issue at hand here is the misinterpretation of that one set of verses in the Book of Matthew, and this lack of wisdom in the proper dividing of the Word of God’s truth has led many down the wrong path when they are witnessing to the lost.
“And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” (Jude 1:22-23) I trust you are discerning enough to know that it is probably not the best option to speak to your lost friend with the opening statement of “Hello, fool,” but you need to realize, there is a time when the blunt truth, as it were, must be spoken in great love. We are speaking about the eternal souls of these individuals, not whether or not they will continue to call you friend. We start with love and compassion, we attempt to pull them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh with love and compassion, and we may end up having to shake the dust off of our feet with love and compassion, for the Lords pearls are not to be cast before swine. (Matt. 7:6)
There are times when we have to make very tough decisions in our lives, when we must decide who it is we serve, I have needed to do this, and I am sure many of you have also. We must decide if the path that we are on is the one that the Lord would have us on, or if it is one of our own choosing, one that will be a continuance in association with those that we know are fools. We should never stop praying for these individuals, but we must be wise in our relationships with them, the longer they remain impervious to the truths of the Scriptures, the longer we associate with them, the easier it for us to return into the life of the world, the life of sin that we have been saved from by Jesus Christ. Tough decisions indeed, for these are human souls, but how long they should remain close, personal friends should not be a difficult choice, not if your life is devoted to the Lord.
“A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.” (Prov. 18:2) They have, at least up to this point in their lives, decided to discover only themselves, only what their own heart desires, self is their driving force. Pray for them before you speak with them, pray as you are speaking to them, pray for them when you are not in their presence, but recall at all times who you serve, He is a better friend that any ten of those you call friend here that are still lost.
