We often hear people
say in conversation, “I have an open mind” when they don’t want to agree with
us. It has become a convenient excuse to act smart and avoid confrontation. We
hear frequently that it begins to look like it’s virtuous and excellent to say
like that. What does the Bible say about an open mind, particularly through the
lens of Psalm 19: 7, “The law of the LORD
is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the
LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”
Watch this 3-minute video clip what the word “simple” means with a great
illustration.
Here is the transcript for the video clip:
So
the revelation of God is sure in the sense that it is trustworthy. And what is the
effect of that? It makes wise the simple. I love this. The word “simple” is
used a lot in Proverbs, and it has a very basic meaning. The Hebrew language is
more concrete than Greek. Greek is a little bit more esoteric, a little bit
more philosophical. Hebrew’s very concrete, very objective, kind of very
down-to-earth. And “simple,” basically the root meaning of it is open door,
open door. Sometimes translated “naive.” The Word takes the naive,
unexperienced, undiscerning, uninformed person and makes that person wise.
Now
what does an open door have to do with being simple? It is a perfect
illustration of simplicity or stupidity. It’s having a mind that is always
open; everything comes in, everything goes out, because you don’t know when to
shut the door. A simple-minded person is an utterly undiscerning person. You
have a door on your house, right? You don’t go to bed at night and leave it
open, because that door discriminates what you allow to enter into the house.
You
hear people say, “I have an open mind.” Shut it, would you, please? There’s
nothing more stupid than having an open mind. “Well, I’m an agnostic.” “Oh.”
Oh, do you know the Latin word for agnostic? Ignoramus. I haven’t heard anybody
say, “I’m an ignoramus.” Shut the door.
But
how do you know when to shut the door? How do you know what to keep out, what
to let in? How do you know, to fulfill Psalm 1, not to sit in the seat of
scoffers, not to go to some school somewhere and sit there with an open mind
and let people pour lies and deception into your head, not to go to a church
where the same thing is going on? Mastering the art of living is what the word
“wise” means. It’s a Hebrew word chakam. It’s not wise sort of in
the Greek sense, which again is esoteric and a little bit mystical and sort of
intellectual. Wise, chakam, means skilled in living, skilled in
living. So here, the Word of God, the revelation of God Himself is trustworthy
to take an ignorant, simple-minded person without discernment and make that
person skilled in holy living. God is always the source of chakam.
May we be a
discerning Christian, a Christian who thinks through everything through the
lens of Scripture!