Conceit: Barrier to Wisdom

CONCEIT:

Barrier to Wisdom

In World War Two, when an allied soldier who helped liberate one of the infamous German death camps saw the unbelievable conditions and the stark evil that made itself seen and felt there, he remarked that up to that point in his service in the war he may not have known what he was fighting for, but now at least he knew what he was fighting against.

That is the way it is in life: We may not always be able to pin down in a concise fashion what motivates us and what governs our actions, but somewhere deep inside us, we know what is right and what is wrong and when we see wickedness and evil, we are instinctively repelled by it and react against it--at least this is true for those who have not given in to evil. For there are some who view evil as the best way to attain their goals for themselves and they pursue it with no twinge of conscience. This is possible because conscience is only a warning device and that warning can be ignored; it is possible to have the conscience seared into numbness and uselessness.

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron" (1 Tim.4:1,2).

We are now in those later times and the number of those who are being deceived by teachings from spirits from hell is rapidly increasing--teachings like universalism (everyone will be saved), that there is no hell, no judgment, that Jesus is not the only way to be saved--things like that, teachings that sear conscience with a hot iron because they are teachings from a very hot place.

Scripture warns us to fight against such demonic teachings:

"Fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith" (1Tim 1:18,19).

What a strong image that word shipwreck conveys to our mind: total ruin of all that one is and has. It is a very serious thing to reject conscience. God put conscience into us as a reminder of the true nature of reality, that there really is a God and that there is such a thing as good and evil. Conscience is a universal character trait of all human beings and this natural inborn prodding must be consciously rejected and subdued to ignore it. And many do choose willfully to put aside conscience, especially and first of all the most basic aspect of conscience, that there is a God. This is denial of reality for which the penalty is most severe:

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them" (Rom. 1:18,19).

But no matter how plain it is that we are held accountable to God for our actions, many still foolishly choose to put aside this innate protective system. Why? Knowing that God judges such action most severely, why would anyone still go ahead and do so? This is the perplexing mystery of those who do evil:

"Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them" (Rom. 1:32).

At least two factors enter into explaining this mystery of why so many people choose to do evil when they know it is wrong, and both reasons have to do with a lack: lack of wisdom and lack of discipline. Each of these causes will now be looked at in more depth. First, lack of wisdom.

First of all, then, what is wisdom? There is no need to delve into all the many conflicting definitions or views offered by the world's many philosophies, for God has clearly revealed to us what wisdom is.

"Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding" (Job 28:28).

Immediately, we see two important things concerning wisdom: Both are connections. But they are connections that are opposite to each other, that is, we must stay connected to one (God) and break a connection to the other (evil). It is possible to have one but not the other.

Through conscience, we know that we should not do evil. If people indeed honor this God-given protective warning within them, then they have understanding. But understanding is not enough; it is not wisdom. It is to go only part way. The fullness of understanding is to not only depart from evil (the negative aspect) but to embrace the good (the positive) by having a reverential fear of God. That is wisdom.

As was just mentioned, it is not enough to have one or the other, though both are good. In order to live life as God means for us to live it, we need both wisdom and understanding.

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom" (Js. 3:13).

A third insight is further given us in this passage from James, that not only do we need both wisdom and understanding but that this internal wisdom is still to no effect unless it is evidenced outwardly in a life of good deeds "done in the humility that comes from wisdom."

But even this is not enough. Many people follow a false religion of this world, all of which teach that through doing good works a person will merit going to some sort of paradise when he dies. But Scripture is clear that simply doing good deeds does not earn us heaven (Eph. 2:8,9; Gal. 2:16). But the world does not like to hear this truth because it cuts off any human attempt to perform works to save itself, thus wounding selfish pride: human conceit is at the root of rejecting conscience and many other catastrophes. So the world's religions and philosophies cling to the false notion of doing good on its own power to save the self and the world. But such "wisdom" is not from God.

"This wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish" (Js. 2:15).

And there it is again. This passage actually uses the word "devilish", which connects back to the mention of the hot, hellish source of such wisdom, quoted earlier:

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron" (1 Tim.4:1,2).

There are actually two kinds of wisdom, depending on their source. There is a heavenly wisdom from God and an earthly, hellish kind of wisdom from the devil. Both co-exist in this world and it may be hard to distinguish one from the other. But Scripture gives us a distinguishing characteristic of each: By their fruits you shall know them (Mt. 7:16).

The "wisdom" that comes from the devil bears bad fruit:

"For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice" (Js. 2:16).

The true wisdom that comes down from God and heaven:

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity" (Js. 3:17).

Notice the first indicator that Scripture here gives to verify that the wisdom is from God: It "is first pure." Those who do not depart from evil but embrace it cannot have true wisdom because true wisdom is first of all pure. And those whose consciences have been seared with the false teachings that emanate from hell do not have lives of purity but pursue evil, therefore they have no real and true wisdom, for all such wisdom must come from God and be in accord with his nature of goodness.

Thus there are these two sources of wisdom, the false and the true, and there are two consequences of obtaining one's wisdom from whichever one is chosen. One leads to life and the other to death.

"For whoever finds me (Wisdom), finds life, and will obtain favor from the Lord" (Prov 8:35).

"But he who sins against me (Wisdom) wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death" (Prov 8:36).

That is a strong statement, that those who hate wisdom love death. Is this really so? Scripture says that it is indeed so:

"Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a rumor of it with our ears'" (Job 28:22).

How sad, that only in death will a person who rejects God's wisdom finally learn that he has been a fool and not wise at all, though he considered himself too wise to fall for the foolishness of the gospel while he was alive. Though made in the image of God, and thus like a god to rule over the other creatures created to inhabit the earth, with a mind that is supposed to be used to rule that dominion wisely, their end is that of mortal humans and not "gods":

"They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, `You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.' But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler" (Ps. 82:5-7).

But even then, at death, it is only a rumor of wisdom that whispers into such a person's consciousness, not the full knowledge that, yes, God was right when he said in his Word that true wisdom is found only in the fear of God and in departing from evil. That full knowledge comes in its terrifying fullness only after death clamps its fullness upon such a person. Only then, when the "wisdom" he followed in life carries him off to its source in hell and he is dead forever. Only then will he realize the terrifying fullness of where his devilish wisdom has finally led him to. That is his wisdom's final message to him, carrying him away to eternal fire and darkness.

"Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the grave will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it. As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through. The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror" (Is. 28:18,19).

The great tragedy is that it does not have to be this way. God's wisdom calls out to everyone to heed its voice and follows it to its Source--or be led away to the source of the other kind of wisdom, the kind that has its source in the depths of hell. But Wisdom's voice is often drowned out by Folly's. For both God's heavenly wisdom and hell's wisdom call out to the world to follow it. Even the way they call tells the nature of each. For God's wisdom, as personified in the Lord Jesus Christ, whispers in the soul's ear with a quiet voice:

"He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets" (Is. 42:2).

Not so, the way of the wisdom from the darkness. It shouts out loudly, to misdirect the attention of the crowd away from true wisdom's voice:

"The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge" (Prov. 9:13).

This is a favorite trick of the devil, to raise such a ruckus that the noise drowns out the sane voice of reason and prevents people from receiving the truth from God.

"Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar . . ." (Acts 21:34).

This leads us to the second great truth that Scripture reveals to us concerning the role of rejecting the voice of conscience in causing a person and a world to do evil: that of lack of discipline.

What is discipline that it should hold such an important place in determining the destiny of a person or a world? The meaning of discipline relevant to our purposes here is: training to improve strength or self-control. This is what those who do evil reject. They thus lose the means whereby they could have obtained self-control. But since they reject this God-given means, they have no strength, no power, to withstand the power of evil and they succumb to it.

"They themselves are slaves of depravity--for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him" (2 Ptr. 2:19).

Discipline is self control. Lack of discipline leads to lack of self control. Lack of self control leads to evil. It is no coincidence, then, that our heavenly Father, in his great love for us, disciplines us, for without it, we cannot withstand evil.

"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.' Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness" (Heb. 12:5-10).

But it is the next verse from this Hebrews passage that reveals the real secret of why some reject such discipline and others accept it:

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" (v. 11).

And there it is: why so many in this world end up in eternal darkness, after foolishly rejecting conscience and discipline: because they want only pleasure and no pain and therefore dedicate their life here on earth to seeking such and enjoying a brief time of pleasure, like new shoots that spring up from the ground. They therefore reject the discipline through which conscience works and thus, ironically, reap a harvest of never-ending pain.

"You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines, though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain" (Is. 17:10,11).

The pain of hell is everlasting and incurable. The pain we occasionally endure here on earth is temporary and is meant to discipline us and mature us--if we would but submit to this loving discipline of our heavenly Father.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (Js. 1:2-4).

The quality of lacking again surfaces here in Scripture. Whether it be a lack of conscience, due to its searing by giving in to the seducing call of hell's wisdom, or lack of knowledge, wisdom, discipline or any other godly quality, when one purposely walks away from God's provision for all we need to avoid evil, evil is sure to come. A lack of will to pursue good inevitably results in evil. Or, as Edmund Burke once said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." And nothing is precisely what so many desire to do in life. They want a life of ease and comfort, with no effort required of them, especially with regards to anything spiritual.

But anything worthwhile carries a price with it, and the more something is worth, the more it costs one to obtain it. Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a great pearl hidden in a field (Mt. 13:45,46), for which the wise person gladly gives up all he has to obtain it. He also said that anyone who wants to follow him must give up all that he has, even his own life and soul:

"If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple" (Lk. 14:26).

The apostle Paul knew this truth, for he said that all else in life, however much he valued it, had come to be worthless to him compared to the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ.

"I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Ph. 3:8).

So we have these two main goals in life that people pursue: pleasure for self and denial of self in order to gain Christ. Paul says with tears:

"Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things" (3:18,19).

To have one's mind on earthly things is actually a form of conceit, for whatever one focuses on reveals the heart. A focus on things of this life, especially self, reveals a lack of respect and valuing the things of God. It puts self first, above God. There is no greater conceit. Examples of this abound in our world.

Science is one area of the conceit of man. Science has indeed given us much to be thankful for, but it has been raised to the status of a god for many in this world. A famous astronomer has said that the universe is all there ever was, is, and ever will be. This similar to the Bible's description of God (Rev. 1:8), thus making out the physical creation to be its own creator, God. Such conceit is appalling.

"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen" (Rom. 1:25).

Another example is found in government. Government is looked to by vast masses of people to provide for them in all areas of life. Government also has become an idol or false god for many.

Other examples can be given, such as trust in military might (Russia, China, and the U.S.A. come to mind), trust in education to solve the world's problems, and, of course, the many false religions of the world. All these things and more show the conceit of man as things he trusts in to save him from himself. It is conceit because it looks to man to solve his problems, thinking that there is no need to call upon a god other than himself. Such conceit is rightly condemned soundly in Scripture:

"The evil conceits of their minds know no limits" (Ps. 73:7).

"For the fool speaks folly, his mind is busy with evil: He practices ungodliness and spreads error concerning the Lord; the hungry he leaves empty and from the thirsty he withholds water. The scoundrel's methods are wicked, he makes up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just. But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands" (Is. 32:6-8).

So here we are back to the beginning, with Scripture again contrasting the two approaches to wisdom and to how one thinks. Back to the beginning of conceit as a stumbling block to obtaining true wisdom. In the end, we find that it all distills down to the one cardinal principle that was stated at the beginning.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and discipline.