"I want you to be wise to what is
good and innocent to what is evil."
(Romans 16:19b)
It may be my post 50 slanted perspective
on life, or possibly because I work at an institution of higher learning,
however it seems to me that innocence has become a negative characteristic if
you are past the age of seven. Somehow innocence is equated with “narrow-mindedness,
naiveté or even anti-intellectualism. I can't tell you how many times I have
felt the awkwardness of having not seen, read, or even heard about some internet
discussion or phenomena! I am not sure what happens, but some inner high
schooler comes out in me when I am not in the know.
Webster’s Dictionary gives us three uses
of the noun "innocence." They are "a: the state of being
not guilty of a crime or other wrong act, b: lack of experience with the world
and with bad things that happen in life, and c: lack of knowledge about
something." My concern here is not with definition "a"
but rather confusion Christians may have over definitions "b" and
"c"[1].
I am totally convinced that people are to be lifelong students.
After all I am a pastor and a professor! Knowledge is good and we
live in age were information is more readily available than ever before.
Read! Learn! Study!
Nevertheless, as we take our long swims in
the deep warm waters of the internet it is important to do so with a sober
understanding that not all knowledge is helpful or beneficial. In other
words, it is a not a negative characteristic to have a
level of innocence past the age seven. Though I am a recovering legalist,
my intent is not to bash the internet or the times we live in. I happen
to believe this an exciting period to be alive. This is simply a
challenge to invest your mental time wisely. It is a reminder that it is actually healthy
to be innocent in regard to much of the information that is readily available and
specifically "what is evil."
Why don't we ask the God of all grace to build in us a passion for
all that is good and revulsion to the evil that we all experience? You
see Paul's challenge in Romans 16:19 is not only a contrast between
"good" and "evil" but a distinction between simply knowing
about "evil" and the understanding a "good" that comes
through experience. In other words through "tasting and seeing
that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8).
Think about this for a minute.
People who are "wise to what is good" are those who have
been impacted by the Gospel. They have experienced the goodness of God in
ways that are beyond explanation. They bask in the comfort of His grace.
Being "wise to what is good" then not only brings
comfort to our troubled souls, but enables and empowers us to be agents of good
to those with whom we live, work and play. On the other hand "what is evil” tends
to exhaust, discourage, and often incapacitate us.
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