folly and delusion

Correct Discernment Requires Spiritual Formation

We often observe that when someone acts differently from the crowd, they are quickly labeled a fool. If someone is not chasing wealth, he is a fool. If he doesn’t sit in a pub and get drunk, he is a fool. If he refuses to commit the same sins as everyone else, he is a fool. If he goes to church, he is mocked. If he reads the Bible, he is ridiculed. We are quick to name-call such individuals—even though, from many other perspectives, they may be thoughtful, intelligent, and wise.

On the other hand, we witness people voting in obviously harmful ways or choosing clearly self-destructive lifestyles. We call them fools too. But we rarely recognize that most people err only in particular areas—not entirely. And we too continue in behaviors that others perceive as mistaken or even absurd.

So how do we explain this?

Calling everything folly might be our folly. There is something else that makes people take wrong decisions, and that is delusion. It is the blurred frontier between folly and delusion—between lack of knowledge and the pathetic insistence on wrong knowledge, regardless of obvious and demonstrable failures. Seeing that nominal Christianity is fruitless, and still insisting on following the old paths. We can be “out of tune,” and we need to be “tuned” in the right way. Happy is the person who, by the grace of God, realises that he is out of tune and begins searching for the right information and avenues to follow.

In simple and essential matters—such as right and wrong—we consider the Bible our guide. As the author of Proverbs 29:27 states: “An unjust man is an abomination to the just, and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.” However, the challenge begins for some in the so-called grey areas. Even then, the path can become clear when judged spiritually—that is, through the lens of the Bible’s eternal values.

We all know also that to truly understand someone, we must look beyond what they say. Words alone can be misleading. Understanding a person’s character requires more than analyzing their speech; it demands careful discernment of intentions, patterns, and context. The same principle applies to every area of life. But if we are to discern rightly, we must approach everything from a Biblical and spiritual perspective—anchored not in mere appearances, but in enduring truth.

True spiritual judgment requires more than opinion—it demands spiritual training and a deep understanding of the mind of Christ. As the Apostle Paul writes, “The spiritual man judges all things, yet he himself is judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:15–16).

When issues such as homosexuality are judged spiritually—through the revealed will of God and not cultural consensus—their moral clarity becomes evident. Likewise, with greater spiritual discernment and maturity, one begins to understand the world’s attitude toward the State of Israel not merely as a political stance, but as something deeply connected to spiritual realities.

Much of what seems purely human—decisions, ideologies, alliances—can only be properly interpreted when we perceive the spiritual dynamics behind them. This is why Christian anthropology, and the insights of the seminal Bible commentators and authors who have reflected deeply on human nature in light of divine revelation, remain indispensable. They help us read the world not just sociologically, but spiritually—through the lens of God’s purposes and the truth about the human person.

We often observe that when someone acts differently from the crowd, they are quickly labeled a fool. If someone is not chasing wealth, he is a fool. If he doesn’t sit in a pub and get drunk, he is a fool. If he refuses to commit the same sins as everyone else, he is a fool. If he goes to church, he is mocked. If he reads the Bible, he is ridiculed. We are quick to name-call such individuals—even though, from many other perspectives, they may be thoughtful, intelligent, and wise.

On the other hand, we witness people voting in obviously harmful ways or choosing clearly self-destructive lifestyles. We call them fools too. But we rarely recognize that most people err only in particular areas—not entirely. And we too continue in behaviors that others perceive as mistaken or even absurd.

So how do we explain this?

Calling everything folly might be our folly. There is something else that makes people take wrong decisions, and that is delusion. It is the blurred frontier between folly and delusion—between lack of knowledge and the pathetic insistence on wrong knowledge, regardless of obvious and demonstrable failures. Seeing that nominal Christianity is fruitless, and still insisting on following the old paths. We can be “out of tune,” and we need to be “tuned” in the right way. Happy is the person who, by the strong grace of God, realises that he is out of tune and begins searching for the right information and avenues to follow.

We may also call it delusion when we refuse to think critically for ourselves and instead rely entirely on the advice of spiritual leaders—whether priests or pastors. Accepting such counsel without spiritually pondering it means we have not entered into the long process of truly understanding God and seeing matters from His perspective.

This practice of reciprocal aversion is as old as history itself. As the author of Proverbs 29:27 states: “An unjust man is an abomination to the just, and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.” For believers, in simple and essential matters—such as right and wrong—we consider the Bible our guide. However, the challenge begins for some in the so-called grey areas. Even then, the path can become clear when judged spiritually—that is, through the lens of the Bible’s eternal values.

We all know also that to truly understand someone, we must look beyond what they say. Words alone can be misleading. Understanding a person’s character requires more than analyzing their speech; it demands careful discernment of intentions, patterns, and context. The same principle applies to every area of life. But if we are to discern rightly, we must approach everything from a Biblical and spiritual perspective—anchored not in mere appearances, but in enduring truth.