”Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.“
I have often spoken of Charles Templeton, a minister who started Youth for Christ with the late Billy Graham. Charles was a powerful evangelist that sat thousands in meetings, and his faith began to dwindle when he began to question the legitimacy of the scriptures, especially the Old Testament. He enrolled into Princeton Seminary after his fellow Billy had pleaded with him to seek God first and get His opinion.
Throughout his time at Princeton, the more he seemed to study God the more he believed less. By the time he finished his studies, he had become agnostic, and by the end of his life he was atheist and wrote the most tragic book in the history of Christian literature titled ‘Farewell to God’.
In our theme scripture, Paul talks about an innocence of babies concerning evil, and a maturity concerning things divine. The problem was not attending a theological seminary, but when you are looking for finite sources to explain an omnipotent and omnipresent, infinite and eternal God — you ought to have the wisdom to know when to stop, and recognize your finite existence and resources for what they are.
Above that, you ought to be strong in your faith, and have a resolute confidence that God is not just your friend but also your Lord, and in that capacity will reveal what He must and not do so what he must not. Understand those boundaries is also a form of maturity in its kind. Praise God.
Prayer: Father, I thank you for this word. As the psalmist says, I don’t concern my self with matters too great for my understanding. I know I have an unction from on high, and know all things according to what you have deemed sufficient for me to know. Far be it from me, that pride may lead me to seek hidden wisdoms outside of the wisdom and power of God in Christ Jesus, for your glory. Amen!
CI.
