Topical Bible: Man: Ignorant of What is Good for Him

◄ Man: Ignorant of What is Good for Him ►

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The concept of man's ignorance regarding what is truly good for him is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. This ignorance is often portrayed as a result of man's fallen nature and his tendency to rely on his own understanding rather than seeking divine wisdom.

Biblical Foundation

The Bible frequently highlights the limitations of human understanding and the folly of relying solely on one's own judgment. In Proverbs 14:12 , it is written, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." This verse underscores the idea that human perception of what is good can be fundamentally flawed, leading to destructive outcomes.

Similarly, in Jeremiah 10:23 , the prophet acknowledges human limitations: "I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps." This acknowledgment of man's inability to direct his own path without divine guidance further emphasizes the need for reliance on God to discern what is truly beneficial.

The Fall and Its Consequences

The narrative of the Fall in Genesis 3 illustrates the beginning of man's ignorance of what is good. Adam and Eve, deceived by the serpent, chose to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, seeking wisdom apart from God. This act of disobedience resulted in a distorted understanding of good and evil, leading to spiritual death and separation from God.

Romans 1:21-22 describes the consequences of this fallen state: "For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools." This passage highlights the futility and darkness that characterize human reasoning apart from God.

The Role of Divine Revelation

In light of man's ignorance, the Bible presents divine revelation as the ultimate source of wisdom and understanding. Psalm 119:105 declares, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Scripture is portrayed as the guiding light that illuminates the path of righteousness and reveals what is truly good for man.

James 1:5 offers a promise to those who seek divine wisdom: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." This invitation to seek wisdom from God underscores the necessity of divine guidance in overcoming human ignorance.

The Example of Christ

Jesus Christ serves as the ultimate example of living in accordance with what is truly good. In John 5:30 , Jesus states, "I can do nothing by Myself; I judge only as I hear. And My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." Christ's submission to the Father's will exemplifies perfect wisdom and understanding, providing a model for believers to follow.

Furthermore, in Matthew 6:33 , Jesus instructs, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." This directive emphasizes the priority of seeking God's kingdom and righteousness as the foundation for discerning what is truly good.

Conclusion

The Bible consistently portrays man as inherently limited in his understanding of what is good for him. This ignorance is a result of the Fall and is compounded by man's tendency to rely on his own judgment. However, through divine revelation and the example of Christ, believers are called to seek God's wisdom and guidance to discern what is truly beneficial.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ecclesiastes 10:2
A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Next Stage Occurs in the Creation of Man by the Eternal Word ...
... goodness of God having, therefore, provided man for the ... 2744] not as if He were ignorant
of the ... things good, plainly foreshowing how much good was preparing ...
/.../tertullian/the five books against marcion/chapter iv the next stage occurs.htm

Not Enough, as the Marcionites Pretend, that the Supreme God ...
... of arriving at the knowledge of God, or a good reason for it, when from the beginning
man was in the ... He was therefore either ignorant of the good reason for ...
/.../tertullian/the five books against marcion/chapter xvii not enough as the.htm

How Sin came In
... The story presupposes that primitive man was in a state ... moral perfection, and it
tells how that ignorant innocence came ... though as yet not 'knowing good and evil ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/how sin came in.htm

The Old Man and the New.
... We are ignorant of much that takes place in the ... Scripture teaches that the old man
is dead, condemned to ... Instead of expecting anything good of him, it should ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xii the old man and.htm

The Parables of the Importunate Widow, and of the Pharisee and the ...
... Now Christ is the man who tells us what is good, even the ... tribes and clans, and families
and houses, that no man could very well have been ignorant of his ...
/.../tertullian/the five books against marcion/chapter xxxvi the parables of the.htm

The Manner in which Man Conducted Himself for Fulfilling the First ...
... We are ignorant of the length of time in which man ... fruit of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. ... woman, (whom he considered weaker than the man, and who ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/disputation xxx the manner in.htm

Men are Possessed of Free Will, and Endowed with the Faculty of ...
... showing His own goodness, and indicating that man is in ... or, on the other hand, as
being ignorant that they ... necessity and compulsion to what is good, in which ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxxvii men are possessed of.htm

But Unbelievers Cry, "How Can the Flesh, which Has Been Putrified ...
... of honour, useful to the Lord, prepared for every good work; but ... But every man in
his own order. ... he says, "I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning ...
/.../42 but unbelievers cry how.htm

Christ the Arrester of Incipient Evil and the Nourisher of ...
... most abject, the most worthless, the most ignorant, the most ... Remember how, when a
man came to Him with a ... nor neglect the feeblest inclination of good after Him ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/christ the arrester of incipient.htm

Of the First Covenant Made with Man
... a great difference doth yet appear between a learned man and an ignorant rude person ...
this light, and make his will and affections wonderfully good "God made ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture xxi of the first.htm