Old Testament
Proverbs 14:15-18
15 A simple man believes everything, but the prudent man carefully considers his ways.
16 A wise man fears and shuns evil, but the fool is hot headed and reckless.
17 He who is quick to become angry will commit folly, and a crafty man is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
New Testament
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22
19 Don’t quench the Spirit.
20 Don’t despise prophecies.
21 Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good.
22 Abstain from every form of evil.
Proverbs is impatient with naivety: the simple believe everything, while the prudent give thought to their steps. That is not cynicism. It is a call to steadiness, to the patient refusal to be carried along by the loudest voice or the most flattering story.
Paul’s counsel in Thessalonica is surprisingly similar: do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophecy, but test everything and hold fast to what is good. Truth-seeking is not a cold hobby. It is a spiritual discipline. It requires receptivity and restraint, openness and discernment. Discernment, too, is a form of neighbour-love.
In classrooms, lecture theatres, and libraries, many people are trying to work out what is real, what is reliable, and what is worth giving a life to. As heirs of the King and subjects under his mercy, we refuse both gullibility and contempt. We pray for scholars and students to love truth and to practise intellectual honesty. And we remember that errors are not abstractions: they affect neighbours. How would we want a person treated if they were beside us at the Lord’s Table, confused, misled, or ashamed? Teach us to correct with gentleness, to listen without flattery, and to keep hold of what is good.