Three Types of People | Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.

Introduction
The Holy Bible says that there are three different types of people in the world:

The Simple: We all start life as a simple person. When we are born we do not know how to communicate except by crying or laughing. If a baby is to survive the baby will need to be taken care of for several years until the child learns how to do the most basic tasks, such as how to feed himself, how to put on clothes, how to take a bath, and how to use the toilet in the proper place. As the child ages and begins to learn things most children will mature into one of the following two types of people. (Unfortunately, a few children will gradually grow into an adult body but their intellectual skills will never match their age and they will always be "simple minded.")
The Fool: A fool makes the intellectual choice to believe concepts based on how those concepts align with how the fool wants to live his life. A fool does not care if something is true or false. A fool will only believe things that are in agreement with what the fool has decided he wants to believe and which allow the fool to behave in a manner that is pleasing to the fool. In many situations the fool knows that something is a complete lie but the fool accepts it as being something to guide his life decisions. And the fool will repeat the lie to others in order to justify his actions and to trick simple minded people into believing the lie. A fool may be rich, or he may have an average income, or he may be extremely poor. A fool may be an intellectual genius, or he may have average intelligence, or he may have below average intelligence. The primary thing that distinguishes a fool is his intentional disregard for things that he knows are true and for his intentional acceptance of a way of life that he knows is dishonest and that is based on deceit.
The Wise: A wise person carefully evaluates all the information that he can acquire before he makes a decision on what to believe. A wise person builds his life and his character on the truth. A wise person will not be swayed by lies, or by bribes, or by the promise of great wealth. A wise person may be rich, or he may have an average income, or he may be extremely poor. A wise person may be an intellectual genius, or he may have average intelligence, or he may have below average intelligence. The primary thing that distinguishes a wise person is his ability to separate the truth from a lie. He builds his life and his character on the truth, and on being honest, and on having personal integrity.

Discussion
A simple person, a fool, and a wise person have the following in common:
They are born, and they live for awhile, but eventually they all die.

In order to avoid the reality of their future death, the simple person and the fool make the intellectual decision to believe that death is simply the end of life and that their is no "hereafter."

On the other hand, although a wise person cannot prove or disprove the existence of a "hereafter", a wise person is intellectually convinced that there is a "hereafter." This belief is based on his knowledge of the complexity of the universe, and on the complexity of the human body, and he knows that these things could not have simply happened by "accident." He knows that there must be an all-powerful God that created everything. And his belief in that God eventually draws him to the Holy Bible. And inside the Holy Bible he finds the ultimate truth. Therefore he bases his beliefs and his behavior on what the Holy Bible says. This is the distinguishing characteristic of a wise person in the eyes of God.

All of the following scripture quotations are from the New International Version of the Holy Bible.

Proverbs 14:15
15 A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.

Palms 14:1 and Psalm 53:1
1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

Psalm 19:7
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

Proverbs 9:10
10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

Proverbs 14:15
16 A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.

Ecclesiastes 10:2
2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.

Luke 12:16-21
16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.
17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
18 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
20 "But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

Hebrews 10:31
31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Matthew 25:31,34,41
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ...
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." ...
41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

Conclusion
There is nothing any of us can do about being born as a simple minded baby.

However, as we gradually grow older each one of us has the opportunity to follow in the way of the fool, or to follow in the way of the wise person.

After a person has been on the path of the fool for a very long time it is very hard for that person to abandon that path because the person has gradually begun to believe many of the things that he once knew were lies. And he has gradually convinced himself that it is okay for him to continue to tell lies whenever the lies benefit him in any way.

Proverbs 6:12-15
12 A scoundrel and villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers,
14 who plots evil with deceit in his heart -- he always stirs up dissension.
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed -- without remedy.

Proverbs 29:1
1 A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed -- without remedy.

However, as long as there is breath in our body it is never too late to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and to receive the mercy, forgiveness, and blessings of God.

Hebrews 9:27-28
27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

John 3:16
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Hebrews 10:17
17 Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."

I have never met a person who did not think that he or she was "wise" in his or her own eyes.

But it is not our own opinion of ourselves that matters.

God's evaluation of us is the only thing that will determine our eternal destiny.

Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?

May God Bless,
Grandpappy.

Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com

The Three Types of People

Introduction

Discussion

Conclusion