For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing. Acts 17:21
In addition to a set number of gears, motor vehicles have a neutral position which allows the engine to turn over while the wheels remain still. The human mind was not designed to idle in neutral, even if it can be hacked by engaging in occult practices such as meditation. Our Creator placed the desire to roam in our minds that we might grow in grace, and advance in truth and virtue as the wise man declared: ‘The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge’. But the sinner abuses this noble endowment by seeking out unhealthful and perverse food for thought: ‘the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness’ (Proverbs 15:14).
The loiterers Paul encountered at Athens are declared to have ‘spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing’. While there were genuine seekers of truth among them, the greater number were motivated by nothing more than an inordinate desire for novelty. Long before the days of Paul, Greek philosophers had engaged in speculations about spherical worlds and atoms, theories that have set the minds of billions upon a wild goose chase which will continue until the day of the Lord.
Christians are not immune from the insatiable desire for novelty that drove these ancient philosophers. The enemy has authored numerous volumes of foolishness geared to engross the minds of the professed believer, as is seen in apocryphal books such as Enoch.
Moreover, if we are motivated by anything apart from the desire to arrive at truth, the vain desire ‘to tell, or to hear some new thing’ may even become our motivation for studying the Scriptures. While we are instructed to bring ‘things new and old’ from the Word (Matthew 13:52), there is no justification for reinventing the wheel by discarding the obvious rendering of Scripture, or entering into controversy over established truth for the sake of debate. New light will not contradict old light, and is known for bringing clarity rather than confusion. In His many sermons and lessons, Jesus demonstrated that genuine truth, while deep, is also simple to understand. As were His, our teachings are to be divested of theological exhibition, and easily recognisable by all walks of life.
Christopher Sparks