Silencing Foolish Men

by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

"For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men." (1 Peter 2:15)

The blasphemous diatribes of modern evolutionary humanists against the Word of God and the testimony of His people are really nothing but arrogant foolishness. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" (Romans 1:22) and "the LORD shall have them in derision" (Psalm 2:4). The biblical way to "silence the ignorance of foolish men" as our text says is simply by "well doing." This word (also translated "do well") is used almost exclusively by Peter, but he makes the point quite effectively.

Note the following, for example: "if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God" (1 Peter 2:20). "For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing" (1 Peter 3:17). "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator" (1 Peter 4:19).

Our example in this, of course, is none other than Christ Himself, "who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously" (1 Peter 2:23). Unbelievers--if they want to badly enough--can reject every argument with some other objection or counter claim, but they have no way to gainsay a godly, law-abiding, righteous, loving life. The unbeliever may ridicule such a life for a time, but he must eventually come to see its sure foundation. "Whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:12).  The main reason for "well doing," however, is simply that as our text says, "it is the will of God," and we can safely leave the response and the results to Him. HMM

This article was originally published September, 2010. "Silencing Foolish Men", Institute for Creation Research, https://www.icr.org/article/silencing-foolish-men (accessed April 18, 2024).