My dear readers,

Christians are Givers of Life

Proverbs 16:22: “Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.”

The Bible begins with the tree of Life in the Garden of Eden and ends with the Tree of Life in the midst of the street of the eternal capital city, New Jerusalem. The former was lost when man fell into sin. It was destroyed in the global flood sent by God to destroy the world in the days of Noah. The latter will exist forever, as a reminder to the glorified children of God of their eternal life wherein every month it will bring forth a new fruit.

In this present world, God’s children are reminded that where there is life there is death! Diseases, natural disasters, aging, fighting and killing are all daily reminders of the inevitability of death. Certain death is man’s last and most potent enemy. There is nothing man can do when death visits. Man thinks that he is the captain of his own destiny by proposing euthanasia, or “medically assisted death” as it is now called. When sinful man is foolish enough to opt for a medically assisted death, he falls into the snare of the god of this world. At death, he will find himself justly cast into hell for his many iniquities committed against his God. He will then have to admit, and no longer dare to challenge, that he has deservedly been cast into such a dark and tormenting fiery end.

Yet in the midst of this seemingly hopeless world, God’s children know that there is life eternal available to all. It is seen in the lives of all who are born again in Christ, who are the holy children of God. They are the ones described by God here in Proverbs 16:22, “understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it …” The literal translation of the whole verse is: “A wellspring of life is understanding to its owner but the instruction of fools is foolishness.” The emphasis is that the one who possesses this “understanding” is a walking source of life.

This “understanding” is an understanding from above, i.e. heaven. It is not the understanding of the arts and sciences of this earth that will soon pass away. A man with this earthly understanding cannot give life that is beyond this life. He can enhance the life of a person on earth, e.g. in terms of more comforts through better homes with proper sanitation or helping man read and learn about man’s history and the richness of past and present cultures. His life is “enriched” in an earthly sense but in the end he will die. This heavenly understanding of Proverbs 16:22 is powerful and greater than death. Death cannot destroy the life found in this understanding. Death bows to this life and has absolutely no control of this life. It is life eternal that destroys the power of death.

This understanding begins with the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Lord and Saviour of the world. Once the sinner is saved from his sins through Christ, he becomes a new creature in Christ. His carnal mind is now cleansed and sanctified, for he has been given the mind of Christ. This allows him to understand the revelations of God, from God’s creation to God’s holy and perfect Word of Life. This understanding is his forever. He will never lose it. It cannot be taken from him, not even by death. To lose this understanding is the same as losing his salvation in Christ which is not possible at all.

All Christians own this understanding and they are “a wellspring of life.” All Christians are wellsprings of life to both believers and sinners. What does it mean to be “a wellspring of life”? All Christians experience eternal life in Christ the moment they receive Jesus Christ into their hearts. They are baptised with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who helps them live a holy life and to share the gospel with sinners. By their holy witness they show people that they are holy children of God living for Christ on earth. Through this holy witness for Christ, they are sharing the gospel, and sinners will be saved by God's grace. In this manner, believers are said to be wellsprings of life. They have the gospel of Christ in them like a well that continues to give forth life-giving water in the wilderness. Wherever they go, they lead sinners to Christ.

Christians are also wellsprings of life to fellow believers as they provoke one another unto love and good works. They help believers through their service unto the Lord such as the preaching and teaching of God’s Word and other ministries including mutual admonishments to grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Where the Word of God is preached and taught, and godly counsels are given, and believers become better witnesses for Christ, they help one another in their spiritual life. As wellsprings of life, they build up the faith of other believers to better fight the good fight of faith.

This is contrasted against the instruction of fools that bring forth foolishness! The instruction of fools includes all the earthly teachings of man and in particular their wrong teaching of God's holy Word. Those who believe in these falsehoods will die in their sin. Those who reject Christ and His Word will die in their sins and be cast into hell and ultimately the Lake of Fire. The brilliant earthly knowledge of these fools is useless on the day of judgment before the Lord Jesus Christ when they stand before him as condemned sinners. They have no mediator to advocate on their behalf. They lived in foolishness, forgetting that naked they came into this world and naked will they leave this world. They have been fooled by the devil into thinking that they ought to measure this earthly life by the abundance of what they possess. They will be so distracted that they will not care for their souls and will foolishly believe that they can profit if they gain the whole world and lose their souls! Is this not foolishness?

The false teachers of God’s Word are the worst. They teach the Word of God wrongly, turning the Word of Life into the Word of Death. They deceive sinners into thinking that they have life eternal when they are still living in their sins. 2 Peter 2:1-3: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”

This is a case of the blind following the blind. This foolishness is most rampant in these final last days before the Lord’s soon return. These are wells without water. It is better that sinners have not been given their gospel than to be deceived by the false gospel of these false teachers. 2 Peter 2:17-22: “These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”

The judgment of God awaits these daring fools!

Is your life “a wellspring of life” to those around you OR the life of a fool where earthly things are all that matters? May God be merciful to help us search our hearts to know if we are wise or fools. Amen.