One of the most advantageous functions of the Christian belief is that it tends to root out those beliefs that are added on to its core and do not fit with the inerrant Word of God. Scrutiny of fake Christian tenets is guided by a strict and infallible gradebook, and one way or another, false beliefs always fail the test against the Bible, against God.
Solomon relates this to us in Ecclesiastes 10:1-4, which my Bible most accurately entitles, “The Burden of Folly.” Verse 1 says, “Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil ferment and stink; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
A perfumer’s oil should smell good, pleasant; however, the presence of dead bugs would cause the perfume to react in quite an unpleasant manner. I’m no biologist or chemist, so my less than satisfactory scientific explanation of this verse will have to suffice, but when animals die and are broken down, they typically begin to stink. A perfume would most certainly go from pleasant to unpleasant in the smells department if it were to ferment thanks to the introduction of any organic material that could complete the process.
But since I’m no scientist, and that breakdown was certainly lackluster, here’s an explanation that we can all make sense of:
Foolishness is a dense weight on the scales of life. A visual explanation of folly’s load can be easily found in the riddle, “What weighs more: 100 pounds of bricks or 100 pounds of feathers?” The answer, of course, is that they each weigh the same, but the conundrum is in the number of feathers one must use to equal the bricks. To balance the scales with a single brick of folly, you must match it with 100 feathers of wisdom.
The effect of that riddle, however, is that it plays on the mind by seeming to equate to unequal objects, and we do much the same when it comes to our choices and decisions. The idea of one good decision being the equal of one bad decision is one that has been perpetuated through many cultures and religions since the first sin. It’s the whole idea behind karma, and it is even prominent in certain sects of Christianity. It’s the entire function behind the “good works” faith denominations. If you do enough good, you can outweigh your bad deeds and make it to Heaven.
Speaking of which, this verse does not, in any way, affirm that good works can get you to Heaven. Even ignoring the verses in the New Testament that clearly state you can be saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone, Solomon, I believe because God wrote this through him, is quite intentional with his word choice here in saying that “a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” Just the one sin is enough to outweigh all you good deeds.
With all that said, how does one spot a fake Christian belief? Well, by its stench, of course. A nonbiblical belief will stink beyond reason, even if it appears to be on the right path. By default, every other way will prove itself to be wrong at some point in its belief structure. That’s what Solomon says in verses 2-3.
“A wise man’s heart goes to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left. Even when the fool walks along the road, his heart lacks sense, and he shows everyone he is a fool.”
These verses are talking about people, but the idea behind the people applies to everything. A wise man walks the right path. If we equate the Bible with the “right path,” which it is anyway, the wise man follows the tenets of the Bible, and so too do wise ideas. Yet, a foolish man will not follow this path; he wanders aimlessly and, on occasion, stumbles across the road and travels along it for a bit before departing for the wilderness again. So, too, do foolish beliefs.
We can actually see this when we confront even something so broad among nonbelievers as simple morals and laws. To a nonbeliever, killing is, typically, just as wrong as it is to a believer. In this way, they’ve stumbled upon the path, but their reasoning for why killing is wrong will never hold up.
Once you jump down the rabbit hole of questions, there stands no good reason from an atheistic viewpoint that murder is wrong. No matter which way you take it, either no one had the power to decide that it was wrong, or it truly isn’t wrong. But down one path of questioning or the other, the belief has no foundation.
In terms of beliefs among Christians, the good works belief is the easiest demonstration because it can be dismantled with one question: If good works can get you to Heaven, why did Jesus have to sacrifice Himself for our sins? Because, really, if we were capable of paying for our burden ourselves, why would Jesus do it for us and then expect us to do it again by performing good deeds? He wouldn’t.
Metaphorically speaking, then, verse 4 tells us how to react when we spot beliefs that try to usurp God’s character and truth: “If the ruler’s anger rises against you, don’t leave your place, for calmness puts great offenses to rest.”
Being a follower of Christ is a great offense to some. They won’t be able to stand the fact that you believe in God. But the best thing to do is always to remain calm and stay down your path. Your best witness to those people is to always continue doing what you know is right. If you poking holes in the logic of their argument angers them, remember to treat them with love and kindness.
You don’t need to track down false beliefs or threats against the foundations of Christianity; they’ll weed themselves out by virtue of their own imperfections. In your own walk, remember to confront all teachings and beliefs with the Bible. If it doesn’t hold up to God’s Word, it’s not right, no matter what pastor, preacher, podcaster, YouTuber, blogger, or whoever tells you.