Romans 16:19
For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.
Being simple is not always a bad thing. God says that He would have us wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. The word simple means that you don't know anything about something. I like to put it this way; being simple is a blank sheet of paper. In other words, there is nothing written on your life’s sheet of blank paper when you are simple.
God says that He wants us to be wise concerning evil. What you know about something can become evil if it is used wrongly; therefore, the less I know about wrong, the better chance I have of never doing or using the wrong for hurt.
I grew up in a sheltered home. My parents sheltered me from learning things about the world that would harm my mind and life. Now, being sheltered did not mean that they isolated me from the world because they did not, but they did insulate me from things that would keep me from learning the language and lifestyles of the world. Just like my parents sheltered me from wrong, we need to shelter ourselves from certain things so that we can stay simple about evil. Let me share three areas where it is good to stay simple.
First, it is good to stay simple concerning sin. The less you know about sin, the better your chance of doing right. We are too interested in sin and its lifestyles when we should do everything we can to stay simple about it. It was the knowledge of evil that destroyed Adam and Eve, and it is the knowledge of evil that destroys God’s people. You can’t do wrong if you don't know the wrong. I won’t drink alcohol if I don't know about it and am never around it. The best way to keep yourself from becoming wise about sin is to never be around it so you can stay simple concerning it.
Second, it is good to stay simple concerning rumors about others. Too many people want to know about the sins of others, but the less you know about their sin, the more you can keep your mind right toward them. I don't need to know about what sin a person committed; I just need to know that God can restore them. Too many are doing the work of Satan and propagating the sin of someone and then camouflaging their evil by saying they want to clean up a movement. My friend, I am not interested in cleaning up a movement; I am interested in restoring the fallen. I have no movement to clean up because I am not a part of a movement; I am a member of a local church. The less you can know about the sins of others the better off you will be. Stay simple concerning the sins of others; don't investigate them because you need to keep your mind simple concerning evil.
Third, it is good to stay simple concerning compromise. You don't need to study false doctrine so that you know how to fight against it; you need to study truth. The best way to fight false doctrine is to practice truth. The more you know about false doctrine, the higher chance you have of compromise. We will never compromise if we stop getting to know those who have compromised. Those who have compromised are those who got to know the compromiser before they compromised. If you are simple concerning compromising ways and just practice and live truth, you will stay simple and avoid compromising.