Taking Advice from Unbelievers

Proverbs 12:15 says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice." 

It's clear in the Bible that taking advice is important. As we grow in wisdom, we begin to understand just how foolish we actually are, and a proper response to that is to seek wisdom from others. 

And while this is good and right and Biblical to do, it opens up a tricky can of worms for a Christian living in a secular world: should we take advice from unbelievers? 

It's one of the most relevant questions we can ask, I think. We're surrounded by people who want to give us advice—and who we genuinely love and care for—but who don't believe in the truth of God's word, and it's hard to know how much weight to give to their ideas. 

Fortunately, the Bible gives us some insight. So let's take a look at what the Bible says about taking advice from non-Christians. 

 

First of all, we should recognize that not everything unbelievers say is false. 

This should go without saying, but it's still good to remember not to take an extreme view. General revelation is a reality, and it's led many believers and unbelievers alike to understand more about God.

In Romans 1:20, Paul writes: "For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."

All people have access to some knowledge about God. When we look at a starry sky we see his power, and when we think, we use the logical brains that he has created for us, and we behave rationally. And we all have a conscience. 

This is enough to condemn us. We all should know certain things about God, but we don't act like it. And that's sin. 

Many ancient writers looked at the world and saw the truth, though. Greek philosophy bears echoes of the divine, in Plato's Forms and Aristotle's praise of beauty. Stoicism and Cynicism show us the importance of virtue and self-control. And they were coming from a completely secular world—Christianity wasn't even a thing yet, and the Greeks did not care about Israel. 

Paul even quotes from some of these Greek poets when he's evangelizing in Athens: "for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’'" (Acts 17:28.)

If Paul—a converted Pharisee who knew the Scriptures forwards, backwards, and sideways—recognized that the Greek poets were on to something, we need to pay attention. 

And that's just philosophy. What about other, more mundane things like budgeting, or public speaking, or study habits? These are all things that non-Christians are experts on, and it just doesn't make sense to immediately discount any learning that doesn't come directly from a Christian source. 

But what if the subject is more important than that? Then it gets tricky. 

Mental health. Politics. Ethics, social justice. Who do we listen to? 

 

In 1 Kings 12, we read the story of King Solomon's son, Rehoboam. 

Solomon was famous for his wisdom during his rule. People traveled for hundreds of miles to see him and talk to him—and though he had some pretty big issues, he set the bar high for his son. 

When Rehoboam had just become king, the people came to him with a request. Solomon had given them a heavy workload, and they wanted it lifted. And now the new king had a decision to make. 

So what did he do? He got advice. (Which is good.)

He talked to his father's counselors—note that even Solomon had counselors—and asked them what to do. They told him to comply with the people's demands, so that they would love him and his reign would be stable. 

And then, armed with that good advice, what did Rehoboam do? He went to his friends. 

And they told him the opposite. "Don't make it easy on the people," they said. "Tell them that you're going to make it even harder. They must fear you."

And Rehoboam took the advice of some hotheaded young people instead of the wise old counselors who knew what they were talking about. 

And as a consequence, a civil war broke out, and the kingdom of Israel split. 

The story of Rehoboam shows us how grave the consequences can be if you listen to the wrong people. Taking no advice is bad—but taking the wrong advice might even be worse. 

How does this play out in our lives? We don't rule kingdoms. 

There's a sort of osmosis that happens when we're surrounded by the world, if we aren't careful. Gradually, we get used to the things that our unbelieving friends say, and since we like them, we agree when we can. 

And ever so slowly, we become conformed to this world. One baby step at a time. 

This isn't just fearmongering. I've noticed this happening in my own life, and it's so easy to fall into. 

"Do not be deceived," Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 15:33. "Bad company ruins good morals." 

Advice is necessary. But it is so, so dangerous when it begins to lead us to compromise.

 

So what can we conclude?

Don't immediately discount things that non-Christians say, but be very, very careful. Always go to the Bible, and if you can, take your advice from people who both know what they're talking about and know the revealed truth of God's word. 

Pastors, spiritual mentors, and trusted Christian friends are great resources. If you're young, then don't only get your advice from your friends—they're young too, and probably aren't as wise as we'd all like to be. 

We need to get our counsel from people who we know are wise. And Proverbs 1:7 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.