Jesus taught us in Matt 10:16 to be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves when we are sent into the world.
This is a healthy tension, or rather, balance.
If we only have one without the other, we will fall into the extreme.
For example, if we are only innocent as doves, we will become sheeple, gullible and naive. We will say things like, "Judge not, or you will be judged." It's taken out of context by so many Christians. In fact, the Bible has so many passages that tell us to JUDGE.
A dove without a serpent becomes one who FAILS to judge. Ignorance is not bliss. It is naive.
So many pray for the leadership but use self-persuaded thoughts (thinking that it is Holy and Christian-ly) to claim that we have good leadership. That's innocence without wisdom.
It is right to pray. But it is wrong not to call out truths.
God is the Judge. We are called to imitate Him (Eph 5:1) as His children.
On the other hand, if we are only shrewd as serpents, we will become manipulative and self-serving. We will act corrupted with impure motives.
Henceforth, Jesus needed us to have both in order to strike a balance:
Dove: Pure motives ------ our heart before God
Serpent: Sharp mind ------ our mind before the world
When we stand before God, our heart conscience must be clear.
When we stand before men, our mind must be sharp and wise.
Our 'inward' must be like doves.
Our 'outward' must be like serpents.
This is how we deal with the world and judge with righteous judgements (John 7:24).
Christians are called to judge the world (1 Cor 6:2), but we must first judge ourselves (Matt 7:5).
The world has been very shrewd but without the innocence of the doves.
The church has been very innocent but without the shrewdness of the serpents.
The Kingdom of God must have both the innocence of the doves and the shrewdness of the serpents.
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