Don’t Dismiss the Simple Answer

During COVID, I read a number of business and professional development books for my work. Some were useless, some where somewhat helpful, and others were excellent. The quote I want to analyze today is from “Tools of Titans” by Timothy Ferriss. I don’t recommend Christians run out and buy this book. But it had a few helpful takeaways, one of which I want to present to you today on the subject of looking for the simple answer.

“Tools of Titans” is essentially a book of interviews. The author interviewed people from every type of industry to get their thoughts on life and work. In one chapter, a quote stuck out to me that I still continue to think about after I finished the book:

Be sure to look for simple solutions. If the answer isn’t simple, it’s probably not the right answer.

Tools of Titans, Tim Ferriss

What the quote means

Complicated does not mean better

I am an over-thinker. When I have a problem, I want to go through every possible cause and effect and analyze each detail of the problem and potential solutions. This quote was a helpful reminder that I should look for the simple answer to my problem rather than something convoluted and complex.

This quote is essentially a re-statement of “Occam’s razor” which, in the scientific community where I work, means you generally choose the simplest explanation for a phenomena. Now, that does not mean the world is not complex or that sometimes a more complicated solution is necessary. It simply means a simple answer is normally easier to understand and test. This is because the simpler a solution is, the less assumptions you generally have to make.

The point here is in a complicated, dynamic world, a simple answer should generally be preferred over a complicated answer. As an over-arching principle, I think this is helpful even if sometimes you need to embrace complexity in certain situations.

Don’t make things complex for their own sake. Simplicity makes things clearer.

Why it is important

Seeking the simple answer can bring clarity to your life

More than ever, you and I live in a world of decisions. When you go to the grocery store, there is not one brand of cereal; there are 10 brands to choose from. You are told from a young age to live your dreams and be true to yourself, yet half the time you aren’t even sure what you want or what you want to do with your life. In an era of maddening choice, the simple answer can bring clarity.

And Scripture is full of simple answers. The Bible is complex, yes, incredibly detailed and profound. However, a lot of “life’s big problems” are given surprisingly simple answers in Scripture. Here are a few examples:

• How can a person be saved? “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Simple belief in Jesus changes a soul’s eternal destiny.
• What does the Lord require of me? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Simply loving the Lord and loving others are the two main principles revealed in the whole Old Testament.
• How do I deal with all the fear and anxiety I struggle with? “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” The simple antidote to anxiety is prayer and thankfulness to the Lord.

And those are just a few off the top of my head. Scripture answers some of life’s tough problems and choices with a “simple answer.” Notice, simple does not mean easy to live out or easy to believe as true. But there is a refreshing clarity with which Scripture speaks on these issues. Just look at the book of Proverbs: in single sentences God communicates life principles to live by. They are simple, memorable, and proven throughout history.

Takeaways

1. When Scripture gives a simple answer, prefer it over the wisdom of the world

Scripture is often mocked by unbelievers in light of the complexity of the world. How can you believe repentance and faith in Jesus can make a difference in this world full of suffering? How can the gospel be the answer to all of humanity’s many complicated and multi-faceted problems? Why do Christians constantly give the answer “trust and wait on the Lord” to so many life circumstances?

People often resist the simple answers of Scripture because they are humbling. Most people (including myself) love being the “problem solver.” The person who through their great intellect and will makes the world a better place. But the Bible offers a humbling and pride-crushing worldview: humans are so completely in love with their own sin and rebellion that it took God Himself stepping into time and dying in order to save us. God brings salvation. Salvation is of the Lord. Not of man.

The answer the gospel gives to humanity’s problem is “look to Christ and live.” It isn’t try harder, be better, or work your way into a better future. The wisdom of the world would have you spend your whole life on these things. Thankfully, when Scripture speaks about life in this world, it speaks with a simple clarity that runs to one person: Jesus. He is the answer. So, when asked to make the choice between the different convoluted and contradictory solutions the world give to the problem, run instead to the simple clarity of Scripture.

2. Giving simple answers to other Christian’s problems might be the best thing for them.

In the “Tools of Titans” section this quote is taken from, there is a helpful example of the simple answer being the right one. How do you stay healthy and fit? As a kid, your probably got an answer like “eat your green vegetables.” A simple answer. Maybe as you grow up, instead of accepting this answer, you try out half a dozen diets and eating fads. Then it hits you: the simple answer your mom gave you as a kid was probably the right one all along (or at least a good summary of all the different diets).

Now, how do you apply this principle to your interactions with other Christians? After listening to another believer’s problem or struggle, take them back to the simple commands and promises of Scripture. The Bible has actual answers to our difficulties. And in God’s wisdom, these answers are generally direct and easy to understand. In our flesh, however, we often resist the answers God gives or question if God’s answer is the best one to give.

• If someone shares with you their struggle with anxiety, isn’t it trite to say “be anxious for nothing?”
• When someone is struggling with not having a spouse, is it helpful to remind them “godliness with contentment is great gain?”
• Love your enemies? Aspire to live a simple and godly life? Pursue holiness? How can all these be the answers to our complicated life circumstances?

The problem is not with the simple commands and promises of Scripture. It is our own sinfulness and lack of faith which makes them seem insufficient.

God has given His people everything they need for life and godliness. That is a simple truth from 2 Peter. The question is, like all of Scripture, do you actually believe and trust the simple truths God has given you in His word? And if you trust them at a personal level, will you share those truths with other believers? Don’t be ashamed to give simple answers to other people’s struggles if those answers are from Scripture. Of course, you should be thoughtful and careful and loving in how you communicate Biblical truths. But if the answer God gives really is simple, don’t over-complicate things.

3. “What does God want me to do with my life?” probably has a simple answer.

The Christian University I attended for college often communicated to it’s students something like “go out, do big things for Jesus, and change the world.” It sounds good and inspiring, but the first question which comes to mind is “how?” No answer was given, and if students came up with their own answer, it often involved either making a lot of money, getting some level of fame, or dropping everything and going overseas for missions.

There are certain seasons of life, like post-college, where the question of “what should I do with my life?” becomes a constant one in your mind. And for good reason: no Christian should want to waste their life or make bad use of the time God has given them. But here is the reality: you don’t need some complicated plan to glorify God with your life. The simple answer to “what does God want me to do with my life?” is day-by-day faithfulness. You can become frozen trying to decide what you want to do until you accept the simple answer Scripture gives: “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

A lot of your problems in life come from not accepting, trusting, and living out the simple truths, promises, and commands of Scripture.

God’s word speaks clearly in our complicated world. It brings a singleness of purpose which nothing else in the world can give. If the simple answer is the right answer, seek those simple answers from Scripture. Don’t dismiss them. Your own convoluted understanding of life and events will probably end up leading you astray. God’s word, on the other hand, is a “lamp unto your feet, and a light unto your path.”

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