Psalm 19:7 English Standard Version (ESV) The law of the Lord is perfect,[blameless] reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The comment yesterday about loving God not being simple led to a study of the word simple. It is complicated. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word pethi was meant to be used in a positive sense. Its origins indicate that we are to be open. Its common understanding is to be open minded, to listen to reason. Who we listen to in reasoning may determine whether this is good for our souls or leads to abuses.
Isaiah 1:18 English Standard Version (ESV) “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Reasoning with the Lord leads to salvation. Reasoning with anyone who is not of the Lord will lead to abuses.
Romans 16:17-19 English Standard Version
Final Instructions and Greetings
17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.
The word simple only appears in the KJV once in the NT and not at all in the ESV. The ESV translates simple as naïve. While simple is simple, naïve tends to be a little more complicated because it involves a lack of experience and/or knowledge. The use of naïve brings an accusation against the reader as to what they believe and what they have done.