In a world overflowing with information, it’s startling how rare common sense has become. We live in an era where feelings eclipse facts, and identity is chosen like an outfit—where reality itself is up for debate.

 

How did we get here? How did we lose something so essential, so stabilizing, as common sense?

 

The Biblical Blueprint

 

Scripture gives us the answer:

 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

(Proverbs 9:10)

 

That’s more than poetic language—it’s the foundation of sanity and sound thinking. Dennis Prager, in his commentary on the Scriptures, identifies this as the essence of common sense. Wisdom doesn’t come from academic degrees or life hacks—it begins with reverence.

 

Common sense is, in essence, wisdom in motion—the ability to apply truth rightly in daily life. And when that truth is no longer rooted in the fear of God, even the brightest minds can lose their way.

 

Leadership and the Loss of Fear

 

In Exodus 18:21, when Moses appointed leaders in Israel, the first requirement wasn’t intelligence or popularity—it was the fear of God:

 

“Select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain.”

 

The blueprint for good governance began with moral clarity. Without reverence for God, leaders are guided by self-interest, not service. When that reverence disappears from public life, foolishness becomes institutional.

 

When Man Becomes the Measure

 

Today’s secular progressive ideology doesn’t merely sideline God—it replaces Him with man. Truth becomes subjective, identity becomes fluid, and morality becomes negotiable.

 

That’s how society ends up affirming dozens of genders. That’s how someone dressed in a fur costume can be validated as expressing their “true self.” It’s not the absence of intelligence—it’s the absence of reverence. Without the fear of God, common sense has no anchor.

 

The Apostle Paul foresaw this in Romans 1:21:

 

“Although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

 

In other words, rejecting God leads not just to moral decay, but to intellectual confusion.

 

Wisdom That Begins in Worship

 

We must recover what we’ve lost: the link between truth and transcendence. Common sense is not merely practical—it’s spiritual. It grows where humility before God is cultivated. And it cannot survive in a world where man is idolized and God is ignored.

 

The way forward? It’s ancient and timeless:

 

“Choose out from among you able men, such as fear God.”

(Exodus 18:21)

 

When we recover the fear of the Lord, we recover wisdom. When we honor truth over trend, we recover stability. And when we place God back in His rightful place, common sense comes home.

 

Because at the heart of common sense… is uncommon reverence.

 

 

Damiano B. Centola is an author, student of the Bible, and cultural commentator passionate about awakening spiritual clarity in a confused age. His latest books God’s Sovereignty: Exploring the Divine Rule Over Creation, History, and Eternity and Divine Encounters: Unveiling the Depth And Power of God’s Names themes of divine sovereignty, moral courage, and the pursuit of truth in turbulent times. Follow me on Instagram @centoladamiano and Facebook @centoladamiano

 

 

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