Introduction

Little children, on their own level, know right from wrong. We are born with an innate ability to know right from wrong morally. We call this guide our conscience and we are taught in Scripture to follow it. (Rom. 14:22-23.) As we grow older to the years of accountability before God, sin enters the picture. The dilemma is that as we grow in accountability our ability to properly see right from wrong can become blurred. This occurs because of sin in our lives. Sin affects the whole of our being, even our ability to discern good from evil.

There are several difficulties associated with right and wrong. We have already noted one of them; that is, sin distorts our world and confuses our minds. God said this about the consequence of the sin of Adam and Eve:

"Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life and live forever, therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken." (Gen. 3:22-23.) Man came to know good and evil, but this knowledge is very difficult for man to handle.

Man lives in a state of conflict. He is both good and evil. In the flesh man wants to be satisfied. The flesh desires and demands fulfillment. On the other hand, the spirit of man is after the likeness of God. We also want to do what is right. Paul wrote, "For the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. These are contrary the one to the other, so that you cannot do the things that you would." (Gal. 5:17.) The solution to this conflict is to put to death the lusts of the flesh and live after the Spirit. But this is not easily done and is an ongoing battle.

A second problem associated with good and evil is that there is a vast difference between knowing and doing. Man always knows more than he does. James wrote, "Therefore to him that knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin." (James 4:17.) Paul indicated the same problem personally in Romans 7:18-19. Paul said to will was present with him. He wanted to do the good, but he could not always find the power to do it. A writer once said this about man and the Bible: "There are more people who have a Bible than who read it. There are more who read it than who understand it. There are more who understand it than who follow it." (Sandmel.)

A third problem associated with right and wrong is stated by Solomon in the Proverbs. We are right in our own eyes. "There is a way that seem right unto a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:2, 16:25.) "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord ponders the hearts." (21:2.) "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that hearkens unto counsel is wise." (12:15.) We should always leave open the possibility, even as slight as it might be, that we are wrong about some things! Another way of stating what Solomon wrote is, To our own selves we are always right. Solomon added that a wise person will know this and listen to the counsel of others. We need outside help on properly discerning right and wrong.

A fourth problem is that the world says that the wrong is right and the right is wrong. The world teaches and promotes the opposite of what the Bible says. Remember that Adam and Eve faced that same problem. God said, If you eat of this tree, you shall surely die. Satan said, You will not die, but you will become like God. The Bible teaches that homo-sexuality, adultery, fornication are wrong. The world says, Not so! The world justifies abortion; it has no ethical standard for conducting business. It does not matter to the world if you cheat others and steal their life savings. Becoming rich is the goal of the world, not doing right. Our country is facing an almost total meltdown due to it embracing the wrong rather than the right. The world openly teaches the very opposite of what is true.

Isaiah wrote years ago, "Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" (Isa. 5:20.)

It should not surprise us that the world does not want to punish those who commit crimes. They want to release all the prisoners in jails (so said Clarence Darrow in a speech to prison officials), and abolish the death penalty. They do not want to punish evildoers because they basically do not believe that what they have done is evil. How can you punish them for it?

A fifth problem is that admittedly there are some gray areas. Every action is not clearly black or white, right or wrong. We can disagree over some matters. The Bible allows for the right of individual conscience. What I mean by "gray" is the following: some things are not clearly identified in Scripture as right or wrong, and some things are not as important or as weighty as others. In addition, one might see a matter as right and another as wrong.

Paul wrote, "I know and persuaded of the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself, but to him that esteems anything to be unclean, it is unclean." (Rom. 14:14.) Eating meats sacrificed to idols caused the early Christians much difficulty. It was a crisis of conscience. God did not see it as anything inherently right or wrong, but some Christians did. It did not bother Paul, but it bothered others. You may not have any problems at all with chewing tobacco, for example, but others may be troubled by it.

Some people want us to believe that every moral choice is gray. Arguments can be presented on both sides. It is neither right or wrong. It depends upon the situation. An absolute standard for all people every-where is denied. Such is not the case. Paul wrote that the works of the flesh are manifest; that is, they are clearly seen and known. (Gal. 5:19.) Those lists in the Bible are like a manifest on a ship. They tell what is on board. The biblical lists tell us what God counts as right and wrong.

I believe that there are some good solutions to the above problems. The difficulties do not totally go away, but there is a way to effectively deal with each of them. Christianity deals directly and openly with all these problems of right and wrong. It does not deal with them flippantly, but honestly. Some solutions that I would strongly urge are these.

Be honest about wanting to know and do the right. Some of the arguments that I hear about moral and ethical questions do not sound to be honest. The person making them seems to be trying to convince himself rather than others. No one can make progress in our confused world if one is not honest about knowing and doing right instead of wrong. Someone can commit murder and then try to rationalize and justify the deed. It is not uncommon for a pedophile to say that he sees nothing wrong with his deeds. Remember that every way of a man is right in his own eyes. We must be honest with ourselves or we cannot be honest with God and others. There is a danger in this self-dishonesty. It is that we can become blinded to what is right. God might give up on us and turn us over to evil so that we cannot see clearly the right any more. (Romans 1.)

Do not reject the standard of right and wrong. For everything in life there must be a standard---for measurements of weight, distance, and volume. Can you imagine the difficulty if no such standards existed? The basic elements of life are guided by rules. If the rules are rejected, we are without a compass and guide.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105.) "The statues of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." (Psalm 19:8.) "As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby." (1 Pet. 2:2.) "For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God of none effect? God forbid; yea, let God be true and every man a liar." (Romans 3:3-4.)

A knowledge of right and wrong is directly connected with a knowledge of the Almighty. If God is rejected, then what does man put in the place of God. Invariably, it is himself and what he wants to do. The Bible not only tells us what is right and wrong, but it imparts an understanding of life. We know its meaning and purpose. By exercising our senses, spiritually, we can discern between good and evil.

"But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." (Heb. 5:14.) Discernment comes to those who are growing spiritually and who have come to a knowledge of God.

Be willing to listen to the counsel of others. "He who hearkens to counsel is wise." (Prov. 12:15.) Since discernment is so important in life, we should be ready to hear what others have learned by living and applying God’s Word. I should be cautious about going against the good advise of older and more mature Christians. For this reason, children should be obedient to their parents, for this is right. (Eph. 6:1.) Older women should teach the younger. Elders oversee the church.

We must learn to deny the desires of the flesh. In the battle between the flesh and the spirit, we should always side with the spirit. The battle should be against the physical, fleshly desires. The Bible teaches that we should put them to death. The world teaches that you should satisfy them. We must make a choice between these two opposite views.

"But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." (1 Cor. 9:27.)

One test for whether something is right or wrong is the test of our "best self." No one is a single self. We have a conflict to deal with in life. The lower side of our being often carries us into wrong, while the higher self knows better and cries against it. The flesh cannot and does not make good judgements. It only wants to be satisfied. It knows nothing of discipline, commitment and self-sacrifice. The best self knows right and wrong. It can make the best decision. It wants to do what is right if it has been taught by the Word of God.

Another test for right and wrong is the publicity test. (John 3:19-21, Heb. 4:13, 1 Cor. 4:5.) Those who know better will try to conceal their deeds. Most do not want them brought out into the light of day. The light reveals the hidden things of darkness. Preaching is powerful because everything is brought out into the open. Sins are denounced; good is recommended and commended. If you have a question about something being right or wrong, put it to this penetrating test of publicity. Would you try to defend it here in the pulpit? Out in the public, things are more easily seen for what they are.