Wrong Is Never Right - Martin Wiles

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil. Isaiah 5:20 NLT

Clay was usually a good student, but on this particular day, he broke the rules.

I sat with my back partially to the class, teaching from a PowerPoint about verbs. I could see most of them with my peripheral vision, including Clay, who sat in the back. As I taught, I noticed his hand continually slipping in and out of his pocket. Each time I looked at him, he gazed back with an innocent look. 

Toward the end of class, I remarked, “By the way, I know you’ve been eating.”

Quickly defending himself, he pulled out a piece of candy and said, “But I’ve only eaten one.” 

My look of disbelief convicted him. “Okay, two,” he said, “but I didn’t get to finish my breakfast this morning, and I didn’t have my milk.”

His remark was so comical that I and the rest of the class melted into a pool of laughter. Still, what he did was against the rules. 

Isaiah pronounced a “woe” upon those who called good evil and evil good. They had twisted values. Clay’s actions proved the mistake still existed. 

Though people and times may have changed, God’s standards haven’t. He still has an ethical and social code that he expects us to obey. I remember when even those who weren’t believers followed God’s code simply because most of society did. Not so many years ago, President Ronald Reagan said, “Without God, there is no virtue because there’s no prompting of the conscience. If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” 

Circumstances should not determine right and wrong. Doing so leads to situational ethics. What was wrong initially is still bad and will be when time ends, regardless of whether we think God should change his mind. And following the majority is often the wrong thing for us to do. While the majority may win the vote, they can still be wrong—and they are about many forms of behavior currently accepted as permissible. 

God bases his standards on his nature, which is characterized by holiness and goodness. We can be sure God is not out to make our lives miserable. Following his guidelines will result in the best possible life there is to live. 

Satisfaction and joy never result from calling evil good.

Father, may my standards always replicate those detailed in your Word. 

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