[376 words]
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21).
It seems since the beginning of time that people who turn from God are confused about the question of this article. Man isn’t wise enough, and at times, honest enough, to discern between right and wrong or good and evil. Jeremiah 10:23 tells us that “it is not in man that walks to direct his steps.” For all of his flaws, even Solomon knew that. 2 Chronicles 1:10 “Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?”
Back to our scriptures from Isaiah. We are seeing this happen in our society where folks define true goodness as evil. Why? Because the morality of God contradicts their lifestyles. Because God’s righteousness lived in the lives of some people convicts and “pricks” those who won’t submit to it. So, they redefine what is the true morality or standard. If one can have society accept that baby-killing (abortion); same-sex marriage (homosexuality); welfare and social programs (handouts for many who won’t work), etc. is fine, then morality has been redefined.
When we turn from God, we will have chaos. Look at what atheism and evolution have done to our last several generations. It led to apathy and outright rebellion against God. It led to devaluation of human life (since we came from monkeys)! It led to many people questioning the Bible as the true word of God and thus, writing our own morality. This has been going on for a long time, the rewriting of God’s word or morals.
How do we combat this? Pray. Read God’s word and live by it. Let others see it in you. Let them see you living by the one standard, faithfully. Show them the benefits of everyone living by the same standard. Try to show them the inconsistency and woeful lacking in man’s morality. That’s really all we can do and all that God expects.
Chris Moore
Clarendon church of Christ
Clarendon, TX