I was reading last week about an annual philosophy competition called the Great American Think-Off. This year’s competition features a tricky brainteaser question of morality. The question competitors must answer in an essay is…
Is it ever wrong to do the right thing?
There are some really stinking smart people participating in this forum, but I thought we could do our own little think-off here at Without Wax. You’ve got a couple options. You can answer either…
1) Is it ever wrong to do the right thing?
2) Is it ever right to do the wrong thing?
3) If you can’t answer either of the above questions, then you can just tell us what you did over the weekend? 
Nope – it’s never wrong to do the right thing. Scripture doesn’t say “love thy neighbor unless…”
I imagine there are all kinds of ways it can be “wrong” to do the right thing. TV dramas are all about this kind of stuff, as in when following the rules of evidence result in a criminal going free; as in when a doctor or psychiatrist keeps confidentiality, and it results in a dangerous person never getting caught; as in when you call social services because you fear for a child’s safety, only to have them be taken away to a worse place. I suppose you could even manage to be wrong if you tell someone their slip is showing if there’s nothing they can do to fix it.
Thank God for grace and forgiveness, is all I can say!
If the world was always just, then we could always do the “right” thing and everything would be peachy keen. (It would make life so much easier!) However, we know that’s not the way the world works. We can do the right thing and the consequences make things worse or do the wrong thing and the consequences turn out for the greater good.
So, I’d say it’s never RIGHT to do the wrong thing, but sometimes it’s the more responsible thing to do if you’re thinking of the repercussions on others.
1. No
2. Yes… depending upon the perception/particulars of the “wrong thing” the whole perception reality thing; some things may have some shades of gray as it realtes to the “wrong thing” allowing the “wrong thing” to be right. Anyways, Clear as mud, ok thanks!
The “right” thing is going to be defined differently by different people. Utilitarians will have a different take on the “right” think than a Christian would. I believe the “right” thing is only absolute if it clearly falls within the directives of the Ten Commandments. Even then though, we can disagree about how to best do that. Maybe that is why Jesus said “Judge not…”. Only He and His Father are certain about the absolute definition of right, and how to best follow His definition for right. I totally agree with Jan Connair’s last sentence. Amen to that!
Jeff Fisher did the right thing by kicking the field goal to tie the game…but it ended up being the wrong thing to do.
@DubHow, that might be the deepest thing anyone says here today.
And I was just starting to heal.
Doing the right thing always feels right, and doing the wrong think before in the past felt right for the moment but turned into being the wrong thing. Yesterday the Dish guy worked on our system for 6 hours, and it happen to fall during the lunch and dinner hours. So, we fed him lunch and then dinner to go in a sack. My wife and I talked after he had gone, and I told her that the feeling you have inside after doing the right thing has got to be God given feeling. There is no other feeling like it.
Who defines what is right and wrong? Us? You? Me? Who do we ask if it is right or wrong? Ultimately it is God – I know that. Today I need to ask – I know that too. God will decide. But for me, I have a question – Is it wrong for me to tell a white lie to someone because I want to go to bible study in the morning but fear that if that person knew a relationship would be harder than it is today? I want to continue growing in my faith without making a divide in my relationship with this person. Slightly different example – If I was in another country, where Christians are being persecuted, would that answer be the same? Something I struggle with all the time. I just don’t know.
I don’t think it’s ever wrong to do the right thing! Afterall, we represent Jesus Christ! Let everything that comes out of our mouth be glorifying and everything we do, do it as we were doing it to the Lord. Now, when people do question #2, I think it always backfires bc they should be doing the right thing; they have selfish motives! I guess it’s a lesson learned.
Doing the right thing for the right reason is always right, but doing the right thing for the wrong reason or with a wrong motive isn’t.
Consciously doing the wrong thing isn’t right.
(For some reason, I feel like Dr Seuss)
@Micheal – Following God is always the right thing. God may not be asking you to go to the Bible study but to spend time in that relationship… or He might be asking your to go to the Bible study. That’s between you and God and whatever He is asking is the right choice.
Michael, I went thru a lot with my family when I became a Christian in an Indian culture. The greatest thing that a friend of mine, Ravi Zacharias, ever told me was: always choose Christ before your friends and family! That’s what I did and I can’t tell you how much God has blessed me for honoring Him! That’s what I can pass on to you!
This weekend I learned that I can safely wash and dry my wallet inside a pair of jeans.
Well I am not sure about the first one unless we got into a discussion about how we can be kind and nice and yet enable someone else’s bad or addictive behavior. But whether or not someone would define that as being “right” I don’t know. I know I’ve struggled to set boundaries in my life in the past so this is something I’ve thought about in this way…..
As for question #2 please know that I am not advocating sinning with this answer but you do have to consider things such as:
1)war against a tyrannical and evil enemy (Hitler for ex.)
2) Choices that require people to lie to protect someone’s life. Just ask yourself if you would lie to protect your child or spouse or if you’d kill to protect them. I think I would if forced. My guess is you would too if we were in a very bad situation. So is killing or lying right or wrong in this instance?
Dietrich Boenhoffer was executed for being a part of the July 20 (?) plot to kill Hitler. As a believer was this right or wrong? Which is more morally reprehensible – to take the life of a killer or to stand by and watch him kill?
Tough questions to ask but goes to show the question is not simple. Please don’t misunderstand – I don’t advocate any of that, just things to think about.
1. Wrong to do the right thing? I believe if you act on what you you think is right without acting as Jesus directed.. it’s wrong. (ie: bombing abortion clinics, violence against gays…etc)
2. Right to do the wrong thing? A good friend stole a terribly neglected dog and placed it in a safe and loving home. (wrong legally.. but the dog’s happier)
There was an interesting story in “The Guardian” this weekend (that’s a UK national broadsheet) which illustrates this blurry argument really well. A man related a tale of being at a music festival and seeing two men (big scary looking guys) trying and apparently succeeding to strangle another man using a motorbike lock. The storyteller felt compelled to intervene, although no one else showed no sign of wishing to get involved, but he said the two men were clearly absolutely going to kill this man if no one stepped in. So he went and managed to pull off one of the guys from the attack, using soft words alongside the physical strength it needed. As he did so some others then came and helped to separate the other man from the victim . The victim, once free immediately jumped into his car, and then one of the attackers began to break through the car window to get at him to pull him out. The story continues in this vein and it sounds terrifying and violent.
Then the guy in the car, who had been the victim of the initial attack , comes at one of his attackers with a knife and stabs him several times, leaving the former attacker and now victim apparently dying as people watch, stunned. It happened too swiftly for anyone to intervene this time.
The guy who wrote the story never found out what happened to any of the men involved. He doesn’t know if the stab victim survived. But he says that no matter what, despite what later happened, he still feels it was the right thing for him to intervene in the initial situation. He couldn’t stand and watch someone being strangled, and he couldn’t possibly have forseen what would happen as a result of his intervention.
I suppose right and wrong are often blurry, and we can never really know what effect our actions for good or bad will have. So does that mean we just have to be brave and to act according to what seems right and good at the time? Or do we stand frozen unable to do anything?
I think of Rahab when I read this question…hummm,so perhaps, just perhaps it’s not always black and white.
And like Brit, I have a “friend” who rescued a stray pup who was clearly abused…she found out who the owners were and kept the pup…without a second thought. And I give God credit for bringing me … I mean her, that pup.
I have to stop thinking now, it’s Monday and I’m getting a headache
“Is it ever right to do the wrong thing?” Hmmmm….you mean like leaving Houston and moving your heartless, money-loving franchise to Tennessee? I would have to say, yes. The state of Tennessee got a fairly decent football team and Houston replaced the Oilers with an equally substandard team – the Texans. Oh well, at least there’s college football…oh wait, Dang! No. It is never right to do the wrong thing. I really thought I had let this go, then you gotta bring it all up again with your cute family of Titan fans photo.
Weekend? In addition to scouts, church and neighborhood parties, I have been hard at work on HLAC’s post for tomorrow: “Assigning cartoon/fictional characters to people on your blog roll”. I know you’re waiting with bated breath…
I’m totally in the middle of this. Wish I could explain. But what seems like the right thing will hurt people, a ministry, a church. But doing the opposite could hurt numerous teens’ lives.
Can’t wait to read the answers.
Interesting question.
I have to assume that when we say we are doing the right thing that we are implying for the right reasons and to the right people or objects. Otherwise it would not be the right thing, would it?
On the same token, when we do not have enough information at hand when making decisions we may do the right thing but find out later that it was the wrong thing based on new information. That information may have come by way of doing what we thought was the right thing in that moment. Which of course, would lead us to a discussion about are we ever really able to know that we are doing the right thing? That could be a snippy little topic.
So we come to a point that we would have to define what ‘right’ is before we could make a definitive answer. Part of the definition would have to include that future information would not change its ‘rightness’.
If we could assume that right is an absolute then ‘No’ it is never wrong to do the right thing.
1) Is it ever wrong to do the right thing?
Yes, because the “right” thing at the wrong time isn’t the right thing. Or the “right” thing done by the wrong person can also bring about chaos.
Life isn’t black and white most of the time.
It is never wrong to the right thing. And it is sometimes right to do the wrong thing.
Right/Wrong – I like Charles Stanley’s take on something like this…”Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.”
Michael – Relationships are just hard anyway. People may not like your convictions, but most often they will respect that you have them. Ultimately, it is Jesus we will stand before one day to give account for our lives. It’s what He thinks that matters.
If the question had been is it ever immoral or unethical or illegal to do the right thing, there would be all kinds of room for debate. But with the question posed as it is, the answer really should be simple. If we end up defining an action as wrong, then it was never the right thing in the first place, so no, it is never wrong to do the right thing. Neither can it by definition be right to do the wrong thing.
Last night the new season of 24 started out with Jack (yes, Jack is back!) being grilled about the tactics he had used in the past to get the kind of results he had when it came to obtaining information from terrorists that he then used to avert disasters. The question was whether it was right for him to use torture of one “bad guy” to obtain information that was then used to save thousands of innocent lives. The congressman contended that Jack was wrong because he broke the law. Jack contended that he had done the right thing because he did what he had to do to protect innocent citizens. In this case, if Jack’s actions were “the right thing to do”, then it was not “wrong” to do the right thing. This does not mean, however, that it might have been immoral, illegal, or unethical.
The problem always ends up being whose definition of right and wrong gets used. In this case, the congressman defined Jack’s action as wrong so by his definition it was the wrong thing to do and never could have been right. Jack defined it as right so by his definition it was the right thing to do. You can only end up saying it was right to do the wrong thing when you mix two different people’s definition of what is right and wrong.
By the way, I support Jack 100% on this one……
you want honesty??? today my brain hurts too much already to think so I’m gonna bomb on this one…I’m sure later on on the way to piano lessons I will ponder this question the whole way there in the car by myself….so maybe I’ll get back to ya on this one.
oh my weekend……two words…SICK KIDS. But other than that, it was a great one!
option #3 here: my monday morning hangover from serving little ones is waaaaay to big think.
i watched football on saturday and then sunday afteroon. my FAVORITE team played (and won might i add!) on sunday evening. i did NOT watch my favorite team.
as much as they are my team, God is my leader, and i went to serve His two year olds at NS while my team played without me watching. The result: one of the little one’s mommies accept Jesus as her Savior while i GOT (allowed/chosen) TO love on her child.
football = good.
lives changed = PRICELESS!
LOVE what i get to be a part of. thank you God for choosing me.
(sorry about your saturday game…i was rooting for tn.)
A friend and I were discussing this last week. Weird. But I think the biggest problem in the situation we were discussing, is how when you commit a series of bad (wrong) decisions and then decide to do the right thing in the end because it effects someone other than yourself, you still feel wrong. I think it boils down to motives in why you feel it’s the “right” thing. If it is pure and for the best of everyone, that’s one thing, but if there is an ounce of personal gain or an ill agenda behind it, then it’s good to be really careful and be sure that this is what is just “right” and not just “what’s right for you.”
Also, I am curious, are you going to run the half marathon or not?
1. Yes and no.
2. Yes and no.
@Tanya, It’s very unlikely.
@Bill Renfrew, Thanks for clarifying.
It is interesting what everyone (each person) assumes what is right or wrong according to them and their standard for right or wrong living. So immediately I thought of Proverbs 6:16- 19…not that this list is inclusive…
“Six things the LORD hates; in fact, seven are detestable to Him: arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil, a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.”
So then I also have to weigh that against James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
And for me I am caught in the middle. My husband and I do curve the truth. We are in a third world country and we meet with the chiefs and officials (law makers) and we, (in the work we do here) give them all the credit for what we do here. I know that may seem like false modesty or like I am doing that right hand left hand thing here…but really, we “lie” by telling people that it is the government who does this or does that but really it is the people in America that makes it all happen… (Feeding 1000 kids a day) but by skimming the truth and by them taking the credit, we are able to get into the areas we need to get into and normally we would never have that access.
Does one “truth” cancel out the other? So we ask ourselves “What are the most important instructions Christ gave us”? To love God and to love our neighbors…right? So if whatever it is that you/me/we are doing meet those criteria(s) then heck yes – I think we are going to be okay and heck yes – I am willing to stand before my Father in heaven and give an account as to why I did what I did to help save some kids.
Gosh – this is a tough one – one we all battle with daily but sometimes isn’t so obvious. I agree with Michael above – “who defines right vs wrong?”. Yes, God. But that leaves so many grey areas – areas that we often try to give boundaries to.
Bottom line, I believe that doing right vs wrong is within the individual’s heart and their convictions from God. What may be right for one, may be wrong for another. God speaks to us through our heart (aka: our gut). I’ve discovered that whenever I listen to that gut feeling – it ALWAYS turns out to be the right thing…even when during the process, I’m questioning whether it is right or wrong.
there have to be times when doing the wrong thing is right … otherwise i wouldn’t have as much fun being sneaky with a surprise party or surprise gift for my wife.
I rested all weekend. How about you?
Heidi Reed
I believe that there is indeed a time for everything. So there might be a wrong time to do the right thing.
As far as the “wrong” thing, I always think of the woman from Les Miserables who had never told a lie. I know it’s not a true story, but I can’t help believing it was right for her to lie when she did. So, that’s my short answer to two very complicate questions!;)
If it is wrong to do it, then it isn’t the right thing. If what is normally the right thing is inappropriate for any reason, then it is wrong for the given situation, and is no longer right.
Like saying ‘yes’ to someone’s request for help. It seems like the right thing to do as a Christian, but if it overwhelms our life to the point that we can’t function as God intended, then it is wrong. In this case, helping is no longer the right thing to do. There is no need to feel guilty for doing wrong. We can say no, and rejoice that it was right.
kristiapplesauce – First, thank you for what you are doing in feeding those children! “curve the truth” – what an interesting term. I don’t know that you “lie” when you allow the govt. to take credit. I don’t know the details of your situation, but it sounds like the govt allows you to operate, so maybe they do get some of the credit. It also may be that sometimes we are in situations that require us to obey a higher calling than the “letter of the law.” (like Rahab or the people who hid the Jews in WWII) Some of the hardest parts of life can be these tough decisions we have to make. That’s why I agree that in then end, it comes down to obeying God. When you are following Him and the leading of the Holy Spirit, you can stand before Him in complete peace that you did what He called you to do.
It’s always right to do the right thing – and it may be at a high cost.
I spent my weekend at the Urgent Care with my elderly mom, caring for her. It was a beautiful, sunny and warm weekend, and glimpses of the outside looking from inside the medical center reminded me of my priorities in life. I did get to watch UCLA play USC in mens’ basketball on TV – Go Bruins!!
I don’t know about complete peace…we are always longing for that…and maybe I was just justifying because it is just madness here. None of it makes sense to us. I wonder if we will ever find that Peace until we are with the Holy One in person.
As long as the “right” thing to do is based on truth and facts then it is never wrong to do the right thing. However, if the “right” thing to do is based on opinion and preference, then it could be wrong to do the right thing.
Yes, sometimes it is right to do the wrong thing. (Example: Last night Jack Bauer, okay, I want give this example because it may spoil it for someone, but Jack Bauer had to do the ‘wrong’ thing, but it was the ‘right’ thing to do
)
Okay I haven’t read through all the responses…but I do think it is often wrong to do the right thing, especially as Christians. I think it’s all about the heart, the motivation. I can do my best to live a holy life, help others, feed the poor, etc…but if I’m doing up to try to earn God’s approval or others, I’m still acting out of my flesh, and not relying on God and acting on His truths. I think it’s the same in the sight of God as if I was sinning and acting out of my flesh.
Pete, I don’t know what to tell ya but this…
My parents always told me that I was not allowed to date a boy who wasn’t a Christian. So when I was set up on a blind date with a not-yet-believing boy, I decided what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them for a little while.
Although they liked him, they were *major emphasis* SO unhappy with me when they started putting 2+2 together, however I just kept bringing him to church and loving him to Jesus. I never twisted his arm or told him he had to do anything. One night on the phone he just said he was ready, so on the phone one night we prayed together, and his relationship with Jesus began.
I disobeyed my parents, *but* this guy came to the Lord and a year later became my husband. It’s treading on some gray area, but I’d like to think I wasn’t wrong in veering from my parent’s wishes. The Lord has blessed us & shown such favor.
Two highly moral God following individuals could have exactly opposite actions in a particular situation and believe that they did the right thing. How could they both do the right thing when applying the opposite action? The outcome of our actions, when we truly believe we did the right thing, has nothing to do with whether it actually was the right thing. Pete, you spoke about control at the evening service last night….and we are not in control. The questions posed here cause us to think to much about the outcome to define whether or not we do the right thing. Do the right thing…what you believe in your heart is the right thing and let the chips fall where they may.
@Falguni – thanks for your thoughts. Actually my wife is Indian.
This brings to mind a class I took in college. It was “Philosophy of Contemporary Moral Issues.” On the first day of class the professor told us that we could not use Scripture or God in any of our arguments for the semester. I did just fine in the class, but at the end I felt like it was all a complete waste of time. We basically came to the conclusion that nothing was right and nothing was wrong, because the people who “won” the arguments were merely the better speakers/debaters… not those who were “right” or “wrong”.
It sounds simple and churchy to say “God knows what is right, ask Him.” But, I believe God will help us walk through all of our moral issues, as He is the only one with Perfect information and Perfect motives. And, he is familiar with “sticky law issues”, I mean Jesus DID eat and work on the Sabbath after all. Apparently He knows how to walk that line between the letter and the spirit of the law.
It’s always right to do the right thing…unless you do it wrong!
I don’t think it’s ever wrong to do the right thing, but that doesn’t mean that it’s always easy… there might still be pain and fallout, but if it’s the right thing then good will come of it down the road.
Is it ever right to do the wrong thing? Well, I think if it is right to do wrong, then the wrong turns out to not be wrong after all. Robin’s example of her “friend’s” pup… you can say it was right to do the wrong thing (keep a dog from it’s abuser) but saving a dog from being abused is fundamentally right. I’m not sure something wrong was really done.
So, I guess the question after all that really is: is it wrong to rationalize in these situations? Or is that just good decision making?
(for the record, that all made sense to me… but I can’t guarantee anyone else will be able to follow my train of thought!)
I don’t know that its really a question of right and wrong so much as a question of definitions. Many people do the right thing everyday that other people would view as wrong. I think the issue is that we all define right and wrong differently.
You mean is it ever right to CUSS at a computer?
Is it ever wong to yell at my child? Even when they are about to walk in front of a moving car? Does the situation make it right? If it does, then whose definition of right do we get to use?
It has been said in other comments that to do the right thing is always right. That is what Christians are called to do, BUT who gets to decide what “right” is?
Could it be that we are so ready to put folks into right and wrong categories (which really are hardly more than groups of folks who do what we expect or think they should do or not) that we miss the simple fact that the Holy Spirit doesn’t always do things our way, but perhaps He is “doing a new thing” that we simply aren’t in on?
I am learning not to ask so much if things are “right or wrong”, but are they of God?
–Jesus talked to a woman at a well without a chaperone. His disciples thought He had lost His mind, but God saved a town.
–Jesus hugged a leper. Society said He was wrong. God healed the leper.
–An adulterous came and knelt at Jesus’ feet and washed them with her tears and dried them with her hair IN A ROOM FULL OF MEN!!! The men were mortified. Jesus gave her honor.
There are a myriad of other instances when people wanted to make something right or wrong. Ultimately though, Jesus never argued right and wrong. He simply made it a point to show the Father, and you can never go wrong that way.
@Robin, I think of Rahab too…and the Hebrew Midwives in Egypt “those babies come too fast – we can’t get there in time!” So, at least with respect to lying, I’d say it’s certainly wrong and there’s at least some biblical precedent that it’s sometimes the right thing to do.
When the Lord called me to change schools, I informed my boss in a very kind way. She was kind to my face and it was all down hill until I moved into my new school. I don’t think I will say next time. I felt so persecuted for doing to right thing.
You guys are making my head hurt.
Good stuff.
I saw the movie “Seven Pounds” this weekend…kind of goes along with this question I think. I would like to elaborate, but don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone….if you know what happens, is it wrong what he did? Even if it was selfless? Was it the right thing to do? I think what he did was a good thing, probably the most selfless thing you can do, but some people would call what he did selfish. And would God forgive him?
Interesting questions.
Too many confounders in defining right and wrong. Right to whom? Wrong to whom? Whose definition? Who can think this hard on a Monday? Great discussion though….right?
The next sentence is true.
The previous sentence is false.
how’s that for a brain teaser?
right and wrong can be fluid. thinking about one situation that 99% of christians would burn me for that was “right”, in the Moment. if given the chance, would do it all over again. when it comes to Jesus, the list of rights and wrongs is much shorter than ours…
Wow, my head hurts! Definite sign of a great post! :-]
if it is the right thing how can it be the wrong thing?
I went back to my ‘old’ home city to deliver some furniture to my new tenant of number 29 with the assistance of a couple from my smallgroup. Aberdeen is just as cold, grey and windy as I remember. lol. Then had breakfast (yummy blueberry pancakes) at bringonthejoy and thestatethatiamin’s home (they also are from my smallgroup) and we all went to church together, joined by one of the guys from our worship band and his wee girl. Kids (esp. preschool kids) make church so much more fun! After church I headed home battling more wind and rain and later chose not to go to evening service but spend some time with 2 of my oldest friends and we went to see ‘Australia’. Didn’t sleep last night thinking about the stolen generations…
Right and wrong is often a matter of opinion, unfortunately. But I do believe that it is never right to do the wrong thing…when wrong can be clearly defined. Like hthr above…she said maybe she was wrong to disobey her parents…but my opinion is that her parents placed an unfair and unrealistic demand on her in the first place. See……matter of opinion.
I cannot think of any example where I would agree that it is sometimes right to do the wrong thing.
To quote Andy Stanley, “Don’t ask if it’s right or wrong. Ask if it is the wise thing to do.”
If its wrong to do the right thing, would it then be the wrong thing to do? And if its the wrong thing to do would it ever be right to do it?
I am not sure of the answer to this question. However, I had already been thinking about it because the Think-Off takes place in my home county and so its always featured in the local newspaper. When I was home for Christmas my friend’s boyfriend and I got into a discussion about it. Unfortunately we did not come with up any answers.
But I had to comment because it is such a small world and the fact that a debate that takes place in small town Minnesota would end up on your blog kind of blew my mind!
Hi. First time here. I forget how I found your blog, but I found this post interesting because I’m currently reading a book by Peter Kreeft that I got for Christmas entitled, “Making Choices”. Great book.
Anyhow, I would like to quote something I finished reading last night!
He says Thomas Aquinas says “that there are three parts to morality, and all three parts must be good for any act to be morally good. The three are (1) the objective act itself, (2) the subjective motive, and (3) the situation, or circumstances.”
So with that as my guide – which I think is very logical (as drawn out in P.K.’s book here) – I would say, “No it never wrong to do the right thing and, no – it never right to do the wrong thing?”
If that’s not clear, I suggest checking out the book yourself!
Other than that, I ate at a Chinese buffet over the weekend!
God bless,
I think sometimes we do the right thing and I think sometimes God makes the thing we do right. I married my husband when we were both addicted to drugs and soooooooooo not walking with the Lord. Oddly, we took our commitment very seriously and took divorce off the table from the beginning. We went through some horrid years that many people would be shocked at, including him physically abusing me. We stayed together through it all and I am not even exaggerating a little bit when I say that God brought a complete transformation in my husband’s life and I could not ask for a better husband or father to my children. I wake up every day wondering why the Lord blessed me so profoundly. So, was marrying him right? Not at the time or with the heart that I entered into it with. However, God blessed and ordained or marriage and our covenant. So, in both cases, the right and the wrong became right in the eyes of the Lord.
I think it’s a strange question, but a good question. Here’s why:
In the light of a fallen world (irony/pun intended), we are often faced with a combination of good and evil all in the same space. I imagine in the Garden, there was good over here, bad over there, and there was a clear distinction between the two. Big, identifiable line in the middle.
But we live in a very gray world. There isn’t much that’s clear cut any more. Even in the Bible we find gray areas (this is because we’re so far removed from the actual context of the Bible that it’s hard to understand some of the assumptions the inspired writers took for granted).
So doing right… could it possibly be wrong? And if it is, does that mean doing the wrong thing could be the right thing? I’ve felt that way before.
For an easy example that has no bearing on much of anything, try this. My wife hates surprises. Even at Christmas time, she has to know what she’s getting. If she has the feeling that she is going to be surprised, she gets grumpy and snoopy. Since she carries the checkbook, it’s hard to buy things for her without her knowing. There have been times that she’s asked about a particular purchase I’ve made, which happened to be a gift for her, and I’ve had to lie about it. For her to fully enjoy the gift, and I know my wife well enough to say this, she can’t know what it is before she gets it. But it drives her nuts until she receives it. I have to give things to her early because it drives her crazy!
But there it is: I lied. I lied to my wife. Not a good thing according to most circles. According to the Bible, lying is wrong. But it was the right thing. Why?
This brings us back to my earlier thoughts. We live in a gray world–where light and dark, right and wrong, sin and righteousness cohabit. Most often, we’re going to find a blend of both–not because we’re supposed to, but because we are both sinful creatures and children of God saved by grace. We battle both right and wrong all the time. So it should be no shock to find them both in the same space.
Yes
Yes
Watched a lot of football and hockey.
dont you love the vague answers
I remember one time in high school my Dad was mad at me for something and told me I was “irrespectable” not sure what it meant but I couldn’t help but laugh
My brain is too fried from endless days of taking care of one sick kid after another in succession since mid-December. I am worn out, tired, and ready for sunshine and NO MORE SNIFFLES OR STREP!
I do know that I can answer the third question: we de-Christmas’d the house (how’s that for making up a word, AND killing two posts with one comment?!), watched Horton Hears a Who, baked, cleaned, and watched our Eagles advance to the NFC CHAMPIONSHIPS. Sorry your guys lost. So sad.
yes, sometimes it’s wrong. It depends on the difference between both outcomes.
i wish people when they give you their word they really mean what they say.I was brought up you word means something not in corp america any more this is sad.