We are often too quick to condemn with broad strokes without thinking through the logic of our condemnations. How many times, for example, have we heard about the dangers of situational ethics? While I generally believe that we need to be careful not to let the situation dictate our ethics, we need to be pragmatic enough to understand sometimes situations precisely dictate our ethics and the Bible is actually pretty clear about that.
In a lot of these cases, it’s the heart that is the deciding factor of what is right and what is wrong and not the action itself. Sometimes we can, indeed, do right wrong. What do I mean?
The Pharisees were really good at doing right wrong. They would often do many things to be pleasing to God, but they sometimes did those things without the right heart. Sometimes they were hypocritical when they did the things they were supposed to do.
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matthew 6:1-2 ESV).
Here is an example of people doing right wrong. The hypocrites practiced good deeds, which is right, but they did it with a wrong heart. They practiced right to receive praise and not from a position of humility to honor God. Jesus said the praise these people receive will be the only reward they will get.
Paul also talked about people who did right wrong.
“Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.
The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.
The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.
What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,” (Philippians 1:15-18 ESV).
Here are two groups of people who preached Christ. One group did it from a good heart that was based on love. The other group did it for selfish, hypocritical reasons. They did right wrong. But what was Paul’s reaction? He rejoiced that at least Christ was preached.
Sometimes it’s easy to see when people do right wrong, but other times only God can see that. This is why Jesus, our Lord and Judge, tells us that when we stand before Him on the Day of Judgement, it won’t just be the actions we are judged on, but the heart behind the actions. Doing right wrong is lawlessness.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’“ (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV).
Here were people who were doing right wrong. Jesus never denied they did these things, but He said that their works were lawless works. There are many ways we can do right wrong. As we have seen, we can do it with the wrong motives or with a bad heart. We can also ignore what Jesus says, and we can do things the way we want to do them. I suspect this is where the condemnation in Matthew 7 came into play.
What about doing good to others? Jesus said the two greatest commands are to love God and to love our neighbors. In fact, all the laws hang on these two. But can we do these two great commands right but in the wrong way? Sure. It’s a heart thing.
I can give to the poor, visit the sick, and clothe the naked all without love for them. I am doing right wrong. Perhaps I am doing these things because others expect me to do them and I don’t want to lose face with them. Perhaps I am doing these things because I know I can call in favors at a later time. Whatever the reason, we can do the right actions in the wrong way.
Why is it important for us to see this distinction? Because this is the basis of a works, or merit-based salvation. Doing right wrong gives us a sense of confidence that what we are doing will pave our way to heaven. This was the problem with the Pharisees. Doing right wrong gave them a sense of security in their relationship with God, though their divine Judge told them over and over that their actions were not the things that would save them in the end.
When we get caught in this system of doing right wrong, we find ourselves in a constant cycle of doing and doing and doing, just trying to do enough to keep us safe in the eyes of God. But it is not the doing that earns His grace for us. His grace is freely given, and it should be the catalyst for the good works we do.
Just like the men who preached Christ from goodwill, we do because of the love we have for others. We do it because of the grace that Jesus has given us. We do right, right; that is with a good heart and from the right motives. This is how Jesus will judge us on the last day.
When we struggle with sin, let us first address our hearts as we are led by our godly sorrow. We must first fix our hearts and ensure they are tender toward God. Otherwise, we will find ourselves in a constant cycle of trying to do better and then trying to do better, better. No amount of doing right will help us if we don’t first ensure that our hearts are where they should be.
I counsel that we all continually examine our motives when we do right. Ask ourselves if we would do right for God and for our neighbor if no one else knew. Ask ourselves if we would do right because of the great love that God has shown us by giving us His grace, and we want to show our great appreciation by doing right for others.
It’s easier than we think to do right wrong and feel secure in our works. But doing right wrong will not save us. Only the grace of God will save us. And that grace will be the catalyst of the faith we have in Him. And that faith will cause us to do right right.
If we are stuck in a rut of doing right wrong, let us not keep trying to do better, better. Instead, let us examine our hearts and motives, working on building our faith and spending time considering the grace Jesus has given us. This is the only way to break the cycle of doing right wrong.
I am in 2 Kings in my daily Bible reading. In chapter 17, God finally sends Israel into captivity:
“And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods
and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced.” (2 Kings 17:7-8 ESV).
What a sad state for a people who had everything handed to them on a silver platter by God, the Creator of the universe. Yet,
“And the people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city.” (2 Kings 17:9 ESV).
The people did secretly against the Lord. This is a warning for us today. God offers us everything on a silver platter. He offers His peace and an inheritance befitting a prince.
What will we do? Will we sin against God and give into the nations of the world? Will we follow their idolatry and evil? will we call what is good evil, and call what is evil good?
Will we try to have one foot in the world and one foot in the army of Jesus? Will we also do “secretly against the Lord our God things that are not right?”
If we do, we will be rejected by our King just like the people of Israel were rejected. Let us live wholly devoted to our God and King so that we may embrace the Day of Judgement where we will be vindicated by the grace of God.
As I read the story of David, a man after God’s own heart, the Holy Spirit does not sugarcoat David’s life. He had his sins he had to contend with.
In 1 Chronicles 21, David went beyond God’s command and acted in pride when he numbered the people in his kingdom. Notice God’s reaction to David’s sin:
“But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel.” (1 Chronicles 21:7 ESV).
Then, in the most famous of David’s sins with Bathsheba which led to the murder of her husband, notice God’s reaction to this sin:
“And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.” (2 Samuel 11:27 ESV).
In both cases, David’s sins displeased God. Sin always displeases God. This is why we must have the heart that David had. In both cases, David’s heart was broken when confronted with his sins. His broken and contrite heart moved him to godly sorrow.
We live in a nation that prides self-reliance and self-indulgence. We “deserve” what we want and no one can tell us that what we want is wrong or should be withheld. This kind of thinking will mollify our hearts rather than break them.
God is rich in grace to all who want it. But if we spurn His grace, He will not force it upon us. I pray that when we sin (because we all sin- 1 John 1:8-10), our hearts are tender, just like David’s was, and we see when we displease God.
I pray that when we displease God, it breaks our hearts and we respond like the man after God’s own heart responded. May we never lose the ability to have a broken and contrite heart.
“For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:16-17 ESV).
I love this verse. It is true even today:
“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.” (1 Chronicles 28:9 ESV).
This is comforting to me.
The essence of my faith, which pleases God, is this,
I believe He exists.
I believe that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.
This is the basis of my faith.
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 ESV).
How do we look at our possessions? Do we see them as things we have labored for, things we have earned because of our work?
There is truth to that for sure, but there is an even greater truth we need to always be aware of. Even things we work for are still owned and given to us by God.
Nothing is truly ours, but all comes from God. He gives and He takes away as He wills. This is the heart we must always have toward the possessions God blesses us with.
David knew this. When he gave a great treasure to the Lord for the temple his son would build, and when the people contributed their riches to the temple as well, notice the observation King David made.
May it always be the same observation we make as we keep our possessions in perspective.
“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.” (1 Chronicles 29:14 ESV).
What’s the difference between having a best friend and loving our neighbor?
When we love our neighbor, we are willing to do anything we can for them because of love.
When we love a best friend, we have the inner drive to do whatever they need, whenever they need it, while hurting with them.
We love our neighbor because we want to to be like Jesus.
We love our best friend because they are a part of us, just like Jesus.
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17 ESV).
God was not ashamed to be called their God.
Is God ashamed to be called our God?
“But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:16 ESV).
What do we truly desire?
How much of our desire rest upon our God?
We know the story about God granting Solomon both wisdom and knowledge. In 2 Chronicles 1, God grants this wisdom. In the next chapter, Solomon prepares to build the Temple his father was forbidden to build. Here is where we first see his wisdom displayed in the book of 2 Chronicles:
“The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.
But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?” (2 Chronicles 2:5-6 ESV).
Solomon understood something about God’s nature that many people struggle with. This house he was to build for God could not literally contain a God who is limitless.
While God would “dwell” in the temple, giving His presence to this house, it wasn’t God’s literal and only dwelling place. As Solomon in his wisdom declares, “But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him?”
This man understood God’s true nature perhaps better than anyone. God gave him insights and understanding that we often spend a lifetime pursuing in our studies and prayers.
Is it a wonder that the mightiest and most noble men and women traversed the globe to hear the wisdom of this man?