Right and Wrong
Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. 15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. Romans 2:14-15
My mother was the disciplinarian of my parents. It was not that my dad was not a disciplinarian himself for he served in the military. However, my mom was the one to dole out the punishments, and boy, there were times where I wondered if the word ‘mercy’ was in her vocabulary. There were multiple times I would hear the words, “Kent! You know the difference between right and wrong!” Now, this is not to say that I was the child that always crossed the line. In fact, I was the one who would get frustrated when I accidentally colored outside the box! Nonetheless, whenever I crossed the boundaries of my parents’ rules, my mother was right there like the long arm of the law to render judgment. The point of this was not to make her out to be an unreasonable parent because she was very loving and nurturing. It was to point out that she and my dad did a great job of helping to establish a base line between what is right and what is wrong.
We all typically have a fundamental understanding between what is right and what is wrong. I remember hearing a quote that said, “Decency, is what your grandmother taught you,” and then upon hearing that, another person said, “You would not say that based on my grandmother!” Yet even in that retort, the latter person had an innate understanding between what is the right and wrong thing to do. While some have ideas where this might come from such as simply watching what others do, we have a much clearer understanding of where that is built within.
God’s law is built in our hearts and not just His word. When reading the opening words of Paul to the Romans, it spoke of the many wrongdoings that occur in society. It was a bit depressing until I came across these verses. While it is true that my parents went to church and instilled quite a bit of its teachings in me, there was always an untaught instinct that would either keep me out of harm’s way or weigh heavily on me such that I would hold myself accountable. Furthermore, I know faithful Christians whose family were nonbelievers and yet found the same truth and assurance in God’s law as if they knew it all along. The only explanation for this is a fundamental truth that God created us, and within us, He placed His spirit that would grow and flourish until we could fully understand both His presence and authority. It is all a part of His plan, and we should be grateful to both have awareness of and a drive to obey it. Just as growing up with my parents, it did not mean that we would never do wrong. But the goal is to never give in to sin and fight to stay on the righteous path laid out for us. We need to read His word to further solidify those things we know God placed on hearts to avoid just giving in to everything our heart desires. There is a reason Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Thus, we must continually pour God’s word and those things that will build a heart driven to fulfill God’s purpose. This is the wisdom also spoken in Proverbs when it says:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Having a full understanding of a righteous path depends on willingness to trust God with our lives. We know inherently that our hearts are the life force in getting things done. However, it is our spiritual growth that guides our hearts in the right direction. Jesus said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33) Thus, if we seek His Kingdom, all things will fall into place. Let us both discern what God places on our hearts from our wants and listen to His instruction to do what is right for His Kingdom. What wrongs can you make right today? Where is the heart of God prompting you to change? My prayer is that we take God deeper into our hearts to further instill a difference between right and wrong. Amen.