There Is No Right Way to do the Wrong Thing

By H. Kent Aguillard

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness .
1 Timothy 3:18

Many Christians believe the Bible is the inspired, infallible, and inerrant word of God. Others pick and choose which parts they believe that meets one or more of their criteria. And still other people don’t believe the Bible is any more than a book full of stories, moral teachings, historical accounts, and fiction. What do you believe the Bible is or is not?

There are things people do, I’ll call them “acts”, and things they don’t do called “omissions”. There are acts and omissions which most people would define as “wrong”. The question is “Who decides what is ‘right’ and what is ‘wrong’?” Where does the idea that taking someone else’s property without their consent is stealing and is wrong? Where does the ancient (thousands of years old) concept that marriage is between a man and a woman come from? Where does the idea come from that once a man and woman join together in marriage they should stay loyal to each other in every respect? Who made men and women different is so many ways yet perfectly compatible and designed for each other? Where does “it” say what is right and what is wrong? 
 
The source of what acts or omissions are right or wrong is God, the One who created everything and named all the stars. He owns the cattle on the thousand hills and beasts of the field and forest are His. He created man in His image. He is the final source of rightness, righteous, goodness, justice, honesty, perfection, and much more but most of all love. God is love. 

Today we see a significant change in culture and social mores; meaning what was socially acceptable and generally “right” for a very long time from traditional Judeo-Christian values to a new way of defining what is moral and what is not moral or right. Same sex marriage wasn’t condemned in the 1800s and most of the 1900s because there was no such thing nor was there any thought of it. Stated another way, there were no policies, regulations, court decisions, or laws addressing the rights of a transgender person because there were none, at least not as we see today.  
            
I notice how things that could be said just a few years ago without any thought of repercussion or offending someone are now considered evidence of bigotry, unfairness, mean, hateful, and damaging to some group or groups that didn’t exist before. I noticed how the content of television commercials have changed and the actors  used in those marketing tools have changed. 

There is a lot of “me” and self-centeredness in America today. I fear we are entertaining ourselves to death. We’ve given up so many areas of privacy just so we can use smart phones, smart TV’s, social media activity, in-home electronic listening devices from which we can order everything from a new car to cheeseburgers (and have it delivered). 
 
What was clearly wrong in the past is not only right and acceptable now but you are condemned if you disagree with any such conduct or acts. As I said before, you can call a game played with bats, balls, gloves, and bases over nine innings football but its baseball and calling it something else doesn’t change reality.
 
You all know of which I speak. The question is “What are you going to do about all this confusion, change, and social chaos?” I suggest you get close to authoritative and godly clergy and lay leaders. Get into a Bible study group. Forget about denominational lines. Those need to go in this instance. Find a group of people who meet to pray and study the Bible and get into that group. Men! Step up and lead your family. Bring them to church. Go visit your priest, pastor, or church leader and pray with him or her. Yes, go meet your pastor and pray for him or her and with them and do it often. 

Finally, read the Bible. Read it every day or night. Start with the gospel of John and then move to Matthew and the rest of the New Testament. Pick a book of the Old Testament and read from it daily also. 
 
​Why is this so important? Because, there is no right way to do the wrong thing. 
 
 Kent Aguillard