Walking with the Wise #277: Do The Right Thing

“He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous

are both alike an abomination to the LORD.”
—Proverbs 17:15

It is God’s nature to thirst for justice from His creatures, for He is the very definition of justice—containing within Himself that which is right and true—and since we are made in His image, we are to follow the standard that He has laid out for us. Though that image has been marred by the Fall, He still desires that we behave justly toward our fellow man. The thought of us declaring right someone who is wrong, and vice versa, is abhorrent to Him. And that is exactly what we do whenever we say that sin is not sin, but good and acceptable. Or the opposite—when we say something is sinful that is not!

We cannot redefine sin, or excuse it, but we must call it what it is—difficult and painful though it may be. Man, in his natural state, hates the testimony of God because it condemns him. Therefore, he must remove it, or excuse it away in whatever feeble and idiotic way he can. Our responsibility is to call sin exactly that—sin. While we may receive the vitriolic hatred of man, we will have God’s blessing, for He delights in those who seek to follow Him and He will receive much glory for our adherence to His truth.

Siding with God means pain now and joy later, while trying to extricate yourself from His rule in the present means joy now and pain later. The joy of heaven is different than the joy of earth, for the joy of earth is temporal, while the joy of heaven is eternal. That joy is continuous and an ever present joy that never gets old, but grows throughout eternity. Neither is the pain of now the same as the pain that will come later. The pain now is temporal, while the pain that will come later is eternal. And like the joy of heaven, it will grow exponentially throughout eternity—increasing misery upon misery.

May we all seek the joy of heaven rather than the joy of earth! May our lives be faithful testimonies to God’s glory and truth! May we stand for truth—even when it means calling sin out and taking stands that are unpopular! Let us stand for truth and with God in the full knowledge that God will glorify Himself through our steadfastness—for His glory and our joy. Amen.