There is a vast difference between knowing and doing. Just because you know something is wrong will not keep you from doing it. And, just because you know something is right does not mean that you will choose to do it. Knowing and doing are two entirely different things: vastly different.

As a child, I was taught that there were certain things that were right and others that were wrong. I wish I could say that I always did what was right, but that would be far from the truth. Oftentimes, far too many times to recount, I knew what was right, but chose to do what was wrong. A couple of examples will suffice to illustrate the point.

When I was about 13 years old, my father told me that he hoped I would never decide to smoke a cigarette (which was a bit hypocritical since he smoked!), so I smoked my first of many cigarettes. From the age of 13 to the age of 26 I smoked, and smoked, and smoked. When I finally did quit smoking, I was averaging between two and three packs per day.

Another example had to do with drinking alcohol. When I was approximately 14 years old, my father took me aside and encouraged me to never drink an alcoholic beverage (this was not hypocritical, as my father never drank any type of alcohol), so that very day I drank my first beer.

There are so many other examples I could cite, but hopefully these two will help me make the point. I was taught that smoking and drinking were wrong, and yet I chose to involve myself in both behaviors. I became a chain smoker, and an every-day drinker. This was no one’s fault but my own. I chose to smoke, and I chose to drink.

Now, I realize someone reading this might be thinking, “Well, I don’t see anything wrong with either of those habits. I smoke, and I drink. Just because it seems wrong to you doesn’t mean it is necessarily wrong for everyone.” And that is the very specific thought I would like to pursue in this blog. What determines if something is right or wrong? And, to further delve into this matter, is there really any such thing as right and wrong?

This is where the friction begins. Let’s first consider whether there is really a standard of right and wrong behavior. If we were to ask a Christian, then the answer should be affirmative and assertive: yes, there is a standard of right and wrong. That standard is the Bible. However, if we asked a non-Christian the same question, their answer would be different. Some might answer that there is a standard of right and wrong, but others might say there is no standard at all. And even for the ones who might say there is a standard, it would be something other than the Bible.

Then, if we continued our investigation into this matter by considering the thoughts from others who adhere to religious belief systems other than Christianity, we might once again learn that they do indeed believe in right and wrong. Their beliefs and behavioral practices will also be built on the foundation of what they deem to be an inspired book, but not the Bible. And in those books, they might be taught something that is contradictory to the teachings of the Bible. Does that make the teachings of their standard right, and the teachings of the Bible wrong?

And, just for the sake of discussion, let’s add one other group into the mix: those who believe right and wrong is determined by the culture in which they live. It is obvious as one travels to countries other than their country of birth that there are vastly different practices from one culture to another. For example, we might go to a country in which pre-marital sexual activities are not viewed as morally wrong, but rather are accepted and celebrated. For those who adhere to the teachings of the Bible as their standard of behavior and belief, this would be viewed as wrong behavioral practices because of the Bible’s teachings on human sexuality. Does their culture make it right, even though the Bible says it is wrong?

I realize this topic to far too broad to develop in one brief blog, but I wanted to give us all some food for thought on this matter. The reason for that is because in our present cultural state in the United States of America we are witnessing a deterioration of our long-held beliefs in the Biblical teachings of right and wrong, and seeing a turning to behavioral practices which are diametrically opposite of those teachings.

I would simply encourage each Christian who reads this blog to make sure our beliefs and practices are based on the teachings of Scripture and not on the shifting sands of cultural relativism, or the influence of adherents to other religious belief systems which contradict the teachings of Scripture. Let’s commit ourselves to stand for the truth of God’s Word in the face of opposition from those who embrace a different set of moral and ethical guidelines. And finally, let us, in love, share the truth of God’s Word with those who have embraced the shifting sands of cultural relativism so that they may know the truth. That truth, according to Scripture, has the power to set them free in Christ.