Right and Wrong? by John.

Right and Wrong?

When I was a little boy, I associated with the neighborhood kids, and all but two were older than I was, so frequently I heard some rather profound arguments about religion. Some were Catholic, others were Baptists, two were Presbyterians, and several of us were Methodists. That's a potpourri for religious arguments, isn't it? Oh, yes! There were one or two kids who belonged to the neighborhood Church of God. They moved away early on, and I don't remember their ever being in an argument except over the rules for playing "King of the Mountain" when we played on the site of the brand new hospital being built.

All but one Catholic kid seemed to be content that their priests decided what was right. The two Presbyterian children both finished high school and went to college when they were 14. I think they were too smart to spend much fruitless time in arguing.

At one point, I remember one Catholic boy and the Baptist kids were quite concerned about when Jesus was going to return, and about the "Rapture" of the church, and who was saved and who was lost.
I was really interested in their arguments because I had never heard of any of those things! Oh, we celebrated Easter in a big way at the Methodist Church, and we heard a lot about right and wrong. I'm sure the minister dealt with sin every Sunday, but I was probably asleep, or maybe playing with a toy automobile. At any rate, in our family we talked a lot about right and wrong, but the word "sin" almost never came into the conversation, so all this "stuff" was new to me. After one of those heated arguments in which the Catholic boy pushed some of the Baptist kids around (He just emphasized his point physically, and he was tough enough to do it well), I went home and questioned my mother.

She told me right was the same thing as "right-eous-ness." I knew that word, and she told me Jesus was coming again, but we didn't know when. Then she told me not to listen to those boys arguing! She explained it was just not a good thing to do.

I wasn't really satisfied. I came to think of right and wrong as terms of the world. Teachers at school used them when they graded our papers, when they talked to us about when and where to cross the street, and about being truthful and telling lies. Our Physical Education instructors told us the right way to play games, and the penalties for playing the wrong way. I worried and fretted over those two words a long time!

Yep. Right and wrong do seem to be terms for correction of actions in society rather than spiritual words, don't you agree? Sin is the right word to describe what does not please God, and righteousness is the word for that which does please God. Beyond righteousness is holiness. Holiness as briefly as can be stated is simply being set apart for God's use, and His alone.

Holiness is often misused as a descriptive term for many people. I hear a lot about "holiness churches." Some probably have it in their titles, and I suppose it refers to more a style of worship than the state of the worshiper. (I'll welcome being corrected on that if anyone finds it unsuitable). In my opinion, all churches should be seeking to attain a position of living to please God. That is holiness to me, and it is also right to me. When I turn toward sin, no matter the size or worldly importance of the particular sin, I consider that wrong and unholy.

Are you wondering where I'm going with this? Well, first, I believe most Christians seek to gain what they themselves want rather than what God wants for them. That means I believe we are not nearly as holy as we ought to be. Second, I believe all of us need to constantly reevaluate what we are doing, and why we are doing it! We seem to think that as long as we live on a par with our neighbors, that's fine! I don't think it is. I think having any goal other than Jesus and the life He lived on earth is acceptable to God. We can't reach that goal, but we can strive toward it. Philippians 3:14,15 said of himself, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things."

I believe God should be in our every activity, and we should be in continual touch with Him personally. I love the song, "Others" which is a prayer for us to be like Jesus in living for others, but I also believe we are to retain our own personality without pushing our egos. Jesus never ceased to be Jesus, and we should never cease to be ourselves, but we should rather be seeking to improve our own character and daily living. Right and wrong, dedication and holiness, all should be foundational in our review of our own past, and they should be considered as we contemplate what we will do next. We truly should fit the term, "Christian." That term is used several times in the Bible and was more an epithet than an honor, but its meaning was, and is, "Christ-like," and that is exactly what we should be. The world at large may see us as right or wrong, but I believe God will view us with pleasure as long as we are devoted to Jesus.