Be the Light

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21)

For so long, culture has been telling us that morality is a “gray area”. Everything is nuanced, unique and based more on intention than action.

The truth is much simpler than that. We don’t have to know infinite versions of a situation and all of its potential nuances and gradients, all relative to specific people and their entire lived experience.

We simply must know the difference between darkness and light. God has given his Word to ensure we can determine the difference.

If something is not light, it’s darkness.

This focus on the gray middle allows us to justify our own evil actions, minimizing sin rather than repenting. 

When it comes to grace, we must be eager to love and forgive others. But when it comes to sin, we must not try to lessen its darkness in order to avoid discomfort. The discomfort is what pushes us to change. Condemnation of sin is what leads to healing. Condemnation of sin is not condemnation of another’s soul. It’s refinement, and it’s Biblical.

This “relativism” has become so exhausting. People will contort their minds into pretzels to make all things permissible, and to explain why anyone condemning sinful actions is being cruel. The most cruel thing ever done to me was to be cheered on to my destruction. “You do you” is advice that hastens our decent into spiritual death.

Anyone with a shred of self-awareness can tell you that our minds are very adept at justifying bad behaviors if we desire to continue them. But our “feelings” about our decisions don’t change their inherent good (or evil).

I have seen the world (and even many Christians) make excuses for absolutely deplorable behavior. Sin isn’t just a behavior we are told not to do because of an arbitrary “rule”. It’s destruction.

We have all seen the society that results from a rampant acceptance culture. People commit crimes, make our environment unsafe, hurt others and hurt themselves. And somehow we are told that the kind thing is to allow this to continue, or even proliferate.

The future of our society depends on our ability to speak truthfully. We must search ourselves for sinful desires, thoughts and behaviors, and we must repent. We must lovingly tell those around us when they are in sin, and help them change course. And we must humbly listen when others correct us, in love, searching the Bible for clarity and praying to change.

Jesus doesn’t tell us that sinning a little bit is ok. He has high standards for His followers, and for good reason. If we believe He loves us, then we must recognize this call to light as a loving refinement, not a rigid rule structure. Just because it’s easy or we want to do something doesn’t mean it’s best. In fact, the harder thing is often best. Calling darkness evil helps us to bring all things to light. We will be unable to do this if we convince ourselves that our darkness is actually not that dark. Exposing our darkness is what allows us to be healed, unburdened and free. It’s a gift.

“But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If we allow the sickness of “gray area” morality into our lives, we may begin with an empathetic heart toward a petty thief who steals grocery items to feed his family. But where we end up is darker. I just read an essay discussing the idea that many children who are molested aren’t “harmed” if they don’t remember it or if society doesn’t deem it as harmful. I have read of violent murderers serving minimal prison time and then being released back into society because they are mentally ill, so they can’t be held accountable. That is to say, if everything can be justified, nothing can be truly wrong. 

This thinking is not of God.

There is a black and white, a good and an evil, a light and a darkness.

Be the light.

“You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.”

1 Thessalonians 5:5 NIV