“He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.” Proverbs 17:15 ESV
When I was a boy invariably there were summer evenings that would include a game of “cops and robbers” in the neighborhood. In those days in the early 70’s, to be one of the robbers meant you were one of the bad guys, and to be one of the cops meant you were one of the good guys. The distinction was clear. In those days it didn’t even occur to us to make the cop the bad guy and the robber the good guy. Robbers were bad and cops were good. It was a given. Sadly in our culture now good and bad have become relative terms. I am not trying to make a political statement, but I am trying to emphasize that when we begin to justify wickedness or to condemn the righteous we are on a path to destruction. Both are an abomination to the Lord.
You might, like me, begin to raise your voice and say “certainly not!”. I would not do such things. But before we move on, I want to bring you a Word of warning and a Word of warning to avoid succumbing to cultural pressures.
First a Word of warning from Paul’s letter to Timothy.
“Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.” 1 Timothy 4:1-2 NLT
To continue on in the practice of, or tolerance for wickedness, will cause a seared conscience. When our conscience becomes seared we are no longer sensitive to the sin in or around us and even begin to justify wickedness. This is a dangerous place to be.
And a Word of encouragement from Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia.
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9 NLT
Don’t grow weary in doing good and encourage others in the same way. Doing the right thing may become difficult and the culture may respond negatively but we must be those who stand up for righteousness and not join in the criticism of others.
Everyone makes an occasional mistake in judgment, or character assessment, and those that are recognized should be swiftly corrected. But when the occasional mistake becomes a habitual pattern take heed. The Lord is loving, but He is also just. Looking past offenses or bringing false accusations are both serious business and are an abomination to Him. We live in a world where now our culture may accuse the innocent and excuse the guilty. May we be a light in the world, and be those that stand for truth and righteousness not to be swayed by our culture.
In His Hands,
John
