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The scripture tells us we all need to know right from wrong – good and evil.

Genesis 3:22 – “Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; …”

All of us have that small voice in our head telling us at times what to do, and what not to do.  I heard a news story yesterday that 3 people (2 guys and a girl) knocked down a 70-year-old women, robbed and assaulted her.  What kind of evil does this?  Only people who have ignored what is right and believed the lie of evil.

This does not happen overnight.  People give into evil, and overtime, bam!  They wake up and assault our elderly, or commit drive by shootings, or some other evil plot.  No, this behavior starts out small and grows.

My husband and I went out to eat with some friend’s last weekend.  One of the friends is very intelligent and has a degree in Sociology.  She and I were having a conversation, and she was trying to persuade me to her way of thinking on a subject.  I informed her that she would not change my mind, because I had already done all the research on the subject and know what I believe.  She requested that I listen to an expert on the subject, online.  I informed her that I would not do that either.  Probably most of you are thinking that I have a closed mind, and I was being rude to my friend.

1 Timothy 6:20-21 states “Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care.  Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.”

She wanted me to listen to a non-Christians opinion about something the Bible is very clear on.

Romans 1:25 states “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie…”

I’m not saying she is committing these acts of sin, but Ephesians 5:11 states – “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;”

And in verse 28 of Romans 1 “Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.”

God gives us a conscience, so we will know right and wrong.

Read Romans 2:14-15 – paraphrasing it says the Gentiles conscience show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts even though they have not had the law presented or studied by them.  To say it another way, the Gentiles will be judged based on a law that God has written on their hearts.  But people choose to ignore the truth even though they know the truth.  They allow their selfishness and desires of the flesh to be the priority, and then they lose their way to the point of forgetting what truth is.

In Hebrews 10:26 it states, “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins”.

That is a scary thought.  If you start sinning and continue in that sin – you will not have a sacrifice for those sins.  Harsh, but that is what the scripture says.  You can look up any version of that scripture and it says the same thing, pretty much verbatim.  The ERV, Easy-To-Read, is the only version that puts a twist on the second part which states “then there is no other sacrifice that will take away sins”.

In John 16:13 Jesus tells us the Holy Spirit will guide us thru truth.  “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

So, we need not loose heart.  Jesus has provided us a way to follow truth.  If we fall, we can get up and ask for forgiveness, just be sure you get up and turn from that sin, least you continue on that path to destruction.  Also, if you see a Christian sinning – you should help them.

Galatians 6:1 state – “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.”

All of us know right from wrong, we just need to be reminded every now and then of what is righteous, in a loving manner.  Listen to God’s Word, and your conscience.

Karen Y. Stevens, Executive Director, Meals on Wheels