What Is Right?

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. – Judges 21:25

So often in our society today, the concept of “truth” is up for debate. What is right? What is wrong? What or who determines right from wrong?

These are questions that people are constantly trying to answer. But the truth is, if you try to make right and wrong a matter of human choice, human reason, or human decision, you are out on a limb that will break every time.

One of two things is true. Either what is right is right in our eyes or what is right is right in God’s eyes. With this in mind, I want to give you three reasons why only with God can you have morality. Only with God can you know what is right and what is wrong, and only with God can you tell the difference. We’re going to look at the first reason today, and then we’ll look at the other two tomorrow.

The first reason is that there are moral values we should defend. To say there are absolute rights and absolute wrongs means that someone with universal authority declares it to be right or wrong regardless of what other people may think. If there is no God, morality is just a matter of opinion. If I can never tell you what is right and you can never tell me what is wrong, then that means there can be no final, ultimate, objective right or wrong. That leaves us to do what is right in our own eyes.

But God has given us what is right and what is wrong. These truths are found in His commandments. Psalm 119: 160 puts it this way: “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” God tells us what we can and should do, and He tells us what we can’t and shouldn’t do. And it’s these clear truths and commandments that we should defend as followers of Jesus.

Dear Lord, thank you for the truth of your Word. I pray that I would align my life with what you say is right and stay away from what you say is wrong. Help me to defend your truths and commandments with boldness as I continue to follow you. In Jesus’ name, amen.