Right and Wrong: Who Decides?

“Right and wrong is determined by the situation. There are no absolutes.” The young man spoke with conviction words that echoed the beliefs of a secular culture. Today the prevalent opinion is that right and wrong are always relative.

Adam and Eve Decided What Was Right and Wrong.

God created Adam and Eve to live in his beautiful garden and fellowship with him. It was a garden that provided them everything they needed. However, God told them “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.” (Genesis 2:17 NKJV)

The first inhabitants of the garden chose to break the one moral rule God gave them. They decided that it was up to them to determine what was right and wrong. “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6 NKJV).

We Think We Can Decide What’s Right and Wrong

Since that time, there have always been people who think they should determine what is right and wrong. The culture gives us excuses and explanations why we should not follow God’s law. Just as Eve chose disobedience because the fruit was desirable, we continue to make choices based on what feels good at the moment.

Culture: What Makes Us Happy Decides Right and Wrong

Today, as we try to raise our kids with Christian values, we are faced with a culture that tells them that right and wrong are determined by what makes them feel good. Every step of the way, we must go up against a society that wants to decide truth for itself.

• Casual sex permeates everything while we teach that sex is for a marriage that lasts a lifetime. (Hebrews 13:4)
• Cheating is ignored in classrooms while we teach our kids that cheating, a way of stealing a good grade, is unacceptable because stealing is wrong. (Exodus 20:15)
• Adults use an array of substances to numb pain and avoid truth while we teach our children that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 6:19)
• Immodesty in dress and behavior is common in the culture while we teach our kids they should not look lustfully at the opposite sex. (Matthew 5:28)

Questions: So what are we to do? How do we battle the culture that is intent on leading our children down a dangerous path? How are you teaching your children that right and wrong are absolute truths that transcend cultures and time?