From the Pastor: Knowing God Gives Us Our Sense of Right and Wrong

Knowing God Gives Us Our Sense of Right and Wrong

by Rev. Jack Hulsey

Spirit, Soul, Heart, Mind: we use all of these concepts interchangeably at times, and you'll see this pattern in the Bible, too – when Paul talks about “being transformed by the renewing of our mind." In Romans 12:2, is he speaking of spiritual transformation, “a change of heart," or just perhaps just learning some new information?

The prophet Isaiah speaks of God "whose mind is steadfast,"(Isaiah 26:3). Jesus told people to love the Lord with" all your soul and mind." In Matthew 22:37. If you'll seek out all the references to “mind” you can find in the Bible (modern or K JV), I think that like me, you come to the conclusion that God places a high premium on improving the mind.

Education is something that's never far from a parent's mind. If you have children or if you are in a position of influencing children, you are constantly called to be a teacher. Your biblical calling to improve the minds of these young ones is one that must be heeded as diligently as any other biblical learning you apply to your life.  (Proverbs 22:6)

 Our public schools teach a standardized curriculum (math, english science) their goal is clearly to promote the students success in the worldly arena.  I In fact public schools today go out of their way not to teach anything with undertones of holiness, or spirituality. Children must learn the difference between right and wrong, and it is sad to say that some of those children have now grown up to adulthood without learning this vital lesson. Every child should know the golden rule (Matthew 7:12) and understand the vast implication of it. Children should learn the story of Jesus's life – His healing, His forgiveness, and His grace. They should know about the crucifixion and the resurrection, they should learn as young as possible that God knows every heart and sees through all façades. They should know his sayings about the meek, the peacemakers, about going the extra mile and giving more than demanded.

It is out of knowledge such as this that people come to understand right and wrong because you aren't going to find a place in the Bible where it gives a strict definition of right and wrong, or say, right and wrong are shaped a certain way, smell a certain way, taste a certain way. It's not something you can close your hands around. The right thing is something you do when you are letting God lead your life.

 

In Jeremiah 31:33, God says" I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts." Knowledge of God produces knowledge of what is right. Every Christian is a teacher, in a sense and part of his great commission work is teaching an unsaved world about Jesus Christ. It makes sense that any of us in this position need to know everything we can learn about our Lord and our place in His life.

(Praise & Worship, Woodlake Baptist Church / March 29, 2015)