“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
The issue of what is good has been subjected to various arguments which made many to conclude that in the real sense ‘good’ is relative. They say what is good in a country may not be good in another country therefore, they postulated the proverb, “when you are in Rome, do like the Romans”. That is like a license to disobey the scripture that says “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil;…” (Exodus 23:2). People commit sin under the guise that it is a generally acceptable norm in the society where they live and so it is not wrong while what they are doing is evil and sinful.
But James warned, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17) irrespective of where you are or where you are coming from because there is a conscience that should help us to distinguish between good and evil. When Lot was in Sodom, he distinguished himself from doing what the sodomites indulge but his children because of their tender mind were influenced by the sodomites’ immoral lifestyle which made them to form the opinion of making their father drunk to have an illegitimate affair with him. (Genesis 13:13; 18:20; 19:1-13).
Lot daughters knew it was wrong therefore they couldn’t demand such from their father except by making him drunk. Apostle Paul berated the man that went to sleep with his father’s wife (1 Corinthians 5:1) while the church look on without any discipline accepting it as a normal thing even in the Corinthian church. People that do evil always try to shadow or cover their sin or evil one way or the other because they knew it is sinful or evil. Anything one does with the mind of ‘no one should know’ is evil. However, so many people today commit evil without even hiding it, using it for a show or committing the evil or sin to dare anyone who may want to confront them, but the scripture said “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.” (Ephesian 5:6).
There are three questions we can ask: What is good? How do we know it is good? What should we do with what is good? To give answers to those questions let us consider, one, Discovering Good Things, two, Determining Godly Things, three, Deciding for Goodly Things.
1. Discovering Good Things
James 4:17, 16; Isaiah 5:20; Philippians 4:8; Hebrews 13:16; psalm 37:3-11; Ephesians 6:8
James the blessed was talking to the people that rejoices in evil (James 4:16), they “…call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).
To know what is good, it must be truthful - not deceitful, it must be honest - not dishonest, it must be just – not unjust or injustice, it must be pure – not impure, it must be lovely – not hateful, it must be of good report – not ungodly or evil report, it must be of virtue – not of vices and it must begin and end in praise – not in pranks or flattery. That is the good the Bible commanded, that attracts God’s eternal blessing and life for evermore.
2. Determining Godly Things
James 4:17; 4:13-17; Luke 12:16-21
Any good thing that has no God in perspective is ungodly. No one can be good except God makes it possible. We can only see good things in God’s word and in a godly life, anything that contradicts God’s word is ungodly and not good. The nature of man tend to evil always, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5).
Scaling every actions, intentions, imaginations, inactions etc. on God’s word will give us what is godly and what is ungodly, what is good and evil. James told those that don’t put God into the consideration of what they do and what they don’t do as rejoicing in evil (James 4:13-17). The man in Luke 12:16-21 have no God in his plans, no word of God in his thought, all he see is the abundance of riches and the pleasure he will derive from it.
To determine if what we are doing is good or not, we must factor God into it which requires a cordial relationship with God which is only possible by getting born again and search the scriptures daily to know what it says about doing good so that every decision, every plan, every idea is determine by God’s word.
3. Deciding for Goodly Things
James 4:17
After we might have discovered good things and determined godly things, failure to follow “…what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2) will mean we are sinning and we are sinners, unconverted and evil generation.
Helping other people is good, showing other people the way of salvation is good, preaching the gospel is good, serving God is good, prayer is good, fellowship is good, and visitation and follow up is good. “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). Think on good things and remember that doing otherwise is sin. (James 4:17)