I can remember a time when identifying as a Christian was a good thing. Even those who weren’t willing to believe in the faith understood that the values brought about by Christianity were those that most anyone would want to emulate. Parents would send their kids to church even if they didn’t go themselves because Christian values were prized as moralistically good. But things have changed. The rules have been rewritten. What was once considered good is now vilified, and what was once moralistically wrong is now celebrated. In Isaiah we find a warning for those who have chosen to conform to this ideology by ignoring the truth and becoming wise in their own eyes. It says in chapter 5, verses 20 and 21:
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.”
If someone where to try to convince you that the sky was green, even though you could clearly see that it was blue, by their sheer conviction alone, they would not be proven right. Likewise, if someone where to convince themselves that the values and mandates God set in place were wrong, that wouldn’t make it true. Why, then, do we, as humans, convince ourselves of obvious falsehoods? I believe that Satan is behind this deception. 1 Peter reminds us that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. And Isaiah says, “woe to those” who fall prey to him by taking the bait and calling evil good and good evil; who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. The devil is crafty. He doesn’t always boldly entice us with things that are clearly sin. He may choose to be more subtle. He may come as an angel of light, convincing us that bad things are actually good. For those who do not know God, Satan can slowly manipulate and convince them of this lie. But for those of us who know God, this tactic should neither come as a surprise, nor should it be effective. So I encourage you not to fall into this deception. For those of us who understand that the Bible is Holy, objective truth, any change in our culture should not alter our spiritual compass.
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The evil one has put into motion plans that we can’t see with our eyes, but we can see their results in our news, our culture and in those around us. Believers should recognize his hand at work in the minds and hearts of those who don’t believe, and believers who have been deceived. I pray that you and I heed Isaiah’s warning. We should never find ourselves compromising the truth, even if doing so may save our job, our relationships or our comfort. And we should never call evil good or good evil, even if we are persuaded to believe the world’s moral compass over God’s holy word. The Bible has not changed since it was pinned, and it will never change until the return of our Lord. What was true in Jesus’ day is still true today. If we lose sight of that, we will find ourselves operating in the flesh and walking out of step with the Holy Spirit. We will become wise in our own eyes and clever in our own sight.