Doing Right

For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. - 1 Peter 2:15

This election year was quite possibly one of the most ugly and contentious in American history. On all sides, there was mudslinging, name-calling, and all-out character assassination, much of it by the candidates themselves! I was disappointed by the behavior of many, but frankly my disappointment did not lie with those who claim no relationship with Christ. This, I expected. It was the angry, out-of-Christ's character, attitudes, and actions of professing believers that saddened me the most.

Biblically-speaking, those "without Christ" are considered "foolish," even spiritually "ignorant." They all, lacking the insight and control of the Holy Spirit, often act in an ungodly manner. By "doing right" (or behaving in a righteous manner), those of us who follow Christ may not be able to stop these unbelievers from attacking our faith or our principles, but we can at least silence (or weaken) the voice which they use to malign us.

Conversely, when we who claim Christ as Lord act as unrighteously as they do, we not only give them a voice, we hand them a megaphone.

He who angers you, conquers you. - Unknown