The Danger of Calling Evil Good - Assassinations and Murders

[David]

Do you see the Lie of “Peace” That’s Destroying America? In light of all that is going on in our world right now, we must ask ourselves the difficult question, “What kind of peace are we pursuing?” The Bible is clear on this: silence in the face of sin is not peace, it is disobedience. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). If Christians remain silent and cover up sin, evil will be normalized, and truth will be treated like the problem.

God did not call us to stand on the sidelines and be neutral. He commands, “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). Silence is not neutrality, it is compromise. Ezekiel was told if he failed to warn the wicked, their blood would be on his hands (Ezekiel 3:18). The same principle holds true for us today. A “peace” that is based on avoiding offense is not biblical peace. In fact, God rails against that type of false comfort: “They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). Covering sin never heals, it kills. And the death we are witnessing all around us today is exactly what results from covering sin.

At the heart of the matter, we must ask: will we fear man or fear God? Many believers fear being labeled “unloving” if they declare the truth of Scripture. But if that is our fear, we have already been warned by Jesus: “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake, but the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). Faithfulness to Christ has never made the world applaud us. Proverbs 29: 25 says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” When Christians embrace silence to avoid rejection, they are ensnared by the world instead of obeying Jude 3 and contending “for the faith.”

This is where America has come today. Right and wrong are blurred together. Sin is being celebrated in the open. A cultural movement is working hard to silence God’s truth and redefine morality. And because too many Christians are quiet, darkness is spreading like wildfire unchecked. Paul warned that there would come a time when people “will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” (2 Timothy 4:3). That time is not coming, it has already arrived. Isaiah also prophesied this, “Truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter” (Isaiah 59:14). The result is chaos and corruption.

But Scripture also says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). This is not just political, this is spiritual. When truth is silenced, sin rushes in to fill the vacuum. Jesus told His followers, “You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14–16). The answer is not retreat, it is bold witness.

Isaiah 30: 10 says of our culture, “They say to the seers, ‘Do not see,’ and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions.’” The world wants comfort, not conviction. And sadly, too many Christians comply with that to avoid conflict. But silence is not love. “Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). That is why Paul instructs us to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).

The dividing line is this: if peace means remaining silent in the face of sin, it is false peace. If peace flows from speaking the truth, it is the peace of Christ. True love warns of danger. True love is not shaken from standing firm on God’s Word. And true love points people to Jesus. That may not earn applause from the world, but it will keep the church faithful to her Lord.

 

[Mason]

If we want to be a servant of Jesus we cannot live to please men. “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10).
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29).

Jesus said, “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26).

Those following Jesus will be accused of doing evil.
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.” (1 Peter 3:15-16).
“For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:” (1 Peter 4:3-4).

Those who do works of righteousness will be hated by the world.
“Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.” (1 John 3:12-13).

There is a difference between those who do righteousness and those who sin. There is no such thing as a righteous sinner those are mutually exclusive.
“And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” (1 John 3:5-10)

Those who are born of God cannot sin.“We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” (1 John 5:18).
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:9).

What does it mean to be born of God?
“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.” (1 John 5:1)
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)

 

[bobinfaith]

The title of this OP The Danger of Calling Evil Good - Assassinations and Murders is an issue with me today.

David, you wrote, "Do you see the Lie of “Peace” That’s Destroying America? In light of all that is going on in our world right now, we must ask ourselves the difficult question, “What kind of peace are we pursuing?” The Bible is clear on this: silence in the face of sin is not peace, it is disobedience. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). If Christians remain silent and cover up sin, evil will be normalized, and truth will be treated like the problem."

Years ago when I was in the thick of our young marriage, job career and young ministry I had other issues of that time on my mind. To me that was normal when we were young people.

Today I'm battling different issues especially here in America. I'm not 100% at peace because of this. I would love to speak face to face with every world stage representative, minister and celebrity instead of being silent. I realize this is an impossibility with most representatives. My chances are better with local reps whether a politician, minister or celebrity.

Many have excelled in their endeavors and careers but have lost their moral conscious. What troubles me are the representatives who outright lie, dance around direct honest questions regarding the problems in our country and still receive a paycheck, as long as they can take it to the bank with little or no "reaching out" to the suffering.

Still, the amoral disposition remains.

I respect your presenting Scriptures with exhortations that I can receive along with God's guidance. That alone sustains my peace but I still have to act (doing right in His sight) instead of relying on my internal frustration.

I can still do my part by following what Christ teaches we're faced with adversity that compromises our peace.

God bless you, brothers.

Bob

 

[David]

If we want to be a servant of Jesus we cannot live to please men. “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10).
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29).

Jesus said, “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26).

Those following Jesus will be accused of doing evil.
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.” (1 Peter 3:15-16).
“For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:” (1 Peter 4:3-4).

Those who do works of righteousness will be hated by the world.
“Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.” (1 John 3:12-13).

There is a difference between those who do righteousness and those who sin. There is no such thing as a righteous sinner those are mutually exclusive.
“And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” (1 John 3:5-10)

Those who are born of God cannot sin.“We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” (1 John 5:18).
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:9).

What does it mean to be born of God?
“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.” (1 John 5:1)
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)

You’re right. We can’t follow Jesus and make pleasing people our goal. Sometimes speaking the truth will bring criticism, but that doesn’t mean we should remain silent when God’s Word tells us something is wrong. I also appreciate that you included 1 Peter 3:15-16. We need to be ready to give an answer with meekness and respect, even when others speak against us.

I do want to ask about your statement that those born of God cannot sin. John also wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). He then said, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).

John isn’t giving us an excuse to live in sin. He is clear that those who belong to God are to walk in righteousness. But he also addresses believers who sin and points them to Jesus as their advocate. How do you understand those verses alongside what John says in 1 John 3:9 and 5:18?

 

[David]

The title of this OP The Danger of Calling Evil Good - Assassinations and Murders is an issue with me today.

David, you wrote, "Do you see the Lie of “Peace” That’s Destroying America? In light of all that is going on in our world right now, we must ask ourselves the difficult question, “What kind of peace are we pursuing?” The Bible is clear on this: silence in the face of sin is not peace, it is disobedience. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). If Christians remain silent and cover up sin, evil will be normalized, and truth will be treated like the problem."

Years ago when I was in the thick of our young marriage, job career and young ministry I had other issues of that time on my mind. To me that was normal when we were young people.

Today I'm battling different issues especially here in America. I'm not 100% at peace because of this. I would love to speak face to face with every world stage representative, minister and celebrity instead of being silent. I realize this is an impossibility with most representatives. My chances are better with local reps whether a politician, minister or celebrity.

Many have excelled in their endeavors and careers but have lost their moral conscious. What troubles me are the representatives who outright lie, dance around direct honest questions regarding the problems in our country and still receive a paycheck, as long as they can take it to the bank with little or no "reaching out" to the suffering.

Still, the amoral disposition remains.

I respect your presenting Scriptures with exhortations that I can receive along with God's guidance. That alone sustains my peace but I still have to act (doing right in His sight) instead of relying on my internal frustration.

I can still do my part by following what Christ teaches we're faced with adversity that compromises our peace.

God bless you, brothers.

Bob

I understand what you mean. It can be frustrating to see people in positions of authority avoid honest questions while so many people are hurting. I’ve felt that frustration too.

I appreciate what you said about doing what is right instead of letting that frustration take over. We may not be able to reach every leader, but we can still speak the truth, pray for those in authority, and help the people God puts in our path.

Philippians 4:6-7 is a good reminder to bring our concerns to the Lord in prayer and trust Him to guard our hearts and minds with His peace. God bless you too, brother.

 

[Mason]

David,
For 1 John 1:8, that is about who we are before righteousness. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-26).

But if we confess our sins, God forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:7-9).

And 1 John 2:1-2 is what it says,
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2).

 

[bobinfaith]

I understand what you mean. It can be frustrating to see people in positions of authority avoid honest questions while so many people are hurting. I’ve felt that frustration too. I appreciate what you said about doing what is right instead of letting that frustration take over. We may not be able to reach every leader, but we can still speak the truth, pray for those in authority, and help the people God puts in our path. Philippians 4:6-7 is a good reminder to bring our concerns to the Lord in prayer and trust Him to guard our hearts and minds with His peace. God bless you too, brother.

For 1 John 1:8, that is about who we are before righteousness. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-26).

But if we confess our sins, God forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:7-9).

And 1 John 2:1-2 is what it says,
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2).

Hello David and Mason;

I appreciate you guys allowing me to open up (vent) followed with Scripture.

Mason, as we get to know each other here at BTF, one of the ways that I fellowship is when someone shares Scripture with me, I take that and dig in deeper and learn what God is saying. This helps me align with whoever initiates or adds on to the topic.

Thank you, guys, God bless you.

Bob