Amelia Student Ministries - Amelia Church of Christ

Have you ever heard it said, “Well, they did it with the best intentions”?  Generally this is used to explain when someone does something wrong, but were doing it for “the greater good.” In Situational Ethics there is a common question that is “would you steal bread to feed your family?”  This question will likely be forever debated.  The funny thing about this great debate is that God has already answered for us.

God does not condone sin for “the greater good.”  Its that simple. For an example of this, lets take a look in 2 Samuel 1. A young man is coming to tell David that Saul has died. Even though Saul fell on his sword, he called this young man over to finish him so that he would not suffer. Seems noble right? WRONG!! This is how David responds: 2Sa 1:14 David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?” 15 Then David called one of his men and said, “Go, strike him down!” So he struck him down, and he died. It would appear that David didn’t appreciate justifying a sin, even if his ultimate goal was accomplished. David was hunted by Saul, but he didn’t want him to be murdered for that to end. He was waiting on God to redeem him.

Then a little bit later in the book, David does the same thing to two men who murdered David’s enemy in his sleep. This is what David had to say to them: 2Sa 4:9 David answered Recab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of all trouble, 10 when a man told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! 11 How much more– when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed– should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!” 12 So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron.

So when God says don’t steal, He means it. It isn’t “don’t steal … UNLESS” Sin is sin, no matter your reasons for doing it.