The Holy Spirit through Paul noted that the Philippian brethren were living “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” (Phil. 2:15). He didn’t excuse sin because of this or promise that life on earth would soon be a utopia. Instead, He stressed the need to be “blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish” in the midst of such evil, being “seen as lights in the world.”
This verse exemplifies the principle that living in the midst of unrighteousness is nothing new. The Bible is filled with examples of people who pleased God while living in societies that were just as immoral as what we face.
Consider, for instance, the environment that Noah lived in. Genesis 6:5 says, “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.” Though the general state of mankind was unrighteousness, Noah chose to live righteously (verse 8).
Years later, Abraham’s nephew Lot lived in an environment that was likewise exceedingly evil. There were not even ten righteous souls in the city where Lot dwelt (Gen. 18:32; 19:28-29), and Lot was “sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked” (2 Pet. 2:7). Like Noah, Lot could not stop the environment he lived in from being filled with wickedness, but he could (and did) choose to live rightly in the midst of it (2 Pet. 2:6-8).
The point is that the world around God’s people has long been, and continues to be, filled with immorality, but this does not excuse God’s people from obeying Him. The key question for the child of God is not, “Is the world pleasing God?” Rather, the key question is, “Am I pleasing God?” While we should influence those in darkness for good, we cannot obey God for anyone else. Each of us can, though, control our own actions.
Consider the words, “each one,” in 2 Corinthians 5:10. On the Day of Judgment, the Lord is not going to judge us according to the path someone else (or society as a whole) has chosen. Societal norms do not negate the responsibility each one has to work out his or her own salvation (Phil. 2:12).
Instead of conforming to the world, God shows us that we can (and must) allow Him to transform us (Rom. 12:2). This will lead us to see light and darkness as He defines it.
Moreover, it will lead us to zealously and unashamedly pursue the path of light, while loving the people in darkness, but abhorring the path of darkness (Rom. 12:9).
Though the path of light has fewer on it than the path of darkness, those who choose the former can lean on the Almighty for help.
In Revelation 2:10, the Lord told the saints in Smyrna, “Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer: behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.”
Notice that the Lord did not promise these saints that their temporal circumstances would soon improve. In fact, He inferred the opposite, noting that they would soon suffer additional trials for their stand for the truth.
The Christians at Smyrna were not told that the environment they were living in was so evil that all was hopeless.
Instead, these Christians were encouraged to be faithful even to the point of dying a martyr’s death if it came to that. The Lord assured them that He knew what they were suffering (verse 9). He cared about them, and He inferred His faithfulness to provide the “crown of life” to them if they were faithful to Him.
The Lord’s knowledge, care, and faithfulness should likewise encourage us to choose to do what is right. No matter the wickedness of the nation or society one lives in, life on earth always includes the option of taking the path of righteousness.
It is the path we must each choose in order to be lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.
– Michael Hickox