Rationalizations We Often Make When Compromising Our Ethics
- We persuade ourselves that others are doing it.
That may be true, but we will still give an account to God: "Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment… For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (Ecclesiastes 11:9 
; 12:14; 2 Corinthians 5:9, 10) (See Psalm 50:4 ; Romans 2:5-11 ; 1 Corinthians 4:5; Revelation 20:12-15 )
- We tell ourselves that no one will know.
Really? "For a man's ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all his paths… The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good… My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes. Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?… Do not I fill heaven and earth?… Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (Proverbs 5:21 ; 15:3; Jeremiah 16:17 ; 23:24; Hebrews 4:13 ) (See Job 31:3 ; Psalm 11:4 ; Jeremiah 17:10 )
- We convince ourselves that no one cares.
God does: "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time… The Lord was grieved… " (Genesis 6:5 , 6a) (See Ephesians 4:30 )
- We rationalize our compromise, treating it as a lesser offense than it really is: "Hey, cutting a few corners here and there is not that serious."
Guess again: "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free… No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence." (Proverbs. 19:5; Psalm 101:7 ) (See Psalm 52:3 ; 101:7; Proverbs 19:5 ; Revelation 21:8 , 27; 22:15)
- We talk ourselves into believing we deserve favored treatment that allows us to bend the rules:
"Hey, I was shafted..." "They didn't uphold their end of the bargain." "Because I did all the work on the project, I am the one who should get compensated – not them!"
Jesus sees it differently: "Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously… " (Matthew 5: 39b-42 – Message) (See Luke 6:27-36 ; 9:23, 24)
QUESTION: Are you committed to uncompromising Biblically-based ethics, whatever the cost?
—Facts of the Matter
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