The Truth We're Missing about Right and Wrong

We’re more confused than ever about right and wrong. In a culture where feelings set the rules and standards keep shifting, Shelley Komoszewski and Brock Anderson expose the deeper truth we’re missing. Using Josh McDowell’s classic Precept → Principle → Person framework, they show why God Himself—not culture—is the anchor we’ve lost. If you want clarity, you can live and pass on. This episode is a must-listen.

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Brock (00:00)
Right and wrong. They're up for debate these days. Everyone's got an opinion and none of them match. Lines keep moving. And standards keep shifting. So who decides what's right or wrong in today's confused culture? Well, that's today's conversation.

back to the In and For podcast, where we are in and for Christ and in and for culture. My name is Shelley Komoszewski I'm Brock Anderson.

Shelly and I both helped lead a ministry called Sightline. It's formerly Josh McDowell ministry. We just launched a new website at Sightlineministry.org. Nice, nice little plug there. I thought it was a good plug. And our mission is to cut through cultural confusion so people see Jesus clearly. And we're excited to carry on the mission and the legacy and the vision of Josh McDowell. This podcast is part of carrying on that mission. And so we're just, we're thrilled to be able to carry it on.

through this as we seek to help people cut through cultural confusion and see Jesus clearly through this podcast. Okay. Well, today we're asking one of the biggest questions shaping our world. Who decides what's right or wrong? Yeah, because right now it feels like everyone's compass is kind of spinning and I'm known for making cultural references and movie references that almost nobody ever gets. so true. But I'm thrilled that I think I think I'm to make one that people

people are gonna get. And this is the Pirates of the Caribbean. If you remember that movie and Captain Jack Sparrow had a compass and the purpose of the compass was to point that individual to the thing that which they desired most, which for him was the black pearl. But what was interesting about that is if you didn't know what you desired or if your desires were contrary, it just spun and spun and spun and spun. And that's where it seems culture is right now. No one seems to know exactly what they want.

And so everybody's compass is just spinning and people are just going in their own direction and they're wildly unsatisfied with no true anchoring and what's right or what's wrong. Truth has become personal. Morality has become emotional. And when there's nothing grounding or guiding or anchoring us, all of us, then we're left with one thing to guide us. And that's our shifting and constantly moving and hard to pin down feelings.

That's one of the reasons there's so much confusion in culture and faith, even in our own families. If standards continue to shift with how we feel, then right and wrong loses all meaning. And that's exactly what Josh McDowell saw coming decades ago in the mid nineties when he started the right from wrong campaign. He said, if we don't know the source of morality, we'll make ourselves the source. And that's a dangerous place to be. Yeah. So if that sounds familiar.

It's because this isn't new. This is, as Shelly referenced, something in the mid-90s. But this is exactly where we are today, where people are defining their own ideas of morality, their own ideas of right and wrong, and constantly leading to sources of dissatisfaction. So right now, it's where we are. We are defining morality through emotion, because if it feels right, then it is right. And we see it everywhere, social and political issues and relationships, even in our

our theology, what I feel about God is what's true about God. It doesn't matter if it has any basis in the Bible or if I can show it theologically. It's just if I feel it's true about God, well, then it is true about God, because who are you to tell me that I'm wrong? And so when feelings define truth, the biggest problem we run into is that truth becomes disposable and easy just to throw away because your feelings constantly change. We lose common ground.

What's true for some, for somebody is not true for somebody else. And it leads to the place where we find ourselves now is where people begin living by what they say are their own truths. Truths become very personal. And that's not the way truth works at all. When truth has no anchor, feelings take the wheel and feelings make terrible gods. Yeah. Yeah, they absolutely do.

So back in the 90s, let's jump and do a quick look backwards. I joined the ministry in the mid to late 1990s. Yes, I've been here a few years. And Josh was doing the Right from Wrong campaign. And so one of my first jobs with the ministry was to go out across the United States and rally communities and areas to bring the Right from Wrong campaign in. And so the first time we went in, Josh addressed the pastors. So this is

all about youth, but it starts with the church. And so Josh came in and talked to pastors and said, pastors, wake up. The world is changing and it's no longer okay just to tell our kids what to believe. We have to let them know why. And so he walked through some of the shifts in culture and how we can help our kids. So he said, get your parents out.

So the following month we came back into the same area and we talked to the parents and we helped them understand right from wrong and were able to have them not only intellectually know an answer but build convictions as to why something is Right From Wrong And then the following month was the big youth event, right? And so we'd come in and anywhere from

⁓ some communities that would be a church of a few thousand people to stadium events of 36,000 people over the years. And so we had, we traveled with amazing Christian musicians and then Josh would take the stage with auditoriums filled of young people. And I love the story. He'd pick out someone from the audience and say, I need a volunteer.

And so a young person would put up their hands and he says, you young man, do you believe right from wrong? And he said, yes, I do. And the crowd went wild and he said, young man, do you think lying, not telling the truth, do you think lying is wrong? And that kid said, yes. And everybody cheered and Josh said, why do you think lying is wrong?

And it went in various orders, but it usually went something like, my parents told me it was wrong. Sounds like you have great parents, but why did your parents teach you that? And then it usually went to the church. Sounds like you go to a great church, but why does your church say that lying is wrong? Well, eventually the kid would get to, the Bible says, thou shalt not lie. And Josh gives the kid a high five and then leans in and you could hear a pin drop when Josh says,

Why does the Bible say, thou shalt not lie? And there was silence. Yeah, I can imagine the room would go completely silent because everyone thinks, I got to the Bible. Right. And that's the right answer. And Josh had him in the palm of his hand because can we answer that next question? And so that's where ⁓ that's not once in the entire in the entire tour was any

Teenager ever to get past the Bible says so yeah I think and I think many of us can relate because I think a lot of us would be caught off guard by that question when we were preparing for this question Well preparing for this podcast. I actually went through the same thing with some people in my own family walking through Do you think lying's wrong and they got a little with the Bible and you could see like ⁓ I get it, know, just the Bible says it's wrong You walk through parents and church and things like that. Like why does the Bible say that it's wrong?

And there would just be kind of that moment and there's some attempts at answers and some good answers there too. But there's always that moment of surprise of like, well, wait, that's the end. Like the Bible says it's wrong. It's like, well, but why does the Bible say it's wrong? So we end up knowing the rule that the Bible says it's wrong. But what we miss is the reason why the Bible says it's wrong. When morality stops at because the Bible says so, it feels arbitrary to the next generation. And so Josh would lean in and say,

Lying is wrong, the precept, because truth is valuable, which is the principle. Why is truth valuable? Because the very person's character and nature of God are in essence, truth. So it went from precept to the principle, which is the positive behind the command to the very essence of God.

Yeah, and it turned the connection then turns the focus from the rule to the reason for the rule and that it's a reflection of God himself. That if God is truth, and we see John 14, six come to life here, I am the way, the truth and the lie. If God is truth, then I can trust him. And so it ties to the person of who God is. That's why there's the principle of

of lying is wrong or bad because it's, because truth is valuable. ⁓ You think I should know that, but truth is valuable. And that's why it leads to that, to that precept of, of lying is wrong. What it does for me when I heard this and how I changed how I raised my kids and I'm jumping ahead to the practical, we'll get there in a minute, but it turned it from rules into a relationship.

Because if why something is right or wrong goes back to the very person's character in nature of God, then this isn't about rules. This is about a relationship with a God who loves you and sees you and knows you intimately. Yeah. So let's walk through those. Cause obviously I need to, I got kind of hung up there for a second. We need to go a little bit slowly through these three P's to make sure that those listening and watching that, that, that they're, they're fully grasping. Cause it's so important.

When you see this, how these three P's relate to one another, it really changes how you view everything about the Ten Commandments, everything about the law in general. And it helps you have a deeper understanding of who God is and why he is the way he is and why he communicates with us the way that he does. And so let's talk about this, this precept and principle in person and just slow it down a little bit to walk down, walk through the.

So the precept is that thou shalt not. It's the commandments. And we have commandments all over scripture. And it's a loving father says, hey, hey, don't do that. Not because I'm a cosmic killjoy, not because I don't want you to be happy. Ooh, cultural buzzword today. But I am telling, giving you a precept, thou shalt not, a commandment, because behind it, there's a positive truth that I long for you.

to live in. Why? Because it reflects my very character and nature. It's the attributes of who I am. And beloved, you were made in the image of God with infinite value, dignity and worth. So precept says thou shalt not. The principle is the positive behind the precept. The reason why, but we need to anchor it back into the persons of God.

to be able to say, wow, this isn't about rules. This is about a relationship. So let's practice a couple. All right. Let's practice a Thou shalt not kill. So that's our precept, right? That's the precept. Don't kill. What's the principle behind that? Yeah. Life is sacred. Life has meaning. Life has value. And how does that go directly to the persons of God? Because God is the giver of life.

I am the resurrection and the life, the life for this life and the resurrection for life to come. So when we look at thou shalt not kill, it sounds so harsh, but the positive behind it is a beautiful gift that flows from the very character of God himself. Yes. All right. Ninth commandment. Don't steal. Don't steal. There's our precept, don't steal. So what's the principle that comes from that? Well, we should be able to...

do all kinds of ones, but we value what belongs to others. Why? Because God is trustworthy. He's generous. He is a good provider. See how it just be able to walk kids through this or even for us to, it just changes how I feel about, no one wants to say, don't do that, don't do that. We always want to go, but why? I was that kid, I'm sorry. I was the kid that's like, well, why?

I remember standing, I know this is oversharing, but I remember standing at a crosswalk when I was a little girl with my grandma. And she, she said, said, grandma, let's go. And she says, it says don't walk. And I go, well, then let's run. Well, that sounds very much like something that would happen to you, Shelley. So I don't think that's oversharing at all. It just gives people a little bit more insight into Shelley Komoszewski

Which is helpful. And so we'll do one more because it relates to in culture today and it's this idea around ⁓ adultery or sleeping with whoever I want. That's very common in culture today. Like who are you to tell me? Like who I should live with or sleep with? And so we have this idea, we have this precept that comes from God, says don't commit adultery. And it's very easy to just kind of see, hey, the Bible says not to do that. So therefore, the Bible says it, so I believe it.

and that's why I'm gonna do it. But there's more there, right? There's- What's the beautiful precept behind that? Yeah. The principle behind that is that we are to honor covenant faithfulness. This is actually why we don't ⁓ sleep with whoever we want before marriage as well, because we honor people who are made in the image of God. But when we're made, when we actually are married, there's a covenant that happens and we honor covenant faithfulness. Why? Because God is faithful and he honors his

covenant. If you remember the story of Abraham and God making the covenant with himself, that's a God of covenant faithfulness. He I'm going to make the covenant with myself. And that's God saying, I'm faithful. And that's why the Bible says, even when we are faithless, he is faithful. And because that's rooted in the person of God, that's where the principle comes from. And then that's where the precept comes from as well. So really important to get all three of those down, because it shows us that every commandment that

God provides, every law that comes from God is personal. It's rooted in the person of God. They're not just arbitrary commands. If here's things I want you to do, I thought of 10 things, and these are 10 things that I think are going to be impossible for you to do, so I'm going to assign them to you. Oh, it's rooted in the person of God. It shows us who God is. What kind of God is God? When we go through each one of the commands and beyond that, the way God just shows up in the Old and New Testament,

we can look back as what does this tell me about the person of God? What kind of God is it that I serve? Then we began to see the uniqueness and the glory of the God that we have the pleasure to serve. And then it also shows us that when we obey, we're those who are created in God's image, that we are mirroring his nature. We're not just following an arbitrary rule or we're not just doing something out of fear that God is going to punish us or retribution is on its way. We're mirroring the nature of God.

Because we love him and because we see who he is and in his in his nature and we're never just following a rule We're pursuing a relationship and we're showing others we care deeply about this relationship so much so that when I see this person Relay this principle in this precept. I want to follow him and mirror who he is because he's got overall Yeah, not out of obligation, but out of love and desire and worship

for this God who loves me so deeply. One of the illustrations Josh used that I had forgotten about until you just said that, he said, if I was on top of a maze where I could see the intricate maze and my kids were walking through it and I could see the end from the beginning that they couldn't see and they're doing all dead ends, would it be loving for me to say to them,

Honey, don't go left, don't go left. That's a dead end. You're gonna be trapped there. Go right. That's where life is found. I'm on the other side here. I'm helping you through this. Don't go this way, go that way. And so sometimes I think we just feel that it's so oppressive instead of the joy of a relationship. And it transforms how we view God, how we view ourselves. I think it's just a beautiful, anyway.

Yeah. Sorry, we got off track there. Yeah. No, get us back on. Well, let's anchor this. Let's get this anchored and in everyday life. What this means, we see the overarching picture of of of ⁓ precept and principle and person. But but let's let's get it anchored and and and every everyday life and land it into the day to day walk. Yeah. So once you know the why behind the precept, you don't obey just out of pressure like we talked about. You respond out of trust.

So at this point in in our conversations, we get to the very, practical. want to make sure that the discussion we talk about, what's cultural, we hold it up against scripture and then we come away with, hey, how do we apply this? Because if it doesn't change us.

and change the way we engage with the relationships closest to us and the world around us, then I think we've missed the mark. So let's get real personal. personal, how does this change us? I already talked a little bit of how it's changed some of my parenting. What are some of the ways that when you're, when you heard some of this message, Brock, that you applied, made application? Yeah, well, as we were preparing for this, it just reminded me how truth is also.

in God that he declares what's true and good and right. And when we move away from that and start determining it for ourselves, we never find ourselves in a good place, which is why we see all the mental health crisis and we see the depression crisis and the anxiety crisis. The more people think I get to determine reality for myself and I get to determine what's right and wrong for myself, the worse things get instead of the better things get. then...

And then you have culture as a whole saying, continue doing that, accelerate even more. There should be more individualism and more individual determinism of what's right and what's wrong for each person. And because of that, we've gotten farther and farther away from anchored truth. And it made me think of a time that ⁓ just times over the years when I've taught apologetics to teenagers and to adults. And you used to be able to give an illustration where to talk about just truth, about truth and its objective nature.

and it being rooted in God and give like a quick example of two people sitting down for ice cream and you're transitioning the conversation to somebody and you start talking about objective truth and they're just like, yeah, know, truth isn't really like that at all. know, truth is really up to the individual person. And they say something like, for example, you have vanilla ice cream because you like vanilla ice cream. That's true for you. And I have chocolate ice cream because I have chocolate ice cream and I like it. And that's true for me. See?

It's not true. Vanilla is so much better. But the whole point is those are two separate truths. You have your truth, the vanilla ice cream is good, and I have my truth, chocolate ice cream is good. And we can take that farther and farther and farther into things of deeper and deeper meaning until we get to the person of God. You have your God and he works for you and that's true for you and I have my God and that's true for me. And early on, maybe 15, 16 years ago,

⁓ People will be able to see through that pretty quickly and now it's it stumps people pretty pretty quickly like when we get we get to that point of vanilla ice cream is you like it's true for you. I like ice cream. It's true for me. Therefore we have separate truths and and people, you know, they'll just look at me like okay, so what do I do?

And well, the way out of this is pretty quick and simple. It's like, well, you just have a confusion about truth is you're right. Chocolate ice cream that you like it. That is true for you. It's also true for me that you like chocolate ice cream. It's also true for the person that sold us the ice cream that you like chocolate ice cream. It's true for them that you like it. It's also true for the person that's walking past the ice cream parlor right now who you've never met before. It's also true for them that you like chocolate ice cream. It's also true for the person on any continent.

in any country on this planet at any given time that you like chocolate ice cream. It's true for that person that you like chocolate ice cream. And in the same way, the same applies to me. Yeah, it is true for me that I like vanilla, but it's also true for you that I like vanilla. And it's true for everybody in the entire world at the same time that I like vanilla because both of those statements are just true. We don't get to have our individual truths. And the same moves on as we move forward and forward and forward.

things are true because they're true, not because I hold to them or I believe them. They either comport to reality, they either line up with the way things actually are, or they do not. But that's actually what determines truth. And then the illustrations go on and it's a whole session on truth. But when we talked about the relational aspect of God and the person, principle, precept,

and how it ties to the person of God. And when we line our lives up with how he has said, here's who I am and who I desire for you to be, that when we follow that, our lives have order and we have joy, we have the form of the spirit that comes from that. And it reminded me that same thing is true because we talked at the very beginning of God is true. And because God is truth, I can trust him. Well, that's because truth is rooted in him and I can't have my own individual truth. And it just reminded me of that.

those times of teaching that. And I've done that with my own kids several times of just, like, it's a joy, I'm sure, for them to have a dad in apologetics of just constantly just being, what do you mean by that? How do you know that's true? Well, let's walk through the evidences of that. And that's one of those things that I thought of that how I've seen more and more of having to go back in and explain these kinds of things where it used to be just relatively understood. People could see, I see the problem here.

So in review, we're talking precept, thou shalt not. Behind every precept is a principle, the beautiful thing that that stands against, and that flows from the very person, persons of God. So as we apply this, there's a few things, our practical application, walking with God. How does this change how we walk with God? When we obey, we're aligning with his nature.

truthful because he is truth and merciful because he's mercy. And to me, it deepens my worship. I come with awe of a God who is there to protect and provide and to love. It changes the thou shalt nots from a negative to a positive that's linked to a relationship that I deeply value, and that's worship. So walking with God is one of the ways that we can apply the precept principle persons.

Yeah, yeah, I think it also just really deepens our worship and what worship truly is. Like when we see Romans 12, 1 and 2, and it tells us about what our spiritual worship is, that our life is a living sacrifice. And it's in view of like what you just talked about. That verse starts off with in view of the mercies of God. And so I'm supposed to stop when I get the Romans 12, 1 and be like, wait, let me think of all the ways that God has demonstrated his mercy.

Yeah. And then in view of that, after I've spent weeks thinking about how God has been merciful to me, only then do I go in and think about, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual worship. Now, when I live my life as a sacrifice to God, I'm sacrificing the sins that I desire.

to commit that I know are contrary to His nature. And I'm literally just like the sacrificial system in the Old Testament. That's what I do with my sins now. I take my sins and I say, of what Christ has accomplished, I take my sins, the things that I desire to do, and I literally sacrifice them and offer those up to God so that I continue to live on, because I'm a living sacrifice. I don't die. I continue to live on. But I'm sacrificing these sins because of God's mercy. And it's because of who He is. I think of His character first.

and his person first, and that's what Paul asks us to do in that section. And only then, once I've considered who God is and his person, then I began to walk forward. And this is the same section of scripture that says, do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may know the good and pleasing, perfect will of God. And these are the things that every Christian that I know desires deeply. And we get asked this a lot of like, how do I know the will of God? How do I pursue the will of God?

Well, here it is right here of be transformed by the renewing of your mind through God's word, which is looking at who is God and what are the principles that come from who God is and what are the precepts that he calls me to do. And as I do these things, my mind is renewed by these reminders of who God is. Then I begin pursuing him. And as I'm doing this, this is what the Bible says. So that you may know the good and pleasing and perfect will of God.

walking with God worship, walking with others, when we understand God's justice and mercy, just like you were talking about, it actually reshapes how we handle conflict or disagreement. Ouch. Right from Wrong becomes relational and we seek restoration more than we seek just being right. Hmm. Yeah.

That can be a tough one. Maybe a little convicting. People experience God's character through our character. That one. Yeah, a little bit of an ouch there. Yeah, it is. And this is kind of like the evangelism 101 thing of, you know, relational is more important than being seen as right. If I win the argument, but I lose the opportunity, then I haven't done anything. I haven't done anything good. If I'm just winning argument and debate and argument.

and I'm getting all these victories, but I'm losing opportunities and relationships along the way, then I'm starting to fall in line of what Paul talks about as I have all these things, but I don't have love. If I don't care about the relational aspect of this, then I haven't really won anything. I'm just a resounding gong And I love this whole people experience God's character through our character. I John MacArthur was the one that said, sometimes you're the only Bible that people will read.

And it's a good reminder that there are people who, when they hear that you're a Christian, they'll be like, ⁓ well, I'm going to start watching you now. And it works the other way around too, where you live a life in a certain way. And then sometime down the road, you say, yeah, I'm a Christian. And then they stop and go, really? I never would have guessed. That can be incredibly convicting. And so this whole, you're...

And people experience God's character through your character. all ties to this person principle precept thing. If we get this right, then we begin living in such a way that reflects who God is. So people see his character through us. Yes. So it changes how we walk with God, walk with others. And it also changes our In-In-4 podcast. It changes how we engage with culture. So let's talk about that just for a second. Yeah. So instead of, of just reacting to culture,

We end up reflecting God into culture, which is the purpose of this podcast. It's not to withdraw from culture and it's not to fully delve into culture, but it's to reflect God into culture. It's to be in and for Christ and in and for cultures. The whole purpose of why we're doing what we're doing and why we're helping you all to take those steps into culture

Don't take steps out of culture and isolate yourself and don't become part of culture and ingratiate yourself. But instead step in and reflect God into culture because this is the example that Christ set for us. ⁓ so good. The last one we talked about walking with God, walking with others, impacting culture. And we have to say one more impacting the next generation and modeling to them.

Not only what we believe, but why we believe it. And that gives them the convictions to stand against being tossed from every wave of doctrine and every new cultural next issue, so to speak. Yeah. And I think one of the things that we talked about in preparing this was in talking to the next generation. And so we're looking at the younger Z's and then all of the alphas of just, they get very

resistant and hesitant to hear when you start something with, don't do this, don't be like this. You shouldn't do this. And that comes across to them as very judgmental language and very self-righteous language. And it sets you back. But instead talking about, hey, what I've just told you, this matters because this is how God is. it takes, number one, takes the example from you and just saying, hey, be more like me because I'm better than you. And instead it puts it on God.

and you're able to say, I'm not like God, I'm not as good as he is, nowhere near as righteous he is, and you're not like God, but we can both see how God is and who God is. That's why what we just talked about and the guidance that I just gave you on how to make a better moral decision or a wiser decision in this next step of your life, whenever counsel you're giving them is,

this matters because of who God is. And it allows you to have a much better conversation instead of just a constant restrictive, don't do this, you shouldn't do this, don't be like this, ⁓ which can really be off-putting to younger generations. And we know if you, we did a ⁓ podcast on the questions each generation asks. And Gen Z asked, what is beautiful? What is just? That's their spiritual question. And

the ability to take the thou shalt nots and show them the beauty behind the precept, the principle behind, sorry, I used the wrong P word, ⁓ precept, principle, the principle behind it, that's where beauty's found. And anytime we can show the beauty behind the rules and show how that reflects God himself, there's an awareness there and this generation leans in.

So it's a beautiful way to start spiritual conversations. Hey, what does this show us about who God is? Hey, what do you think about this? How does this reflect the very person's character and nature of God? So as we landed this plane, so to speak, when we anchor right and wrong in who God is, obedience becomes worship. I love that phrase. Obedience becomes worship. Relationships become reflection.

of God himself and culture gets to see a glimpse of the God who doesn't change as culture changes. Truth doesn't change even as culture does change. And I think one of the big takeaways here is that as we live this out, this person

principle of precept as we live this out, we find ourselves living from God's nature, not just under his rules. When other people see us doing that, and when we're having conversations, especially with the younger generations, they end up moving from not just in compliance, but actually having deep conviction about what they see is right or what they're hearing is right. Because what we're not looking for is just attitude adjustments and behavior modification. That's not helpful.

⁓ When people start acting the way we want them to act and we're like, ⁓ you're acting like a Christian now or you're acting like the way I want you to act so therefore We're winning it actually has that's just compliance or can be compliance What we're looking for is actual conviction that this is true And when they see that in you they have reason to then pursue that in Christ and it moves them that one step closer to Jesus and only the Holy Spirit

And Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit that can fix people of sin, we can walk people toward that moment. Jesus clearly. That's right. Which is our mission statement. So the clearer we see God, the clearer we see everything else, including right from wrong. Truth doesn't change with culture.

Because God's character doesn't change with culture. He is who He is. Yeah. So I think that wraps us up for this episode. And I can't wait for the next month where we're going to look at another aspect of culture and talk about the truth that's cutting through confusion that we see. We have all of these podcasts ⁓ available. If you head over to sidelineministry.org and you go to resources, you'll see our podcasts. just ask that you subscribe and share.

and help other people to see Jesus clearly. Every month we're talking about some area of culture where there's confusion and we're trying to provide some practicality, biblically based practicality on how to cut through that confusion to help people see Jesus clearly. We hope this has been helpful to you and we can't wait to see you all next time. So until next time, stay rooted in and for Christ. And in for culture.