This is a common expression today when we consider courses of action. “Do the right thing” is often a challenge to a person faced with a dilemma or a personal struggle. Sometimes the right thing is clear and seems to transcend culture, penetrating a core human morality. If you find someone’s lost purse return it without taking anything out of it. If you are tempted to cheat on your taxes or cheat someone out of their resources- don’t. If you are wondering whether to tell someone the truth or perpetuate a hurtful and damaging lie, stick with the truth.
Difficulty increases for those who cannot discern the difference between society’s understanding of the right thing and God’s, or when society’s definition of the right thing actually conflicts with God’s. In those instances, I have frequently seen good, Christian people lean toward a societal understanding of the right or best thing rather than God’s. When tolerance of wrong behavior bleeds over into endorsement of it, or when anger toward injustice bleeds over to hatred of the unjust, or when cultural taboos bear more weight than moral ones, the lines are confused for many. Paul’s warnings to Timothy, “. . . keep these instructions without partiality . . .” (ITimothy 5:21) and “keep yourself pure” (verse 22) come right in the middle of his instructions on how to deal with relationships and how to deal with resources- money specifically.
Just reading the larger context (1Timothy 5 and 6) on how we are instructed to relate with others and how we are to relate to our resources one can see where society’s understanding of the right thing, might be in conflict with the person attempting to honor God. How we handle relationships and resources is sensitive and difficult at best. That is why Paul was compelled to admonish Timothy to pursue purity and freedom from partiality. Doing the right thing is only beneficial when the right thing is truly the right thing. It must be more than the “commonly acceptable thing” or the “culturally affirmed thing.” Purity of heart (an obedient and loving way of living) is the best guarantee of doing the right thing. Knowing and understanding God, His word and His will in a transformed way is the only guarantee that we will not actually confuse the wrong thing with the right thing.