Moral Controversies That Have No Right to Exist

The futility of “dialog” and/or compromise to resolve controversy.

The Introduction stated the condition that moral controversies are those controversies which have mutually exclusive right and wrong sides—as declared by the Scriptures. It should be obvious, therefore, that if the “sides” are mutually exclusive no moral compromise is possible. To even attempt a compromise is a fool’s errand.

From the very beginning, both experientially and metaphorically, there has always been a separation between good and evil (e.g., the frequent biblical metaphors of light and darkness):

Gen 1.1-5
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Notice that the light was good and that it was separated from the darkness.

The essence of this fact is reflected in the following taught by the Apostle Paul nearly two millennia ago:

2 Cor 6:14
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?

[It is interesting that in at least American culture, Halloween is synonymous with evil, blood, vile characters, monsters, dead things, dead people, etc., and most of all darkness. Who ever heard of a well-lit Halloween party, House of Horrors or “scary” amusement park ride!?

For the same reason, any so-called "Christian" who hosts or goes to Halloween parties, dresses in dark and grim costumes which emphasize monsters, death, blood, etc., should be very ashamed of their conduct. They are glorifying the darkness of sin and showing contempt to the LORD Who judged sin and brought death to Adam's race as punishment.]

Right and wrong are absolutely, completely and permanently separated. This must mean that any moral controversy can never be resolved by compromise and any attempt at compromise must be worse than useless and futile. It is the definition of foolishness!

[The Bible teaches us that the Outer Darkness will be the place of everlasting punishment for the devil, his fallen angels and all lost sinners, those whose names are not found in the Lamb’s Book of Life. All its inhabitants will be forever separated from the light. (Rev 5.4, 5.7-10; 20.15 )

For details on the events of that time and its attendant judgments, please see The Final Sequence on this site.]

The Apostle John spoke of the same truth:

Joh 1.4-5
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

The Outer Darkness is the place for the everlasting punishment for evil.

Rev 22.14-15
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

Mat 8.12-13
I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Note that heaven needs no external light source because the glory (light!) of the LORD and His Christ are there:

Rev 22.5
And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

That place, heaven, the location of the New Heaven and the New Earth, will remain as long as the LORD remains—forever!

Rev 21.22-26
I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;

Since darkness was separated from the light (Gen 1.4), the place of the Outer Darkness will forever be separated from the place of Light.

There are, however, other Scriptures to consider which bear on the “here and now” rather than that which is still future. Please note in the citations below the metaphorical distinctions between good and evil, law keeping and law breaking, light and darkness, and day and night:

Eph 5.6-12
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.

1 The 5.4-8
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

[As this article is being written, our country has been wracked with more than a year of riots, violence, and destruction; have you noted that it is true that the overwhelming majority of them take place at night by individuals who clothe themselves in black hoodies and clothes, those who cover their faces? Lawbreakers intentionally attempt to hide their identities in an attempt to dissociate themselves from their deeds.]

Above, I’ve shown the distinctions between good and evil as starkly as is possible; they are mutually incompatible and exclusive, and unconditionally and utterly immune to compromise with each other.

[If a position on a matter is strongly held, regardless if that position is valid or invalid, it should be immune to compromise—otherwise, those who hold such positions are liars and hypocrites if they buckle to compromise when controversy arises. If this is true in the world with its nearly infinite supply of controversies, then how much more those issues which really matter (such as the examples in this article: abortion, the failure to execute criminals and sexual sins).]

In the realm of opinion (that is, anything which is not a moral controversy), it should also be obvious that there is no defensible, valid or even plausible rationale for elevating one man’s opinion above another, all of which takes us back to the main point: only the sole authority of the Word of our Creator is able to establish what is right and what is wrong in matters of sin to enable us to resolve all moral controversies!