Do no wrong

"We pray to God that you may do no wrong …" (2 Corinthians 13:7).

In the middle of the new configuration of the lines that have come to rest for me in the aftermath of yet another car accident, I am faced daily with choices between God's way of doing things and the "smart" way of worldly wisdom. There are temptations to present facts in "the most favorable light." There are temptations to speak negatively, in ways not optimally "worthy of the calling" (Ephesians 4:1).

Against all that stands the plumb line of the Word of God: "Do no wrong." The rest of the verse gives the alternative: "Do what is right." It works out really nicely in the Greek: kakon (evil) and kalon (good). The rhyme serves to underline the starkness of the choice: At any given moment, in any given little temptation, the choice thrust upon you is between doing something good and doing something evil. There are only two kingdoms, and they vie for you every moment (Galatians 5:17). There are no acceptable shades of deceit offered to us here, depending on the circumstances or occasion. Just tell the truth and the whole truth.

Opportunities that look so good they seem handed down from heaven on a silver platter may come with teeny-weeny integrity tests. These are God's little testings, and they are to see if we will "do good" and "do no wrong" even when the choice is not between black and white, but between white and off-white. And we have the promise that with every temptation we are given a way out. That "way out" may be as simple and accessible as answering the word "yes" to a question posed to us.

Paul the apostle tells us what he prayed about for the Corinthians, and we would do well to pray it for ourselves:

"We pray to God that you may not do wrong. …"