A question of motives

[Child-of-Zion]

Is it better to do the right thing for the wrong reasons than to not do it at all? Why or why not?

If yes, then would not the Pharisee agree?
If no, then are we to cease from doing the right thing until we are sure that our sinful messy hearts are 100% pure from any impure motives?

And by this, I'm not necessarily referring to a cut-and-dry choice between right and wrong, but more of an 'I know I should do this' choice. I'll start it off and say no because the Lord does not delight in the external more than the internal forces which drive us (i.e. our hearts).

With that said, there are many gray areas that could potentially arise. For example, is it better to feed a starving homeless man so that we can brag about our good deed or to let him starve while we get right with God? And there are gray areas even within the gray areas; such as my wondering if such 'this or the other' scenarios aren't limiting an infinite God to be less than what He is--> infinite and able to do far more than we are able to ask or imagine. All of this to say... I lean towards 'no' but I'm not completely sure.

 

[Faulty]

Feed a starving man for the wrong reasons or starve a starving man for the wrong reasons? Which is better? Ask the starving man.

 

[tm2cruz]

is it better to feed a starving homeless man so that we can brag about our good deed or to let him starve while we get right with God?

It is part of our life if we are real Christians... Read these verses and hope you'll get what I mean...

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly"
-Matthew 6:1-4

"And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."
-Luke 6:33-36

"Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."
-Luke 6:38

 

[lismore]

Better to do the right thing with the right motives.

 

[Child-of-Zion]

Better to do the right thing with the right motives.

well this is obvious. But this wasn't part of the question.

 

[lismore]

well this is obvious. But this wasn't part of the question.

But it is part of the answer

 

[tm2cruz]

well this is obvious. But this wasn't part of the question.

Hmm, it is part of the answer. His answer is the summary of the verses quoted there.

 

[hislegacy]

You mean does the end justify the means? No

 

[Elijah2]

It is better to do the right thing for the wrong reasons than to not do it at all.

This is an oxymoron!

His Word says: “Woe is the day when evil is called good, and good is called evil!”

There are NO GRAY AREAS!

It’s good or evil, good or bad, right or wrong! There are no shortcuts, because shortcuts lead you down the wrong path, into those “wide gates of destruction”!

Today, most churches lean on practicality and new age thinking of “double-mindedness”, and become unstable in all their ways.

 

[SUNSTONE]

quick to do evil, quick to justify evil, slow to do good

 

[Faulty]

It is better to do the right thing for the wrong reasons than to not do it at all.

This is an oxymoron!

His Word says: “Woe is the day when evil is called good, and good is called evil!”

There are NO GRAY AREAS!

It’s good or evil, good or bad, right or wrong! There are no shortcuts, because shortcuts lead you down the wrong path, into those “wide gates of destruction”!

Today, most churches lean on practicality and new age thinking of “double-mindedness”, and become unstable in all their ways.

quick to do evil, quick to justify evil, slow to do good

I don't think you two get it. In fact there is a lot of dodging of the actual point elsewhere of the thread as well.

Take the point in the OP.

For example, is it better to feed a starving homeless man so that we can brag about our good deed or to let him starve while we get right with God?

Just answer that. It's a given condition that the motives are impure in this hypothetical situation. Leave it or accept it. Now with this in mind, is it better for that man to starve him or feed him regardless?

It's really not all that difficult. Let's not try to overthink this one ok?

 

[Moriah_Conquering_Wind]

Faulty touched on one thing -- it really depends on which "right thing" for which "wrong reasons" we'd be talking about. There would not be any "one answer fits all scenarios" answer to this. However, Moriah voted no, because in general wrong reasons often tend to blind us as to what the "right thing" would even be in the first place. The starving man might not care why you give him a sandwich, but if you start harassing him for weeks on end afterwards about why does he still beg in the streets when you TOLD him he could come to your church shelter and you even gave him a sandwich to prove your good intentions? Yeah, he might wish he'd never eaten your tainted sandwich at that point. Generally doing "right" things for WRONG reasons leads to much more WRONG things later down the line because the person doing them has made assumptions that proved incorrect and faulty and now he's frustrated that his "right" action didn't bring the RESULTS he wanted for his own pleasure.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

• What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, "Son, go and work today in the vineyard."
  "I will not," he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
  Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, "I will, sir," but he did not go.
  Which of the two did what his father wanted? -- Matthew 21:28-31

 

[pinetree]

Is it better to do the right thing for the wrong reasons than to not do it at all? Why or why not?

If yes, then would not the Pharisee agree?
If no, then are we to cease from doing the right thing until we are sure that our sinful messy hearts are 100% pure from any impure motives?

And by this, I'm not necessarily referring to a cut-and-dry choice between right and wrong, but more of an 'I know I should do this' choice. I'll start it off and say no because the Lord does not delight in the external more than the internal forces which drive us (i.e. our hearts).

With that said, there are many gray areas that could potentially arise. For example, is it better to feed a starving homeless man so that we can brag about our good deed or to let him starve while we get right with God? And there are gray areas even within the gray areas; such as my wondering if such 'this or the other' scenarios aren't limiting an infinite God to be less than what He is--> infinite and able to do far more than we are able to ask or imagine. All of this to say... I lean towards 'no' but I'm not completely sure.

Interesting thoughts,reminds me of this..


21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

You are a kind hearted soul...

But a little friendly advice,in light of the above verses...

Leave yourself alone,to much introspection only keeps showing you more of that which you look for.

 

[MrSnow]

As (who I consider to be) a very wise man once said, it takes a perfect man to perfectly repent, but a perfect man has no need to repent.

Will my heart ever be completely free from any hint of a shadow of a wrong motive this side of eternity? I doubt it.

Should I therefore never strive to do the right thing just because there is, at best, a shread of pride?

We can give hypothetical scenarios all day long. But how can we be the hands and feet of Christ if our action is stopped because we're worrying about whether or not we've perfectly repented of a false motive?

I say yes to the poll.

 

[Child-of-Zion]

Interesting thoughts,reminds me of this..


21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

You are a kind hearted soul...

But a little friendly advice,in light of the above verses...

Leave yourself alone,to much introspection only keeps showing you more of that which you look for.

I appreciate that, Pinetree. I also think that you've nailed it with the introspection part. I'm very introspective and more often than not it leads me to troublesome thinking about myself.

 

[heron]

Feed a starving man for the wrong reasons or starve a starving man for the wrong reasons? Which is better? Ask the starving man.

Yesterday I was looking up relief agencies for someone, and caught myself when I almost pasted one that opposed Christian beliefs. I was trying to offer a "good fit." But I also had some opinions.

God intervened and hinted that ideally, He wished everyone would live with generosity and care for others. This was how the community was set up when Moses was given Laws for living. People were asked to set aside grain for the poor, even if they didn't feel like it.

God knows that we have bad motives, mixed motives, and even added agendas for gaining. But treating others decently should not be based on feelings, and we shouldn't have to wait until our motives are pure.

If it's a matter of trusting an organization that has mixed motives, that's a different story. The question is very general, so it could imply all sorts of things.

 

[lismore]

Feed a starving man for the wrong reasons or starve a starving man for the wrong reasons? Which is better? Ask the starving man.

But there is also the sense that you take the gospel to the starving man as well as the grub. Because what good would it do to feed someone, who then dies one day anyway and goes to hell?

Its got to be the phyiscal need and the spiritual need. The right thing for the right motives. You cant separate the two.

 

[Child-of-Zion]

However, Moriah voted no, because in general wrong reasons often tend to blind us as to what the "right thing" would even be in the first place.

Generally doing "right" things for WRONG reasons leads to much more WRONG things later down the line because the person doing them has made assumptions that proved incorrect and faulty and now he's frustrated that his "right" action didn't bring the RESULTS he wanted for his own pleasure.

Good points. Reminds me of that old saying about the road to Hell being paved with good intentions.
I can also see heron's point;

God knows that we have bad motives, mixed motives, and even added agendas for gaining. But treating others decently should not be based on feelings, and we shouldn't have to wait until our motives are pure.

Indeed, it is better for one with flawed motives but a willing heart to change them to do the good deed rather than the one with flawed motives combined with an unwilling heart to change.

 

[Cassidy]

How is it even possible to have 'wrong' motives when doing 'good'?