Proverbs 12:10 “The righteous care for their animal’s needs, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”

In my conversations with young adults, I often ask them to expound on a topic relating to American culture today and then comparing or contrasting it to the Bible’s stance on that same cultural topic.

This week, Garrett Ewens, a Christian young adult, uses Proverbs 12:10 to explain how the culture views right vs. wicked and then compare this to God’s stance on what He defines righteousness vs. wickedness.

“While Proverbs 12:10 begins by explaining care for your animals is a character trait of a righteous person, it ends by bringing up an important antithetical contrast between the righteous and the wicked.

This contrast is clearly seen today in American culture. But more importantly, it is a distinction that is easily lost when we leave Jesus Christ out of this discussion of what constitutes a righteous versus wicked person to God.

What do I mean by this? If you were to read the latter half of Proverbs 12:10 and try and picture who best fits that description of a wicked person, you could quickly come up with someone who is wicked in your eyes and does cruel things that they would see as compassionate or merciful.

Eventually, these opposing worldviews lead to people taking sides – ‘us’ versus ‘them’ – where one side sees themself as the ‘righteous’ ones and the other side as the ‘wicked’ people. Today, we are living in a culture that is more polarized than ever before on this issue of righteousness versus wickedness.

By itself, Proverbs 12:10 is just another bit of kindle to feed the flames of division within our country. This is why we must not lose sight of Jesus Christ, who is the foundation for anyone’s worldview.

If Christ were everyone’s foundation for how they think and behave, this verse would no longer encourage people to label someone as wicked. Instead, each of us would see this as wisdom from God, not man.

Before we try to fit each other into the two categories of Proverbs 12:10, It is imperative to answer the question ‘Who is righteous?’ The Bible answers this question in a very straightforward manner. Romans 3:10 says, ‘There is no one righteous, not even one.’ Ouch. From this one verse alone, anyone who sees themselves as righteous now must move themselves from the ‘righteous’ group to the ‘wicked’ one.

The next question to answer is ‘How does someone become righteous?’ I am glad you asked! 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us exactly: ‘God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him [Jesus] we might become the righteousness of God.’

Those who have been saved and are now in Christ have received His righteousness. When God looks at you, He sees His Son’s righteousness that has been given to you by God’s grace as a gift.

A firm grasp of this truth should completely alter how you now read and apply Proverbs 12:10 in your life.

Outside of Jesus Christ, all are wicked in God’s eyes. For Christians, it can be easy to put ourselves on a pedestal and look down on others. Proverbs 12:10 provides a sobering truth to Christians that those who do not know Christ see themselves as good or kind when in reality their actions are cruel in God’s eyes.

Proverbs 12:10 is not about us but God. The righteous are those who know Jesus Christ, not those who think they are righteous. The wicked are those who reject Jesus Christ, not those that we think are wicked.

If you think this shift in thinking still gives you the right to divide people based on their worldview, political party, or lifestyle, then Christ is still not the center of Proverbs 12:10 for you. Focusing our conversations on Jesus Christ is the only proper approach for a Christian. When we do, the topic of who Jesus is in anyone’s life will either bring peace and joy or division (Luke 12:51 & Matthew 10:34).

As a Christian, do not let worldly things be the lens through which you view others. Center your life so intimately in Christ that His name is at the forefront of every “us” versus “them” conversation.

If you are not a follower of Christ, know that Christianity is not defined by behavior towards others, but on who Jesus is. God sent His only Son to take the sins of the world upon Himself so that those who put their faith in Him and not in themselves will be credit by God with the righteousness of Christ.”
“The Evidence of Faith’s Substance” _ Article #561