Good rules and principles can be used the wrong way on purpose.
Consider a chef who speaks poorly of the food of another chef she is secretly jealous of after first saying that she is only trying to be honest and doesn’t believe in lying.
Good principles can be used for bad purposes, including principles such as honesty. Consider a chef who speaks poorly of the food of another chef she is secretly jealous of after first saying that she is only trying to be honest and doesn’t believe in lying. The idea is to try to cause harm while covering oneself from reproach.
Christians can be tempted to do this as well when feeling a strong sense of anger or jealousy, for example. It is insightful for both Christians and the general public to develop a genuine sense of care for the well-being of others so that they don’t try to manipulate rules and principles to the detriment of others. Otherwise, a heart that is in the wrong place leads to the use of rules and principles in the wrong places.
What does it matter how good a principle is if the person using it knows how to use it harmfully? Honesty can save a life. However, it can also be misused to embarrass someone terribly.
