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"Everyone Else is Doing It"
It may be that you or someone you know has justified what they are doing by saying, “Everyone else is doing it.” This is an argument you hear many times on television shows and in real life. While this may be a common excuse for many, it cannot be an excuse Christians use. Consider several reasons we cannot make this argument, and what principles are violated when we use this excuse to justify certain sins.
Why This is Not Justified:
We Are to Be Holy – As God’s people, we are called to be holy as God is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). This means we are to be different from the rest of the world. 1 Peter 1:16 is a quotation from the book of Leviticus, chapters 11 and 19. Chapter 11 is discussing the kinds of meats the Jews could and could not eat. The point is being made that even though the world may eat what they like that the children of Israel are to “Be holy as, I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45). Leviticus 18 is dealing with the need to avoid sexual sins and then chapter 19 is making the point that Israel is to be holy as God is. The two chapters are inseparably linked as both are making the point that Israel is to be different from the world, not partaking in the sins they do but being separate and distinct.
We Have Died to Sin – When this excuse is made, it is often to justify partaking in something that is sinful in nature, not a matter of indifference. Romans 6 is addressing the point that as Christians, we are not to continue in sin. Consider the reasons in this chapter that we are not to continue in sin: 1) We have died to sin (v.2), 2) we have crucified the old self (v.6), 3) We are alive to God and dead to sin (v.11), 4) Sin should not reign in our mortal bodies (v.12), 5) We are slaves of righteousness (vv.16-17), 6) There is no fruit in sin (v.21), and 7) Wages of sin is eternal death (v.23). That is a long list of reasons why we should not continue in sin! Not only does this passage deal with how we have died to sin, but so does Ephesians 4:17-24 and Colossians 3:5-11.
The Majority Are Wrong – Aside from the fact we are to be different from the world and we have died to sin, there is also the fact that the majority of people are going to be lost. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus pointed out that, “For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many” (Matthew 7:13). Most people around us are partaking in things which God would not approve. Therefore, we should not do something because “everyone else is doing it” and ask if any Biblical principles are violated.
What is “Everyone” Else Doing
Dressing Immodestly - One area that people try and argue that “everyone else is doing it” is in the way they dress. If a woman wants to wear a short skirt, or a man wants to wear short shorts, they will argue that “everyone else is doing it” when someone calls them out for their dress. Even if the rest of the world is dressing that way, it does not remove our responsibility to follow the Biblical principles of modesty. Our clothing should cover all the way from our shoulders down to below our knees, like the clothing God made for Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:21. Even if everyone else dresses immodestly, it does not remove our responsibility to dress modestly.
To Justify Lying - Another area in which this excuse may be made is to justify telling a “little white lie.” Telling a “white lie” is not wrong since, “everyone else is doing it.” The only problem with that is, it is! Revelation 21 is most commonly known for its wonderous description of heaven, but in verse 8 John writes about those who will not enter heaven and instead will be in “The lake which burns with fire and sulfur.” This list is made up of what many would consider “grievous” sins such as murder, sexual immorality and idolaters. Right at the very end of this list is what many would consider a “minor” sin, “all liars.” Yes, many will agree that lying is wrong at times, but this doesn’t just condemn the “big” lies, but all liars! So, it doesn’t matter that everyone else is doing it, it is wrong and we should avoid it.
Having An Improper Attitude – It is easy at times to have the improper attitude towards individuals when they wrong us. It is easy to love those who love us and hate those who hate us. The problem is that everyone else does this too. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus says we are to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Aside from not loving our enemies, and everyone else, being a violation of what Jesus expressly said, it makes us like others. Jesus said in verse 46 of this same chapter that if we only love those who love us, we are no better than the tax collectors (used to represent those who do wrong). Therefore, even if everyone else does it, we cannot.
Everyone Else is Not Doing It
The 7,000 – When Elijah felt all alone, God told him that he had 7,000 that had not bowed down to Baal. Even though he felt alone and everyone else was doing wrong, there were others not doing what was wrong.
Few, Not None – Jesus said there are few who enter by the narrow gate (Matthew 7:14), not none. If everyone was truthfully doing what was wrong, then Jesus would’ve said that none would enter by the narrow gate. In that He says few, that shows not “everyone else is doing it.”
Conclusion:
We are not the only ones not doing what is wrong, there are others who do what is right. However, even if we were the only one who strove to do what is right, we cannot justify doing what is wrong by saying, “Everyone else is doing it.” Everyone else doing something does not make it right, and it also does not remove our responsibilities to live as faithful Christians.
