Two Ways

When you open the Psalms, the very first thing you hear is a call to action: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor suits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Ps 1:1-2). From the start, God sets before us two ways: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. There is no middle path.

Paul echoes this plainly in his letters. For him, this call to action is not simply a moral decision. It has cosmic and eternal repercussions. Humanity is either “in Adam” or “in Christ” (Rom 5:12-21). We are either walking according to the flesh or according to the Spirit (Rom 8:1-13). We are either under the reign of death or alive in the kingdom of the risen Christ.

Recent events remind us that this is not just some theoretical idea. We live in a world that is discipling us, constantly pressing us to walk one way or the other. The assassination of Charlie Kirk, a young Ukrainian refugee girl stabbed, yet another school shooting…these are not random tragedies. They are symptoms of a deeper sickness, reminders that the “god of this age” blinds minds (2 Cor 4:4), that violence and hatred are the fruit of a world alienated from God.

Every headline is catechizing us. Every story of bloodshed whispers: “This is normal. This is the world you live in. Adjust.” If we aren’t careful, we will let these things harden us, numb us, or even tempt us to despair. That is the discipleship of darkness. However, Paul reminds us in Romans 12:2 not to conform to the ways of this age, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The blood on our streets and the division in our world is a summons to remember there are two ways: life or death, Spirit or flesh, Christ or antichrist.

Augustine conveys this truth in his book City of God through a comparison of human history. He says it is the clash of two loves that builds two cities. The first, the City of Man, is marked by the love of self even to the contempt of God. The other, the City of God, is marked by the love of God even to the contempt of self. Paul describes the same thing in terms of kingdoms: the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light (Col 1:13). To belong to Christ is to be delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into His kingdom. But the line between those cities and kingdoms doesn’t stop there. It runs between nations and political parties and through every human heart. Psalm 1 and its “two ways” is really the same story: two cities, two kingdoms, two destinies.

This is why Paul insists that our battle is not against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12). Behind the headlines is a spiritual war. Romans 8 reminds us that those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the Spirit…and the Spirit testifies that we belong to God. This spiritual war also shapes our perspective on culture. Halloween is just around the corner. For many, it’s “harmless fun” with ghosts, goblins, witches, and skeletons. But if Scripture teaches us anything, it’s that there is nothing harmless about flirting with darkness. What we call entertainment or “harmless fun” often masks what God calls demonic. If we’re careless, we let our celebrations discipline us toward the wrong city.

As children of light, Paul says, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Eph 5:11). To laugh at demons, to dress our homes in the material forms of the shadows of darkness, to normalize what Christ came to overthrow, should at the very least make us pause.

However, there is hope: Jesus Christ is the Blessed Man of Psalm 1. He never walked in the counsel of the wicked. He delighted perfectly in His Father’s law. At the cross, He bore the judgment that belonged to the wicked so that sinners like us could be planted like trees beside streams of living water.

So, there are really only two ways. The way of the righteous (rooted in Christ, fruitful in the Spirit, belonging to the City of God) or the way of the wicked (carried on the wind like chaff, swallowed up by the City of Man, perishing in the judgment). The news, our culture, our social algorithms, and even our holidays are trying to train us to forget that. However, Psalm 1 and Romans 8 (and the entirety of the Bible) remind us of reality. The world is not neutral. We are engaged in a battle between light and darkness, between the gospel of Christ and the antichrists. The question isn't simply, What do you believe? The question is: Which way are you walking? Which city do you love? Which kingdom are you serving?…because our actions tell us what we truly believe. We are saved from our sin into the obedience of faith (Rom 16:27).

With blood on our streets and some even calling this evil good, neutrality is not an option. Choose the way of the Blessed Man in Psalm 1 (who is Jesus Christ). Delight in His Word…walk in His Spirit…bear fruit for His kingdom…and let your life be a living signpost of the City of God until the day when Christ returns and the City of Man is no more.