music :: worship :: life
Sometimes we are faced with choices where the answer is not clear. There are a lot of grey areas in this fallen world, and the Bible does not have an explicit answer to every question. New and improved forms of sin seem to be invented every day. But all of them are really just variations of the old forms of sin. As it says in Ecclesiastes 1:9:
What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
But the Bible does have a set of guidelines by which you can make Godly choices in circumstances where there is no clear rule, even at those times when you could argue as easily for or against a course of action. Here are six questions you can ask yourself to help discern the right choice at such times. These are inspired in part by a sermon by Dr. Jim Reeve.
1. The Principle of Self-Control
Ask yourself, “Could this cause me to lose my self control?”
Intoxication is an example of this. The Bible has some clear instruction on this. Paul writes:
Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.
—Ephesians 5:17-20
What he says about wine applies to anything that could lead to intoxication and cause you to lose control. Lust, anger, greed—is there something in the situation that puts you in danger of becoming intoxicated with strong emotions or desires? If so, stop.
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
—1 Thessalonians 5:7-9
2. The Principle of Bondage
Ask yourself, “Could this become habit-forming?”
What is OK for some people may not be OK for you to do. Likewise, there are things you may be able to do that others should not. Many things that seem harmless can become addictive. And otherwise innocent things can become our masters if they are habit-forming. We all have unique weaknesses. Some people are not bothered by television; others become slaves to it. Some people can safely drink a glass of wine with dinner; but one out of ten who drinks alcohol will become addicted. Credit cards, video games, exercise, eating, dieting, text messaging, blogging—you name it. People become addicted to it. Useful and ordinary activities can enslave us.
You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.
—1 Corinthians 6:12
3. The Principle of Edification
Ask yourself, “Will it build up, or tear down?”
There are activities that may technically be OK, but may lead you or those around you away from God. Is this an activity you can worship while you’re doing?
You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. . . . So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. . . . I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.
—1 Corinthians 10:23-24, 31, 33b
4. The Principle of Love
Ask yourself, “Will it cause someone to stumble?”
There are things that you think are OK, but that others think are wrong. For example, you may believe it’s OK for you to have wine with your dinner, but others believe it is wrong. If you are dining with people who think it is wrong to do so, refrain from it. If you can’t refrain from having wine with dinner one night, in order to prevent someone who Christ died for from stumbling, you have a more serious problem than you realize. (See item 2 above.)
For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.
—1 Corinthians 8:10-13
5. The Principle of Example
Ask yourself, “Will it set a good example?” or “Will it damage my testimony?”
Paul asked:
For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it?
—1 Corinthians 10:29-30
You are called to be ambassadors for Christ. Someone has said that for many people, you may be the only Bible they’ve ever seen. What kind of example are you setting? Your every action in the world is your testimony. Is what you are doing spreading the message of Christ? Could what you are doing cause someone watching to miss an opportunity to receive Christ’s message of salvation?
6. The Principle of Faith
Ask yourself, “Am I certain this is right?”
Often people are more concerned with avoiding what is wrong, than with doing what is right. And sometimes we use the fact that there’s no law against it as an excuse to do something we are not sure is right. This in itself is sin. Jesus said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.” (Mark 7:20) It is not the act, but the attitude. We think that because it is not forbidden, it will be OK. But the law is not the issue. As Paul said:
We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious.
—1 Timothy 1:8-9
The law no longer applies to us, and if we are out to do those things we can get away with, just because they are not against the law, we have sinned before we have even done anything. We are called to “imitate Christ,” and to become more like Christ—to be perfected. We are not called to try to satisfy our own desires, as long as they are not explicitly forbidden.
The sin here is lack of faith. We simply do not trust God to do what is best for us. Despite numerous promises throughout the Bible, our flesh cries out for the things of this world. But we cannot serve two masters. Even when something we seek is good, even when it is not wrong, it may not be right. As someone said, “The good is the enemy of the best.”
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
—Jeremiah 29:11
His plans for you are far better than your own plans. Sin always seems like it will be more fun than “doing right.” But sin always promises more than it can deliver. What about God’s promises?
You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.
—Joshua 23:14
Do you trust God? Then let his word, his principles, and his character guide your decisions. Sometimes in the moment, doing the right thing seems hard. But over the course of your lifetime, you will never look back and say, “I wish I hadn’t done the right thing.” So—
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
—Proverbs 3:5-6
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. . . . This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.
—Deuteronomy 30:15-16; 19-20
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