Honoring God in Gray Areas
July 8th, 2008
(By John MacArthur)
If the issue you are wondering about is not specifically addressed in the Bible, then it’s helpful to ask these questions from 1 Corinthians to help you in deciding what to do. Asking these questions (and others like them) will help you make a wise decision based on sound biblical principles.
1. Will it benefit me spiritually? First Corinthians 10:23 says, “All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.”
2. Will it put me in bondage? First Corinthians 6:12 says, “All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” Any questionable practice that can be habit‑forming is not wise to pursue.
3. Will it defile God’s temple? First Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” We should not do anything with our bodies that would dishonor the Lord.
4. Will it cause others to stumble? First Corinthians 8:8‑9 says, “Food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” One should refrain from using his freedom in an area which might cause others to sin. For “by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore,” Paul said, “if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, that I might not cause my brother to stumble.”
5. Will it help the cause of evangelism? First Corinthians 10:32-33 says, “Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved.” We must think of the effect any practice might have on our testimony to the lost.
6. Will it violate my conscience? First Corinthians 10:25‑29 contains three references to abstaining from a certain practice “for conscience’ sake.” And Romans 14:23 says, “He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.” If we are not sure whether an action is pleasing to God, we should not do it. That way our conscience will remain clear and our relationship to God will not be hindered.
7. Will it bring glory to God? First Corinthians 10:31 summarizes all these principles by saying, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Good advice, especially in this day in which too many say, “if it’s not specifically condemned it must be OK.” The result is often a violation of these principles.
This message is an answer to prayer for me. My husband wants me to go to a Casino and see if we can win money on the slots. They give you $10.00 to play with and we wouldn’t have to use our own money. Neither of us is a gambler, however his sister has been doing this and winning money without spending her own and so this is tempting to us. I have been very uneasy about it and asking God what to do. The questions asked in this article have brought me to the answer that I should not do this.
I am going to pass this article on to my friends.
However, I am having difficulty reading the articles sent to me by Pulpit magazine because of the extremely small print! I can enlarge it to read, but it will not print in large print….only in the small print, which is extremely hard to read.
I am trying to find out how to let the editors know of my problem. I sure do wish they would use larger print when they send out the articles!
Judy,
Regarding the font size for printing, may I suggest copying and pasting the text into your word processor. You should be able to size the font to any size you desire for printing.
This is really good one….Asking these questions will surely help us to lead a fruitful life for Lord. Praise God and Thanks a lot for the article.
Nice post! it all comes down to believing what God’s Word tells us!
This is excellent.
Brian
You’re comment reminded me of a quote that I think is also fitting to this article.
“Faith is believing the Word of God and acting on it no matter how I feel, believing that God will bring a good result.” James McDonald
I really like these questions. And yes, we need to examine ourselves to see if we are violating our consciences.
However, I’m reminded of what a former pastor of mine once said, “Does God live in the grey?” is “God not a Black & White God?”
I’d like to hear your thoughts on this either in a post or here.
Thanks.
This is a very helpful article.
Do we have permission to use the articles we read here for church bulletins, giving credit to the original authors and to http://sfpulpit.com ?
“Honoring God in the gray areas” as well as “tips for self-discipline” (June 16th, 2008) should be required reading at least twice a week. (I speak for myself) After 31 years as a Christian, I find that short, quick reminders go along way in helping me stay focused on what’s most important… honoring God!
Hello,
I was struck by the thought that many churches preach a message that would indicate that Jesus’ first miracle (water to wine) was sinful. Was anyone at the wedding feast tempted to over drink by the abundance of good wine. What about the risk of tempting alcoholics to imbibe by a superior vintage. What about the risk of donkey accidents while RUI (riding under the influence). After all many churches teach drinking alcohol is sinful so what is the act of supplying alcohol?
Jesus made wine and associated with sinners so let us not get to Pietistic.
Best wishes,
Barry O’Connell