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Winter 1996
By: E. Robert Jordan
How often have you heard a Christian say, "Can I do this, can I go there, an I allowed to have this?, and soon learn as Christians that the Bible does not speak about everything EXPLICITLY, but it does give principles how to govern everything that comes into your life.
The Bible is not only writing in commandments, "Thou shalt not..." Exodus 20, "Go ye therefore..." Matthew 28:19,20, "Preach the Word..." II Timothy 4:2, and many other such commandments, the Bible is also written in very explicit principles which govern all of the questionable things that come into our life that are not explicitly governed under a commandment in the Bible.
The worldly or carnal have little or no concern at all about obeying the Lord, and even some of the explicit commandments of "thou shalt" and "thou shalt not" do not bother them, let alone the questionable things. They feel that they have a right to do what they want to do and they will do what pleases them.
Then, how does a godly, dedicated, "I want to obey God" Christ judge questionable things, whether they are right or wrong? Let me suggest at least eleven principles by which the godly Christian can judge everything that comes into his life.
1. Does it make me look, act, or be worldly? 1 John 2:15,16 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
Our God is a black-and-white God, God says either you love me, or you love the world. As Christians, we are supposed to be extremists, singlehearted in serving him(Ephesians 6:5), with no compromising. The world teaches otherwise, the world teaches men should avoid extremes, so that you would not be stressed out; should be open-minded so that you can to cath upwith the ever-changing pace in daily life.
2. Is there any doubt about the thing that I want to do? Romans 14:22 "Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth no himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin."
3. An I basing it just on my feelings? Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
4. Is it only by my conscience? Titus 1:15 "Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure;but even their mind and conscience is defiled."
5. Does it build me up in the Lord and make me a better believer? I Corinthians 10:23 "All things are lawful for me but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not." I Corinthians 6:12 "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any."
6. Could it be a stumbling block to other believers? Romans 14:13 "Let us not therefore judge one another any more; but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way." I Corinthians 8:9 "But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak." I Corinthians 8:13 "Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend."
7. Will it harm my body? I Corinthians 6:19,20 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's"
8. Does it glorify the Lord? I Corinthians 10:31 "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
9. Can I do it in His name? Colossians 3:17 "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."
10. How does it appear to others? I Thessalonians 5:22 "Abstain from all appearance of evil."
11. Do I want to reap this in my children's lives? Ephesians 6:4 " And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Galatians 6:7,8 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit real life everlasting." Deuteronomy 5:9 "Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."
12. Is this thing a weight? Hebrews 12: 1. "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."
The "weight" mentioned here is not necessary sinful in its nature, for example, to pursue a career or a healthy hobby is not a sinful act. However they will turn into a hindrance in our spiritual life, because we put them before God, or too close to God. The former is called "sin", because we replace God with an idol, the latter is called "weight", because it can drag you down to uselessness. The Archdevil would have no problem in paralyzing us, if we allow him to do so.
13. Will I be able to justify my act before the judgment seat of Christ? Romans 14:10-12, "...for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ...every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
If you really love the Lord, you will want in every way to be a better Christian and to please the Lord. These principles will, I believe, go a long way in answering questions for you regarding questionable things.
Reference: E. Robert Jordan, Questionable Things.
