Jesus Christ came to earth, lived a perfect life, died for those sins, and rose from the dead. Anybody who believes and confesses this will be saved from eternal death and, instead, will go to heaven. But if this message is all that God wanted us to know, he could have put it on a postcard. Instead, we have 66 books full of words; every single jot and tittle is important. But we must still use the principles of Scripture to take a stand in our personal lives.
Here comes the tricky part: while we must be living lives of conviction, we must NOT force our non-essential convictions on others as a requirement for salvation.
In fact, I have intentionally decided to focus this article on having strong convictions, because I believe it is easier to err on the side of grace at the expense of truth. How can a person form convictions so that they are not set adrift by the current culture?
As already mentioned, there is no way to shortcut thorough Bible study. But as you study, here are some things to consider. Gray areas can be a hotly debated topic that have broken many relationships and have even split many churches. How do you navigate these areas in your life? A problem Here lies my main beef with gray areas. What do my church leaders say about it? One of the purposes of the church brotherhood is to be safety against false teaching.
While the Bible is the ultimate authority, we are also commanded to obey our church leaders Hebrews Two things immediately come to mind here. One is unwise and unaffordable debt, which can put you in financial bondage. The other is addiction, which is why some people are OK having a single drink for example while other people have to abstain. Often this comes down to moderation: a cigar every once in a while might not be a problem, but cigars every day could lead to cancer or other ailments.
For other things, like shooting up drugs, even once would be defiling. Will it give me a guilty conscience? Romans ; 1 Corinthians Will it cause someone else to sin? Love requires that when those with a free conscience find themselves in a situation where the exercise of their freedom would offend and lead other Christians to sin, they are to abstain.
It is obvious that such abstinence is recommended only in cases where the weaker Christian would be actually caused to sin. Otherwise, the whole standard of conduct in such matters would be decreed by the rigidity of the weakest members. The Bible teaches that the conscience is a very important guide. In fact, to do something against your conscience is acting in sin. We see this clearly in Romans in which Paul explains that those whose conscience offends them must not eat while those whose conscience is clear are free to eat.
At the same time, the conscience is not the court of last appeal. It is not an autonomous self-sufficient guide. The implication is that the conscience at best is a guide of relative value.
One can have a clear conscience, and yet be guilty of wrong in the sight of God. In 1 Timothy and 19, Paul links a good conscience with sincere faith. When people depart from the faith, their conscience can become seared or hardened so that it is not a safe guide. All this suggests that the conscience of the Christian must always be exercised in the light of the divine revelation in Jesus Christ. Is It Unwise? Biblical wisdom is both religious and practical.
Stemming from the fear of the Lord, 11 it branches out to touch all of life. Worldly wisdom, though it may be religious, has no anchor in God and therefore is doomed to fail. Although it is not sin initially, the Bible teaches that a lack of wisdom usually leads to sin.
Application Questions Do you give people grace in gray areas? Do you remember a time where you were not given grace in a gray area? How did it feel? What are some gray areas in which you tend to judge that you can begin to be gracious in? What are practical ways you can begin to believe the best in others?
Are your decisions answering the five questions in ways that are pleasing to God? Memory Verse Ephesians How does this study reinforce your belief in the gospel? Add new comment Your name.
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