STORY: Two good Christians have been friends for over 10 years. During lunch after one Sunday service, their conversation turned to news about capital punishment. They had opposite opinions so they argued about whether a Christian should support or oppose capital punishment. Both had good arguments but could not convince the other. After an extended 2-hour lunch, they were no longer friends. What do you think is wrong?
Background:
· A 1994 survey of 3800 church kids aged 11-18 reports that 22% thought that the best philosophy of life is to do whatever feels or seems right, so long as it doesn’t harm anyone else and another 16% were not sure. This means that more than one-third of church kids do not submit under ethical absolutism of God’s commands. Some of them may be reacting like this out of ignorance but certainty some do not believe in the moral standard set by God.
|
Colour |
Grey Scale |
Description |
Characteristics |
Examples |
|
red |
black |
immoral act |
described as sin in the Bible |
theft, greed, lie, slander |
|
orange |
dark grey |
improper act |
can lead to sin for you or others OR objected by most Christians |
smoking, wearing sexy clothes |
|
yellow |
light grey |
inappropriate act |
will not lead to sin but objected by more than a few Christians |
using foul language, showing off |
|
blue |
colourless |
morally neutral act |
may be objected by a few Christians |
wearing jewelry, MOST ACTIONS |
|
green |
white |
good and virtuous deeds |
commendable by God and man |
generosity, apathy |
· A Christian need to know the limits and be considerate about the consequence of his/her actions.
A note about earrings for men
Women may wear earrings to improve their appearance or attractiveness, particularly in formal occasions. However, such a practice is not common among men. As a result, many Christians object to Christian men wearing earrings. If in the future, wearing earrings is a common practice for men to improve their appearance, then perhaps the practice will not be as objectionable.
Are there proper reasons for men to wear earrings? Yes, for those who wear them as a symbol of their cultural adherence, for example, aboriginal people, and perhaps black people.
Other than this, all other “reasons” are probably unacceptable for Christians. They include: (1) to indicate that they are homosexuals, (2) to indicate that they rebel against tradition or against authority, (3) to follow others as a fad. The first reason shows the person as a persistent sinner; the second reason shows rebellious personality, also a sin; the third shows ignorance of following a fad without understanding its symbolism.
o Can I do this as unto God? (Ro 14:8)
o Does this bring glory to God? (1Co 10:31)
o How do I feel about this, in the light of my coming appearance at God’s judgment seat? (Ro 14:10,12) We are to account for our stewardship (of time and wealth) before God. If money is involved, the question will be: is this a proper use of wealth?
o Do I have a clear conscience to do this? (Ro 14:5) If the behaviour does not result a fully settled mind, then it violates our conscience and becomes a sin. However, beware of self-deception and hardened heart. (Ro 14:22-23)
o Is it profitable (1Co 6:12) or is it harmful to me? We must keep the temple of God (our bodies) in good health (1Co 3:16-17).
o Does it enslave (1Co 6:12) and lead to addiction?
o Does it edify my brothers and sisters in Christ? (Ro 14:19)
o Will this cause others to stumble and lead others astray in faith or morals? (1Co 8:13; Ro 14:20-21) Notice, however, that the “stumbling” refers not to mere dislike but to actual commission of sin or loss of faith.
General guidelines on
ethical decisions
(Feinberg:44-45)
1. Am I
fully persuaded that it is right?
Ro 14:5,14,23
2. Can I do
it as unto the Lord? Ro 14:6-8
3. Can I do
it without being a stumbling block to others in Christ? Ro 14:13,15,20-21
4. Does it
bring peace? Ro 14:17-18
5. Does it
edify my brother? Ro 14:19
6. Is it
profitable? 1Co 6:12
7. Does it
enslave me? 1Co 6:12
8. Does it
bring glory to God? 1Co 10:31
True freedom:
“The freedom of grace is not licence to sin, but a call to spiritual
liberty which is bounded by the grace of Christ.” (Gal 5:13-25; Ro 6)
1. True
liberty excludes the practice of those things which are distinctly sinful. (sin
lists: Mk 7:21-22; Ro 1:29-32; 1Co 5:11; 6:9-10; 2Co 12:20; Gal 5:19-21; Eph
4:31; 5:3; Co 3:5; 2Ti 3:2-4; 1Pe 2:1)
2. True
liberty avoids the practice of those things which tend to enslave (1Co 6:12).
3. True
liberty takes into account the effects of actions upon others (1Co 6:12;
10:23).
· In the issue of abortion, we can concentrate our opposition to abortions on the adverse effects of abortion on health, such as the higher likelihood of breast cancer and the severity of post-abortion trauma. We can also raise the issue of defending the defenceless.
· In the issue of homosexuality, we can talk about “traditional family values” and emphasize that objection to homosexuality is based on the fact that it is an unhealthy lifestyle.
· In the issue of euthanasia, we can use the example of the Netherlands and discuss the problem of “violating the sacred trust” based on the Hippocratic Oath and the doubt about the integrity of the medical profession.
· put an effort to understand the issues, read the arguments, search in the Bible, ask for God’s wisdom, make your own judgment, and adopt a proper position
· use wisdom to avoid traps of secular culture: beware of wolves in sheep’s skin (Mt 7:15).
o Motto: “Man is the measure of all things.”
o “secular” means eliminating the divine elementary from the world; the intent is to remove (kick) God out of the culture of today
o “humanism” means establishing man as the centre of the world; the intent is to elevate man to a position of divinity
o by a process of elimination and establishment, secular humanism accepts man as God
o 1Th 5:21 “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” Paul here refers to prophecies but it is applicable for all things.
o Christianity, unlike most other religions, is a rational religion. The Bible encourages us to use our brain and our reasoning to see if what we believe is true.
o Beware of words used by secular humanists: social justice, progress, progressive, fairness, equality, rights, tolerance, diversity, pluralism, political correctness. They misuse the terms in their arguments. They sound good and benign, but Christians must not buy into them. We can ask them to clarify their terms and contradict them if they use the words incorrectly.
o Beware of how something good is turned into something bad; examples: political correctness into exclusion of religion from public life, acceptance of diversity into suppression of the majority, seeking of freedom into creation of rights
o Beware of how ideas like freedom, rights, choice are used; examples: emphasizing freedom and choice in abortion, emphasizing equality and love in homosexuality, emphasizing avoidance of pain in euthanasia, emphasizing tolerance in political correctness; understand that rights and freedom cannot be extended without limits and that these are not the highest virtues [if everyone has unlimited freedom to do anything, the world will be in chaos]
o Many secular humanists started with honourable intentions but they abuse human rights gained (from prohibiting discrimination against homosexuals pushing to same-sex marriage) and they use lies to achieve their objectives (such as the global warming hypothesis).
· act and behave according to Biblical principles
· defend Biblical standards through persuasion (resist peer pressure, stand up and be counted)
· pass on the Biblical principles to people around us (your family, your children, your church, your friends)
· as salt and light of the world, exert influence on the society through social action (social activism)
· Christian counterculture: The origin of the word “counterculture” is from a movement that rebels against the western culture. But we now employ the word to mean the return to God’s values, exactly the opposite of what secular humanists have done. Ro 12:2: Do not be conformed (to the secular values), but be transformed (by God’s values).
· For disputable matters (including many issues discussed in this course) that do not involve essential matters of faith, positions can be held tentatively. Your own position may allow revisions when there are new information or new valid arguments.
· It is also important that we do not pass judgment on others in terms of disputable matters (Ro 14:3-4). If the action of another Christian is truly improper, it should be through private exhortation using Biblical principles.
· We need to be more tolerant and not legalistic. We should learn to discuss and share on ethical topics but refrain from fierce argument. Differences in opinion should not disrupt our unity and fellowship in Christ. If there is no consensus, we should agree to disagree agreeably. Once again, the saying of Charles Simeon is always a good guideline:
|
In essentials, unity. In
non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity. |