Episode 40 - Is It Wrong?

We get asked a lot of questions as Christians.  Sometimes a challenge is asked in the form of a question.  One such common question we might ask or be asked of us is, "Is it wrong?"  Quite often this question is asked as a way to justify behavior.

In this episode I look at this question from the perspective that there might be a better question to ask.  I'll also give some ideas of how to answer the question.

I invite you to listen and share with others as together we 

I invite you to follow our podcast and share it with others as together we walk with our Master.

Please contact me if you have questions or you wish to share with me something about your walk with the Master. My email is walkingwithourmaster@gmail.com

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Transcript

Hello friends, I'm your host Dave Laton and welcome to the podcast, Walking With Our Master, an outreach of the Prattville Church of Christ designed to inform, encourage, and teach as we daily walk with our Master. 

 Today I want to look at the question often asked by us and to us, “Is it Wrong?”

 Living our life as our Lord expects us involves choices in our behavior.  It means removing behaviors we should do and replacing them with behaviors our Lord tells us to do.  By the way, this is not just physical behavior, it is also the way we think.  This frequently leads to the question of, “Is it wrong?” We want to know, and understandably so, if a behavior is something we should or should not engage in.

 Many of these questions come down to personal lifestyle choices.  Questions like, is it wrong to gamble?  Is it wrong to smoke?  Is it wrong to drink alcohol?  Is it wrong to dance?  Or even, is it wrong to skip Wednesday night Bible study? 

 While the question, “Is it wrong?” certainly has its place, we need to consider the fact that there are other questions which need to be asked as well.  

 I want us to look at why asking simply if something is wrong might not be the best question.  I want us to consider why other questions might be better.

 Also note, these questions are also how we can answer others when they ask us if something is right or wrong.

 There are obviously things Scripture says are wrong. These behaviors are clearly spelled out in Scripture.  For example in Galatians 5:19-21 Paul lists behaviors we must not engage in.  He lists them as sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these”.   

 These are just one list.  There are others as well.

 But there are other behaviors about which we are not given such an obvious answer.

 “Is it wrong?” is a good first question to ask, but it is only an elementary question.       We must go on to ask more mature questions and teach the next generation to do the same.

 If our only question is, “is it wrong” then there is a problem.  It gives the impression that if a behavior is not condemned or forbidden in Scripture, then a person has complete liberty to engage in that behavior.  I’m sure we have all heard a person say when challenged about a particular behavior, “Show me in the Bible where it’s wrong!”

 This was apparently the mentality of some people who stirred up quite a bit of trouble in the Corinthian church. They seemed to believe, since Christians are not under Law but under grace.  I can imagine someone trying to justify their behavior by saying there’s no law against what they wanted to do.  Paul’s reply to that mindset is, “But not all things are helpful” and “Not all things build up” (1 Corinthians 10:23). 

 In the context of Paul’s statement, some believed that if the Law of Moses had been done away with, they had complete freedom to do whatever they wanted to do. 

 Paul’s statement shows there are other questions that need to be asked rather than just, “Is it wrong?”

 Christian living is about walking by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7), walking by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26), and walking in the light (1 John 1:7). 

 We are called to a higher standard, and we must ask more mature questions than just, “Is it wrong?” or, “Is it lawful?” or, “Is it against the rules?”

 Before engaging in a particular behavior, here are some questions we should ask ourselves:

 Is it wise? In other words, yes, I might be able to do something, but perhaps I shouldn’t because there is potential for harm to me or others.  Maybe not physical harm, but perhaps spiritual harm.

 Is it helpful and edifying to others? – There are behaviors that are not in themselves wrong but can lead others to have a weakened faith.  In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul goes on to use the example of eating meat offered to idols.  He starts by saying for us to not seek our own good, but the good our others.  

 Is it loving? – The use of love here is the agape love of putting the needs of others first.  That’s the love God had for us by sending Jesus to die for our sins.  That’s the love of Jesus for dying for our sins.

Is it selfless? – Like love, we should seek the good of others.  If we make our choices simply on what makes us prosper or makes us feel better, then we are seeking satisfaction only for self.  That’s the sin of pride.  Jesus taught that we should go an extra mile for others and sacrifice our needs for others (Matthew 5:40-42)

 Does it glorify God? – Glorifying God is of primary importance to us as children of God.  Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 that whatever we eat or drink or do is to be done to the glory of God.  So perhaps this is where we should start. 

One more question, and it is related to glorifying God, is, does -1it reflect purity and holiness? – We are called upon to live pure lives.  This is a direct test of our spiritual maturity.  Yes, we all have to grow in this, but we must seek to live pure lives to the best of our ability.  We must remove anything that is impure or even seems to be impure.  We want others to see Jesus in every part of our life.

Asking these kinds of questions is difficult.  We can get better at asking them as we grow.

 We need to seek to determine the outcome of our choices and look to see if God will be glorified, others will be helped, and purity and holiness will be reflected.

 I want to look now at another element of asking right questions by discussing a bit about when there is simply a difference of opinion.

 We often come to different conclusions on matters of personal conduct and behavior. 

In which case, there are at least two principles we must keep in mind:

 First, we must not judge people based on our own reasoning (Romans 14:1-12)

 Second, it is not judging to encourage others to act wisely, selflessly, lovingly, and in a God-glorifying way.

 So let’s start helping each other see that some things are not a matter of right or wrong, but simply a matter of wisdom and discernment. 

 Let’s help each other to be wise. 

 Let’s help each other ask better questions.

 And let’s love each other even when we arrive at different conclusions. 

 That’s how life we are is supposed to look.

 When we start asking better questions and being honest with the answers, we will find we are on the same page more often than not.            

 Let me conclude by saying that if we feel like we must only follow rules, then here’s a good rule to follow.  Let’s determine what God wants us to do and focus on that.  Then we don’t have to worry whether something is right or wrong.  

 In most cases God clearly tells us the right things to do, or He gives us principles by which we can live.  A sincere study of God’s word helps us determine what it is that God wants us to do.  We can start with a good reading of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, 6, and 7.  In this Jesus lays out very clearly God’s will as we live a life in the Kingdom and interact with those around us.

 If we focus on obeying God, then not doing “wrong” will take care of itself.  And something very important to keep in mind, if we are focusing on doing good and we make a mistake, then God’s grace is shown through the blood of Christ continues to cleanse us.  That’s in 1 John 1:5-9.

 Well friends, I'm your host Dave Laton.  Thank you for joining us in this podcast.  I hope you will continue to do so. If you wish to share with me something from your walk with our Master or you would like to learn more, please email me at:

walkingwithourmaster@gmail.com.

 I invite you to follow our podcast and share it with others as together we walk with our Master.  And until next time, remember, we give all glory to God the Father.