Dealing With Life's Gray Areas

You see, this is what can happen: Weak Christians who think it is wrong to eat this food will see you eating in the temple of an idol. You know there’s nothing wrong with it, but they will be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been dedicated to the idol. So because of your superior knowledge, a weak Christian, for whom Christ died, will be destroyed. And you are sinning against Christ when you sin against other Christians by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong. If what I eat is going to make another Christian sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to make another Christian stumble. - 1 Corinthians 8 NLT

You probably guessed I’d get to this sooner or later. But this is perhaps the true test of the “gray area”.

Imagine that you had invited someone over to your home. Let’s suppose there was a skunk outside and something scared it so that it gave off its scent. The smell begins to enter the home. You immediately reach up for your favorite air freshener and start to spray the room. Your guest begins coughing and can barely breathe. You recognize the person is having an allergic reaction and their airway is quickly closing, what would you do?

A. Keep spraying the house until the skunk sent is all gone.

B. Stop spraying the house with the freshener and help your friend whatever means necessary to get them to the hospital.

C. Look at your friend and wonder why he or she does not have enough faith to overcome the air freshener. Or

D. Let your friend know you are sorry the air freshener offends them, but you have every right to spray your house to make it smell good. (Borrowed from Rick Gillespie-Mobley (contibutor ID 5503))

Now, I believe that in this situation, prayerfully, we would get our friend to the hospital as soon as humanly possible. But, unfortunately, this sort of thing happens all the time, because of a twisted perception of being “free in Christ”.

Just because we are free in Christ, doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want. For example, I have the freedom and the right as an American to go out on the street corner and burn the American flag. While doing so, I also have the right, under the first Amendment, to shout obscenities and racial slurs to every one of other ethnic groups. But just because I have the right, doesn’t make it right.

Paul instructs the saints of Corinth to “be careful with this freedom of yours” (v 9). Underline this is your Bibles.

I have heard many people say, “I am free to do whatever I want to. If other people don’t like it, that’s their problem.” I am here to inform you that is not a Biblical perspective to maintain in your Christian walk. We are to always be mindful of others. If Jesus was self absorbed, we’d be in bad shape. Be very mindful, that your “freedom” can cause someone else to sin against Jesus Christ. Your “freedom” could lead someone else to be bound by addiction and sin.

Closing

Looking at these four questions, if you can say yes to one or all four of them, then you shouldn’t be involved or partake of the “gray area”.