Sunday, May 3, 1998 This Week’s Lesson:
In this week's lesson, which came from I Corinthians 10:31-11:1, I Corinthians 10:23, I Corinthians 8:9-13, Romans 14:22-23, and II Corinthians 6:14-15, we learned about the importance of applying New Testament principles to make sound moral decisions when there is not a clear moral absolute provided by the Lord. I Corinthians 10:31 teaches us to honor the Lord in all that we do. Some people think that something is all right if the Bible does not explicitly forbid it. Others think that only those activities supported by the Bible are correct. However, neither of these approaches to important lifestyle decisions is very wise. Both are very extreme, and one is highly restrictive. A better approach to making life's difficult decisions is to base your choices on biblical principles. According to I Corinthians 10:23 and I Corinthians 8:9-13, we should consistently ask ourselves if our actions will be honoring to the Lord. If not, then we should probably try to refrain. The Apostle Paul wrote that Christians have complete freedom in this life, yet he never endorsed a carefree, promiscuous lifestyle. He wrote that all is permissible but that not all is for our good. The Quarterly indicated that we should not use our Christian freedoms as a way to justify moral laxity.
In Romans 14:22-23, we learned that the Apostle Paul was very much concerned about the weaker Christians. He wrote to the church at Rome concerning the issue of eating meats which had been offered to idols. Paul did not personally object to a Christian eating such meats. However, some Christians felt it was wrong to do so, so he advised the stronger Christians, those who were not offended by the practice, to still refrain from eating those meats for the benefit of those who would be offended. His writing about this kind of concern for others is a picture of Christ-like behavior. Christians should always try to put the welfare of others before their own, even though it is often difficult to do. As Christians, we do well when we do not mislead or confuse others by our lifestyle. Instead of selfishly seeking our own good, we should study God's Word so that we can learn more about Him and then demonstrate His principles in our daily walk. Based on the implied teaching of I Corinthians 10:32-11:1, when non-Christians observe consistent Christ-like behavior in Christians, they will be drawn by the Holy Spirit to the Lord. The Apostle Paul very much wanted to bring everyone to Jesus, and so should we.
The Apostle Paul also wrote that we need to be careful about our relationships with non-Christians. In II Corinthians 6:14-15, he wrote that we, who name Christ as Savior, should not become too involved with non-Christians and that we definitely should not allow them to influence how we live our Christian life. Rather than being influenced by the unsaved, the Christian should be influencing and encouraging the unsaved person to turn to the Lord. We are called to love the world, but we must always be careful to not take on the ways of the world. Therefore, as you go through the coming week, try to live the life that our Lord would have you to live.
Tom of Spotswood"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
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