Morning Devotional
July 22, 2005
"Freedom in Christ" (Part 3)     
    by Don Emmitte

So now, what about it? Should we eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God and no other. According to some people, there are many so-called gods and many lords, both in heaven and on earth. But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we exist for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life. However, not all Christians realize this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. It's true that we can't win God's approval by what we eat. We don't miss out on anything if we don't eat it, and we don't gain anything if we do. But you must be careful with this freedom of yours. Do not cause a brother or sister with a weaker conscience to stumble. (1 Corinthians 8:4-9 NLT).

 

If a “gray area”, which for this series we are defining as those issues we face that are not clearly addressed in Scripture, causes another Christian to stumble in their Christian life, then it is no longer a gray area. It is a sin for us to cause another brother or sister to sin through our example for them.

 

Jesus was not silent on this issue. Jesus said, “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose faith, it would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around the neck.” (Matthew 18:6 NLT). Jesus did not want our actions to take away from another believer’s total devotion to Him.

 

As I stated in Part 1 of this series, my intent in this series is not to answer specific “gray area” questions. Instead, my hope is that we can apply some principles to our own gray areas and allow God to lead us into the proper answer. My suggestion is that you begin to look at the gray areas of your life and begin to apply the principles we have learned this far:

 

  • Does it violate God’s written Word?
  • Does it go against the moral compass inside you of the Holy Spirit?
  • Will it cause another Christian’s faith to stumble?

 

I also want to assure you that if you are feeling guilty about an area of your life, that probably is not from God. Guilt has to do with condemnation and the Scripture clearly says there is "no condemnation" for the Christian. Guilt has to do with punishment and Jesus took our punishment on the cross. God may send conviction in the form of a sense of wrong, or through other believers (the moral compass we addressed yesterday), but guilt is not coming from God. You must determine if the feeling you have is from guilt or from God's conviction of sin. Tomorrow we will look at a final step in deciding the right or wrong of gray areas.