Thursday, April 19, 2012

Could vs should

1 Corinthians 10:23 - “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive.

Can a follower of Jesus date a non-believer?
Can a follower of Jesus drink alcohol?
Can a follower of Jesus not be part of a church?
Can a follower of Jesus get a car or home loan?
Can a follower of Jesus read The Message as their bible?

Sometimes the bible is less than crystal clear about a topic or is gray in its modern application.

No matter what you think about the above issues (and I've made my opinions pretty clear), they are not salvation issues. You won't be turned away from the gates of heaven because you got a mortgage or lived out your faith in a cave.

There are plenty of things a Christian COULD do.

A follower of Jesus could date a non-believer.
A follower of Jesus could drink alcohol.
A follower of Jesus could not go to church.
A follower of Jesus could get a car or home loan.
A follower of Jesus could read The Message.

The better question is... SHOULD they do what is being considering.

These situations require wisdom.

When wrestling with a wisdom issue, the decision markers should be the effect the outcome will have on us personally and those around us. Will the action be to the detriment to the physical, emotional, relational or spiritual health of ourselves or others?

That is the point of 1 Corinthians 10.

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