Monday, October 10, 2011

Are There Gray Areas?


My posts on drinking alcohol and Halloween brought up some interesting thoughts to me.  One woman commented that what is wrong for one Christian to do is wrong for all other Christians.  In other words, there are no gray areas, just black and white, right and wrong.  I disagree.  I think there are some gray areas ~

I am of the opinion that if my precious little grandbaby dresses up as Tinkerbell and trick-or-treats at a few houses in her neighborhood, she is not sinning.

If my husband and I want to have an occasional glass of wine with dinner, we are not sinning.

If I am convicted about homeschooling my children and my sisters send their children to public school, they are not sinning.

Some women feel convicted to only wear dresses.  I respect their conviction, but I am not sinning if I wear pants.

Birth control is a gray area.  One woman I know has several beautiful children but has been told it could kill her to have more children.  It is not a sin if they decide not to have any more children to potentially save her life.

Some are convicted that watching movies and television are not right for them.  However, it is not sin for me to watch Chargers play football or Little House On The Prairie.

These are just a few gray areas I could think of but I know there are many more.

Galatians 6:19-21 make it very clear what walking in the flesh{sin} looks like ~

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;  adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness {inclined to lustfulness}, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance {being inconsistent}, emulations {wanting to be better than others}, wrath, strife, seditions {discontent or rebellion}, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like...

Sin is clearly spelled out in these verses.  These are definitely to be avoided if you are a believer and want to walk in holiness.  The other things I mentioned above are not clearly spelled out in Scripture and must be left to each believer's conviction.

Walking in the Spirit produces ~

love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance...Galatians 6:22,23

These virtues are what we must focus upon and grant to all those around us, even those who disagree with us in some interpretations of Scripture.  Above all, the Lord wants us to be at peace with all men, not arguing about own personal convictions. {I am absolutely fine if you disagree with me and share it in the comments section as long as you do it in a loving, nonjudgmental way.}

If it be possible, as much as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all men
Romans 12:18

P.S. My husband wrote a letter responding to a woman who was commenting in a forceful way because of my opinions on alcohol, Halloween, and gays.  I have published this letter in the comment section if you are interested.