November 5, 2013

Disputable Matters: Consideration #1

In order to make a God-honoring decision concerning a disputable matter, we must subject ourselves to four checkpoints:

Checkpoint #1: My Creator. "Can I do it?" 

In this post we'll look at Checkpoint #1: My Creator. Here we're asking the question "Can I do it?"

If you're going to make a good decision concerning a disputable matter, you better take the time to read your Bible so you can better understand how your Creator feels about whatever it is you're considering doing. This is what the Corinthians did in 1 Corinthians 8. They searched the Scriptures to see if eating meat sacrificed to idols was right or wrong. They told Paul "...we all have knowledge about this issue" (8:1). That is, they did a Bible study and learned that it wasn't a sin to eat meat sacrificed to idols. They reported to Paul their findings, saying "...we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God" (8:4) and "we can't win God's approval by what we eat" (8:8).

We would do well to follow their example in searching the Scriptures to learn how our Creator feels about something. If you find the activity you're considering participating in is expressly condemned in Scripture, you'll want to stay clear of it. Here's some lists found in Scripture to help you determine right and wrong.
  • The 10 Commandments List found in Exodus 20:3-17
  • The 7 Deadly Sins List found in Proverbs 6:16-19
  • The Acts of the Sinful Nature List found in Galatians 5:19-21
  • The List of Activities Practiced by Those Who Aren’t Going to Heaven, found in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Revelation 21:8
Another tool you can use to discover how God feels about something is a topical concordance, which will share all the Scriptures related to any given topic. If you want to know about suicide, greed, pride or anything else - you just look it up and read all the related verses. 

If you find that the activity you're considering participating in isn't in conflict with the teaching of God's Word, you're ready for the second consideration

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