How do we discern God's will? and is it our place to discern God's will in others lives?
I know that brotherly accountability is an important part of christian community, but it should be just as the two adjectives say, brotherly, and christian. Is it my place to discern sin in the life of a fellow christian who I hardly know? I do not look at my behavior as governed by a set of rules that God handed down in the bible. There is truth in the bible, but it is not an owner's manual, or Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (even though burlap to cashmere would have you think so). The bible is a beautiful picture of God, it is for many the first picture of God encountered.
Anyway, I'm not sure if it is my place to point out sin in someones life that I am not very involved in. I've been thinking a lot lately about how the bible isn't a list of rules, so how then are we to live? What is orthodox and unorthodox behavior? Patrick (my roommate {i like to think of him as my life-mate}) and I had a discussion about this. What delineates between sin and not sin, good and bad behavior, seeking God's will or following your own?
When I think about seeking God's will in my own life, I do it in a number of ways. I seek the advice of more mature christians; I use the wisdom I have gained through my experiences in the world; I study the truths that are evident in the big picture of scripture. I use other mediums too.
So is there a realm of good behavior, and one of bad, sin and not sin? Or is there a gray area that shades from black to white? I believe that God leads us in certain directions. And it is up to us to discern that direction (with the help of others). Ultimately the decision is yours. God used "bad" people in the old testament to do great things. Sometimes he even told the people to break the rules he had set for them. God tells Hosea to take a prostitute as a wife. This would have broken more rules than one. So was God then mad at Hosea for breaking his rules? That does not fit with my picture of God.
Paul talks about permissibility and beneficiality in ! Corinthians. I write this paragraph with the caveat that Patrick completely disagrees with my interpretation of this passage. But what does Patrick know (we're not gay). Paul quotes the corinthians when he says "Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything." My interpretation is that Paul is agreeing with the corinthian in word. Paul says yes, all things are permissible, God has created all things, and therefore we are to use and enjoy them. However, not everything is beneficial, and you should not let things get out of control. I see paul again preaching moderation here. Sex is good, alcoholic drinks are good, that blonde girl from 7th grade with the awesomely dorky yearbook picture, they are all created by God, and wonderfully so, and they are all good. But when you misuse sex, when you misuse alcohol, when you make fun of the yearbook picture, that is when it goes wrong. It isn't clear cut, it isn't black and white
Now if each person is responsible for knowing God's will in their lives we are opening ourselves up to dealing with people who claim heinous things as God's will. It is a slippery slope, but a slippery slope that allows freedom to seek God's will is better than a prison of rules that God might have us venture out of.
I believe we must all seek God's will. Sometimes his will lead us into areas that are shaded pretty darkly. As Patrick constantly reminded me, it is only very carefully and with great confidence in our knowledge of God's will that we venture into the dark areas. And as christian brothers (and sisters) we would know each other well enough to see God's will in our friends lives, otherwise we have little right to speak into them. We should not only quote scripture to point out sin, if we feel a fellow christian has been led astray, we must join them in the search for God's will in their lives and not impose God's will for our lives onto theirs.
We must not categorize the bible as an instruction manual for life, and search for black and white rules for life within it. We must constantly seek God's will for every event in our lives. God will reveal his good and perfect plan, and we can confidently move forward knowing we are pleasing Him.
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3 comments:
first off, i love the burlap to cashmere reference... great band and a great cd.
next off, i have to agree once again, i find that the Bible is not necessarily a rule book, but more from what i see as a book of examples of situations, that we may see as to help us find God's will in our own lives instead of GOODS and BADS or RIGHTS and WRONGS . like you said, not black and white, but many shades of grey. i find that in times of need and uncertainty we can turn to the Bible as a a reference to get our bearing straight to find our own paths to righteousness even though hose paths may be long and near impossible to maneuver through. what has led us to believe that the Bible is the end all kno-all of rules and guidelines for Christianity? But then again why has not anything been written in the Bible to tell us to use it as a reference and not the know-all. I sometimes think that it is our own decision to make what road of beliefs we take and how we use what we know and what the Bible tells us to get there. Please, criticize and critique anything I say. I don't claim to know hardly anything about the depths of what I believe. But, as anyone should be I always want to know more.
i somewhat agree with your interpretation, in that he does preach moderation. But also, in saying that ALL things are good in moderation seems to be like saying punching someone in the face only three or four times is ok, but thirty is too much. i think it just goes back to the slipperyslope that we try to walk across without falling and dampening ourselves.
GOD GIVES US AS CHRISTIANS THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT,IT IS THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT WE ARE GUIDED TO SEEK THE WILL OF GOD IN OUR LIVES,WHETHER WE ARE WRESTLING WITH A PROBLEM OF SIN IN OUR LIVES OR WHETHER OR NOT TO MAKE A DECISION ABOUT A PARTNER THAT GOD HAS PLACED IN OUR LIVES,SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS THAT CAN BE IN OUR LIVES THAT WE ARE SEEKING THE ANSWER FOR,PRAYER IS THE KEY AND THE PATIENCE TO WAIT FOR THAT ANSWER FROM GOD THE FATHER THROUGH JESUS THE SON ,AND THE HOLY GHOST TO GUIDE US
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