Navigating the Gray Areas of Faith and LifeSample

When the Saints Go Stumblin’ Down

Thus far, we’ve considered the first two questions we must ask when trying to navigate the gray areas of faith:

* Holy Spirit, is this right (or wrong) for me to do?

* Holy Spirit, what are the principles of the Word that guide my participation?

If God has given you clarity on the first question and you’ve proceeded to determine what principles apply to your decision, you’re now ready to face the next question:

“Holy Spirit, by doing this, might I cause someone who is weaker in the faith than I am to copy me and thus do something that is sinful for them?”

This question is rarely asked. Sure, we’re aware that some people have served God for a very long time, and others are brand new to the faith. We might even realize that some who are new seem to mature very quickly and…(whisper) some who’ve been on the road a long time don’t appear to have matured very much at all!

It’s a fact of life within the church: we are at varying levels of maturity, spiritual strength, and Christlikeness. The Bible teaches that those of us who are strong should help out when someone messes up, bearing their burdens for them.

In Romans 14, Paul makes it plain that some will be mature, and others will be immature. He’s describing those who are weak in the faith because they’re new Christians. Because they’re new to the faith, and not as mature as others, they tend to struggle with some things out of their past and are not able to approach some issues with the confidence that their elder sisters and brothers have.

For the apostle, this includes things like eating food that’s been sacrificed to idols. For twenty-first century believers, however, it might be something like consuming alcohol, even in moderation. Drunkenness is an absolute “no,” but social drinking is a gray area—until we’re talking about a brother or sister who is struggling with alcoholism. Then it’s best to refrain from drinking to help them on their road to sobriety.

We must aim for harmony in the church and seek to build each other up, even with our choices for food, drink, TV shows, or anything else that may affect others. Serving one another by acting in love as our primary motivator will please God. It’s that simple.