I'm sure we've all asked at some time or another. "Is it a sin to ... ?" fill in the blank. It's an interesting question. I mean, most of the time it seems as if we're looking for the "outer limit." "How close can I get to sin?" As if we're afraid we'll get to heaven and find out, "Oh! I could have done that! I gave too much to God."
Now, to be fair, there are other reasons to ask. Like, "My friend is doing something and I'm not sure if I should be concerned. Is it sin?" Okay ... that's one thing. But usually we're asking, if we're honest, because we want something that we suspect is sinful. We have desires, we want to fulfill them, and we're thinking it might be sin. But I'd say we're asking the wrong question. James says, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:3). It's a two-fold problem. You don't have because you don't ask. That's one reason. But the other is that when you do ask, you ask with the wrong motives. Why do we typically ask, "Is this a sin?" it's because we're asking in order to fulfill our own pleasures. Wrong question.
Do we ever ask, "Will this glorify God?" (1 Cor 10:31). Do we ever ask, "Will this show love to my neighbor?" (Matt 22:37-40). Do we ever ask, "Will this honor my spouse?" (Eph 5:22-33). Are we pursuing giving more ... or getting more? If we're hoping to find the hairy edge of sin and just stay within the boundary, remember a couple of things. First, "whatever is not from faith is sin" (Rom 14:23). You know you're not asking because you believe it's not sin. Then, we need to be giving up self and pursing God's best interest and the interests of others. In that context, "Is that a sin?" doesn't even have a place.
3 comments:
Good food for thought. Consideration of “does this glorify God?” must be first in our mind, with “does this show love to my neighbor?” right behind it. Holding those priorities will help curtail making choices with “wrong motives” and “desires” better than anything. Otherwise, we can justify anything and everything with the argument of “If you love me, you would …,” as is commonly done by self-serving people. Since “love” can be misunderstood, seeking first the glory of God will check those improper interpretations that can fuel “situational ethics.”
Speculating how close to “the hairy edge of sin” one can venture without getting entangled makes me think of doomed insects landing on spider webs or the edge of a carnivorous plant. It also makes me think of this quote that I heard recently:
Give Satan an inch and he’ll become your ruler. – Unknown
Whereas, considering God’s glory above all else gives Him the rightful place on the “throne of my heart.”
Far too often our goal in the question is to justify our actions. We see it when a politician is staunchly against abortion, but then his daughter has one, and now he's not so sure it's all that bad. As you point out, it is also to ride that line, but the danger of riding that line is how easy it is when you're close to that line to step over it. I like the questions you presented as alternatives. It's in the same vein as when I was talking about clothing in church. Does this being glory to God or uplift my brethren? Much better questions than, "How close can I get to not sinning?"
I suspect that the vast majority of times we ask "Is it a sin?" about our own actions, that we already know the answer.
The question, as you note, does have some utility in terms of helping others. But even there it can be misused.
I agree that our question should absolutely be whether or not we are glorifying YHWH.
Post a Comment