Life comes with a lot of gray areas. We meet them in many situations, whether it’s in business, marriage, following laws, or otherwise. Too often, though, when someone says, “it’s sort of a gray area” they say it to infer “yeah, it’s not right, but it’s a gray area, so it’s okay.”
I think about this as I ponder Edward’s 39th resolution. Specifically, it leads me to ask, are we too comfortable in the spiritual gray areas?
Jonathan Edwards Resolution 39
Edwards’ Resolution #39 (in my modernized language) Resolved: Never do anything when the lawfulness of it is questionable, and I will lat examine my action or inaction to verify I was truly lawful in deed.
What are spiritual Gray Areas?
There are many topics and issues that the Bible does not offer an absolute stance. It is not as clear as it is when it comes to direct commands that are easily considered black or white (thy shall not, or thy shall). We refer to these non-absolutes as gray areas.
Scripture does not take a dogmatic stance, or at least does not discuss in-depth, these gray areas. Instead, it gives liberty for making God-glorifying decisions according to our personal convictions.
We encounter gray areas in many ways. But, just because it’s not clearly one way or another, have we gone too far by considering a “gray area” to be synonymous with “yeah, it’s wrong, but since it’s a gray area, it’s okay”? Edwards saw this likelihood, and perhaps he drafted resolution 39 for that reason.
Examples of Spiritual Gray Areas
There is no all-inclusive list of gray areas, in life or in spiritual matters. That’s because anything the Bible allows us to view on a spectrum, can also have a gray area. And, unfortunately, they too often divide us.
They divide people because a gray area may be more black or white than they are gray. To those folks, they are shall and shall nots. These gray areas include (but are in no way limited to) drinking alcohol, teenage dating, gambling, smoking, music choices, birth control, money management, and careers.
These gray areas are either not discussed in scripture or they are only briefly addressed. As a result, none of these things are able to be categorically called lawful or sinful.
How to Filter Spiritual Gray Areas
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. – 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (NIV)
Are we too comfortable in spiritual gray areas?
Some of us probably are too comfortable. And, some may not be as comfortable. However, it’s a super important question. It’s a question we should all ask ourselves from time-to-time.
That’s because, our goal in refining life, on purpose, should be knowing how to act and react when we are present in those gray areas. But how do we know how to respond?
John Macarthur offers wise counsel on filtering spiritual gray areas:
- Will it benefit me spiritually?
- Will it bring me into slavery?
- Will it defile God’s temple?
- Will it cause others to stumble?
- Will it further the cause of evangelism?
- Will it violate me conscience?
- Will it bring glory to God?
Friends, I encourage you to give further review to this topic in your life. Examine and filter your past actions, and learn from them.
Use that to help guide you in your present and future gray areas.