SEARCHLIGHT
Is your viewpoint about what is moral [right and wrong] different from God’s?
SCRIPTURE
“I have the right to do anything,” you say-but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”-but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12 NIV
Do you not know that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 NIV
SPOTLIGHT
What is right and what is wrong? How do you decide what is good and what is bad? What guidelines do you have for deciding what is true and what is false? How do you determine what is helpful and what is harmful? Should you participate in something or should you not?
People use a wide variety of criteria to determine the answers to the previous questions. Here is just a short list of what most people rely on to decide if something is right or wrong: #1 personal reasoning/thinking, #2 personal emotions/feelings, #3 what makes sense/logic, #4 well informed people-doctor or lawyer, #5 science, #6 family/friends, #7 news from TV or podcasts, etc.
What about consulting God? How about reading the Holy Bible which is God’s inspired revelation given to all people? Why not consult God, your Creator? He knows you best!
Well-educated people in the 1830’s and 1840’s misled people to believe that the study of the cranium proved that not all people are created equal. By examining peoples’ heads, it was concluded that there were master races [and genders]. You can well imagine how this “study” influenced how people thought about other people. This “research” was so far from what is right, what is true, what is good, and what is beneficial.
Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthian believers to guide and correct them to think God’s way. Within their church, they were misguided about incest, lawsuits, sexual immorality, food and so much more. Read 1 Corinthians 5 and 6. The underlying problem to all these hot button issues was how to determine what is right and wrong, good or bad, true or false, helpful or harmful.
Just as it was then, so it is now in our society. Many voices tell people what is right and wrong. You have to decide what you will use for your moral compass. The bottom-line question to be answered is “What is Godly and what is ungodly?” Paul’s letter to the Corinthians was inspired by God the Holy Spirit to lead Christians to experience not only a heart transformation but a mind transformation. Believers need to have God’s outlook on all subjects. The Creator did not just create you but designed how life should be lived. God’s blessings await those who follow Him.
If you have the right to do something that does not make something right. Just because something is permissible or legal does not make it Godly. In many countries abortion is legal but that does not make it right. God has many guidelines regarding the sanctity of human life.
If something you do is practical or convenient that does not mean it is moral. Just because something is allowing you to attain a goal does not make it right or proper.
From today’s Scripture focus we glean some test questions that all Christians need to ask themselves to determine what is moral or immoral, good or bad, right or wrong, Godly or ungodly:
- Is this activity beneficial to all who are involved? 1 Corinthians 6:12
- Could this activity control me? 1 Corinthians 6:12. Is it habit-forming?
- Will I remain one in spirit with Jesus Christ? 1 Corinthians 6:17
- Am I treating my body as the temple where God the Holy Spirit dwells? 1 Corinthians 6:19
- Am I forgetting or ignoring the high price Jesus paid to forgive my sin? 1 Corinthians 6:20
- Will my involvement dishonor God? 1 Corinthians 6:20
God’s guidelines lead to God’s blessings. Will you make God’s Word, the Holy Bible, your moral compass? Will you experience abundant life here on earth [John 10:10] by believing God’s viewpoint regarding morality?
In addition to being blessed, you must also remember that God blesses you so that you will be a blessing. Never forget this. You reflect Jesus Christ. Is your lifestyle leading people to read God’s Word for direction? The only Bible many unbelievers will ever read is the daily Christian life of believers. Are you a Living Bible? Is your life the New Life Translation? Does your behavior reflect The Message?
SOMETHING TO DO
Take some time alone to pray and ponder about what you have just read. Carefully consider all your activities by asking yourself the 6 questions above?
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, I ask You to give me Your viewpoint on moral issues. Thank you for saving me from my sinful ways. May my mind and spirit be directed by You. May Your Holy Spirit, who resides within me, influence all my decisions so that my life will bring honor and glory to You. AMEN