It Just Seems Wrong!
Aaron Beard
How do we go about determining whether or not a particular activity in the Lord’s service or manner of carrying it out is right or wrong? We understand that in order to have authority to do a particular work we must have either a Biblical command to carry it out, an approved Biblical example of some doing it, or it must be understood by the way of necessary inference. Sometimes there is a work suggested which we have the authority to do, however, the manner suggested in which to carry it out “just seems wrong.” When faced with doing something that “goes against the flow” some would approach saying it is wrong with reasoning that is not right. Since some have approached dealing with circumstances like this from a wrong standpoint there have been some great ideas “shot down,” people’s enthusiasm for working crushed, and it may be that no work gets done at all.
It Might Lead To…
Some have objected to carrying out a particular work in the Lord’s service or an activity of an individual saying, “Look at what it might lead to!” We must recognize that there is some wisdom found within this argument. If our conscience bothers us in doing something because we see what wrong it has led to within the lives of other people, even if the Bible does not expressly condemn it, then we must refrain from it on an individual level. This is an application of Paul saying, “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). We must also refrain from something, that otherwise might be alright to do, if we know that doing it will cause a brother to stumble. Paul, in the same context, stated, “Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died… it is evil for the man who eats with offense” (Rom 14:15, 20). Sometimes we will find it necessary to refrain from a particular activity or doing a work a particular way in the presence and knowledge of a brother if we know it might cause him to stray. Sometimes we might also find it necessary to warn someone because we can see, through a lack of control, what they are doing is taking them in the wrong direction. Such is the case when a parent warns a teenager when he/she is about to go on a date. The date is not wrong, but through a lack of control it could head down the wrong path fast, so the parent strongly warns of the dangers.
While we may see some wisdom in staying away from certain things because of what it might lead to, do we have the right to say that others are wrong or other churches are practicing error because we think that what they are doing might lead to wrong? We cannot say one or a church is doing wrong unless they violate their consciences, cause others to stumble, or they directly transgress God’s word. Defining sin, John says, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (I John 3:4).
Jesus dealing with this issue said, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:29-30). Was Jesus saying it is sinful to have eyes? Of course not! His point is that if we cannot control ourselves to keep from lusting then it would be more profitable to put our eyes out so that temptation could be handled. What if you decided that in order to keep from lusting you had to pluck out your eyes? Since you had to pluck out your eyes, would you be correct in saying that anyone who walked around with two eyes was sinning? While we can determine to refrain from something that may not be in and of itself wrong because we see how we can take it too far, we must recognize that we cannot condemn others if they choose not to refrain from it.
This type of thing was exactly what the Pharisees were doing. They created many laws in addition to God’s word in attempts “hedge in” God’s law so that it would not be broken whether intentionally or accidentally. When Jesus began His ministry He made it abundantly clear that the hedges which the Pharisees constructed around the commands were not where God drew the lines. Jesus defended His disciples for plucking grain on the Sabbath because they were hungry by making reference to David and his men eating as well (Mark 2:23-26). There were several instances when Jesus healed people on the Sabbath day. This infuriated the Pharisees for several reasons, one of which being the fact that Jesus ran over their hedges they built around God’s commands (Luke 13:10-17; Luke 14:1-6). They had created such laws around God’s word so that one could only go two thousand cubits beyond their dwelling on the Sabbath day. This was not found in God’s law.
On another occasion the Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread?” (Matt. 15:2). The disciples had not broken any laws of God by not washing their hands first, simply the hedge which the Pharisees had built. Jesus did not condemn the Pharisees for desiring to keep God’s laws, He always upheld such a desire, but he did condemn them for binding where God had not bound. The Pharisees could have kept such restrictions upon themselves if they thought it beneficial; however, when they started condemning others for doing things which God had not forbidden, then they were wrong.
I Know That _____ Does It
Sometimes we are hesitant to do something in the Lord’s work because we realize that another group which we do not recognize as following the Lord does the same thing. In this case we might fear being seen by the rest of the world as no different from other groups who in reality are very different. We might want a person to be able to clearly see the distinction between us and others to the extent that we would not want to do anything that even resembles the work which they are doing. In defense of this line of reasoning some might quote I Thessalonians 5:22 which the King James Version translates, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” The Greek word for “appearance” (eidos) means kind or form. It simply means every kind of evil or wrong, not what “looks” to be wrong. Most translations render this verse correctly by saying, “Abstain from every form of evil” (NKJV). The desire to be set apart from other groups who are not following what we read in the Bible is a good one; however, the distinction should be just that - what we read in the Bible. We may choose not to do a particular work a certain way because another group is doing the same thing, but we have no grounds to condemn someone else if they choose to do it. Suppose we notice a church who has found a very effective means of spreading the gospel. If the idea is working well and it is perfectly within the bounds of God’s word should we ignore it simply because we do not want to appear like them? The man who was given one talent by his master was in a similar situation. He should have used what the Lord had given him for good; however, “he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money” (Matt. 25:18). The master returned and condemned the servant, calling him unprofitable, for not using what he had entrusted in his control (vs. 27). The Lord has given us specific duties, as individuals and as a church, to carry out. Sometimes we were given specific instructions on how to carry it out, but other times the manner in which we do it, to some degree, is up to us. Due to this, there are some works that are done many different ways by many different people. As long as we stay within the bounds of God’s word, we do not violate our consciences, and we do not cause a brother to stumble we may perform it in a number of ways. We need to keep our hearts open to the ideas of others that work if they do not violate the word of God, even if they come from an unlikely source. We must also be careful in condemning others for doing such things.