Is It Really Sin, or Just a Conviction?
A friend of mine recently made a very good and valid point about holiness on his blog. You should take a second and go read it!
While I wholeheartedly agree with what he said, the topic of holiness raises some questions…
How do we make the distinction between blatant sin and personal convictions?
Let me give you an example:
The Bible clearly and repeatedly states that we should be living lives that are sexually pure. As a matter of fact, Paul, in Epehsians 5:3, goes so far as to say that there “must not be even a hint of sexual immorality” amongst christians. Another translation of the Bible says that sexual immorality, all impurity, and covetousness “must not even be named among [us].” Seems pretty clear to me.
But, how many people willingly watch television shows that are full of sexual promiscuity and inappropriate sexual joking? How many christians choose to go see movies that have nudity, or sex, or unbelievably scantily clad men or women? I even know christian men who go to Hooters “for the chicken wings.” Doesn’t that constitute a hint of sexual immorality?
Admittedly, we live in a society in which it is nearly impossible to avoid sex. If I’m walking down the street and a woman is dressed inappropriately, I didn’t choose to see that. Don’t get me wrong, I choose my reaction, which could very well be sin. However, if I walk into a movie that’s rated PG-13 or R, partly for sexual content, haven’t I already chosen my reaction? Aren’t I willingly opening myself up for sexual impurity in my eyes and possibly my ears? Is this sin (which needs to be dealt with), or is this something that’s left to personal convictions (which needs to be left in the hands of each individual)?
What do you think? This is an area that I really struggle with and think about a lot, but I don’t have any good answers. I think it’s wrong to project my personal convictions on others (although I fail miserably at this), but I think there is good biblical evidence for approaching our brothers and sisters in Christ about sin, as long as we approach them in love and under the leading of the Holy Spirit.
I totally agree with what Adam said in his original post, holiness must start on the inside. But how do I differentiate between my own personal convictions and blatant sin?
January 16th, 2007 |
[...] I had a conversation with a friend the other night, one of those conversations that starts before midnight and ends when you suddenly realize that the sun has come up. It was a good conversation. We talked about all kinds of things. But one of the things we talked about has really stuck out in my mind, and it has to do with so-called ‘projected holiness.’ This topic seems to have been a hot one recently on the little circle of blogs that I read. Check out Adam’s post, Todd’s post and my post. You’ll see what I mean.Anyway, the question came up about what you do when someone is actively living in sin? Do you approach them and try to ‘restore them in a spirit of gentleness’, or do you ignore the problem lest we be accused of being too legalistic? [...]
January 11th, 2007 |
after reading all of the posts to this particular paragraph, i pondered just what was being asked & what should i reply or even whether i needed to reply. so here goes… scantily clad women should affect all of us. but why they affect us they way they do is probably what needs addressed. God made us with senses of which vision is one. therefore we all respond to nakedness. an infant seeing his mother may cry to be fed, a native in another culture sees it as everyday normalcy, we in our culture of freedoms, see it as many things depending on our relationship with God. we can see it as an offense, we can see it as a stumbling block, we can see it as natural. if we run to tell all of the nakedness we have seen are we as bad as noah’s son ham who ran to tell his brothers of noah’s nakedness? nakedness is a reference to sin as pastor diehl has told time & time again in his teachings. therefore, those who are physically naked or are scantily dressed,are reflecting the sin nature of their own lives. most who run around naked are either very young(child) & don’t have a clue to their need of a savior or as an unbeliever haven’t come to knowledge of their need for a Savior, or from another culture who’s god hasn’t become the one true living God, or are very old & suffering from dementia senility or some other memory loss which is where the kind loving son attitude of covering up their nakedness comes into play.there may be other instances but hopefully you see what i’m trying to convey. so for those who are choosing to participate in activites that expose them to nakedness or scantily clad people, why are the clothed ones there? are they there to be a voice in the wilderness calling all to repentance or are they there for pleasure? do we have a right to voice anything to them if we feel an objection in our spirit? i say boldly, YES. if i am in a situation that puts me in risk in my relationship with God or others, i want to be told. i am a part of the body. if my foot wanted to walk in a pile of glass or a bed of hot coal, would my brain allow it? no way!so as a part of the body of Christ i am to assist the body i am to protect them from harm. what they choose to do with my voiced warnings is up to them but i will voice them. i care too much for the cause of Christ to allow the body to be burned, cut, broken & abused for the wrong reasons. to suffer for Christ is one thing to suffer because i went somewhere & did something i should not have been doing & then to not be warned by my friends(part of the body)is just wrong. so there you have my view of this. some of you knew what i would say as you have heard or been a part of my views long before now. i love all of you so hopefully we can grow into maturity & knowledge of Christ together. pattiT
January 10th, 2007 |
Jeremiah,
Yes, but i suggest there is a difference between looking out for our fellow Christ followers and projecting our personal convictions on others, i.e., i don’t drink wine, therefore, you can’t either.
January 8th, 2007 |
Kudos Abby!
That is probably one of the best answers I have ever heard to this sticky topic.
I’m struggling through this, and I appreciate everyone who has voiced their opinions so far, hopefully, more people will get in on the discussion. This struggle is similar to when I was a little kid, I believed in Jesus because my parents told me to…but there came a day when I had to believe in Jesus for myself. I had to struggle through my belief and make it my own. That’s where I am at with this issue/topic/principle (whatever you want to call it.) The discussion really helps me to think it through and put things in correct balance and perspective, but I still have to make it my own.
Anyway, let me ask you a question that came out of Abby’s response: Do you think it is important for a Christian to look out for their brothers and sisters in Christ? For instance, I have had a hard struggle with pornography in the past, as a friend, and a fellow family member of the body of Christ, if you saw me walking into an adult bookstore wouldn’t it be more than appropriate, even biblical, for you to approach me about this, in love?
I realize that there are a lot of personal convictions that must remain personal convictions, between an individual and God. But Paul called Peter on the carpet over a situation where Peter was wrong, and Paul also had no hesitation in directly, and publicly, confronting sin in the Corinthian church. Of course, when they repented, he had no hesitation in restoring them.
January 8th, 2007 |
My attempt…
I think the issue here is that different people have different standards. Whether right or wrong, people interpret God’s Word in different ways. While you may take one passage very literally, another believer may see it as a metaphor for something completely different. It doesn’t make Jeremiah right and so-and-so wrong…it just makes the two people, their interpretations, and their convictions different. (Note: I’m not saying we all have the freedom to misconstrue the Word or warp it into what we want it to say. Thou shalt not kill=don’t murder!)
Now, say so-and-so is, in fact, in the wrong. Is Jeremiah responsible for that? No. The Bible says that he will be held accountable for himself alone. Ask yourself this: are you causing other people to SIN by living out your convictions, or are you just making them uncomfortable? If the former is true, then it’s your responsibility to knock it off. But if the latter is true…they’ll either get over it, or the Holy Spirit will begin a work in them regarding that issue. My suggestion is, if someone is a part of a group of people who wants to do something against his or her own personal convictions, all they have to do is excuse themselves. It’s unnecessary to make it a point to say, “I’m not going, because I believe that it’s a sin.” That’s exactly what Adam was talking about. However, if we politely back out of such a function, we are guarding ourselves from the sin we may fall into, and we’re avoiding projecting our “holiness”. In my mind, if we need to tell people about our convictions (outside of absolutes), we need to seriously check our hearts. Personal conviction is just that: PERSONAL conviction. Yes, people may ridicule, or question your convictions…but God never promised that we’d all join hands and sing Kumbayah in harmony just because we believe in Him.
We are products of the fall, and though we have the Spirit in us, we are not yet perfect. While God is absolute, and what His Word says is perfect, humans are fallible.
And here’s the simple answer: our focus has been on ourselves, other people, and the mistakes that all of us make…holiness is 100% about God working in us, not us working to achieve it.
January 8th, 2007 |
Todd I agree with you, it isn’t what’s happening out there, but what’s happening in here. That’s a fantastic way to put it…but, I don’t live in isolation, I interact with a lot of other people who have different personal convictions than I do. No two people match up exactly. So, how do we interact as a community when we all have differing personal convictions?
Let me give an example…
I know some people, Christians, who got together to go out to eat. Someone recommended Hooters. The instant that someone said that going to Hooters would cause them to stumble, they were ridiculed by the Christians around them! Then, they got offended and became defensive. They were simply trying to defend their personal convictions, and not stumble, but the people, the Christians, around them weren’t trying to support them in living a holy life. Furthermore, they ridiculed the person for trying to do so, and were encouraging him to stumble! I’ve seen this happen to me, and to about three other people that I know. It’s not an isolated incident.
I don’t think Hooters is the issue at all, but there are a ton of issues in that situation, all related to projected holiness, internal holiness, comparative holiness, blatant sin, and the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
What do you do? Find new friends? Shouldn’t someone point out to the guys who tried to get someone to stumble that they are in sin, not for going to Hooters, but for trying to cause someone to stumble?
How does holiness happen in a community where you interact with other people who have different convictions than you?
January 8th, 2007 |
I think we might be making it more complicated than it seems.
The naked thing was a poor example. That falls under that category of specifically forbidden stuff.
I think that you’re looking at it from the wrong direction.
The important thing isn’t what’s happening out there but what’s happening in here.
See what I mean?
January 8th, 2007 |
Well, viewing naked people other than your spouse is forbidden in the Bible, in the Old Testament. So, do I follow the letter of the law? Or do I claim that I am under grace, and that the law doesn’t matter?
And, if I’m truly under grace, and I have a relationship with God and He is changing me and molding me to be more like Him (sanctification), then won’t I naturally find myself coming closer and closer to fulfilling the letter of the law? (Not as a matter of legalism, but because the law describes what righteousness looks like.)
There is very definitely a hole in my understanding about this issue. I don’t get it! And, when I ask about it, I seem to get shut down by people in authority…is this because they don’t have the answers, and don’t want to admit it? Or is it because they have the answers, but don’t like them? Or is it for another reason?
I realize that this subject can be a can of worms, and I’m not trying to start a fight…I’m struggling through a question that I have! A question that seems to be pretty sensitive and close to a lot of people’s hearts. I think the reason it is so sensitive is because the answer will very directly impact how we live our lives, and the things we do on a daily basis.
If only there were a simple formula…
January 8th, 2007 |
If scantily clad women affects you, seeing it is a sin. If it doesn’t, then it’s not. Admittedly, not very many men are unaffected.
Of course, make sure that your actions aren’t causing a brother or sister to stumble.
And, if it’s specifically forbidden in the Bible, don’t do it.