What Should Christians Do with Gray Areas?

Trust the Holy Spirit (v. 19a)

The Indwelling Ministry of the Spirit

“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you?”

Context: What you do with your body matters to the Lord.

The Corinthians had a saying “all things are lawful for me” - the culture in Corinth was like an exaggerated form of the hippie movement America saw in the 1960. There was a strong believe in relative truth which meant that there was no guiding principle of morality concerning what they did with their bodies. This always leads to an embrace of hedonism, the pursuit of pleasure as the highest goal in life.

Paul uses their own phrase against them. “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful.”

There have always been those who use the grace of God as means of excusing sinful behavior. The endless well of God’s forgiveness is not a permission to sin. As Paul said in Romans should we continue in sin that grace may about? Certainly not!

I believe that Paul is addressing the gray areas of life. He does so more than once with the Corinthians. Things such as meat offered to idols and their use of alcohol.

Just because something is permissible does not mean that it is helpful.

When you insist on living in the gray areas what you will eventually find is that you have of your own accord expanded your gray area into places the Bible clearly calls sin. The Corinthians allowed their tolerance of gray areas to lead them into gross sexual immorality. You might be tempted to say, that is an extreme example that will never happen to me. Take heed lest you fall. It is often the very moment that you assume you are above some sin that you fall prey to it.

God did not leave us helpless when it comes to temptation and discernment in the gray areas of life.

The very thing that makes a sin in the body such a serious matter is often the very thing that rescues us from falling into either intended or unintended sin.

That is, the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the action by which God takes up permanent residence in the body of a believer in Jesus Christ.

In the Old Testament all the evidence points to a temporary indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit.

In John 14:17 Jesus revealed what the disciples had to look forward to in the ministry of the Holy Spirit to them, when He states that the Holy Spirit will live with them and be in them. This is what Jesus was talking about when He told Nicodemus that he must be born again.

When someone accepts Christ the Holy Spirit regenerates that person in Christ. This means that the Holy Spirit takes someone who was spiritually dead and gives them life.

The Holy Spirit does many things for the believer in whom He resides. 1) The indwelling Spirit confirms to the believer that he belongs to the Lord and is an heir of God and fellow-heir with Christ (Romans 8:15–17). 2) The indwelling Spirit installs the new believer as a member of Christ’s universal church. This is the baptism of the Spirit, according to 1 Corinthians 12:13. 3) The indwelling Spirit gives spiritual gifts (God-given abilities for service) to the believer to edify the church and serve the Lord effectively for His glory (1 Corinthians 12:11). 4) The indwelling Spirit helps the believer understand and apply the Scripture to his daily life (1 Corinthians 2:12). 5) The indwelling Spirit enriches the believer’s prayer life and intercedes for him in prayer (Romans 8:26–27). 6) The indwelling Holy Spirit empowers the yielded believer to live for Christ to do His will (Galatians 5:16). The Spirit leads the believer in paths of righteousness (Romans 8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” ) 7) The indwelling Spirit gives evidence of new life by producing the fruit of the Spirit in the believer’s life (Galatians 5:22–23). 8) The indwelling Spirit is grieved when the believer sins (Ephesians 4:30), and He convicts the believer to confess his sin to the Lord so that fellowship is restored (1 John 1:9). 9) The indwelling Spirit seals the believer unto the day of redemption so that the believer’s arrival in the Lord’s presence is guaranteed after this life (Ephesians 1:13–14).

Two of those minsitries play a critical part in the believers dicernment of sin.

Always remember that through the Spirit you are empowered to live a life of godliness in the will of God. A Spirit indwelt believer can be a Spirit controlled believer and the Holy Spirit will never lead you into sin.

Also, the Holy Spirit convicts the beliver of sin. You have a responsibility to listen and respond.

Beware of Quenching the Spirit in your life.

Application:

If there is some activity that you are not sure about, some place you are not sure you should be, some product you are not sure that you should use; stop and pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, pray for His control in your life.

Pray that He would give you peace in making the right decision and strong conviction if you take the wrong path.

There is a difference between personal indecisiveness and anxiety and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, but if you are simply not sure just make sure you are staying on the white side of the line.

Prioritize Your Choices (v. 19b-20a)

You are not spending your own money.

“You are not your own, for you were bought with a price...”

When you induldge sin it is not your holiness and righteousness that you are offending.

It is the most holy God’s.

Little sins are not as little as we might think.

Every breath you take was paid for by Christ. Most of us wouldn’t borrow a vehicle without returning it with a full tank of gas, but we don’t seem to mind indulging sin that was paid for by the blood of Christ.

When you consider the immese weight of this truth is it ever worth it to live in the gray areas?

The cost of your redemption demands a loyal response.

Christ died so that through Him we might become of the righteousness of God.

The gray areas of life simply are not worth the cost.

In other words there is nothing in the gray areas that have such value that they are worth the offence they would bring to Christ if they happen to be sinful.

Conform Your Motivation (v. 20b)

Stop asking the wrong question. We spend too much time asking what we are allowed to do and quite simply not enough time concerned with the glory of God.

The choice is not always between what is morally right and morally wrong.

No matter the circumstance choose the option that brings God more glory.

If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence maybe its time to start watering the lawn.

Start putting the needs of others ahead of your own.

Philippians 2:3-4 “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

There maybe times when your Christian liberty is at odds with the spiritual growth or maturity of a believer in your sphere of influence.

In 1 Corinthians 8 When the issue of eating meat offered to idols came up with the Corinthians, Paul reminded them that, while it was just meat and had no spiritual benifit or disadvantage if it offened one of their brothers or sisters; Paul’s advice was simply to avoid those things that might cause a brother or sister to stumble, whether it was sinful or not.

Conclusion

Having the “right” to do something does not mean we are free to do it in every circumstance, regardless of its effects on others.

The believer’s liberty in Christ can and should be voluntarily limited in order not to cause a weaker brother to sin by violating his conscience. Liberty is limited in love.

Maintaining unity, especially in the home and the church, may require a believer to give up his personal “right” to a thing.

We should avoid anything that would make a weak Christian think less of his faith or that would make an unsaved person feel more at ease in his sin.