In the church today, there is a growing reluctance to take a definitive stand on any issue. Discernment is frankly not very welcome in a culture like ours. In fact, the postmodern perspective is more than merely hostile to discernment; it is practically the polar opposite. Think about it: pronouncing anything “true” and calling its antithesis “error” is a breach of postmodernism’s one last impregnable dogma. That is why to a postmodernist nothing is more uncouth than voicing strong opinions on spiritual, moral, or ethical matters. People are expected to hold their most important convictions with as much slack as possible. Certainty about anything is out of the question, and all who refuse to equivocate on any point of principle or doctrine are therefore automatically labeled too narrow. Zeal for the truth has become politically incorrect. There is actually zero tolerance for biblical discernment in a “tolerant” climate like that.

In the secular realm, postmodernism’s extreme tolerance has been foisted on an unsuspecting public by the entertainment media for several decades. A plethora of talk shows on daily television have led the way. Phil Donahue established the format. Jerry Springer took it to ridiculous extremes. And Oprah made it seem somewhat respectable and refined. Shows like these remind viewers daily not to be too opinionated—and they do it by parading in front of their audiences the most bizarre and extreme advocates of every radical “alternative lifestyle” imaginable. We are not supposed to be shocked or notice the overtly self-destructive nature of so many aberrant subcultures. The point is to broaden our minds and raise our level of tolerance. And if you do criticize another person’s value system, it cannot be on biblical grounds. Anyone who cites religious beliefs as a reason to reject another person’s way of life is automatically viewed with the same contempt that used to be reserved for out-and-out religious heretics. The culture around us has declared war on all biblical standards.

Some Christians unwittingly began following suit several years ago. That has opened the door for a whole generation in the church to embrace postmodern relativism openly and deliberately. They don’t want the truth presented with stark black-and-white clarity anymore. They prefer having issues of right and wrong, true and false, good and bad deliberately painted in shades of gray. We have reached a point where the typical churchgoer today assumes that is the proper way of understanding truth. Any degree of certainty has begun to sound offensive to people’s postmodernized ears.

One young pastor told me he didn’t like the authoritarian implications of the word preaching. He said he preferred to speak of his pulpit ministry as “sharing” with his people. He didn’t last long in ministry, of course. But sadly, his comments probably reflect the prevailing mood in the church today.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones noticed the same trend several decades ago. His marvelous book Preaching and Preachers began by noting that modern society was becoming uncomfortable with the whole idea of “preaching”:

A new idea has crept in with regard to preaching, and it has taken various forms. A most significant one was that people began to talk about the “address” in the service instead of the sermon. That in itself was indicative of a subtle change. An “address.” No longer the sermon, but an “address” or perhaps even a lecture…what is needed is a chat, a fireside chat, quiet talks, and so on![1]

Lloyd-Jones was simply noticing one of the subtle harbingers of postmodernism’s contempt for clarity and authority. A problem that existed in embryonic form in his era is now a full-grown monster.

At the “Emergent Convention” in 2004, a gathering of some eleven hundred leaders in the Emerging Church movement, Doug Pagitt, pastor of Solomon’s Porch (an Emergent community in Minneapolis), told the gathering, “Preaching is broken.” He suggests that a completely open conversation where all participants are seen as equals is better suited to a postmodern culture. “Why do I get to speak for 30 minutes and you don’t?” he asked. “A sermon is often a violent act,” he declared. “It’s violence toward the will of the people who have to sit there and take it.”[2]

Rudy Carrasco, a Pasadena-based Emergent pastor, agreed that preaching is simply too one-sided, too authoritative, and too rigid for postmodern times. “Every day, every week, there’s stuff that pops up in life, and it’s not resolved, just crazy and confusing and painful. When people come across with three answers, and they know everything, and they have this iron sheen about them, I’m turned off. Period. I’m just turned off. And I think that’s not unique to me.”[3]

Many in the church, caught up in the spirit of the age, think Christians should never take an uncompromising stand, should never argue about anything. We’re not supposed to engage in polemics. I hear this frequently: “Why don’t you just state the truth in positive terms and ignore the view you disagree with? Why not steer clear of controversy, forget the negatives, and present everything affirmatively?”

That ethos is why it is no longer permissible to deal with biblical issues in a straightforward and uncompromising fashion. Those who dare to take an unpopular stand, declare truth in a definitive way—or worst of all, express disagreement with someone else’s teaching—will inevitably be marked as troublesome. Compromise has become a virtue while devotion to truth has become offensive.

But many of the issues being compromised within the evangelical movement today are not questionable. Scripture speaks very clearly against homosexuality, for example. The Christian position on adultery is not at all vague. The question of whether a believer ought to marry an unbeliever is spelled out with perfect clarity. Scripture quite plainly forbids any Christian to take another Christian to court. Selfishness and pride are explicitly identified as sins. These are not gray areas. There is no room for compromise here.

Nevertheless, I constantly hear every one of those issues treated as a gray area—on Christian radio, on Christian television, and in Christian literature. People want all such matters to be negotiable. And too many Christian leaders willingly oblige. They hesitate to speak with authority on matters where Scripture is plain. The lines of distinction between truth and error, wisdom and foolishness, church and world are being systematically obliterated by such means.

The world needs Christians who embrace an antithetical worldview, a biblical mindset that answers questions of truth and morality in terms of black and white. Why? Because there is no salvation without absolute, unshakeable truth. Compromising, changing, tolerant opinions don’t provide answers for the “crazy and confusing and painful” issues that confront pastor Carrasco every day. Only truth saves and sanctifies and gives hope.

What’s needed today is a generation of men and women who will take a stand on biblical truth. People like that fear the Lord, not men, and will find power and courage from the Lord to uphold His truth in an age of extreme tolerance.

[1] D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971), 15-16.
[2] Tom Allen, “Postmoderns Value Authenticity, Not Authority,” The Baptist Standard, July 8, 2004.
[3] Ibid.

—————

Adapted from The Truth War, © 2007 by John MacArthur.

Because truth is no longer absolute—since we can no longer believe anything, we’re told we must now believe everything. Tolerance and acceptance are the watchwords of the day. Every kind of bizarre belief, outlandish claim, aberrant experience is justified and embraced. The only things you won’t find tolerated are claims to absolute truth and the exposing of error.

Our culture has been moving in that direction for decades, and that really shouldn’t surprise us. What better definition is there of an unbeliever than a person who tolerates everything except God’s truth? He’s blind to the truth, prefers to stay that way, and will stumble along believing anything except that which places restraints on him.

But what shocks me most is how tolerance for everything but truth has found a firm foothold within Christianity. In many mainstream churches, you can teach just about anything and never be questioned. Right in step with the world, believers are shutting off their minds and letting their emotions take over. The result is a Christian faith without the boundaries of doctrine, a belief system without any beliefs. You can teach whichever pet doctrines you want—personal experience seems to be the only test needed to validate your truth.

A case in point is the Laughing Revival. It began in Toronto and is now billed as the biggest thing the Holy Spirit has done in the church this century. The August 15 [1994] edition of Time magazine carried this amazing account of a Laughing Revival service that took place at a normally sedate church:

The youthful throng buzzes with anticipation more common at a rock concert or a rugby match. After the usual Scripture readings, prayers and singing, the chairs are cleared away. [The curate] prays that the Holy Spirit will come upon the congregation. Soon a woman begins laughing. Others gradually join her with hearty belly laughs. A young worshiper falls to the floor, hands twitching. Another falls, then another and another. Within half an hour there are bodies everywhere as supplicants sob, shake, roar like lions and, strangest of all, laugh uncontrollably.

I don’t mention that account to argue for or against the Laughing Revival. My point is that as bizarre a phenomenon as it is, too few Christians feel comfortable, capable, or even compelled to question the movement or compare its claims with scriptural truth. Five years ago, the Laughing Revival would have been the brunt of a major scandal within the Christian community. Today it is simply an alternative experience.

The Laughing Revival is not an isolated example of the church turning its back on truth. Whether it’s psychology, mysticism, pragmatism, or the barter of doctrine for political gain, compromising biblical truth can have only one effect: disaster.

Yet if you dare go against the grain and question such compromises, you are labeled unloving, divisive, or mean-spirited. Some would rather have a superficial unity based on doctrinal compromise than authentic unity based on truth. It’s as if clear spiritual vision—the ability to separate right from wrong, truth from error—is a curse. We would never consider driving blindfolded, yet that is precisely how we’re being urged to live the Christian life. Truth, along with the ability to understand, interpret, and apply it to our lives is no longer of value. In short, we no longer value the skill of discernment.

————–

Taken from a public letter

Recently, however, while recovering from knee-replacement surgery, I decided to sample some of the current fare on TBN. From a therapeutic point of view it seemed a good choice: something more excruciating than the pain in my leg might distract me from the physical suffering of post-surgical trauma. And I suppose on that basis the strategy was effective.

But it left me outraged and frustrated—and eager to challenge the misperceptions in the minds of millions of unbelievers who see these false teachers masquerading as ministers of Christ on TBN.

I’m outraged at the brazen way so many false teachers twist the message of Scripture in Jesus’ name. And I’m frustrated because I’m certain that if these charlatans were not receiving a large proportion of their financial support from sincere believers (and silent acquiescence from Christian leaders who surely know better), they would have no platform for their shenanigans. They would soon lose their core constituency and fade from the scene.

Instead, religious quacks are actually multiplying at a frightening pace. One thing I discovered to my immense displeasure is that TBN is by no means the only religious network broadcasting poisonous false doctrine around the clock. The channel lineup I receive includes at least seven other channels whose schedules are filled with false teachers and charlatans. There’s The Church Channel, Daystar, GodTV, World Harvest Television (LeSEA), Total Christian Television, and several others. Some of them feature blocs of family television programming and a few fairly sound teachers who provide moments of escape from the prosperity preachers. But all of them give prominence to enormous amounts of heresy and religious claptrap—enough to make them positively dangerous. And TBN is singularly responsible for kicking that door open so wide.

The continued growth and influence of TBN is baffling for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the thick aura of lust, greed, and other kinds of moral impropriety that surrounds the whole enterprise. A long string of scandals involving notable charismatic televangelists between 1988 and 1992 should have been sufficient reason for even the most credulous viewers to scrutinize the entire industry with skepticism. First came the international spectacle of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s moral, marital, and financial collapse. That was followed closely by the revelation of Jimmy Swaggart’s repeated dalliances with prostitutes. Shortly afterward, an episode of ABC’s Primetime Live exposed clear examples of deliberate fraud on the part of three more leading charismatic televangelists. Those incidents were punctuated by a score of lesser scandals over several years’ time. It is clear (or should be)—based on empirical evidence alone—that preachers promising miracles in exchange for money are not to be trusted. And for anyone who simply bothers to compare Jesus’ teaching with the health-and-wealth message, it is clear that the message that currently dominates religious television is “a different gospel; which is really not another” (Galatians 1:6-7), but a damnable lie.

TBN is by far the leading perpetrator of that lie worldwide. Virtually all the network’s main celebrities tell listeners that God will give them healing, wealth, and other material blessings in return for their money. On program after program people are urged to “plant a seed” by sending “the largest bill you have or the biggest check you can write” with the promise that God will miraculously make them rich in return. That same message dominates all of TBN’s major fundraising drives. It’s known as the “seed faith” plan, so-called by Oral Roberts, who set the pattern for most of the charismatic televangelists who have followed the trail he blazed. Paul Crouch, founder, chairman, and commander-in-chief of TBN, is one of the doctrine’s staunchest defenders.

The only people who actually get rich by this scheme, of course, are the televangelists. Their people who send money get little in return but phony promises—and as a result, many of them turn away from the truth completely.

If the scheme seems reminiscent of Tetzel, that’s because it is precisely the same doctrine. (Tetzel was a medieval monk whose high-pressure selling of indulgences—phony promises of forgiveness—outraged Martin Luther and touched off the Protestant Reformation.)

Like Tetzel, TBN preys on the poor and plies them with false promises. Yet what is happening daily on TBN is many times worse than the abuses that Luther decried because it is more widespread and more flagrant. The medium is more high-tech and the amounts bilked out of viewers’ pockets are astronomically higher. (By most estimates, TBN is worth more than a billion dollars and rakes in $200 million annually. Those are direct contributions to the network, not counting millions more in donations sent directly to TBN broadcasters.) Like Tetzel on steroids, the Crouches and virtually all the key broadcasters on TBN live in garish opulence, while constantly begging their needy viewers for more money. Elderly, poor, and working-class viewers constitute TBN’s primary demographic. And TBN’s fundraisers all know that. The most desperate people—”unemployed,” “even though I’m in between jobs,” “trying to make it; trying to survive,” “broke”—are baited with false promises to give what they do not even have. Jan Crouch addresses viewers as “you little people,” and suggests that they send their grocery money to TBN “to assure God’s blessing.”

Thus TBN devours the poor while making the charlatans rich. God cursed false prophets in the Old Testament for that very thing (Jeremiah 6:13-15). It’s also one of the main reasons the Pharisees incurred Jesus’ condemnation (Luke 20:46-47). It’s hard to think of any sin more evil. It not only hurts people materially; it deludes them with groundless hope, deceives them with a false gospel, and thereby places their souls in eternal peril. And yet those who do it pretend they are doing the work of God.

That’s not all. Almost no false prophecy, erroneous doctrine, rank superstition, or silly claim is too outlandish to receive airtime on TBN. Jan Crouch tearfully gives a fanciful account of how her pet chicken was miraculously raised from the dead. Benny Hinn trumps that claim with a bizarre prophecy that if TBN viewers will put their dead loved ones’ caskets in front of television set and touch the dead person’s hand to the screen, people will “be raised from the dead . . . by the thousands.”

Ironically, one doesn’t even need to be an orthodox Trinitarian in order to broadcast on the Trinity network. Bishop T. D. Jakes, well known for his rejection of the Nicene Creed in favor of oneness Pentecostalism, is a staple on TBN. Benny Hinn has repeatedly attempted to revise the doctrine of the Trinity in novel ways, notoriously teaching at one point that there are nine persons in the godhead.

And yet evangelical church leaders typically show a kind of benign tolerance toward the whole enterprise. Most would never endorse it, of course. They may joke about the gaudiness of the big hair and tawdry set decorations on TBN. Ask them, and they will most likely acknowledge that the prosperity gospel is no gospel at all. Press the issue, and you will probably get them to admit that it is a dangerous form of false doctrine, totally unbiblical, and essentially anti-Christian.

Why, then, is there no large-scale effort among Bible-believing evangelicals to expose, denounce, refute, and silence these false teachers? After all, that is what Scripture commands church leaders to do when we encounter purveyors of soul-destroying substitutes for the true gospel:

“The overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.” (Titus 1:7-11)

Those who remain silent in the face of such grotesque lies may in fact be partly responsible for turning people away from the truth. Consider the testimony of William Lobdell, religion reporter for the Los Angeles Times, who once considered himself a devout evangelical Christian, but after doing a series of investigative reports on the moral and doctrinal cesspool at TBN; then “finding that his investigative stories about faith healer Benny Hinn and televangelists Jan and Paul Crouch appear to make no difference on the reach of these ministries or the lives of their followers, he [gave] up on the beat and on religion generally.”

All those who truly love Christ and care about the truth have a solemn duty to defend the truth by exposing and opposing these lies that masquerade as truth. If we fail in that duty because of indifference, apathy, or a craving for the approval of men, we are no less guilty than those who actively spread the lies.

Available online at: http://www.gty.org/Blog/B091211
COPYRIGHT (C) 2011 Grace to You

Transcript

A few weeks ago there was an event here at Dodgers Stadium with Joel Osteen – 35,000 people at Dodgers Stadium – something like that. He is now the largest “church”, and I’m using the word loosely, in America, down in Houston.

You need to understand that he is a pagan religionist, in every sense. He’s a quasi-Pantheist. Jesus is a footnote that satisfies his critics and deceives his followers.

The idea of his whole thing is that men have the power in themselves to change their lives.

In his definitive book, Your Best Life Now, he says…and that ought to be a dead giveaway – since he only way this could be your best life is if you’re going to hell…he says that

“anyone can create by faith and words the dreams he desires. Health, wealth, happiness, success.”

The list is always the same.

Here’s some quotes from his book, Your Best Life Now:

“If you develop an image of success, health, abundance, joy, peace, happiness – nothing on earth will be able to hold those things from you.”

See, that’s the law of attraction that is a part of this kind of system.

Here’s another quote:

“All of us are born for earthly greatness. You were born to win!”

Win what?

“God wants you to live in abundance. You were born to be a champion! He wants to give you the desires of your heart. Before we were formed He prepared us to live abundant lives, to be happy, healthy and whole. But when our thinking becomes contaminated, its no longer in line with God’s word.”

By the way, “God’s word”  is not the Bible, “God’s word” is that word that comes to us mystically, spiritually, that tells us what we should want. [Note from Roe: MacArthur is speaking of Osteen's definition of the Word of God from the above quote. MacArthur is in no way stating that HE believes the Bible is not God's word.]

Here’s another quote:

“Get your thinking positive and He will bring your desires to pass. He regards you as a strong, courageous, successful person. You’re on your way to a new level of glory.”

Hmm…how do you get there?

“Believe,” he says, “visualize and speak out loud…”

Same exact approach.

“Words release your power. Words give life to your dreams.”

Here’s another quote:

“Friend, there’s a miracle in your mouth.”

I think Isaiah might object to that. He said I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell amidst a people of unclean lips.

Here’s Joel Osteen’s prayer:

“I thank you, Father, that I have your favor.”

Wow! Did he meet the Pharisee in Luke 18, or what? I thank you that I am not like other people?

Here’s another quote:

“I know these principals are true because they work for me and my wife.”

Ohhh…so that’s the test of truth. Are you kidding? I know these things are true because they work for me and my wife? Sure, you’re at the top of the Ponzi scheme.

And then he said,

“…even finding a perfect parking spot at the mall.”

And I ask what about the little old lady you cut off to get into that parking spot? What about her dreams? Maybe she was born to loose. I mean, its so silly. It’s so bizarre.

He says, “

God’s already done everything he’s going to do. The ball’s in your court. You have to take that part of God which exists in you and create your own reality.”

What is the source of this? Where does this come from? Answer: Satan. This is satanic. This is satanic. This is not just off-centered – this is satanic.

Why do I say that? Because health, wealth, prosperity, the fulfillment of all your dreams and your desires – that’s what Satan always offers. That’s called TEMPTATION…based on the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life – that’s exactly what corrupt, fallen, unregenerate people want. That’s why it works so well, right?

You can go right into Satan’s system and make everybody feel religious and turn their desires, their temptations, into somehow honorable desires.

I mean, what did Satan say to Jesus?

Grab some satisfaction. Why are you hungry? You need to eat. You need to be healthy. Whole. Why would you let yourself be unpopular? Dive off the temple corner. Hooo, everybody will be wowed. You’ll be the winner. You’ll be the champion. You’ll be the Messiah. They’ll hail you and oh by the way, if you’ll just look over the kingdoms of the world, I’ll give those to you too.

That’s satanic!

Why are these false teachers so successful at what they do? Because they are in cahoots with the devil. Why is Satan successful? Because his temptations, although they might appear noble on the outside, are in perfect accord with all the fallen, corrupt, selfish, proud, evil desires of sinners. This is a false kind of Christianity…and a false view of God.

I think preachers like this, who preach this stuff, hate the true God. I really believe that. I believe they hate the true God and they are afraid to death that somebody might find out who He really is.

The fear of God was a central doctrine in the early church. Believers and unbelievers alike were taught to fear Him. None but a rank fool would deal frivolously with God. It was that very fear that drew people for salvation and kept them obedient. Whenever the Holy Spirit is genuinely drawing someone to salvation, that person’s heart cries out for deliverance from sin! The gospel call is not an invitation to join the fun and end emotional pain.

The contemporary user-friendly movement seems to miss that vital point. Rather than arousing fear of God, it attempts to portray Him as fun, jovial, easygoing, lenient, and even permissive. Haughty sinners who ought to approach God in terror (Luke 18:13) are emboldened to presume on His grace. Sinners hear nothing of divine wrath. That is as wrong as preaching rank heresy.

As we learn from the account of Ananias and Sapphira, God’s wrath is not to be taken lightly. Peter wrote, “If [judgment] begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Pet 4:17).  Paul spoke of divine wrath as one of the primary motivations for evangelism: “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others.” (2 Cor 5:11).

There is, however, one class of question that falls somewhere in the middle. These are the issues dealing with Christian freedom–things that fall in the “gray” area. What entertainment is acceptable? What kind of music is okay? What can a Christian do or not do on Sunday? What about what you wear, what you eat and drink, or how you spend your free time–does the Bible address those things?

Some would say, “No, the Bible doesn’t address them. Do what you want to do–you’re free in Christ!” While it is true that the Bible doesn’t specifically list every possible decision you’ll face in life, it does address all choices with principles that govern Christian freedom. When you run your choices in the “gray areas” through the following grid of principles from God’s Word, I trust you’ll find both clarity and true freedom to live your life to God’s glory.

Will it benefit me spiritually?

All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. (1 Cor. 10:23)

A “profitable” thing is useful, helpful, or to your advantage to do; and the idea behind “edify” is to build up spiritually. So based on this verse, ask yourself, “Will doing this enhance my spiritual life? Will it cultivate godliness? Will it build me up spiritually?” If not, you should seriously question whether that behavior is the best choice.

Will it bring bondage?

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Cor. 6:12)

In the second part of this verse, Paul is saying, “I will not be brought under the power of anything.” If what you are considering can be habit forming, why pursue it? Don’t allow yourself to be in bondage to anything or anyone. You are a bond-servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Him alone.

Will it defile God’s temple?

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

Don’t do anything that you know will harm your body or bring shame–it is the only instrument you have to glorify God. Romans 6:13 says, “Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” How you choose to use your body should always reflect your concern to honor Jesus Christ.

Will it cause anyone to stumble?

Food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. (1 Cor. 8:8-9)

This is the principle of love. As Romans 13:10 says: “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.” If you know that your choice–what you consider “in bounds” and approved–causes another Christian to stumble and sin, love that brother or sister enough to restrict your own freedom. That is not very popular in our self-absorbed society, but it is biblical. To continue to indulge in a legitimate freedom that causes problems for another Christian is a sin. For “by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore,” Paul said, “if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, that I might not cause my brother to stumble.” (1 Cor. 8:12-13)

Will it further the cause of evangelism?

Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved (1 Cor. 10:32-33).

Whether you are aware of it, what you allow or disallow in your behavior affects your witness for Christ–and the world is watching. It’s an issue of testimony–what your life says about God. Your testimony either tells the truth about God, or it tells a lie. The choices you make in the “gray” areas should reflect your concern not to bring offense to God’s reputation but to bring Him praise instead.

Will it violate my conscience?

He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin (Rom. 14:23).

First Corinthians 10:25 29 contains three references to abstaining from a certain practice “for conscience sake.” Never train yourself to violate your conscience. If your conscience is troubled by what you consider, don’t do it. If you aren’t sure about it, don’t do it. It is hard to overstate the value of a clean conscience, but it is worth keeping your conscience clear so that your relationship to God will not be hindered. If you’ll keep yourself in prayer and the study of God’s Word, you will inform your conscience so you can “walk as children of light…finding out what is acceptable to the Lord” (Eph. 5:8, 10).

Will it bring glory to God?

Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).

That verse is clearly both the summary and the goal of all the principles I’ve shared. Isn’t our heart’s cry to glorify our Lord and Savior with our lives? Think about your decision–Will He be glorified, honored, and praised through it? May we say along with Jesus, “I glorified You on the earth.” (John 17:4)

So what questions do you have? Run them through the principles above and enjoy your freedom in Christ – the freedom to be what He created you to be!

© Copyright 2003 by Grace to You.