What Should Christians Do?

Should I drink alcohol?

Should I watch TV?

Should I listen to secular music?

Should I let my children play video games?

Should I only eat organic food?

Should I read the NIV or only use the King James Bible?

Is it okay for Christians to date, or should we use courtship instead?

These are just some of the questions Christians are asking these days. And, as you can probably guess, the answers are not going to be found in the Bible.

So what should Christians do when they encounter a problem that isn’t spelled out for us in the Scriptures?

The Apostle Paul has the answer for us in 1 Corinthians 8.

“Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that ‘we all have knowledge’ about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.

“So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. But for us, there is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.

“However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.

“But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.”

~ 1 Corinthians 8  

Now I’m going to assume that idol worship is not an issue in your life—but it may be, depending on your culture. That being said, the principle here remains the same.

We have freedom in Christ. So if something is not listed as openly sinful in the Bible, then it probably isn’t. However, if you personally feel that God wants you to live a certain way, or wants you to abstain from certain activities, then do what ever you feel He has called you to do. You have that freedom as well.

But we should all be considerate of one another, lest we cause a brother or sister to sin against their conscience. (1 Corinthians 8:9-13, Romans 14:13) And above all, we should remember not to judge others based on our own standards. If they love Jesus, then that is enough. Let God judge their actions.

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

~ Matthew 7:1-5