Lesson 7
DECISION
– MAKING WITHIN THE WILL OF GOD
e. Freedom within the moral will
of God suggests a diagram:
FREEDOM
AND GOD'S MORAL WILL
1.
Whatever is commanded by God lies within the circle;
2.
Whatever is forbidden by God is outside that perimeter;
3.
Within the larger circle of God's moral will is a
smaller circle showing the area of freedom.
f. Illustrated
by Gen 2:16-17:
1.
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
would be outside of the circle of God's will therefore forbidden.
2.
The rest of the trees of
g.
This same principle is taught in the N.T. as well.
1.
Freedom of choice with regard to dinner invitations from unbelievers. 1 Cor
2.
Freedom of choice with regard to giving to the church. 2 Cor 9:7
3.
Freedom of choice with regard to marriage partners. 1 Cor
h. In each of these
cases, there is a clear line marking off the parameters of God's moral will,
and yet the reality of an area of freedom is equally clear in each case.
1.
For example, in
1 Cor 7:39, the moral will of God forbids marriage of
a Christian to a non - Christian. ("only
in the Lord")
-
also 2 Cor
2.
But the choice of whether to marry and
which particular believer to marry falls within the area of freedom.
3. It
is up to the individual involved to make the decision and then follow through
on the commitment - responsibility.
Rabbit trail
CHRISTIAN
In
this verse two times Paul will say, "all
things are lawful for me."
In
the statement of liberty here Paul gives 2 constraints, that they had missed,
failed to apply or just plain ignored.
In
the statement of liberty here Paul gives 2 constraints, that they had missed,
failed to apply or just plain ignored.
Before
we consider this passage we need to note some general propositions related to
the believer and the will of God.
#1 It is never the will of God to do what is
forbidden by God or His Word. The clear
explicit statements of scripture we must come to terms with.
#2 It is always the will of God to do that which
He has commanded.
When
Paul says "all things are lawful," here twice and twice also in
The
word Paul uses here for "lawful" (e;xestin) means it is permitted, it is possible, it is proper, it is lawful. It does not imply w/o qualifications, w/o restrictions, i.e.
to do as one pleases with no
consideration of anything or anyone but themselves.
#3 Those areas not specified by Scripture
comprise areas of liberty, freedom where mature choices and wise decisions must
be made on the basis of the effect of a course of action will have on both
ourselves and others, those around us.
The
1st qualification is
"but not all things are profitable."
This
should cause us to ask a few questions as we approach a decision making situation. Namely, "Is this going to benefit me
spiritually?
What are the long term
consequences if any?
What
is the impact on those around
me, those who are
important to me?"
The
2nd qualification is
"but I will not be mastered by anything."
The
word in the Greek for mastered is evxousia,zw and it
means to put under the power of someone or something, to exercise authority over.
This
should raise the question, "If I choose this course of action will I loose
control or become enslaved by it??
We
must recognize that loss of
control, self discipline always results in loss of freedom."
At this point there are some pertinent
observations on Christian liberty.
1.
2.
Rom
3.
1
Pet 2:13,16 ties the freedom we have in Christ with
submission to authority. It is to be "because of the Lord" and
in verse 16 we are to submit as free men, not using our freedom as a covering
for evil. Therefore, liberty and
authority are at home with one another.
4. The
parameters of freedom are established by God through His Word.
True
freedom is related to truth. Jn 8:31-32
**
**
** BUT liberty is what we MAY DO!
All must be within the parameters established by
God in His Word.
Next we need to examine some basic principles
related to the exercise of our freedom, the liberty that we have as Christians.
That is how we are to deal with those areas not
specifically addressed by the Word of God.
#1. It will be determined by the circumstances
that surround the situation and the person who practices it.
#2. There is a 2nd consideration, and that is the
person who practices it.
One
of the critical questions Paul raises that must be answered in the evaluation
stage by the individual comes right out of 1 Cor
6:12. Can I maintain self discipline, self control in this situation. This comes from
the phrase "I
will NOT be mastered by anything."
#3 The principle then is
this. The exercise of liberty is to be determined by the circumstances that
surround it and the person who practices it.
If
I practice this, Can I maintain my self discipline? If I practice it, Can I say no to it?
Is
it a threat to the control of my life?
Is it a threat to my decision making process?
Is
it a threat to my volition?
Is
it a threat to my responsibility to determine right conduct based on sound
judgment?
Is
the exercise of this liberty beneficial?
Are there good things that might come from my actions?
In
mature judgment,
freedom is not the final question, the consequences, the impact of that decision must be
considered.