Lesson 8

               DECISION – MAKING WITHIN THE WILL OF GOD

 

Summary Review

Basic Principles: Exercise of Liberty/Freedom.

1. It is to be determined by the circumstances that surround it and the person who practices it.

 

 

 

2.  There is a 2nd consideration; the person who practices it.

Can I maintain self control, self discipline.

        "I will NOT be mastered by anything."

 

 

 

3.  The principle then: The exercise of liberty is to be determined by the circumstances that surround it and the person who practices it.

 

Need to learn to ask ourselves some questions.

- 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?

 

4.  Legalism handles the areas of freedom invariably by substituting rules for mature judgment.

 

 

5.  Maturing, spiritual growth involves facing different situations and then making decisions based on your F/O/R of BD, including recognizing valid areas of prohibition by the Word and those which fall into areas of freedom!

 

 

 

6. Summary: We should be using Mature judgment in our evaluation of areas of  freedom.  It is not enough to ask MAY I DO WHATEVER!   You must consider the consequences.

 

 

FREEDOM: Some Guidelines 1 Cor. 10:23-33 

There are some limits within the proper function of freedom.

1. Principle of Liberty 10:23  is a restatement of the principle of 6:12

 

 

* The point Paul makes here is that possession of liberty is one issue while the exercising of that liberty is another issue.

 

* This is where we need to exercise mature judgment and to do that adequately requires knowledge of the Word of God, the principles that are there.

 

 

* The correct exercise of liberty Must be Profitable and it must edify.

 

 

- What is profitable referring to here?

 

 

- The other qualifier is edify; not all things edify. 

 

 

* It is not enough to determine what we are at liberty to do, we must also consider the impact of the decisions we make on others.

 

 

2. In verse 24 we discover the Criteria for Liberty  10:24

We have a slight translation problem to correct here.

There is no word for "good" here in the Greek text, reason in italics.

 

- From the context it would seem that it would be best to supply the word profit rather than good, since that is what is used in verse 33 in dealing with the same concept.

 

 

- Would define the parameters of profit in the context as advancing spiritually.

 

3. The Application of Liberty  10:25-30  Paul gives some case histories!

a. Eating without asking  10:25-27 READ

 

 

Need to deal with and reconcile the apparent conflict with verse 20-21.

 

In vs:25 Paul is dealing with the meat that had left the temple and had arrived at the market place, the  ma,kellon (stall or shop in the market place).

 

 

- Verse 26 gives us the reason, the justification for this statement by Paul.  

 

b. What about in one's social life?  10:27

- Even in this corrupt pagan society Paul does not forbid social intercourse with unbelievers.

 

- Key question that must be answered is this, Will it compromise my testimony for Christ?

 

 

 

* Something that we must remember in dealing with the one with a weak conscience; the strong believer does not alter his conscience only his behavior in that situation so as not to create a stumbling block for the weaker believer who needs to grow up spiritually. 1 Cor 8:9-13