Others

[Petros]

Long back herself acquired a tract entitled (approximately) "Others may, you may not"

The point if I understood it correctly and remember straight : There is not with God a single simplex set of ethical principals / rules. As we are differently made (Oh, yes!) we are to follow different paths. What is ethical for you - may be out for me or vice versa.

Comments?

[JimShedd112]

Intersting Petros, can you expound on what you mean?

Jim

[Jim]

Petros, are you thinking along the lines of Romans 14.23?

...everything that does not come from faith is sin. - NIV

If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning. - New Living

anything you do against your beliefs is sin. - CEV

[Jim]

Due to this verse, I would not encourage Christians who believe social nudity is sinful to try nudism until they are convinced it is not sinful.

[Petros]

Discussed this with Herself last night. She ws inclined toward the view that there is a code that alppies to all - and certainly the Decalogue is non-negotiable.

But there are places whee Paul maintains that things permitted may be things he personally must avoid.

Which suggests that beyond the universal there are rukes for groups and individuals - from vocation or individual design. Contracts and monastic rules and the like. 1 Corinthians 6:12 - All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient:

[natman]

The Apostle Paul said:

"But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning." Rom 14:23

At the same time, Isaiah said, " Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Isaiah 5:20

I struggle with this because I know that if Christ has set you free, then you are free indeed. If we know that something that the world ASSUMES is evil (sin) is not evil (sinful) in the eyes of the Lord, it is hard to stop from wanting to free others from the self-imposed oppression.

[nudie66]

Some folks have referred to this idea you bring up as "Christian liberty" - that some do not feel convicted, but rather the freedom, to participate in certain activities (going to the movies... wearing jeans rather than "Sunday only" clothes... listening to certain genres of music... being nude socially, etc.) while others feel such a strong conviction against it that they fear God's lightning bolt heading their way if they even have a first thought of doing such activities.

"Others may, you may not" could sound like it's a personal preference thing, like "Others may like garlic, you may not". I have a feeling that Herself could be taking it as, "Others may want to be involved in this activity, but you SHALL NOT."

[Petros]

And it can be just that.

My nature, my long established habit, makes wisecracks. I do not tell jokes (I lack that talent) I do, irrepressably, pun.

At one point for several months I sat under the conviction that God wanted me to stop punning. I stlll COULD - and for the first week occasionally did. No friends, no preaching told me to stop - I do not count the deep sighs which only encourage a punster. But punning was out. And I held it in - it got easier toward the end.

It DID end - but while it was on it was definitely a rule - my rule.

[nakedpreacher]

My wife would argue that punning is inherently sinful regardless of who is committing the pun

[Petros]

My dad would have agreed with her.

But check out the puns in Genesis.

[nakedpreacher]

Jokes aside, I believe this to be in line with scripture if turned just a bit, to “others may, I may not” since there is no one who may judge me on such debatable matters. Such matters are between the Holy Spirit and me.

[Petros]

Absolutely.

[jimmy]

Greetings in the Lord,

Paul also makes it clear that we should do nothing, even if it is not sin for us, that would cause another to sin.

Jimmy

[Petros]

Which is one place we would need a lot of prayerful discernment. How do I tell if my remarks about the priest on the bus are going to take Carol into what is to her sin?

[nakedpreacher]

I think Paul gives us a clue when he tells us that if your brother offers you meat saying that it has been sacrificed to idols do not eat it, but you may eat anything sold in the market place without questions of conscience, though my understanding is that most of the meat in the market had been sacrificed to idols. If your brother gives you reason to believe that it is a problem for them, then Love dictates that you would not engage in that activity around them, however you are free if you have no indication. I think it bears mention that those who may be led into sin are the weaker brothers. If someone who has been 10 years in the Lord can be caused to stumble because of what you do, they are milk drinkers when they should be meat eaters and one could conceivably question whether they are in the Lord at all