Black and White? Or Shades of Gray?

Often today when the conversation begins to focus upon "what is right" and "what is wrong" someone is bound to say, "well it's not a case of black and white. There are, after all, many shades of gray."

Perhaps such comments betray our current culture's aversion to absolutes. Or perhaps it demonstrates one's growing awareness that there are a number of principles or systems which might influence a particular situation. And still at other times it may reflect the resulting tortured rationale of some poor soul who once possessed certainty about what was right and wrong, but life became "too complicated." It has been my experience that "too complicated" often means "I want _____ to be true and acceptable, but I can not consistently believe this as long as I regard certain principles as being absolute."

And so for whatever reason, someone pronounces with certainty, "life is more complicated than just black and white." Today, most such kitchen table discussions eventually end up at the sacred secular alter of "Sez Who?" Who says this idea is right or that lifestyle is wrong? Why is your opinion any better than mine? Rather than chase such thoughts down tangled and blind paths, let's consider the authority, God's Word. After all if God is going to be the final Judge, what matters is, not human opinion, but His voice. Let's consider several New Testament texts which deal with a few different issues regarding whether there is something that exists between "either it is this or it is that."

1 Corinthians 3:10-17

1 Corinthians 3 sheds some light on how God judges Christians, especially those who teach. The Spirit led Paul to describe God's judgment of doctrinal matters under three categories: gold, stubble and destruction. Using the analogy of constructing a building, Paul described the possibility of different workers (i.e. evangelists, etc.) using three different qualities of construction material (i.e. doctrines, practices). Although they might all begin to build on the foundation of Jesus, the building they construct by what they teach might end up being a house of gold and precious stones, a house made of wood, stubble and straw or their work might actually destroy the house.

In the end, God is said to judge the nature of these materials (teachings) which were used to build upon the sure foundation of Jesus. The "gold" teachings endure the test and are therefore valuable. Stubble and wood teachings prove to be worthless because when tested by God they simply "burn up." Although the laborer wasted his time and effort in what he taught and did, at least it didn't cost him his salvation. However, there also exists a third category of teachings which are capable of destroying the people of God. Paul's message is that whoever destroys the people in whom God dwells by what that one is teaching, God will also destroy that person.

How can one distinguish between what is "gold" from what is "stubble" or even "destructive?" Paul's response was primarily two fold. Since it is God who will judge, do not become overly enamored with the one doing the teaching and "do not exceed what is written." 1 Corinthians 4:1-6 In other words, don't blindly follow someone who is teaching Rather, one should realize that each one who is teaching God's Word is simply a steward of God's Word. As such, any given person might be a good steward or a bad steward of God's Word. Therefore, place a value on staying within the boundries of God's Word. Innovation and creative perspectives on how to reinterpret God's Word should not be the goal for God's community.

What does this 1 Corinthians 3-4 suggest? While it is true that how one builds upon the foundation of Christ can affect one's salvation, it is also true that some of those who miss the bulls eye (the gold) may be saved even though they were a bit in the gray (wood, hay, stubble). This realization should not, however, be seen as an approval for innovation and pursuing "my agendas" because

1) God may judge the innovation destructive to God's people in which case one not only would one be destroying others, but one would also be condemned and

2) who wants to spend one's life striving to build an edifice through one's teaching only to have the whole project condemned by God as being worthless?

No, the goal should be to aim to maintain faithfulness to the message without alteration because "teachers ... will receive a stricter judgment." James 3:1

Luke 12:47-48

This text also sheds some light on another aspect of how God will judge and whether it is a case of black and white and therefore "all or nothing." Jesus taught that the degree of severity of punishment which will be given to those who are guilty of not doing God's will is going to be depend upon whether they had knowledge of His will. Those who knew what God wanted them to do but simply refused or procrastinated will be punished with greater severity than those who were ignorant of His will. In this case, punishment is not limited to being either black or white, rather there will be some degrees of punishment between these two extremes.

The Absolute "Black & White" Statements

Although the previous texts describe some "middle ground" between the extremes of black and white in regard to how God will judge Christians and those who have failed to respond to His will, there is another aspect of judgment where there is no middle ground. Biblically, it is either black or white. There are no grays. One's salvation will depend upon whether one has responded to the Gospel. Those whose belief in Jesus leads them to obey the Gospel are freed from their sin, they are purified by Jesus' blood and therefore they inherit salvation, while those who do not obey the Gospel will be lost. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; John 3:36; 14:6; I Peter 1:22; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:16-18

Conclusion

People are either in Christ and therefore saved or out of Christ and lost depending not upon their desire to be saved or even their confidence that Jesus is Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46) or that God is one (James 2:19), but depending upon whether or not they have in faith obeyed the Gospel. Those who are out of Christ but who knew the Gospel will be punished more severely than those who never heard. Those within Christ will fall into one of three categories. God will determine whether they were "on target" and what they taught was valuable, they were to some degree off target and although their teachings were worthless at least they will still be saved, or they were a wolf in sheep's clothing destroying God's people in which case God will destroy them..

This may not be a popular message. It may not be what people want to hear. But it is Biblical and that is where I want to stand.

Barry Newton, Copyright © 1999

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