Questions are good. They force us to really think about what we're doing and why we're doing it. In matters of faith questions are an absolute necessity. There are way too many people out there who don't really have any idea what they believe or why they believe it. I have grown so much and learned so much as a result of other people questioning my faith. I'm grateful for the challenges those questions provide and the opportunity to seek answers and gain a greater level of assurance about my faith.
But questions can also be bad. Questions can be discreet ways of avoiding what we know is true. They can help us justify choices that we know we shouldn't be making. For example, why is drinking before 21 wrong?
Really, why is it wrong? I'm sure I could talk to an assortment of people and get a long list of all the potential hazards of underage drinking. Many of their thoughts and concerns would prove to be very meaningful, and might even keep a few young people from dabbling in that particular activity. But to your average, non-Christian teenager those thoughts and concerns are not weighty enough to make them say no.
In fact, those thoughts and concerns don't even seem to have much impact on "Christian" teenagers. Why? Well, because all of the potential consequences seem much less severe than all of the guaranteed fun of living it up with friends.
But this is where I have a problem: Why are Christian teenagers even analyzing this question in the first place? Why are they asking it? If you read the bible it is about as plain as day. Romans 13:1-2 says:
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
(Side note: the bible is not commanding that we follow our government into sinful and dangerous behavior. There are plenty of biblical examples where Godly men and women have said no to the governing authorities because they were asked to deny God or act out against God's revealed will)
Ok - back to the point here - whether we like it (or agree with it) or not, our government has decided that 21 is the appropriate age to drink. When we rebel against the authority of our government we are rebelling against God. You can come up with a thousand clever excuses why underage drinking is no big deal. . . it doesn't matter. In the end, it is illegal. So if you believe the bible is true, then it is also sin.
My question to those of you who consider yourselves Christians and yet still want to find excuses to drink with your friends is this: do you even care what God thinks? Does it even matter to you that you are grieving Him - literally grieving Him every time you make that choice?
Stop making excuses and asking unnecessary questions. It is time to decide whether or not you actually love God enough to follow him. . . and then, if you can fully admit and acknowledge that He is worth more than anything this world has to offer - actually follow Him!
Follow Him anywhere and everywhere He leads (and if you were born anytime after 1988, you can be pretty sure He won't be leading you to the local brewery anytime soon). . .
btw - the blogging block was miraculously healed after another phenomenal sermon from non other than francis chan. . . to give credit where credit is due - he talked about the issue of asking unnecessary questions that only seem to paralyze us from actually doing what the bible says, which got me thinking about this issue. . . so, thanks francis.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great point Erin! I think the deeper issue is why we even consider or question if a sin is really wrong...bottom line: Jesus died for our sin, when we sin against Him, we break HIS heart.
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