Torch, Spring 1996

of adultery and fornication have been recast into the phrase "sleeping with," a softer description. Those who practice sin depict those who practice righteousness as biased, intolerant bigots. In the face of such ethical relativism, we must defend and live out the moral absolutes mandated by God. We must resist the pressures of Hollywood and Madison Avenue to accept life as a situation comedy, full of sexual lust and devoid of moral accountability. We must ethically evaluate the media which impacts our lives, relationships, families, and churches. We must "have no fellowships with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them" (Ephesians 5:11). We must obey the directive: "Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil" (1Thessalonians5:21-22) . We must have an internal resolve to cling to the moral good and to reject the immoral evil. In the area of moral absolutes, we must distinguish between the light and the darkness, the black and the white. There is no middle ground of gray in ethical issues . Between the good and the best .. . Paul prayed that believers might "be able to discern what is best" (Philippians 1: 10; NIV). We often 8 Torch have several choices which are within the moral will of God, and yet, we can only make one of those choices. Under which mission board should I serve? Should I pastor in Ohio or Illinois? Should I work for General Motors or Ford? Should we live in the city or in the country? Of course, such questions are not directly answered in the Scriptures. In their booklet, Principles for Decision Making, Friesen and Maxson set forth four principles in a biblical approach to understanding the will of God in decision making. First, the principle of obedience to God's moral will revealed in the Scriptures. Second, the principle of freedom where believers are free and responsible to choose any course of action within the moral will of God. Third, the principle of wisdom where a believer makes wise decisions based upon the Bible, research, counsel, and life experiences. J. I. Packer defined this wisdom as "the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it" (Knowing God, p. 80). Fourth, the principle of humility where a believer recognizes that God's sovereign will may overrule his understanding of the situation. Paul gave counsel to virgins and widows on the advisability of getting married in a precarious period of time (1 Corinthians 7:25- 40). He affirmed that either choice was in the will of God and that the choice to marry was not sinful. The will of God is good, acceptable, and perfect (Romans 12:1 -2). We should thus ask these questions: Will I become more godly through my decision (good)? Will my decision bring me moral pleasure (acceptable)? Will the decision stretch me and cause me to realize my full moral potential for the Lord (perfect)? Between liberty and legalism... We must always do everything to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 20:31). We must manifest in our lives what God is in His essence. In so doing, we must "give no offense, either to the [unsaved] Jews or the [unsaved Gentiles] or to the church of God [composed of saved Jews and saved Gentiles]" (1 Corinthians 10:32). What does