Long's Chapel Christian Church

Be Daring for God!
Ephesians 4:28-5:4 3-5-10

As a Christian, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, a follower of the Lord, and one who is a new creation in the Lord Jesus, what criteria of Christian conduct should I have? Should I go to the movies, the theatre, Broadway shows, bars, Sunday ball games, and the like? There is a variety of opinions and a lot of arguing over what conduct is Christian?

The holy Scriptures distinguish between various types of conduct. Some matters are clearly required: to love the Lord our God with all our heart, to keep His commandments, to be kind to one another, to be diligent in our duties, to rejoice in hope, and others too numerous to mention here. On the other hand there are many things we must avoid because they are sinful and harmful. Some of these are mentioned in the book of Ephesians. Bitterness, evil speaking, fornication, all uncleanness, and covetousness; let it not be named among you. Also filthiness, foolish talking, and jesting let them go as well.

In between what we are told clearly to do and what not to do, there is a wide area of border-line or gray areas. It is in this area that provides most of the confusion for us.

The criteria of Christian conduct seem to be the following:

1. There should be no conformity to the world (Rom. 12:1-2). The Word says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, if any man love the world, the love of the Father in not in him. A Christian should not love the world’s system. Do not be conformed to the world’s mold.

2. There should be no condemnatory attitude on our part. “Let not him that eats despise him that eats not, and let not him which eats judge him that eats not (Rom. 14:1-3). The Apostle Paul was talking about food offered to an idol. What as left over of the food was taken to the market place and sold. The food offered to the idol was nothing to the Christian, he could eat or not eat according to his conscience, but he was not to condemn his fellow Christian of different practice.

3. We are to have our own convictions, based on the Word of God (Rom. 14:4-9). “Let every man be persuaded in his own mind” (vs. 5). We are to have the Lord pre-eminent in our lives, to judge ourselves, and not to judge the convictions of a fellow believer.

4. We are to be considerate one of another (Rom. 14:10-13) “Let us not therefore judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.

5. We should be consistent in our practice (Rom. 14:14-17). “Let not then your good be evil spoken of” (vs. 16).The late Gypsy Smith was a great Christian, he got saved and the first thing he did was to sell his violin. He used it to play in dancing and drinking establishments. The violin would be detrimental to his conscience and thus it had to go.

6. Is our conduct constructive? (Rom. 14:18-19). “Let us therefore follow the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

7. We should be careful of conscience in what we allow in Christian conduct. (Rom. 14:20-23). “Happy is he that condemns not himself in the thing which he allows” (Vs. 22). Whatsoever is not of faith (confidence in our conduct) is sin (Vs. 23). If it is doubtful, don’t do it.

8. The final criteria is the head of them all, is our conduct Christ-like? (Rom. 15:1-7) “Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not Himself (Rom. 15:3). Do our words and our deeds, our attitudes and our acts, show forth Christ to others, especially to the weak in the faith? Are we Christ-like in our consideration and concern for them?
Let us use Jesus for our pattern and follow Him in His conduct!