The more I study the Bible, the more I'm convinced it is God's complete and perfect word. Still, life is complicated. We find ourselves in situations where there don't seem to be any cut and dried answers. Some of today's issues/problems didn't even exist when the Bible was written. If the Bible is God's complete and perfect word, the answers should be in there, right? How do we know what to do when there are no easy answers? What if the obvious answer is not the right answer? It may take some thought, but there are universal Biblical principles that we can use in any situation. Let's look at some examples.
Jesus said this about the greatest commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40, ESV) In every situation, our actions should reflect these two commandments. Here's an example: what should we do when a homeless person asks us for money? The obvious answer is to give them money, because the Bible teaches us to help the less fortunate. But is that the right answer? Is it really the Christian thing to do? Many homeless people have issues with substance abuse, so if we give them money, there's a good chance they'll use it for drugs or alcohol. So how do we help them in a way that reflects Matthew 22:37-40 (i.e. in a way that's actually helpful)? Don't give them money but offer to buy them a meal instead.
Another question that seems particularly relevant today: if the Bible says it's OK, is it always OK, regardless of the situation? That's a logical question. People want black and white answers from the Bible so they know the acceptable limits of behavior. The problem is that not all situations are black and white. I see nothing in the Bible that prohibits the occasional glass of wine (despite flimsy arguments to the contrary). But is the occasional glass of wine acceptable in every situation? Consider the following verses from Romans 14: "Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother." "So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding." "It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble." So is the occasional glass of wine always acceptable, regardless of the circumstances? What if we drink that glass of wine in front of a recovering alcoholic, causing him to be tempted and start drinking again? In that case, having the glass of wine was wrong, not for us per se but because it caused someone else to stumble. Not that we're responsible for the actions of others but in this case our actions were not in the best interests of others.
Three universal Biblical principles: (a) Love God with all your heart soul and mind (b) love your neighbor as yourself and (c) don't do anything that causes your brother to stumble. If you think about it, (c) is really just a variation of (b), because loving your neighbor as yourself means you don't do anything that would make him stumble. So it really boils down to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Follow these to their fullest extent in every situation and you can't go wrong.
