"Becoming all things to all people" has been used as a justification for all sorts of ungodly behavior in the name of winning others to Christ. But is that really what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, "I have become all things to all people" (1 Cor. 9:22)? When we look at this statement in its context, we find something radically different: that becoming all things to all people actually means that a Christian must be willing to become a slave to all in order to win people to the Lord. You may indeed be free in Christ, but what freedoms are you willing to give up in order to gain more for the kingdom?
The power of example, coupled with the faithful teaching of God's Word, is key to spiritual growth because character is more caught than taught. What does it look like to love others in our choices about gray matters? The Apostle Paul answers that question by sharing a personal example of giving up his rights in order to win others to Christ.
When it comes to issues of conscience, or "gray matters," many Christians are eager to exercise their "freedom" to indulge in those things that are not clearly spelled out in Scripture as matters of sin and righteousness. Although we may well be right about the issue at hand, when we act out of this sort of selfishness and disregard our weaker brothers and sisters in Christ we damage those who are precious to our Lord.
The category of "Christian liberty" has always been the source of much debate and division in the church. When it comes to issues that are neither directly or indirectly forbidden or encouraged by Scripture, what are Christians to do? God desires for us to glorify Him even in the things that seem to be rather inconsequential (1 Cor. 10:31). Find out what is the guiding principle that must govern all our decisions concerning gray matters.
