Black and White

There are times when we could wish that a clear answer was available. We may long for "black or white" with no "grey" between, but real life does not often allow us to be able to see clearly. There are areas in which decisions need to be made that would be different for two people who face the same problem. Judging the actions of people, knowing what an "ox in the ditch" is, defining coveting, being able to clearly define good or evil in every case. We need to recognize good and evil, but there are grey areas that make it very hard to categorize. We may be too liberal or too conservative. When it comes to God's laws, it is always better to err on the conservative side, but Jesus also condemned tying heavy burdens on to God's directions (Matthew 23:4, John 9:15-16).

Sin is sin; that we know, but some sins cause more grief than others. John wrote that some sin is not unto death (1 John 5:16). In an emergency, David and his followers ate the bread that was forbidden (Matthew 12:3-5). It is necessary that we know grey areas may exist, and all the while we are to be carefully observing God's laws (Deuteronomy 15:5-6).