No Buts About It!
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘<Jesus said,> “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”’ (Matthew 5:37); ‘(5) Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (6) in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.’ (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Jesus, in his ‘Sermon on the Mount’, tells us not to ‘add’ to our ‘Yes or No’ answers. There should not be a ‘but’ or ‘except for’ added to ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. ‘No, but…’ means ‘Yes’, and many (especially kids) will use the ‘but’ as a loophole to do what they feel is good (emphasis on ‘feel’). If we add ‘but’ statements, we essentially negate our answer, and carve out exceptions that can be exploited. (See laws where Congress adds ‘but’ statements to carve out ‘exceptions’ for themselves.) Many ‘progressive’ Christians say stuff to the effect of, ‘I believe God is omnipotent and the Bible is His Words, but…’ and then follow this statement with something antithetical to God’s precepts or the Scriptures, essentially stating that they don’t believe God’s omnipotence or the Bible’s inerrancy.
Does this mean we cannot clarify to explain why we say ‘yes’ or ‘no’? Jesus often explained His answers to questions with Godly parables or used Scriptures to give structure to them. We can do the same: Question – ‘Can I eat the carton of Oreo’s?’; Answer – ‘No, it will upset your stomach, rot your teeth, and make you fat like that hairy, bearded bald Elder guy in church.’ These are not ‘but’ statements; these are facts, why your answer is proper. Some questions can be answered Biblically; ‘Is being gay a sin?’; Answer – ‘Yes, Leviticus 18:22 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 tell us that God finds homosexuality is sinful and immoral to Him.’ (Be prepared, when giving this answer, to have the Gospel and the ‘Romans’ Road to Redemption’ ready to provide to those who ask.)
Ensure your answers are based on facts, not feelings. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea’ implies feelings; are there facts that provide justification for those feelings? Not to simply satisfy a short-term gratification, but to provide a fact that provides justification toward a possible long-term effect. My mother did not like the idea that I was going into the Army, and her ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea’ implied her feelings. The short-term gratification for her would be that I would stay home, but the long-term effect for my life would have been negative. The facts were there was nothing in Western Pennsylvania for me do careerwise, college was not an option, living at home was not a (good) option, and so for me entering the Army was indeed factually good for me.
As in many ‘questions’ of this magnitude, pray for the Lord’s discernment in what His response would be. Look to the Scriptures for clarity, talk to other Christians (in your life-group or church family, or the Pastor or Elders) as well as prayer to get the Lord’s answer to the question. Trust the facts, trust the Lord!
