What are we really…Black or White?

This question is not about race or ethnicity. Neither is it about colors, art or artistic contrasts. It is about difference, better yet absolutes. Black representing error, and white representing truth, assign absolutes to principles, not to people. Whether those principles are related to ideologies and issues in our present world, and though we may be tempted to compromise, true Christians must answer the question, what really are we…Black or White?

The day is coming when we will wake up to find the choice of black or white forced upon us.

Over the centuries, we have combined both black and white beliefs in the Venn diagram of our human existence and created grey areas to obtain commonality and acceptance. Some of these are needful such as principles of racial integration, and some or controversial, such as the integration of male and female roles in society.

We employ our empathies, traditions, cultures, social influences, bias, experiences, education, religions, relationships, political standing among other factors to drive us towards grey areas and in some cases, yes, we need to make room for them. Why? Grey areas are transitions, temporary placements until we cross over in the absolutes of evil’s blackness or good’s whiteness.

However, as we approach the last stretch on earth, where Biblical principles are concerned, we cannot afford to make room for grey areas anymore.  Otherwise, we will not have a truthful foundation to build the road, this last generation needs to travel to heaven.

Why does this matter?

Currently, our doctrine and principles are no longer differentially black and white. Biblical truth is mixed up with error in the grey area of confusion, and every serious Christian must find the path out of the grey area into God’s absolute truth for these times.

We all have been in those grey areas. Take for example the principles of faith, do we absolutely believe that God will do what He says He will do, or do we sometimes doubt His word. Our human experiences, fears and preferences drive us towards grey areas, a mixture of faith and doubt, a mixture of hope and despair, a mixture of right and wrong. Nicodemus went to Jesus by night scared of the others, until he absolutely chose Christ in the daylight. Judas was walking in the grey area of good and evil, until overtaken by evil’s absolute. We choose grey areas to satisfy ourselves, please others, or to find acceptance, but God requires absolutes.

 Jesus asks, “Do you believe…”? (Matt 9:28) The answer is “Yes,” or “no,” not “maybe.”

When it comes to Biblical doctrine and the things of God, He requires absolutes. We can even think of it this way; either we have one apple, or we have zero apples. Doctrinally or spiritually, there is no intersection, and half of an apple is not the answer.  I have eaten half of a real apple several times. Half of an apple is not unrealistic; it can be argued as real and logical, but when it comes to the things of God, is it biblical? Can we love half the time and hate the other half?  Many people pick up the Bible to argue their way into or out of a principle or doctrine. Conflicts, division, doctrinal controversy and grey areas arise because we feel that this “half apple” doctrine is real, logical, sensible and even biblical.

Jesus warned no man can serve two masters (Matt 6:24). Examine our lives, visit our churches and we will find grey areas in lifestyles, in worship, in doctrine, in programs and in Christian practice. In our current world, our identity as Christians has lost definition. The church has many grey areas of compromise. A little world with a little church, and we call it worship…, when it is really “worldship”.

What did Elijah ask, “How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal then follow him.” (1 Kings 18:21).

God says, Be holy. (1 Pet 1:15). Be perfect. (Matt 5:48).  Is there a middle ground? 

God wants a people who will rebuild the foundation for the road ahead on which the remnant church can travel. He needs people who will uphold the absolutes of his word, no halves and no grey areas.

Absolute morality, absolute faith, absolute dependence on God’s plan for our individual lives and for our church must be the road ahead.

Set these points as reminders as we transition into the absolute path.

1. God began our world with absolutes. Out of nothing came everything. He separated light from darkness, land from sea, male from female, work from rest, and so on (Genesis 1).

• God gave absolutes; He gave individual choice. Eternal choice makes no sense without eternal absolutes. God told Eve, eat or don’t eat. Obeying God’s absolutes begins with individuals. God requires absolute individual choices from each one of us.  Do you believe in the Son of God? (John 9: 35) is the ultimate question to every individual.

•  God is not against grey areas that do not contradict scripture. They are necessary, especially where human relationships are concerned. He met the Samaritan woman, as he transitioned their hate to love. The greatest commandments to love the Lord God and our neighbors as ourselves are absolute. However, the transition into the act of love sometimes requires grey areas moments and halves for fulfilment, as when we love the human, but hate the sinful deeds. Jesus ate with sinners not out of compromise, but out of love. In a way it seems grey, but it will lead to the “white” side.

•  God knows conflicts will arise because of moral absolutes. Social, political, personal and spiritual conflicts arise because people are persistent in their absolutes while some are struggling to find middle ground. Woe is called upon the human who calls good evil and evil good, who puts darkness for light and light for darkness, and classifies sweet as bitter and bitter as sweet (Isaiah 5: 20). Woe to the one who calls black, white or white, black. Woe is the one who calls zero one or one zero and then make it their absolute.

• God requires moral absolutes of the church. The lack of absolutes is a detriment to the power of our church. Those who clearly believe and uphold Biblical absolutes are persecuted, and those who are blinded, are contented to let things be what they are currently. God requires absolutes in doctrine (Acts 4:12), in worship (John 4:24), in love (Matt 22:37), in service (Eccl 9:10), in eternal outcomes (Rom 6:23). Heaven and hell, righteousness and sin, love and hate, death or life are all eternal absolutes.

• God demonstrated absolutes in the life of Christ. Jesus already lived out the controversies and contradictions of the doctrinal grey areas so that we can be sure of the absolutes. That is good news!

• God will end the world with absolutes. Just as it began, the climax of our world will end on absolutes: those who worship the beast and receive his mark, and those who worship God and receive his seal (Rev 7: 4, 14:9). Those who choose to eat and those who choose not to eat. Those who choose to obey and those who choose to disobey. There is no intersection in the eternal things; death or life.

Can we then dictate our own moral compass without human error? We can’t.

What then will break the tie?

The Bible breaks the tie for every human. Many who try to find their own tie breaking tool without the Bible will soon find that their tool becomes their destruction rather than their deliverance, their horror rather than their hope.

As we approach the end, if we are to mend our broken lives, our broken homes and our broken churches and bring hope to a broken world, we cannot afford to make room for grey areas. If we are to march forward with the torch of truth and preach the gospel to all the world, God’s truth must be absolutely ours.  God wants absolutes; hot or cold, not lukewarm (Rev 3:15-16). Absolutes in truth, in faith, in trust, in obedience, in holiness, in love, in reverence, in doctrine, and in worship.

We all struggle in these areas but be encouraged. Begin to dismantle the moral and doctrinal halves and grey areas. Define God’s principles to be absolute, and our knotted yarn of complicated lives will begin to unravel. After the unravelling struggle, we will find sweet simplicity, meaning, peace and eternal purpose.

Begin practicing, absolute choice for God. Choose hope, not despair. Choose faith, not doubt. Choose obedience, not disobedience. Choose honesty, not dishonesty. Choose perfection, not preference. Choose rest, not worry.  Choose forgiveness, not revenge. Choose love, not hate. Through much fasting, prayer and seeking God for direction and wisdom, the Holy Spirit will equip us as He did Daniel to obey, Abraham to go, Joshua to conquer, Paul to preach, Moses to lead and Jesus to die.

Only then will the church rise to its highest reach in the power of Jesus Christ. Moses, Joshua and Elisha inspired the people to choose life or death, blessing or cursing, God or Baal (Deuteronomy 30: 19. Joshua 24: 25, 1 Kings 18: 21). 

So…, what really are we…black or white?

Photo by SSF. Used with permission.