A Study in Obedience

A Study in Obedience
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1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

I became aware recently of a beautiful real-world example of the promise in 1 Cor 10-13 and am relaying this with permission as I thought it a rare glimpse into the true day-to-day struggles, trials, and temptations we must overcome if we are to be true obedient disciples of Jesus Christ. The scenario went like this:

“ …I was purchasing something online from a vendor and using PayPal to pay for it. They asked me to select the “Friends and Family” button on PayPal so they wouldn’t get charged a fee for the transaction. “

What would you do? This may seem like a simple thing not worthy of God’s attention, but with obedience, the devil is in the details, literally. I think the most common reaction among Christians and non-Christians alike would be to just select the “Friends and Family” button to avoid any conflict. If the Spirit tweaked our conscience, we might justify it as a good thing by feeling we’d done the person a favor by saving them the money. This person, however, felt differently. A man with a pretty clear sense of his own depravity, he was aware of his desire to simply do as they asked, but also aware that this would be a lie and therefore an abomination to God. Not only that, but he knew there were additional factors to consider:

“….If I pressed that button, not only would I be lying to God, but I would be bringing shame to the name of Christ by being a hypocrite and demonstrating that truth does not matter. I also would be accountable to God for encouraging this person in sin as well.”

So again, what would you do? To select the “Goods and Services” button would be truthful, but also cause the vendor to be charged the fee. This person felt that that wasn’t the best witness he could be. He also considered other options such as telling the person it was wrong to do so, but to go ahead and select “Friends and Family” anyway. This was clearly not a solution either as it would be completely hypocritical. You cannot moralize to others while doing the wrong thing; you have abandoned your moral platform and shamed the name of Christ.

What to do? It was at that time that the Spirit provided him a way out. God reminded him through 1 Cor 10:13 that He is faithful and will provide a way to overcome the temptation to sin. This is a commonly misunderstood passage. It does not mean God won’t let you fail, it means if you have a heart to obey, He will show you a way out. For this person, the way out was this:

“…I told him I was unable to select the “Friends and Family” button as I was trying to minimize the things for which I am accountable to God in the judgement. I asked him instead to give me the amount PayPal was going to charge him and I would include that in my payment so he would not have to pay the fee. He seemed mystified as to why I would do that but laughingly agreed.”

So, what would you do?

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