Make God Look Good

When I was a youth pastor, young people would often ask me whether they could engage in certain behaviors without sinning. They wanted to know, for instance, if they would be in danger of going to hell for taking a sip of wine or a hit on a blunt. Many asked questions about sexual behavior, wanting to know how far they could go without crossing the line. “Is it okay to kiss passionately?” “Well, what about my hands? Is it okay if they roam all over my girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s body?” Some young people would even ask questions about cheating in the classroom, wanting to know whether they were sinning by glancing at a classmate’s paper during a really hard test. In the athletic realm, some young people wanted to know whether it was sinful if they took supplements that appeared to give them an advantage over their opponents. Then there were questions about language. Most church young people stay away from explicit curse words, but some wanted to know whether it was okay to say replacement phrases like dang or snap. One young lady recently posed the question to me as to whether she sinned by saying “Lord, have mercy” in casual conversation, wanting to know whether that constituted taking the name of the Lord in vain.

After fielding these inquiries for several years, it came to me that the wrong questions were being asked. I informed our young people that I would no longer entertain questions about how far they could go without sinning, because it’s the wrong question. I would still teach on boundaries so that they would have a good idea of what the Scripture says about God’s holiness and our behavior in relation to it. But I would no longer spend hours considering the nuances of specific behaviors in order to help them determine if they were sinning or not. The reality is that most people that ask questions about how far they can go without sinning already know the answer. The guy asking me about taking a hit on the blunt, for instance knew in his heart of hearts that it wasn’t right; he simply wanted some cover for his behavior (which he would not get from me.) So I determined that I would no longer play the game, spending time trying to find good answers to useless questions. Rather, I would start teaching them how to ask the right question. When it comes to our behavior as Christians on an everyday basis, the question is not “How far can I go without sinning?” but rather, “Does what I’m doing make God look good?”

This is how it works in the real world. You are out at a party with a group of friends or co-workers. All of a sudden, someone breaks out the liquor and starts to offer drinks to everyone. He knows you are a Christian, but he pours you a nice glass of Hennessy just like he does for everybody else. At this point, you are on the horns of a dilemma. The key to resolving it in a positive way is to ask the right question. And the question is not “Will I sin by taking a sip of this liquor as I try to fit in?” While the answer to the wrong question may give you a false sense of freedom, such that you take the drink, you ultimately pay a high cost in terms of maintaining a good witness. The correct question is, “What can I do at this juncture to make God look good?” Asking the right question helps you to arrive at the right decision—refusing the drink. While the decision may not be popular, in the long run—which is most important—you will have gained the respect of your friends and acquaintances and, more importantly, glorified God. Those around will be impressed with your resolve, and they will think, “Wow, there must be something to this God he serves.” Who knows? Based on your actions (after asking and answering the right question), somebody might want to get to know the God that you serve. That’s the beauty, the power, the sway of asking the right question: “How can I make God look good?”