The Choice Quandary
As Christians, we can expect to be led by God if we are committed to Him and willing to obey His will, but we must also understand the four kinds of choices we face and the moral teaching of the Bible.
A.W. Tozer addresses the challenge Christians face in discerning God's will, emphasizing that a sincere commitment to God leads to divine guidance. He categorizes choices into four types: those God explicitly forbids, those He affirms, those where personal preference is acceptable, and rare situations requiring special guidance. Tozer stresses the importance of understanding both the positive and negative aspects of God's moral teachings, urging believers to cease doing evil and learn to do good. He encourages Christians to trust in Scripture's clarity regarding moral decisions.
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One of the problems most frequently encountered by serious-minded Christians is how to discover the will of God in a given situation. Now, granted that we are wholly committed to God with every full intent to obey Him, we may expect actually to be led by Him. The Scriptures that teach this are so many that one scarcely knows where to begin quoting. It only remains for us to believe they mean what they say.
The many choices that we Christians must make from to involve only four kinds of things: Those concerning which God has said an emphatic no; those about which He has said an equally emphatic yes; those concerning which He wants us to consult our own sanctified preferences; and those few and rare matters about which we cannot acquire enough information to permit us to make intelligent decisions and which for that reason require some special guidance from the Lord to prevent us from making serious mistakes. Regardless of what our positive thinkers have said, the Scriptures have much to say about things Christians are not to do. Every call to repentance is a call to negative as well as to positive moral action.
Cease to do evil; learn to do well is a fair epitome of the moral teaching of the Bible.
Sermon Outline
- The Problem of Discovering God's Will
- The Four Kinds of Choices We Face
- Choices with an Emphatic No
- Choices with an Emphatic Yes
- Choices Requiring Personal Preference
- Choices Requiring Special Guidance
- The Moral Teaching of the Bible
Key Quotes
“The many choices that we Christians must make from to involve only four kinds of things:” — A.W. Tozer
“Cease to do evil; learn to do well is a fair epitome of the moral teaching of the Bible.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must be committed to God and willing to obey His will in order to be led by Him.
- We face four kinds of choices in life, and understanding these choices can help us make decisions that align with God's will.
- The Bible teaches us to cease from evil and learn to do good, and this is a key part of our moral teaching.