The Christian life is governed by character more than laws. The way of thinking that requires a specific law to direct every form of behaviour is called ‘casuistry’ and this was characteristic of first century Judaism. They had laws about everything and some people devoted their lives to formulating more detailed laws from the less detailed ones that are in Scripture. As a Pharisee, Paul had been a leading casuist. But since he received Christ he discovered that the way of truth is not a matter of just obeying laws. It is not that the moral law of the Bible no longer applies. God wants us to cultivate right hearts that naturally and instinctively do what is best. He wants us to live by his Spirit within us. In other words, he wants our life to flow from our love-relationship with him. When we live like this we are not just concerned about avoiding sin. We are concerned about being the people God wants us to be. The Christian life is not law-based but character-based. It is less about what you do and more about who you are. So the question with regards to any course of action is this: “Will this lead me to be the sort of person that God wants me to be?” A certain course of action might be morally permissible, but is it beneficial for your character? Furthermore, you must reflect on whether your actions will be of benefit to others. Will my actions help others be the kind of people God wants them to be?
Think about decisions you are making or a course of action you plan to take and ask yourself these questions.
Read 1 Corinthians 10:23-33
