Drawing the Lines

William J. Renner is the author if this article which is copied from the March 15, 1971 edition of The Bible Herald which was published by the Bible Herald Corporation in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

When one renders obedience unto Christ, he separates himself from the world and its works. If effect, a line is drawn between sin and righteousness and God and Satan. According to 2 John 9, transgression is literally, "crossing the line" (doctrine of Christ) that separates light from darkness.

It seems apparent therefore, that to remain in Christ, one must be willing to draw lines in his life to define, clarify and distinguish right from wrong. Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (See also Hebrews 2:1-3) The man that fails to draw the proper lines can fall and slip from the doctrine of Christ.

There is therefore, no room for complacency in the kingdom of Christ. Everyone must draw the proper lines; not just the preacher, elders or teachers. As the matter involves every child of  God, let us examine some general principles which are applicable to any situation, that can assist in drawing the proper lines in Christ.

1. Any lines drawn are dependent upon the authority of God for their validity. We cannot go beyond or fall short of God's commandments (Revelation 22:19).

2. Personal opinion is not the criterion in determining where to draw the line. (See Proverbs 14:12 and Jeremiah 10:23) It is God's truth that is eternal and abides forever, while, "the grass withers and the flower thereof falls away."

3. What the world does has no bearing upon what the Christian can do.

4. Motive is involved in subjective reasoning. The drawing of lines demands objectivity so there is no place for personal gain to motivate.

5. God's laws are not intended to be just prohibitive but are designed for our betterment. Inevitably, we must come to realize that the lines drawn are actually to be what God has revealed to us through His word and we must abide in these things if heaven is to be ours.

There is much laxity in the church because people do not want to become involved. This disengagement relieves one (supposedly) of the responsibility of drawing lines and attempts to place that responsibility solely in the hands of the eldership and the preacher. These indeed have responsibilities but that is just the point. We all have responsibilities before God. Failure to draw lines properly means to have, "a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation."