God’s Law is black and white.

Worship only God. Do not steal. Do not murder. Honor your parents. Do not commit adultery. Do not be deceitful. Honor God’s sabbath (day of rest). Avoid jealousy and greed (Exodus, Deuteronomy).

Yet throughout scripture, we find example after example of God treating these commands as though they are grey.  Over and over, we read about people who break the rules, yet appear to be left off the hook, in many cases even receiving honor and blessing.

The prostitute Rahab lied to city officials, yet she was accepted by the Israelites and became an ancestor of Jesus (Joshua 2; Matt. 1:5). While running from the current King of Israel, Saul, David and his men ate holy bread, bread that was only to be eaten by the priests (1 Sam. 21:1-6, more about him later).  However, despite doing so, God allowed him to replace Saul as Israel's rightful King. If you read my last article, you already know Abraham, the father of God’s chosen people, worshipped a multitude of gods.

When we read the New Testament, we find several similar situations. One such situation involved Mary Magdeline. Many scholars believed she lived an immoral lifestyle, possibly even working as a prostitute. Despite having such a lifestyle, Jesus welcomed her into his inner circle. Not only that, but He also appeared to Mary first after rising from the grave.

Speaking of Jesus, his teachings often seemed to shake up the whole concept of punishment.  For example, he shares the parable of the Prodigal Son. This character is clearly selfish and does not honor his parents. However, instead of giving his son a good spanking, the father honors him with a party (Luke 15:11-32). Jesus himself would ignore the temple’s restrictions on the Sabbath by healing and gathering food, actions that were considered work and frowned upon (Mark 3:1-6; 2:23-28).

True, all of these incidents can be explained when you look at them with a discerning eye.  In several cases, the people were either honoring God or revealing God’s true nature (i.e. Rahab, Jesus’ parables and healing).  In others, the persons were once ignorant of God. However, once they learned about Him they turned their life around (i.e. Abraham, Mary). But what about those occasions where someone is truly being selfish?  How do we explain the times a person acts only to benefit themselves and God still chooses to ease his punishment?

The first people on Earth, Adam and Eve, were given one clear prohibition: do not eat of the Tree of Knowledge!  The punishment was straightforward: they would die. Finally, they knew the command came directly from God.  Despite that, they ate from the tree anyway. Did God kill them? Surprisingly, no.

This apparent paradox continues throughout scripture.  

Abraham: The father of God’s chosen people, yet to avoid death he told several leaders that Sarah was his sister instead of his wife so that they would not kill him and take her for themselves. This was not only a lie, but Abraham went so far as to let Sarah be taken to their beds (Gen. 12:10-16; 20:1-2).

David: The faithful follower of God throughout his youth and later as King of Israel. However, to satisfy his lust he committed adultery (and possibly rape) by sleeping with Bathsheba, and to cover up his sin arranged to have Bathsheba’s husband murdered  (2 Sam. 11).

Peter: A close disciple of Jesus and leader of the first-century church denied several times that he even knew who Jesus was (Mark 14:66-72).

Paul: Jesus taught that the truth about him could be found in scripture (Mark 12: 24: John 5: 39, 46).  As a zealous follower of God, Paul knew the scriptures inside and out, yet he persecuted and murdered the early Christians.

In all these examples it’s hard to find any excuse. Their sin was the result of selfish desire and arrogance. One would expect God to cast them away from his presence and destroy them. But this is not what happens. While there were consequences for their actions (there are always consequences), the overall penalty was seemingly mild.  Why would God do this?

One word: Grace!

Simply put, grace is receiving from God what we don’t deserve or haven’t earned. Sin deserves death (Rom. 6:23a), but God treats us as his Son (Rom. 8:14,16-17). All He asks of us is that we accept the relationship with Him for which He created us.

I believe this is where many Christians (myself included) fall short. We read about God’s color (grace) but rarely do we add any grey to our own lives. We define people by what we see on the surface -- things like what they say, what they do, who they associate with, and who they trust. Based on these observations we determine their value. The more similar they are to us, the more we are interested in them and what they have to say. But if they don’t meet our standards, we tend to avoid and ignore them. In extreme situations, we might even consider them someone to ridicule or possibly even hate.

However, God says otherwise. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Along with loving God, there is no greater commandment (Mark 12:31). Paul explains it further. All the commands of God surrounding adultery, murder, lying, stealing, coveting, and any other direction or prohibition and be summed up in one simple statement: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Rom. 13: 9)

Ideally, we want people to treat us as if our ideas and actions are best.  Does that mean we should treat everyone as if their ideas and actions are best? Perhaps? But more likely, we need to understand that everyone, ourselves included, is actually far from living up to God’s standards. Our words, actions, and associations are important, but they must be framed within the context of a person’s background, circumstances, motives, and knowledge. Instead of snap judgments, we appreciate it when someone has the patience to listen to us and understand why we say and do what we do. On those (ahem) rare occasions that we are not completely correct, we are more likely to accept a gentle word instead of unsolicited instruction and harsh accusations. Offering this same patience, understanding, and gentleness to others is showing love. It is color.

The bottom line is this: black and white causes division. Color makes friends and acquaintances. Black and white destroys. Color builds. Black and white distances people from God. Color reconciles them to Christ.

There are more than just two crayons in the box.  We need to learn to use them all.

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