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MrFribbles -> RE: Rock n' roll? (6/8/2008 1:52:06 PM)
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I apologize for being a bit harsh in my other response. I hope you can forgive me.
Well of course. : ) All is forgiven.
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If it was revealed to me that a certain thing I was listening to or doing was wrong, then I am not to go back to it. If I go about trying to justify and find an excuse for things that I now know to be wrong, then I am being led by the flesh.
Oh, I agree. If you are genuinely convicted of something, then you should never try and justify it away. The thing is, I have never once been convicted concerning metal or screamo, and apparently, neither have a few other users on here.
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Just because it is not mentioned in the Bible, doesn't mean it's not a sin. The Spirit reveals to us the sins which are not specifically named in the Bible.
I also agree - except, aside from obvious inferences (for example - Ephesians 5:18 says not to get drunk by means of wine, but that also includes getting drunk by means of beer, scotch, vodka, etc., which we can determine by seeing drunken lifestyles in general condemned elsewehre in Scripture), the sins which are "revealed" are, I believe, personal. I'm convicted against playing certain video games (specifically, the ultra-violent type), but that's a personal conviction, and one I do not impose on other believers. There's nothing in Scripture against playing violent video games, but that doesn't make my conviction any less genuine - it does, however, make it personal, and not universal.
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If you keep asking me to show you where it is mentioned in the Bible that smoking or drinking is a sin, then I will keep asking you where it says that it is not a sin?
I'm pretty sure that the burden of proof rests on your shoulders, friend. By your argument, I can easily make almost anything out to be sinful. Some believers say it is sinful to drink caffiene, or to eat deserts, or to drive SUVs, and I would be hard-pressed indeed to find a Scripture that says these things are not sinful.
However, it would be a simple thing to show in Scripture that any of these things (metal, screamo, drinking and smoking included) can become sinful if they begin to control our lives. If our treasure is found in these passing things, then there will our heart be; and anytime our heart is not with God first and foremost, something is sinful in our life. But, taken in moderation, and given the lack of explicit (or, I believe, implicit) biblical teaching on the subjects, I cannot conclude they are sinful.
I direct you, once again, to Romans 14. Here we see beleivers who are quarreling a debatable issue (well, two - whether to eat meat, and wheter to observe holy days) - an issue with no mandate for the Christian. Some people were genuinely convicted that they would be sinning if they acted in a certain way, and others were genuinely not. Paul's command is that those who are convicted to abstain (or partake, in the case of the holy day observance) must do so, to God's glory - that is, they are not to do so in a way that is holier-than-thou, a way that makes those who indulge feel like second-class Christians. Those who are not convicted are free to indulge, as long as, by their indulgence, they do not lead those who are convicted to break their convictions and sin.
I feel very confident that, were Scripture being written today, Paul could easily use the example of different musical genres in Romans 14. I believe that taking that passage to infer any matter, not explicitly or very implicitly taught as being sinful, is acceptable for the un-convicted Christian, is a solid exegesis. I believe metal and screamo certainly fall into that realm of a genuine Christian gray area.
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It's not like smoking or drinking is required, so i'm sure that abstaining from them won't be a problem for a Christian. At least, until God gives you an answer.
God has given me an answer. And He's given you an answer. Those answers were personal, and they were different.
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I'll give you an analogy. Say i'm a little boy playing around with a stick of dynamite. To me it seems harmless since I have never seen, read, or heard anything about it before, and assume it's nothing dangerous. However, I decide go to my father and ask him exactly what it is (since he knows better). The smart thing to do, would be to wait until I got to him to see what he has to say, before I would do anything with it. I am a bit foolish though, and on my way to my father, I decide to take matters into my own hands. I take out a lighter that I found somewhere along the road. I light the dynamite just to see what happens. Little do I know that I am about to cause my own destruction.
I find a few problems with your analogy.
1 - dynamite is not inherently wrong. If I were older and had a job working construction (let's say it was my father's business), dynamite would be a valuable tool needed to further my father's cause.
2 - I never assumed any of these things weren't dangerous. I examined the matters individually in light of Scripture, I asked my Father for guidance, and I sought the council of those I trust in godly matters. I didn't reach these conclusions because they looked more fun (though, heh, I think that they are), I reached them because I felt they were parts of His creation that God wants us to enjoy when we are ready.
3 - if you are still a spiritual child, then of course things will be more likely to cause harm. However, we are commanded to grow in Christ, not remain helpless babes. Personally, I bet Iwould probably find myself siding with you on some matters if this discussion were taking place 7 or 8 years ago, but I've matured in Christ, by His grace, and come to realize that the convictions I had then, though real at the time, are not the convictions I have now. I believe that, as we grow closer to God, we come to know Him more and more, and in doing so we realize that the rules He led us to follow when we were further away was to protect us before we were ready to handle them. Just as parents should give greater responsibilities and freedoms to their children as they mature, so our heavenly Father does the same.
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