This should be a quick post inspired by a conversation I had at church this evening.
What do you do when you cannot define the boundary point between right and wrong?
For example, the Bible commands women to dress modestly, but gives no instructions about skirt lengths, colors, shapes, materials, or fit. Another example is the commandment to rest on the Sabbath day, which does not give comprehensive instructions about what constitutes rest. Famously, the Supreme Court of the United States debated the constitutionality of a state obscenity law while having difficulty defining exactly what constitutes obscenity, leading a justice to claim, “I know it when I see it.” The Bible commands, “Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is profitable for building up,” but gives no lists of forbidden vocabulary.
The boundary issue is a classical problem to solve in biblical law. The Jewish Rabbis tied themselves in knots trying (and failing) to rightly litigate exact boundaries, leading to endless debates over questions like the number of steps one could take on the Sabbath day. This approach is legalistic and Jesus rebuked them for establishing as commandments the traditions of men.
Still, this is a real problem. Everyone who seeks to obey God’s commands will inevitably have to personally define obedience in tangible terms, and the lack of a clear boundary is no excuse for disobeying God.
I want to highlight this because the difficulty of defining a boundary is frequently used rhetorically to undermine there being any law or regulation at all. Somehow, America went from the logic that it is difficult to define obscenity, to an unlimited permission of hardcore pornography being protected speech. A previous generation of abortion supporters would pretend like there is a debate over when the unborn fetus becomes a baby to rationalize completely unrestricted abortion.
Even if these were impossible questions to answer (which they are not) the moral question does not depend on the boundary in the first place.
In each case, there is a sweet harmony between the commandment, the purpose of its design, and the heart of the person who loves God and his neighbor.
A woman needs not ask any question about skirt length, but instead ask, “Am I seeking to draw needless or inappropriate types of attention to myself?”
A Christian needs not ask how many steps he can take on the Sabbath but ask, “Am I refraining from my ordinary work and recreation to fill the day with refreshing worship and Christian duties?”
Determining the boundaries of God’s law is a valid exercise and important for what it is worth, but avoid getting entangled with debates that would invalidate the true call to obedience based on theoretical difficulties. Set your heart right before God by repentance and sincerity, and don’t permit people to undermine the call to obedience based on these difficulties.