A GOOD RULE OF THUMB
1 Corinthians 10:31-33 NLT
31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. 33 I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.
Where do we get the term rule of thumb? Looking it up, this seems to be the most reasonable answer. “The earliest traces of rule of thumb are from the 1600s. In various trades, quantities of goods were measured by comparison of the length or width of a thumb. This makes sense since the length of a thumb is generally one inch.” The one inch mentioned is the measurement from the tip of the thumb to the first joint. I am thinking thumbs may have grown more over the years. What rule of thumb has come to mean is summed up by the Oxford Dictionary as “a broadly accurate guide or principle, based on experience or practice rather than theory.”
So here is our broadly accurate principle for Christian behavior. Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. I wonder what kind of governor that would place on our actions? A governor will restrain a car from exceeding a certain speed. A governor of God’s Word will restrain us from acting in ways that do not glorify God. I mean, what if we asked ourselves before we did or said something, “Will this glorify God?” Paul was still talking to the Corinthians about how they were acting towards those outside the faith and those in the faith. This is why he charged the church to not offend the Jews, Gentiles, or the church of God.
Just a note about not offending. There are things we will do as believers that will unintentionally offend others. When I affirm that marriage is between a man and a woman and is God-ordained, I offend those who subscribe to alternate lifestyles. My purpose is not to hurt but merely to stand with the truth of Scripture. God’s truth is offensive to some. If I go to Europe and sit down with European brothers who are drinking wine, even though I don’t personally drink, I am not condemning them. I would not bring pork links to a Jewish meal. I would not read from a New Living Translation if I were in a King James-only church. And there are such churches. And if I was to go to a snake-handling church. Actually, that’s a moot point. There is no way I am setting foot in a snake-handling church. But you get the gist. Stay with the truth of Scripture but look out for what is best for others.
This was Paul’s summation. He did not do what was best for him but what would position him to reach more people for Christ. Paul kept encouraging the church at Corinth to look for ways to connect with different people. Don’t just do what works for you and other people will just have to deal with it. Look to bless, look to help.
APPLICATION
I briefly worked with a brother in Lord a number of years ago. I had just come out of Bible School and was sure I knew more than him regarding spiritual things. We were far apart on subjects such as the Holy Spirit and healing. What I learned was that treating my brother with respect and focusing on where we agreed was better than me trying to prove a theological point. I could not argue my point to the glory of God. I could not tell him the ways he was wrong and look out for his interests. So we learned to talk about Jesus and how wonderful He is. Problem solved.
When it comes to those outside of the church of God, the body of Christ, again, we are looking for places to connect, not things we can condemn. We seek to do what is best for them so that we might win them to Christ. And doing what we can to reach others for God’s Kingdom is always a good rule of thumb.
PRAYER
Lord, help me become a better connector with those You love and want to reach.