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Adiaphorous (αδιάφορος) – Indifferent, neither good nor bad, neither harmful nor beneficial

This is a greek word I came across that has become quite relevant to me over this little while, partly because I have been going through a season of challenging certain perspectives and thoughts I once held on to as forgone conclusions. I suppose in some sense this post can be seen as a post about Christian liberty, however I believe it is more about freedom from the assumptions and borders that have been unduly placed around this most holy faith.

Well-meaning Christians, while filled with good intentions, tend to put boundaries and labels on things to try and make sense of this increasingly complicated society we live in. I call it increasingly complicated because of the many advancements that have been made in this age, coupled with many attacks on objective truth and general morality—it makes it challenging to navigate the world we see around us. However, what is needed are not more labels and boundaries to hem us and our offspring in, but rather a firmer grip on a worldview instructed by the Word of God (Ps. 119:105), and a leaning on the discernment and leading of the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth (John 16:13a).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating licentiousness; I am just posing before you (especially my brothers and sisters in the Lord) the possibility that perhaps you might have grown rigid in your thinking. It would be a dangerous thing to ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater,’ if you know what I mean. This brings us to the word I mentioned above.

I believe that our awesome God has granted many provisions in the means of ‘common grace’ which He bestows indiscriminately—to the righteous and unrighteous alike.

Matt. 5:43-45 – ‘“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.’ (NASB, emphasis added)

These things we all can enjoy are neither good nor bad. There is no inherent moral inclination in them. Art is simply art; music is simply music. A blank canvas does not take away anything from the glory of God, but neither does it reflect it. My electric guitar is not in itself sinful or evil any more than King David’s harp or lyre was. Sex is by no means bad or evil, for it is a gift given by a good God (Gen 1:28a).
Sadly though, while adiaphorous, these things do not stay neutral. What I mean is that they have no motive other than that which is imposed upon them, and they are imposed upon right at our interaction with them—be it in their creation, or in their enjoyment. For example, art has no motive other than that implored by its artist, whether to glorify himself, boast in his skills as an artist, or point towards something more than himself.

These examples I mentioned above gain their ultimate fulfilment when they are taken part in for the glory of God. For example, sex was given to a husband and his wife to partake in within the covenant of marriage; that is when it gains its ultimate fulfilment. Just because society by large has turned its back on God and His ways and decided to either burn with passion for the same sex or partake in sex outside of marriage (Rom. 1:24-27), it doesn’t mean that the way the children of God deal with it is to vilify sex and make it a taboo subject to speak of. Rather, it calls even more for the clear definition of what it is, the clear understanding of what context it should be taken part in, and the grace without which neither of the previous two things can be attained.

Of course, this is by no means a blanket conclusion; there are things that were (and are) specifically created for evil or harm (eg Rom. 1:30). I am also certainly not promoting an ‘ends justify the means’ approach to life here. What I am proposing is less emphasis on rules and distinctions, and more emphasis on understanding the truth of Scripture, which in turn informs a right worldview.

Somewhere along the line it seems as Christians we have mistaken being set-apart from the world and society as being contra-world or contra-society; this is not exclusively the case. We are not called to simply do the opposite or be in perpetual divergence from the world, but rather we are called to be consecrated to a holy God, living holy and wholly for Him (1 Pet. 1:13-16). While this will most likely look different from others on the outside in most scenarios, it quite easily looks the same, too. Our consecration to God begins with our hearts and souls, which then find their outworking in our motives and ways of thinking, and in turn are then reflected in our lifestyles.

Rom. 2:29 – ‘…No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.’ (NLT)

Eph. 4:20-24 – ‘…But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.’ (NLT)

Rom. 12:1-2 – ‘…Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.’ (NASB)

Eph. 4:1 – ‘Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called…’ (NASB)

A contra-world worldview demands that you always do something different from what ‘everyone else’ is doing, so that you stand out and look ‘set apart’. A biblical worldview gives the freedom to do what ‘everyone else’ is doing, as long as it does not violate the laws and ways of a holy and righteous God as He has set forth in His Word. This biblical worldview understands that the calling is to obey and reflect God first and foremost, not to look different from everyone else.
I believe the failure to grasp this distinction is what leads a lot of people to things such as: Christianity in form only; an eager disposition to disregard innovations and creativity; and a lack of love, awe and reverence for a just and righteous God who loves and saves depraved sinners.

My aim in writing this is not to disregard tradition, only to put it in its proper place: subject to the Word of God. The Bible is the highest authority to believers, and I believe it is not our place to elevate our own thinking or traditions above it. Yes, we apply wisdom in how we order our lives, but let’s take care that we do not get stuck promoting morality or legality, but rather the Gospel—that which is the only thing capable of leading souls to salvation and reconciliation with God (Rom. 1:16).

There is undoubtedly a lot more to be said on this subject, but I hope that this has at least caused you to consider stepping out of your established norms, and instead seek to actively discern and make decisions based on the Word of God and His Holy Spirit, not on customs and  traditions that have taken root over the years.

Col. 2:20-22 – ‘If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.’ (NASB, emphasis added)