“The Bible doesn’t mention this so it must mean God allows it.”

I heard a religious commentator make that argument recently while discussing abortion, nuclear war, climate change, and a handful of other modern controversies. He kept returning to the same point: the Bible never directly addresses these issues.

And on the surface, he was correct. Scripture does not mention nuclear weapons. It does not mention artificial intelligence. It does not mention carbon emissions, social media, fentanyl, or genetic engineering either. But the longer he spoke, the more uneasy I became. Not because I disagreed with every conclusion he reached. Honestly, some of the issues themselves are complicated. Serious Christians can struggle through difficult questions and still arrive at different political or practical conclusions. That was not what bothered me. What bothered me was the logic. As though silence automatically meant approval. As though anything not specifically prohibited must somehow fall safely into God’s blessing.

I have noticed that people often approach Scripture that way when they want breathing room for something they already believe, already desire, or already intend to defend. If we are honest, most of us have probably done it. Not just politically. Personally. We look for loopholes. Technicalities. Exceptions. Enough ambiguity to quiet our conscience for a while.

The human heart is remarkably skilled at self-justification once it becomes emotionally attached to something. Jesus saw this constantly with the Pharisees. They knew the Scriptures well enough to debate details endlessly, yet somehow missed the heart of God standing directly in front of them. They could argue law while neglecting mercy. Precision while neglecting humility.

That instinct did not disappear in the first century. I see it in modern Christianity too. Sometimes in myself. There are moments when I do not really want correction from God. I want permission from Him. But Scripture was never meant to function merely as a catalog of approved and forbidden behaviors. It reveals the character of God Himself — His holiness, justice, compassion, truthfulness, patience, and hatred of evil.

A person can technically avoid violating an explicit command while still drifting very far from the heart of God. That drift usually happens slowly. One rationalization at a time. One compromise at a time. One carefully worded justification at a time. History is full of people who used selective readings of Scripture to defend things that now seem horrifying in retrospect. Slavery. Exploitation. Racism. Greed. Cruelty wrapped in religious language. Most of them probably believed they were being faithful. That is the frightening part.

Isaiah wrote:

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah 5:20 (ESV)

That verse feels painfully relevant now. Not just for culture. For Christians too. Because the danger is not always open rebellion against God. Sometimes the danger is becoming skilled enough with words, arguments, and selective theology that we can baptize almost anything we already wanted to believe. The Bereans were praised because they searched the Scriptures daily to discern whether things were true. They did not simply accept persuasive religious voices at face value. Discernment requires more than intelligence. There are brilliant people who can justify nearly anything. Discernment requires humility before God. The willingness to be corrected. The willingness to admit, “I may be wrong about this.”

The older I get, the less impressed I am by people who always sound certain. And the more I respect people who seem careful when speaking on behalf of God.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful.
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things build up.
1 Corinthians 10:23 (ESV)

That is a difficult verse because it forces us beyond technical permission into wisdom.

Not:
“What can I get away with?”

But:
“What leads toward truth?”
“What reflects Christ?”
“What nourishes the soul rather than slowly hardening it?”

Those are harder questions. And probably more important ones.

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

#faith #trustinggod #christianity #jesuschrist #bible #seekinggodswill #truth #sanctification #godisincontrol #godhearsourprayers #salvation #providenceofGod #thebibledoesn’tmentionthis #Isaiah 5:20

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