What the **** are scruples?

Really. Scruples… what are they?

“We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” -Romans 15:1

(Photo: Caesararum)

That’s the way the NKJV translates the passage. Others translate “scruples” as “failings” or “weaknesses” or “infirmities.”

Via our trusted friends who write the dictionaries, we’re told that a scruple is an uneasy feeling arising from conscience or principle that tends to hinder action.

But instead of continuing to bombard you with abstract, scruple definitions, let’s consider a few cases where they come up…

Common examples

  • Watching R-rated movies
  • Men growing long hair
  • Women wearing makeup
  • Worshiping as a congregation on Saturday or Sunday
  • Using curse words
  • Eating pork
  • Listing to “secular” music
  • Wearing certain swimsuits
  • Drinking alcoholic beverages
  • Smoking

The list goes on and on. You can insert your own examples from experience.

What I’m highlighting here is that some people genuinely get hung up on these kinds of situations. They think doing these things is absolutely wrong, and anyone who continues in them should be immediately corrected.

I’m guessing most of those examples don’t apply to you. Most of them don’t bother you too much. You’re more into love than legalism.

So let me push this further…

Uncommon examples

  • Stealing a car from a car lot
  • Cheating on your spouse
  • Watching porn
  • Lying to get extra overtime pay
  • Practicing witchcraft
  • Making fun of handicapped people
  • Gossiping about someone behind their back
  • Murdering children
  • Eating people

Sounds pretty absurd, but now we’re getting somewhere. Now you’re starting to think these things are absolutely wrong, that anyone who continues in them should be corrected immediately.

Well, I think maybe those are scruples too, that scruples are just things we think are wrong.

“No,” you say. “The Bible is clear that those are wrong. I don’t just think they’re wrong – they are wrong.”

But isn’t that what some people say about things in the first list too? All I’m saying is that in both cases, we’re thinking these things are absolutely wrong, and we’re sure God agrees.

Let’s shake things up…

Language

Even though I don’t personally use the word “crap,” I’m fine with people who say it. If they throw in too many “kick ass” phrases, though, I start to wonder. And if “shit” is an active part of their casual vocabulary, I’m seriously questioning their Christianity.

I won’t even type out the F-word.

But what’s up with that? The Bible says to not let any unwholesome speech come out of our mouths, but it never says anything about which specific words count as unwholesome.

So I’d say every language rule is a scruple.

Maybe language is a bad example – English wasn’t even around when the apostles penned the Bible. Can we find something less subjective?

Sex

Without me getting graphic, what is sex? Is premarital sex wrong?

What counts as premarital sex and what doesn’t? Are people married when they take vows in a church, or could they possibly count as a couple before (or even without) that moment?

Theft

Hijacking a car from the local dealership sounds pretty obvious, but what about intellectual property? Is there such a thing?

Is it okay to burn a copy of your favorite CD and give it to a friend? Is it okay to accept one? What if it’s a worship CD?

Murder

Finally, here’s a clear cut case. Either someone’s dead or alive – not much middle ground, right? But isn’t there?

What if you’re in the military? Or what if a terrorist asks you to pull the trigger so 15 other people won’t be shot? Or what if it’s an abortion?

Scruples, scruples everywhere

My point with all this isn’t to muddy the waters or show that God’s standards shift. My point is just to illuminate how messy ethics are when we base them on the principles and instead the person of Jesus Christ.

In fact whenever we create a code of ethics, we’re stripping the cross of its meaning. Jesus died so we could be good without having to do good things. His sacrifice broke the connection between what you do and who you are. What you do no longer defines who you are… or at least it doesn’t have to.

That’s why I’m thinking all those things, both from the common list and the uncommon list, are scruples. Maybe anything that guilts you and I away from Jesus is a scruple.

Now that’s a crazy thought, isn’t it?

I really believe, though, that as Christians, none of the rules apply to us anymore. None of them. Our conscience can guide us, but it should guide us to following Jesus, not to following a set of rules.

I love what Spurgeon says about Jesus’s sacrifice:

“Either He bore all our sins, or none; He either saves us once for all, or not at all.” -Charles Spurgeon

It’s easy to point out other people’s scruples, things they think are required but that we know really aren’t. But how often do you and I turn back on ourselves to consider the scruples in our own lives, things we think are required?

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” -Galatians 5:1

[In case you’re curious…

So what is that passage at the top talking about? What does it mean for you and I to bear with the scruples of the weak, especially in light of Galatians 5:1 that encourages us to stand fast in our liberty?

I’ll continue to tackle this later, but for now, check out People pleasing vs. people pleasing for some thoughts on how to handle this.]

Serving Suggestions:

(1) Read Romans 14-15.

(2) In practice, focus on leading people to knowing Jesus, not necessarily on doing things for Him. I’m horrible about this, but I’m working on it. Let’s work on this together, removing the scruples in our lives.