Christian, Know the Difference Between “Either / Or” and “Both / And”
By Michael Kelley
The Bible presents Christians with lots of either / or situations. For example, Jesus tells us clearly: “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matt. 6:24).
Similarly, Moses presents an either / or ultimatum to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 30: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, love the Lord your God, obey him, and remain faithful to him” (Deut. 30:19-20).
Psalm 1 presents another either / or situation, describing the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. The way of the righteous delights in God’s law, prospers, and is fruitful. The way of the wicked is blown away like chaff.
There is no middle ground here. It’s either God or money. Blessing or curse. Righteousness or wickedness. And the list could go on and on.
And perhaps the length of that list of biblical “either / or’s” is part of the reason why we, as Christians, tend to think about EVERYTHING in those categories. But while that list is long, it is not exclusive. There are some things in life that are not a matter of “either / or” but of “both / and.”
Here’s one example:
Remember my affliction and my homelessness,
the wormwood and the poison.
I continually remember them
and have become depressed.
Yet I call this to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for his mercies never end.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness!
I say, “The Lord is my portion,
therefore I will put my hope in him” (Lam. 3:19-24).
Jeremiah, the writer of Lamentations, had seen his homeland and his people destroyed. The temple ransacked. The promises of God were brought into question, and it was devastating to him on multiple levels. He experienced affliction, homelessness, depression, and pain.
AND…
He believed in God’s love. And mercy. And faithfulness. And that God remained His portion. For Jeremiah, the pain of the present and the goodness of God were not an “either / or;” they were a “both / and.”
There is a lesson here for us. The lesson is not to soften the “both / and’s” of the Bible. It’s not to compromise and try and find some hidden third way when God has said there are only two. The lesson is, however, to understand that things like pain, difficulty, and affliction co-exist with the goodness, faithfulness, and mercy of God. They are “both / and,” not “either / or.”
May God give us wisdom to know the difference.
Michael Kelley is a husband, father of three, author, and speaker from Nashville, TN. His latest book is a year-long family devotional guide called The Whole Story for the Whole Family. Find his personal blog at michaelkelley.co.