Preference of Conviction?

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” (1John 2:1-6 KJV)

“And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.” (1John 2:28-29 KJV)

Christians all over the world are faced today with a very frightening situation. More and more, the problem concerns the matter of their convictions. Often Christians explain what they do by simply claiming to be motivated by a conviction. “Convictions” have become a combination of Bible views and personal ideas. If we change our minds about a matter, we just change the conviction. Whether it is marriage, or tithing, or separation from the world, or soul winning, or entering the ministry, we need to determine if our stand is a conviction or a preference.

Preferences can be very strong beliefs. We can hold them with such intensity that we give our energy and wealth to it. It can cause us to be very vigorous about what we do. We can believe it to be so “right” that we promote it among others and teach it to our children. But it is a preference, a strong belief that you will change for some reason (looking like a fool, a fanatic, an odd ball).

I know as a pastor I am faced with certain moral battles dealing with people in the world and protecting God’s flock from false doctrine. Will I stop preaching against sodomy, same-sex marriages, pre-marital “shacking up?” Is it a preference or a conviction based upon the Word of God?

“Well, Pastor, what if no one agrees with you? What if you can not get anyone to follow you?” Convictions are never based upon popularity or success. Convictions are based upon what God says. Sometimes in life convictions fall out to a positive end. Joseph and Daniel are examples of men standing by conviction at the jeopardy of their life, yet God preserved them. But John the Baptist was beheaded for his conviction. Peter and Paul went to jail over convictions, as did John Bunyan.

A conviction will always show up in life. Our behavior will tell the story when we are faced with crisis. A young man may be overwhelmed with a young lady, believing she is God’s will for his life. He may marry her with only a preference and no conviction, but when he makes that vow it then must be a conviction because God will hold him to his promise. Homes are destroyed because they are founded upon preference rather than conviction. When beauty fades and health fails, preferences change quickly.

The two points of reference that must line-up are lip and life. And the areas where preferences falter the most and convictions stand the strongest are faith, family, finances and friends.

“But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”