What do I believe? Is it God’s truth or what I want to believe? It’s time to get back to the truth. The truth is found in God’s word and to follow it I must know it. In an effort to become more transparent and honest with myself and God, I decided to really look at what I believed. Where did the belief originate? Is it the truth? Am I correctly perceiving and understanding God?
Brittany Broaddus, a guest on The Love Hour podcast, stated there are 3 principles that often get confused when discussing theology and things of God;
- Biblical Mandate
- Convictions
- Preference
I decided to research this further. I want to be absolutely sure that I’m sharing the truth.
Biblical Mandate
A biblical mandate is universally applicable. This is what God says about the issue and we all, as believers, have to follow it. The bible is the divinely inspired word of God. What God says goes. For example: Drinking alcohol. There isn’t a biblical mandate that makes drinking alcohol a sin. However, there are people who preach against drinking alcohol, as if it’s a sin. Here’s how confusion enters and why it’s so important to know God’s word for yourself.
Over the course of the years, many well-intentioned people have misquoted, taken out of context, misapplied, or plain just misused scripture. It is very important when reading and studying the bible to ask some very basic questions.
- Who is God talking to?
- What is happening at this time in history in the bible?
- What is the context of the verse?
- Why is God saying this at this time?
We must study to show ourselves approved as workers who can rightly divide the truth. Are we accurately quoting scripture? Does God say that or did someone we love and admire say that? We have to get back to God’s word. We have to get back to the truth.
Conviction
Convictions are caused by the living Holy Spirit that dwells inside of us. As Christians, once we confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts, we receive salvation and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads, guides, comforts, and convicts. Conviction is something the Holy Spirit leads us not to do because it’s not for us. Let’s look at drinking alcohol again.
There is no biblical mandate against drinking. There are, however, biblical mandates calling believers to be sober-minded and to not be drunk. This is where conviction comes in. Because God knows us, He may tell some people not to drink or the Holy Spirit will convict us if we partake in too much alcohol. But, the Holy Spirit may not lead others that way.
Whose Voice?
Conviction by the Holy Spirit is great. It will lead us in the right direction. We must be careful however to distinguish between conviction and condemnation. The enemy condemns and the Holy Spirit convicts. Conviction is a gentle push to do what you know is right. Condemnation is a heavy feeling of guilt or shame for doing what you know is wrong. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Also, make sure the conviction we’re feeling is from the Holy Spirit and not the voice of anyone else whispering their convictions in our ear. I have been guilty of this. I used to follow a teacher that said as Christians we were so holy we couldn’t do anything in this world, like go to the movies. Going to the movies convicted me! Seems silly now, but that used to make me feel so bad. There is no biblical mandate against enjoying a movie. The Holy Spirit may convict me about the type of movie I watch, but I was needlessly misguided based on another’s personal conviction or misinterpretation of scripture. Another reason to be grounded in God’s truth.
Preferences
Lastly, there are personal preferences. While these can be guided by biblical mandates or convictions, they are usually what a person wants. Take the example of drinking alcohol. There isn’t a biblical mandate against it and I don’t personally feel convicted by drinking, but I prefer to drink wine over hard liquor. Preferences can be based on anything or nothing. So, when following a certain teacher or speaking on things of God, we must be vigilant and make sure that it’s based on Biblical truth.
Ultimately, the best thing to do is to test the spirit by the spirit. Spend time with God so that we know His voice. That includes me. I try my best to know His word and His truth, but it’s not always easy. Especially if we are listening to someone we know, love, and trust. So, I apologize if I ever passed off a conviction or preference as a scriptural mandate from God. From now on, I will try my best to operate in truth. I will take more time to study and hear from God.
Thanks for joining me on my journey through singleness!
Until next time,
Kim
Recommended Resources: www.theintimacyfirm.com
Suggested Reading: Dating Lessons
No Comments