The Bible talks a lot about worshipping idols and false gods, especially in the Old Testament. We often think of worshipping things such as money, material possessions, and fame. But, have you ever considered that just maybe there are times when we focus on our personal convictions so much that we actually worship them?
Please don’t misunderstand me here. I believe that we each should have convictions, and they should be strong for each of us personally. But lately, I see such a trend in Christians tearing each other down over personal convictions. I’m not talking about deep theology here, just personal convictions. The Bible is silent, very vague, or gray at best, on many different topics. Some of these include: music, movies, discipline, drinking, tattoos, piercings, modesty and the list goes on.
We, as Christians, try to be careful not to judge the world too harshly because they know no other way. But when it comes to other believers and their personal convictions, we are more than happy to throw the Book at them and condemn them in their “ways”. The Bible commands us to give preference to other believers. Why should we treat them any more harshly than we treat the world? Now it’s one thing if something happens that is clearly stated as a sin in scripture such as a spouse leaving. It’s another thing when it’s our personal conviction or even many times just our personal taste.
Another thing that I have been especially aware of is how accepting the world tends to be in differences. They expect that we are not going to agree on everything and get along with life anyway. It seems to me that many Christians could use a lesson in grace in this area. God created us all differently. We all have different experiences and can only ever see the world through our own eyes. Nevertheless, we are told to love one another.
For example, I love my family. They are crazy, but I love them. Yet, I don’t agree with everything any of my siblings do! I don’t even fully agree with my husband sometimes! But, we are a family and I will always love them regardless of whether or not I agree with their convictions. And hopefully, I will always show them that love. As a Christian, we are part of a huge family of Christ. God wants us to treat each other like we would our own family.
Really what it comes down to is conviction, motives, and grace. I believe that the Bible is vague about many things because God wants each of us to seek Him and wrestle with Him on many issues. He wants us to look to him for how we should be living our lives and making our daily decisions. We must constantly ask ourselves, what are my motives in doing, or NOT doing something? Is it to please God? Is it to conform to an image (either bad, or good)? Lastly, grace. We need to bestow grace on those who have convictions other than ours. If we feel that someone’s convictions don’t match up with ours and we feel that they may be a stumbling block to us, we should pray about it, and then humbly talk to them about that conviction. They then should also seek God, and extend grace back to us.
Honestly, the Gospel is so much bigger than convictions. Convictions are important, but they are not the overarching theme in the Bible. We need to be so careful that we don’t tear the family of God apart based on sheer personal convictions.
- What convictions (or standards) have you seen either personally or within an organization that you would consider as worshiped?
- Have you recognized that maybe you have standards that you idolize?
Great post, Rebecca.
Your thoughts lead me to think about a subject that is vitally important for Christians to consider: center-set social theory. Christians need to have a better understanding of what is primary and what is secondary or, as you put it, “the Bible is silent, very vague, or gray at best, on many different topics.”
Too many people seem to think the Bible addresses every single topic explicitly and don’t realize that often times, people’s convictions are not as biblical as they think. My post on drinking addressed that very issue and the fundamentalists (by their own admission) proved that over and over again.
When you ignore one part of the BIble in favor or a personal conviction, your hermeneutics are suspect 🙂
I was, for a short time, around a group of Christians that seriously worshipped the King James Version. It was… interesting. Their allegiance to that translation caused them to be blinded to some seriously questionable doctrines that were tied to the KJV. I also just read an essay that demonstrates that many Christians living in eastern Africa are, I would argue, involved in worshipping the ideas of success and victory over and against a more robustly understood biblical theology on the Christian life.
Great post… very thoughtful….
Rebecca, great post. Thank you!
You asked…”What convictions (or standards) have you seen either personally or within an organization that you would consider as worshiped?”
I have been in some christian circles where dress, bible versions and music standards are set, controlled and maintained by those in charge.
You asked? “Have you recognized that maybe you have standards that you idolize?”
Yes as a matter of fact I think I was drawn to fundamentalism because of the many “standards”. They made me feel safe and in control.I have found John Calvin’s comment “The human heart is a factory of idols” to be true in my own life past, present and until He comes.. future.
Good post. You asked some good questions. But i guess i have the odd question to ask. If personal convictions are convictions that bible is silent over, then would it be wise to have personal convictions?
I think that’s a great question. And one that’s hard, for me anyway, to answer. I think it is wise for us to know where we stand on issues, but also to know why we believe what we do. I think each of us has experiences and knowledge that shape who we are. I believe it’s ok to have a personal conviction though. For example, if I struggle with alcohol, it is probably wise for me to seek God in my personal conviction of my behavior. Maybe I have a conviction that I don’t go into the bar because I know I’ll be tempted. This was my moms conviction for a long time because she grew up drinking which led to trouble in her younger years. On the other hand, if I have only ever been around people who drink responsibly to enjoy, but not to excess, my conviction will probably be different. Does that make sense? I see convictions as a personal boundary for myself that I have sought God on to make sure that I am pleasing Him with my thoughts, motives, and actions.
I have also seen where a standard was objectified and lifted to the point of humiliating someone. I think that’s a big red flag when humiliation of an individual takes place so the standard is exalted above a person.
Art katz as an old prophet made this statement. It would be a horrible thing to be a minister and be so firm in one truth you could not acknowledge or discern that God would be moving in a truth in the Word which seems to be contrary to the truth or religious concept which that very minister upholds, wether true or not.
Many times drunkeness in the bible is a result of a heart condition for out of the heart flow the issues of life. This is a real and present danger as one who does this may set himself against what God is doing at the time. Not only can this lead to legalism by holding to the letter and not discerning the Spirit and workings of God but by definition could lead to deception as heresies in itself is not always err but a refusal to acknowledge what the whole council of Gods Word states.
The danger being it is written Gods people are destroyed for lack of knowledge this danger increases when one fails to rightly divide the Word Therebye creating an idol due to such an imbalanced perception of God as stated in the entirety of His Word running the risk of presenting and making an idol version of the Lord that is not the Lord in His entirety.
I think Rebecca was probably attempting to discuss, from her perspective, what we might call a “center-set” approach versus a “bounded-set” approach.
But I’m not sure it’s wrong to form a personal conviction over something the Bible is silent on because that seems to be a more Fundamentalist approach to epistemology… an approach that I think is solved by the Wesleyan Quad. We can form personal convictions based off of our experience or reasonable deductions, right?
That doesn’t mean our personal convictions should be treated with the same authority as Scripture though… I hope!
Actually the way you and Rebecca define personal convictions is something i can agree with. I find that sometimes too much gets thrown into personal conviction, which really is a defensive mechanism. For example we cannot throw having proper hermeneutics into personal conviction.