Personal Convictions

By: Brandon James Scott Scholl

I had a conversation the other day with a friend of mine about drinking alcohol. Now, as of this moment, he and I are both underage and haven't drank before. However, I won't mind having a drink when I"m older just not with the intent to ever get drunk. He, however, prefers to stay away from most forms of alcohol. Perhaps maybe a glass of wine every blue moon when he's married, but nothing really beyond that. His reason? Because he's crazy and weird enough that he doesn't need anything to alter him.

Now, I don't disagree with him on this at all. In fact, it's a different reason than what I'm used to. This friend of mine wasn't raised as to be afraid of alcohol either. As we continued talking about all of this though, it changed the subject to people and their personal convictions.

A personal conviction, in my own words, is something that perhaps God has or is working on you in your walk of life. An example of this would be something like the type of music that you might listen to. Some people may not have a problem listening to all genres of music while someone else may feel convicted that listening to rap music isn't in their best interest or it simply is just something they shouldn't be around.

In different situations I've dealt with, there are people who believe that a personal conviction that God may be working on within themselves should be preached and pushed on other people as a universal conviction. An example of this is when the person who feels convicted listening to any form of rap music tells all the people they are around that rap music is, let's say, the work of Satan. I have actually worked with people who have told me Rap music as well as loud Rock music has a negative force and undertone in it that is a spiritual attack and we, as Christians, shouldn't take part and listen to it. Perhaps I may consider myself to be a rebel, but I don't see things in this way or even agree with this claim.

See, one of the MANY problems I've seen Christianity start to run into is the belief that we should be the police for every other person that claims to be a Christian. Granted, we are supposed to be able to hold other Brothers and Sisters accountable. However, that doesn't mean that every aspect of our person Christian walk should be explained and applied to everyone. In my experiences, I have been told from numerous people things like "Rock and Rap music are the tools of the Devil", "Psychology and Sociology are wrong because it takes God out of the equation of life", or my personal favorite "Debating about Doctrine and Theology is unbiblical, wrong, and that's what the Enemy simply wants us to do. Instead, we should just simply love and embrace each other because that's what Jesus wants us to do."

To be fair, there are some beliefs that are universal. Things such as,

“You shall have no other gods before Me." ~Exodus 20:3

"You shall not murder." ~Exodus 20:13

It scares me how close minded some Christians can be to these things simply because they can't understand the difference between personal and universal Biblical convictions. It actually is quite sad that it has turned into this type of lifestyle. I mean, people used to do their research and not take people's word on things that they believed. Not because they didn't necessarily trust Pastor So and so, but because they made a point to read their Bible and learn how to apply these doctrines to their life.

So, when you're talking to a Brother or Sister in Christ, or maybe you're talking with friends who perhaps aren't Christians, think about what you're talking about with them. Is what you're talking about a personal or a universal Biblical conviction?