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Monday, December 29, 2014

But... that is my PERSONAL Conviction

My house does our best to obey the commandments of Jesus Christ. We teach our children to honor and respect one another (Romans 12:10). But it is just our personal conviction. We teach our children to bless those who curse them, and pray for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:44). But it is just our personal conviction. We teach them to not love the world, nor the things in the world (1John 2:15). But it is just our personal conviction.

We also teach our children not to fornicate, commit adultery, steal, or bear false witness against their neighbor. But these also are just our personal convictions.

Now, hopefully you see the sarcasm in the above statements; and I also realize that my points are exaggerated a bit. But I pray to drive home the reality of what is going on in modern "conservative" Christianity.

Christians today, even the serious ones; even the most devout and whole-hearted ones, are extremely weak and sissified. They constantly apologize for believing what the Bible tells them to believe. They are ashamed of the words of Jesus Christ. So they, being cowards, have come up with a clever, non-confrontational way to communicate their BIBLICAL doctrines without offending anyone or "turning them off" to the gospel of Jesus; as if we were called to be loved and adored instead of hated and despised (2Timothy 3:12). How do these Christians accomplish this? They follow up every doctrinal statement with the phrase, "But that's just my personal conviction".

The Duggars and the Duck Dynasty celebrities are the prime examples. They are popular Christians in an age where the vast, vast majority of people in the nation hate and despise Jesus Christ and his ways. So what does that tell us about the Duggars and the Robertsons? According to God's word, they are not living godly in Christ Jesus.

I remember having a conversation with a high up supervisor (female) in the office I used to work in, about a year or so ago. This woman, a career woman, one who hates God's mandate for women to be humble, submissive, keepers at home; she loves the Duggars. She asked my opinion about them one day, and I was critical of them because I feel that they are compromisers of God's word. She became highly offended and irate and scolded me for "judging" them.

How does a woman who hates everything about the lifestyle of a family who follow's God's word, love and adore that family? Could it be because everything this family does is just their "personal conviction"? I thought so, and when I rented from the library the book, Growing Up Duggar: It's All About Relationships, written by four of the Duggar girls, my suspicions were confirmed.

In the book, the girls give many Biblical reasons for the way they live life and many of the decisions Jim Bob has made for his house. They are solid reasons. They are indisputable. But instead of challenging the readers to obey the Lord Jesus in like manner, take up their cross, and repent of their own ways, they had to qualify their statements with the direct contradictory statement: "But these things are just our personal convictions". Huh?? You have utterly refuted, ruined, and rendered all the previous statement you made completely vain.

I already gave the book back so I cannot give a direct quote from it, but here is a typical statement that is made by the Duggars, which I found doing a search on their webpage. It regards modesty and their decision not to wear the typical American, whorish, "bathing suite". While telling about what the Bible says and what the LORD required of them, it is stated as a qualifier:

"This isn't for everyone, and we don't push this on anybody. And we don't judge anyone that doesn't have this perspective".

Apparently their so-called conviction was just God's personal preference for the Duggars and not a commandment of the Holy Scriptures. How utterly disgusting their statement is.

Nobody ever used to have "personal convictions". They believed the way they did things, confirmed by the Biblical text, was the right way to do things. Sure, they could be wrong on some things, but they were convinced the Bible spoke to us directly regarding various subjects. The people today, especially the Christians, are oversensitive sissified wimps, and are afraid to stand up for the truth. They have given in to the spirit of the age. That is why evil has prevailed in the 20th and 21st centuries in America.

 Our family believes a man ought to dress like a man and a woman, like a woman. My wife and daughters do not wear pants; they wear long skirts and dresses. The Bible states that it is an abomination for a women to wear that which pertains unto a man (Deuteronomy 22:5). We believe that the Bible does teach, and that the Holy Spirit bears witness that women ought to wear a long skirt or dress. It is not just a personal conviction. We believe that everyone claiming the name of Christ should do so. Are we wrong? Maybe, but probably not. Do you disagree with me? Fine. But do not tell me that my belief is just a preference and that I should tell you that whatever you decide to do is just dandy with the LORD. If I truly believe the Bible teaches women to not wear pants, then I am required to exhort others to believe likewise.  I will write more on this subject in another blog post.

What angers me the most is that Christians of this generation refer to personal convictions as if they were talking about preferences of what their favorite ice cream is. "Well, I like Vanilla Ice Cream; I think it's the best, but that's just my personal preference". Deny it all you want, but this is exactly the attitude and spirit behind every "personal conviction" statement you hear come out of a Christian's mouth.

So, home schooling your children is just a "personal conviction" even though one cannot legitimately obey Deuteronomy chapter 6 while sending their children away for ungodly villains to train them in the ways of the world, instead of the ways of Christ.

What is a legitimate "personal conviction"? It is something that God impresses upon a person's heart to do personally. It is not tied into the scriptures either directly or indirectly. For example: certain men of God in the past have had a conviction that they ought to wake up at 4am every morning for 2 or 3 hours of prayer. So if one were to say, " I am convicted of God to spend 2-3 hours every morning with him", that is a legitimate use of the term, "personal conviction". But that is far different than a godly man who says, "A Christian ought to spend more time in the word of God, and in prayer, and stop spending hours of time each night devoted to Hollywood movies and television shows, created by men and women who are of their father, the devil."

Some godly fathers have smashed their televisions and said that they are not going to have such a device in their homes. I respect that. I have a television in my home, though. I do not have home Internet, however. The man who does not have the television may have a computer and home Internet. His decision not to have a television and my decision not to have Internet at home are personal decisions, suited to help us best serve God the way God has shown us. I wouldn't argue that. But do not tell me that whether or not you watch Hollywood filth and the abominations of televisions shows, is of the same category; it is not. The Bible is clear that we are not to set any wicked thing before our eyes (Psalm 101). I can use my television as a tool for the glory of God, in video, and as a projector for family worship. The other man can use the Internet as a tool for godly dominion. But you cannot justify watching wickedness on either device by claiming "Christian Liberty".

So repent of the spirit of this wicked age that we live in, and stand up for Biblical truth. Do not apologize for it. Rebuke and exhort, reprove and correct those who are not living according to the truth of the scripture (Leviticus 19:17, Ephesians 5:11). No need to take these scriptural commands seriously, however. These are just personal convictions.


Swiss Kinist

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