The difference between a conviction and a preference, according to the U.S. Supreme Court: A preference is a very strong belief, held with great strength. You can give your entire life in a full-time way to the service of the preference, and can also give your entire material wealth in the name of the belief. You can also energetically proselytize others to your preference. You can also want to teach this belief to your children, and the Supreme court may still rule that it is a preference.
A preference is a strong belief, but a belief that you will change under the right circumstances. Circumstances such as: 1) peer pressure; if your beliefs are such that other people stand with you before you will stand, your beliefs are preferences, not convictions, 2) family pressure, 3) lawsuits, 4) jail, 5) threat of death; would you die for your beliefs? A conviction is a belief that you will not change. Why? A man believes that his God requires it of him.
Preferences aren’t protected by the constitution. Convictions are. A conviction is not something that you discover, it is something that you purpose in your heart (Daniel 1:8). Convictions on the inside will always show up on the outside, in a person’s lifestyle. To violate a conviction would be a sin.
David C. Gibbs, Jr.
Christian Law Association
P.O. Box 30290
Cleveland, Ohio 44130
A preference is a strong belief, but a belief that you will change under the right circumstances. Circumstances such as: 1) peer pressure; if your beliefs are such that other people stand with you before you will stand, your beliefs are preferences, not convictions, 2) family pressure, 3) lawsuits, 4) jail, 5) threat of death; would you die for your beliefs? A conviction is a belief that you will not change. Why? A man believes that his God requires it of him.
Preferences aren’t protected by the constitution. Convictions are. A conviction is not something that you discover, it is something that you purpose in your heart (Daniel 1:8). Convictions on the inside will always show up on the outside, in a person’s lifestyle. To violate a conviction would be a sin.
David C. Gibbs, Jr.
Christian Law Association
P.O. Box 30290
Cleveland, Ohio 44130
At the root of the word, "conviction" is "convict."
ReplyDeleteConvict - To prove guilt, to condemn.
A conviction is something a person is willing to die for. That should make us more careful about the cavalier way we use the word. Most of what people think are their convictions are, in fact, preferences.
Amen and Amen.
ReplyDeleteAs a preacher it is sad to say that many men of the Gospel only preach preference and not conviction. Its no longer about His kingdom but its all about man kingdom. Somewhere there should be men willing to take John the baptist position and be willing to pay a price for what is truth. There need to be Paul's willing to suffer persecution for real conviction and not be like many who have change the truth for personal preference.
ReplyDelete