The Neccessity of Conviction

In our inclusivistic culture it has become offensive to hold to convictions. This attitude has confused well meaning believers into thinking that dogma is bad and that people will only listen if you present yourself as having an open mind. The thing that is sticky though is that the only way to present yourself as having an open mind is to deny the certainty of your belief. Why would anybody want to believe something that you are not certain of yourself? Scripture teaches that we can be certain. Consider for a moment 2 Corinthians chapter 3. Paul begins by rhetorically asking in verses 1-4 if they need a letter of endorsement in order to trust his authority. Paul is asking what is the evidence they need to be convinced that what he is saying is the truth. Paul answers his question by pointing out that physical ink is not sufficient to convince anybody. Rather the evidence is written on the heart of the believer as a ministry of the Holy Spirit. Notice verse 4, “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God”. we see here that conviction comes by the means of Christ. Next Paul compares the truth that was given through Moses which was the Law with the truth that is given through the Holy Spirit which is grace. The law was written down on tablets of stone and the people had to trust that what was written was exactly what God had intended. Now, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai his face glowed from being in the presence of Gods unveiled glory testifying that Moses had been in the presence of God. So the Israelites were convinced because they were seeing third hand the evidence that what was written was from God. Paul then points out that it is much more powerful for those who receive the truth directly from the Holy Spirit since they are receiving it first hand. Paul also states that the truth from the internal testimony from the Holy Spirit is more powerful then the truth that comes from the written law because the law was coming to an end and the Spirit is permanent. Verse 12 says ” Since we have such a hope, we are very bold“. So since we have conviction because the sureity of the first hand internal testimony of the Holy Spirit and confidence because it is permanent we can now have an attitude of boldness. Paul continues in verses 13-18 with this idea of contrasting the Law with the Internal testimoney of the Holy Spirit and shame with boldness. Paul states that Moses veiled the glory that was radiating off of him as a result of recieving the law from God. The reason Paul teaches for the veil was so that Israel would not see the result of something that was coming to the end, which was the law. Paul now makes a spirititual analogy of the veil and the heart of unbelievers. He states that the law is a veil to the heart of the unbeliever and only turning to the Lord will remove the veil. Paul now applys this to believers and teaches that since you are believers you are now with unveiled faces percieving the glory of God. Since we have unveiled faces we can be people of conviction because we clearly recognize the truth. So lets recapp we have first hand source of truth because of the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit. We have a truth that is permanent and will not pass away. We have unveiled access to that truth. We have no excuse to not be people of passionate conviction. The only way to reach the lost is for them to see us being changed by that conviction.

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,(1 )are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.