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 “Let
every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” “So
then every one of us shall give account of himself to
God.” “—but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean,
to him it is unclean.” “All things indeed are pure
but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.”
“Hast
thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he
that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
AND HE THAT DOUBTETH IS DAMNED IF HE EAT, because he eateth not
of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”
These
quotations (from Rom. 14: 5, 12, 14, 20, 22-23, with my
emphasis) say in unmistakable terms that man must be honest with
himself before God. “Before God” says that we shall be
judged by the divine standard, or, “the word that I have
spoken, the sane shall judge him in the last day.” (Jn. 12:
48) Let no man think that if he is satisfied with himself that
God must be satisfied with him.
But
honest conviction is also essential if we are to please God. The
man who acts upon another’s conviction — or having some
conviction of his own, refuses to “carry
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through” —-is a traitor to himself
and to God.
Even
things “pure” or “good” within themselves, become “evil”
to him who accepts them against his own inner conviction; and
what must be the sin of him who condones and supports a wrong
— having inner doubts about the matter, but “going along”
because of family ties or popular acceptance.
If
we give not our heart, our very “self” to God, what have we
to give?
Philip
said, “If thou believest with all thine heart —” (Acts 8:
37 Stop, and think what it means to believe with all thine
heart!! Can this be said of one whose convictions are one
way, and whose actions are another? Living a lie before God is
the most futile and damning of deceits.
HAPPY
is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he
alloweth. There can be no true happiness here or hereafter, for
those who fail to act upon honest self-conviction.
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