There is a crisis in our churches today and it has to do with how we believe. Is it your preference that you believe in Jesus or is it a conviction that you hold? Understanding the difference is important. Many people today have a faith that is grounded in preference rather than conviction. What I see and hear often is that they prefer to live their life the way they want to while still claiming Jesus. The Bible says we cannot have it both ways.
What do I mean when I say ‘preference’? A preference is a very strong belief that will change under the right circumstances. Preferences become weak when faced with extreme pressure or crisis. They are our idea of what is right, needed, or necessary. Personal preferences are things discovered that relate to our convenience and comfort. We may feel it is needed for our life, but it is not needed for others. Living by preferences can lead us into sin. Preferences are not a result of being led by the Holy Spirit.
How is ‘conviction’ different? Conviction is a belief that you will not change under any circumstance. Convictions will always show up in your lifestyle. A conviction is not something that you discover like a preference but is something you purpose in your heart. Convictions are essential to faithful living, character building, sanctification, loyalty, integrity, and faithfulness to God. As a Christian, convictions are the result of being led by the Holy Spirit. Violating a conviction is a sin since it is a belief based on Bible teaching, even though it is not a direct command of scripture. A simple example of this principle. It is a Bible truth that Jesus is the only way to heaven. We must believe this truth to receive God’s free gift of salvation, but it is not a command. Rejecting Jesus as Savior is a sin.
The difference between the two is based on the reasoning that leads to the choice you make. Preferences are not led by the Holy Spirit meaning they come from our self. This means they are subject to our sinful nature and can originate from our lust of the flesh or pride. If we attribute our preferences to God, then we are deceiving ourselves and others. All our choices should come from our conviction. As a Christian, if I am making a decision to do something that will dishonor God or cause others to stumble in their walk, I should not do it.
Wait a minute!! Are you telling me I should not be authentic to myself? Yep. Let us look at a couple of Bible truths regarding our own heart:
Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (KJV)
Mark 7:21 says, “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (ESV)
Many Christians try and justify their choice (preference) by pointing out there is no command against it, but that is not the correct standard as seen in the example of accepting Jesus as the only way to heaven.
Often a person will confess a faith with their mouth that is very convincing. The question then becomes whether what they profess is preference or conviction. As previously stated, a conviction will be demonstrated by a person’s lifestyle. Is their lifestyle consistent with what they say about their faith? James tells us that faith is dead without corresponding works. There are many Christians who do not realize they cannot take exception to being required to be consistent because that is in line with our beliefs. A conviction is consistent to itself, and it shows up in your life. You have probably never thought of it this way, but your life is the truest test of your convictions.
Do we really believe what we say we believe? Are we really living consistently by the things that we say are convictions? Whether those around you can see if either of those are true, you are seen every day before your God. He demands holy living and consistency of life, not just in word. Anyone can say he believes in certain things, but as a child of God we ought to live like it.
We see an example of conviction over preference in the Biblical story of Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. All four had been taken captive to Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel had found favor with King Nebuchadnezzar after being able to interpret his dreams and was put in charge of all the wise men. Daniel made a request for his three friends to be promoted and they took over the affairs of the whole province. God blessed all four of these men despite the harsh reality of their captivity.
King Nebuchadnezzar decided to make a golden statue and made a decree that when the people heard the music they were to fall down and worship the golden statue. If someone refused, they were to be cast into a burning fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were pious Jews who were very strong in their convictions. They were reported as refusing to worship the golden image. Here we see the difference between preference and conviction. Their convictions showed up in their lifestyle. King Nebuchadnezzar threatened them with the fiery furnace and said their God would not be able to save them. The three friends showed their conviction by displaying it in their life in refusing to worship the golden image. They told the king their God was able to save them from the fiery furnace, but more importantly their conviction led them to say, “But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:18). (ESV)
If their refusal to worship the golden image had been nothing but their preference, they could have easily changed their mind when faced with probable death to do as the king wished. Their faith in God was a conviction and there was nothing that was going to change their mind. A conviction is not contingent on winning or getting out of the situation you are in. If you must be assured of winning or getting out of the circumstances you are faced with, your beliefs are preferences and not convictions. There is a big difference between preference and conviction in the Christian faith. We do not fight for victory; we fight because we are already victorious. The battle was won at the cross of Calvary.
Another example comes from the Biblical story of Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah in Ruth 1:14–17. Naomi and her husband left Bethlehem and went into the country of Moab with their two sons who eventually married Ruth and Orpah. Her husband and the sons died and neither had any children. Naomi decided to return home since she had nothing left in Moab. She told Ruth and Orpah to return to their families so they could remarry and have families. Verse 14 tells us both women expressed a desire to stay with Naomi rather than return home.
It turns out the two women had a different state of heart. Orpah’s preference was to stay with Naomi out of familiarity and like. The Bible tells us she shed tears over the decision to leave and return home, but she realized she had no hope for a family or children if she stayed with Naomi, so under the intense pressure she felt for her own future and her preference lost the battle and she returned home.
Ruth had a deep love for Naomi and her heart was convicted to stay with her and care for her. She knew Naomi could not give her another husband and the law allowed her to leave to find another husband. She knew Naomi was getting old and would need someone to care for her. She left her own religion and put her faith in Naomi’s God. Ruth was convicted in her heart about the right thing to do — Orpah had a preference.
Preferences are often influenced by how we feel and what we want. Preferences are often influenced by our sense of right and wrong. See the chart below[1] that I found on the internet which shows a clear idea of the difference:
The last thing I will mention on this topic is the idea of manipulation. This is a major problem in our culture with elitist individuals trying to impose their ideas on everyone else. Manipulation is a form of selfishness and/or self-centeredness — we want something so we will do what we can to achieve it. Satan committed the first act of manipulation in the Garden of Eden when he deceived Eve. He manipulated God’s Word.
Manipulation results from seeking our preferences rather than following our convictions. The Biblical example of Martha and Mary in seen in Luke 10:38–42. Jesus and His disciples were staying in Martha’s home and Jesus was teaching. Mary was at Jesus’ feet listening to Him teach while Martha was busy preparing for all the guests. Martha was distracted with the preparations rather than focusing on Jesus. Martha went to Jesus and tried to manipulate Him into getting Mary to help her. Jesus did not allow her to manipulate Him answering her request with a gentle response. He pointed out to her she was reacting to her preferences, unlike Mary who was responding to her convictions. Notice He said one thing is needful and Mary chose the good part.
Although Martha was doing what would be expected of her in Jewish society in preparing her home for the guests, she had Jesus in her home teaching and that was the better “good” which she needed to be focused on as Mary chose to do.
All of us need to take a hard look at whether our faith in God is preference or conviction. Does it just happen to be convenient for us right now? Are we twisting the scriptures to fit our preferences so we can live life the way we want too? Or are we living under the conviction of the Holy Spirit surrendering our will to God’s will to remain faithful to Him?
Remember the words of Jesus in Mark 8:34, “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (ESV)
[1] https://planobiblechapel.org/biblical-convictions
Would you like to learn more about how to have a relationship with God?
