Because violating their conscience would be considered sinful. Paul urges the believer to not violate their conscience as a matter of faith, in eating something they felt uncomfortable doing. While all foods were declared to be permissible, as a matter of conscience, Paul instructs them to choose whether or not and what to eat (Romans 14.22-23). Romans 14.14 (and earlier in Mark 7.15-19 by Jesus) reveals God’s truth on the issue that all foods were clean and permissible to eat. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. Romans 14.14 NIV: I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. Under the new covenant, because we’re made right through Jesus, these practices would not be required to obtain right standing. Part of their acceptance of this also had to do with the old covenant in that they held certain dietary practices as a means to obtain right standing with God or to remain “clean” and pure before Him. It’s also worth mentioning that much of this debate at the time involved new Christians who did not/could not yet accept that all foods had been declared clean. In the case of Romans 14, the greater context of this issue reveals God’s stance on the matter of the Jewish dietary laws, among other practices, that are being debated. When evaluating whether something is right or wrong as a matter of personal conviction, we must first filter our view through whatever God and/or Scripture declares about the matter. If your truth doesn’t match God’s truth, switch truths. Our personal conviction, while valid, does not supersede God’s standard of right and wrong. As the ultimate Authority, God decides if something is ultimately right or wrong (a sin). The writer of Romans, Paul, is speaking to Christians who are arguing about whether or not something (food in this case) is a sin - based on the dietary Jewish customs.Īnd herein lies the distinction about convictional truth (based on personal conviction). But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith and everything that does not come from faith is sin. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Romans 14.21-23 NIV: It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. absolute truth begins with properly defining the question being asked.Ĭhristians often cite Romans 14.22-23 as an example of truth being based on one’s convictions or a “relative” truth. Because for the believer, our truth is informed by God Himself. While some cultures or even Christians today will not acknowledge this as a sin, it doesn’t change the absolute truth (1 Corinthians 6.18) that it is a sin. Truth in a moral sense, that is, moral truth is what we would call absolute truth.įor example, the answer to the question, “Is sex outside of marriage (fornication) following the ways of God?” is no for any and all times, circumstances, and cultures. But the circumstance, in this case, the location, is the relative factor that informs whether that truth is applied. “Is there a hurricane?” is either true or not (by objective observation). Notice here that the truth itself is not so much “relative” as is the circumstance that the question clarifies. However, when we ask the question, “is there a hurricane,” the underlying assumption (context) is understood to mean locally wherever we are at the present moment. The short answer is that truth can appear relative in light of the context and circumstances involved, that is, circumstantial truth.įor example, the question, “is there a hurricane,” can be true for certain locations, all locations, or no locations. For the believer in Christ, our truth must point beyond ourselves to something (Someone) higher. When we choose to believe something, we are really choosing who and what to believe. John 14.6 is especially important because it identifies Jesus (God in the flesh) as the Truth.

Whatever God deems sin, we also affirm as wrong.īecause our fallen world is so prone to manipulation and sin, truth is the only anchor that we have for knowing what’s right and wrong. What God deems right, we affirm as right. In other words, we look to God as the Source of truth (John 16.13, John 14.6, Titus 1.1-2). This is often observed through His Word (John 17.17) and His ways. It is by no means an exhaustive take for a discussion of such depth.įor the upright Christian, truth can be defined as whatever God says is true. This article is an attempt to provide a succinct and fair summary of the topic.

Objective observation