22 The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
What, then, is the value of having a mature and insightful understanding of our freedoms in Christ? What good is it that we no longer live under the harsh, strict mandates of the Law or are judged by it, if we need to restrict our behavior and not enjoy those behaviors? Do we forever forgo our freedoms for the sake of not offending judgmental Christians or cause weaker Christians to stumble?
First there is the freedom of holding our “conviction” that a thing is good, regardless of whether we actually doing it. The word “conviction” is actually not in the original text, but translators added it. The passage could be translated “according to yourself.” The NIV renders this, “Whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God” (similarly ESV, NET, NLT, and somewhat in the NKJV). There is a self-experienced joy in knowing the truth and having a clear conscience about one’s beliefs in the gray areas.
In practice, this means one can enjoy the freedom of his or her conscience so long as his freedom is practiced in a way that does not offend or cause to stumble. When is this? We will suggest the example of the use of media as instructive. At the advent of television in the 1950s many conservative Christians spoke strongly against owning a TV, asserting that it provided the world direct access into the homes and minds of Christians. “Bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5) meant keeping out anything that would capture minds away from that which was honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and worthy of praise (Phil 4:8). Some even argued that TV signals travelled through the air, and that was Satan’s domain, for he is the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:22). The thinking was well-meaning and probably thoughtful at the time—Christians needed to tread carefully. For years Christians avoided the theater houses for similar reasons. Eventually, Christians slowly began to buy TVs to watch in the privacy of their homes. The presence of video and CD players, the Internet, smartphones, and a plethora of media access points has become ubiquitous. The media, it seems, cannot be avoided. While we must remember the caution of the book of Romans against giving tacit approval to immoral behavior (Rom 1:23), we cannot give in to legalism.
Where does that leave us? Enjoy our freedom, but remember it is better to keep a good conscience by being wise in our choices.
Lord, give me the wisdom to know the difference between freedom in Christ and the temptation to selfish enjoyment of the flesh.
Interesting comments on exposure to mass media – I have never had a TV in my house all my life and gave up watching Hollywood movies a couple of decades ago. My decisions were not theological, but rather “mental hygiene”. I have observed the coarsening effect on society of the continually declining standards of public entertainment. What was horrifying in the past is acceptable now. The same can be said about the books we choose to read. The question I ask myself is “Did that entertainment (or work of art) bring me down, or lift me up?” I think mental health can be affected by what we allow ourselves to be exposed to. Our society in general is suffering from chronic low-grade PTSD.
Amen. Brother.