By nature, man is full of pride and pretty certain of his own greatness. From early childhood, he seeks the praise of others for what he deems great accomplishments. He constantly boasts of his abilities, both physically and mentally. In order for a man to get saved, or a saved man to get his fellowship right with the Lord following salvation, each individual must humble himself under the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5:6). Conviction brings such humility. Eventually, God’s hand causes the mouth of pride to shut. It reminds the sinner of his sinfulness and the just guilt he feels within. It shows him that he comes short of the glory of God and stands in need of repentance.
Without the truth, there can be no true biblical conviction. By definition, conviction is the work of God that convinces an individual concerning the validity of truth and accountability for truth. The Spirit of God takes the law of God and writes it upon men’s hearts. That truth works upon a man’s conscience to accuse or excuse one’s thoughts. Either way, this work is very much the work of conviction. On one hand, a man develops the conviction that Jesus is the only way to get his sins forgiven. On the other hand, a man sees himself as sinful with no hope. In the end, conviction demands a holy God and a holy truth in order to forgive sin. Both elements working together bring true biblical heartfelt conviction.
Believing that one man can cause true biblical conviction upon another man serves as one of the greatest misconceptions concerning conviction. Obviously, one man can proclaim the truth to another, but only the Spirit of God can open that other man’s heart to convince him of the truth being conveyed (Acts 16:14). Even when the scriptures reveal that Apollos convinced the people that Jesus was Christ, the Bible student understands that he did so only through the help of the Holy Ghost (Acts 18:28). Apollos was merely the instrument. Thus, man is only responsible for giving the truth and doing so in a scriptural fashion. God then takes that word and makes it effectual in the hearers’ hearts.
Throughout the church’s two millennia of history, many people have weighed in on the definition and meaning of biblical conviction. Unfortunately, all of this talk has done little to provide insight into an accurate understanding. The word convict only takes place one time in scripture—in the past tense (John 8:9). Yet, the concept appears quite frequently. Again in John chapter 8, one finds another key Bible word closely related to conviction. That word is convinceth. In fact, some have wisely defined conviction as the mental state of being convinced. In other words, one is never convicted or under conviction until he has first been convinced of sin or guilt. This should offer the Christian much comfort and understanding as to why the people could not convince the Saviour of sin. He was simply not guilty.
Paul’s description of the enemies of the cross suggests that they were controlled by their bellies. Paul may have meant something other than appetite when he used the word belly, but there can be no doubt that the idea is included. In Romans 16:18, Paul said that “they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly.” In other words, those who are divisive and doctrinally unsound are led by their own lusts. The outcomes of their desires focus upon fulfilling their own lusts which Proverbs and Ecclesiastes reinforce. In Proverbs 16:26, the Bible says that man “laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him.” This is repeated in Ecclesiastes 6:7 where the Bible says, “All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.” These are just a few biblical examples of those ruled by appetite.
Every generation has their own set of ritualistic practices: vegetarianism, the refusal to eat meat, and veganism, the refusal to eat any animal product, are increasingly popular today. The problems arise when proponents of these practices seek to promote the idea that meat eating is evil and should be eliminated. Today’s passage proves that the scriptures teach just the opposite. In fact, any individual preaching or teaching a necessary abstinence from eating meat is preaching a doctrine of devils. Regardless of what the modern doctors, scientists, or latest fad diets prescribe, the Bible clearly states that God does not intend for His people to abstain from eating meat. Much of the modern movement stems from an idolatrous view of the animal kingdom. Yet, God clearly provided animals for man’s survival and continuation.
The Bible says that God provides food for His people (Matthew 6:26). This God-given provision has been that way since the beginning of man’s existence on earth (Genesis 1:29). Interestingly, the Bible also says that God provides food for the animal kingdom (Psalm 147:9). One might declare that “the animals must go out and search for food to eat” and “men must go to work and earn wages in order to purchase their food.” However, a good response to this mind-set would be to focus on how men and animals are able to get their food: “Who gives the animals the strength and the prowess to find the food?” or “Who gives man the health and ability to work his job, earn his wages, and purchase his food?” With a more objective mind-set, you can see why man owes God thanks for the food that he eats. Every Christian should bow his head and give thanks to God for His provision before partaking of any meal.
Unfortunately, some Christians have become convinced that old age serves as a sufficient excuse for a lack of service to the Lord’s work. Granted, the field of one’s service may change, but there should always remain a willingness to serve. For instance, Moses received his initial call to deliver Israel at forty years old (Acts 7:23) but did not lead God’s people out of Egypt until he was eighty (Exodus 7:7). When he died at 120 years of age, he remarked that “his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated” (Deuteronomy 34:7). At forty years of age, Caleb received a promise from Moses concerning the possession of land in Canaan (Joshua 14:7-9). Forty-five years later, Caleb took possession by driving out the mighty Anakims (Joshua 14:10-12). Caleb did something in his old age that many of the young men could not or would not attempt (Joshua 17:13).
The strength of any people will be determined by how they deal with two people groups: their young and their old. If at any point, either of these two groups becomes viewed as simply burdensome, both will cease to effectively attain God’s intended desire for society. The aged members of society are most often its wisest. They have had successes and failures and learned from both (Deuteronomy 32:7). They have witnessed the Lord’s provision through difficult times (Psalm 37:25). God purposed for the aged to instruct the young in practical and spiritual matters (Titus 2:1-11). While the young should feed off of the wisdom of the aged, the elderly members of society can be nourished by the joy, strength, and life of younger people (Ruth 4:15).
