by Pastor Rich Carlson

It was not so much Paul’s warnings about abusing freedom, but his warnings about abusing authority and his illustration about dogmatism, that most impressed me as I read chapters 7, 8, and 9 of 1 Corinthians.

Chapter 7 deals with marriage and relationships. Chapter 8 deals with food sacrificed to idols. And chapter 9 deals with Paul’s “rights” as an apostle. I don’t know how to apply much of what Paul said, but it is worth studying and prayerfully seeking wisdom about.

In the midst of "non-clarity" on some of those issues, I was blessed by Paul’s clarity on what is from God and what is from himself.

It’s so easy to have a conviction or an opinion and then make it dogma or absolute truth. I can have a conviction and then tell you, "You better listen to it too because I know I am right!" That attitude has gotten me into trouble, and has, in my opinion, caused all kinds of tension and strife among believers of all faiths. How do I separate truth from opinion, fact from personal conclusion?

In this portion of Paul’s letter he says regarding certain points:

• “I say this as a concession not a command” (1 Corinthians 7:6)
• “I say, not the Lord…” (7:10, 7:12)
• “I have no command from the Lord, but I present a position” (7:25)

I was struck with Paul’s openness to admit that sometimes he spoke the Word of God firmly, and sometimes he was just expressing his own opinion. And all of it is in the Bible! This fact has helped me develop, over the years, an approach to God’s word, my convictions, and how I share both with others:

I want to only say, “These are the words I read in Scripture,” because in simply reading them I will insert my own opinions and interpretations and may distract myself, and others, from what is really there.

I want to clearly say, “This is what the text says to me.” When I write these devotionals it is my goal to only speak in the first person. What I write is only my musings on God’s word that I share with you. They are not right, absolute, or the final word. They are only what I believe God has given to me. One of my main purposes in writing them is to give you an illustration of God’s faithfulness. 

I want to be careful not to say, “And this is what it means!” because that shuts me off from whatever else God might have to say to me about that verse. I call the thoughts I share with you my “at-this-point-conclusions.” I want to draw personal conclusions from what I hear from God, but I don’t ever want to stop learning from Him. One of the greatest proofs to me of the inspiration of Scripture is how often I read a text—even one I have previously highlighted—and see something new in it! God still speaks to me based on His wisdom and my need, and His word must stay an open book from which I can continue learning.

I want to differentiate between what God’s word says and what I think it means. As a sinful human, the two may not be the same. I can have all the opinions I want as long as I don’t inflict them on you as "truth."

I want God to guide you as surely as He guides me. I want to trust His ability to convict you as surely as He convicts me. My job is not to convert you. My responsibility is to share, by word and action, what I believe God is doing in my life. If it helps you, good. If you see something better, great!

And lastly, I believe that when we get to heaven we are all going to be surprised when Jesus tells us what real truth is! I think we’ll all sit around the tree of life and listen to Him and say, “Oh, now I get it! Now I understand!”

Until then I want to remain a learner, open to His leading. I want to be careful that in my quest for truth I don’t make my "at-this-point conclusions" so absolute that they cause you to stumble in your pursuit of His truth.

Rich Carlson is campus chaplain at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. “God Is Faithful” is adapted from the email devotionals he writes regularly for the Union College family. Rich enjoys filling his life with God, his family, and especially his five grandchildren.