Page 78 which he holds. The legalist fails to distinguish between Divine commands and personal application. He universalizes his own personal standards of what is morally acceptable to God. At heart, he is a Pharisee. Consequently, he judges and condemns his fellow brethren in Christ who disagree with him. He also puts pressure on them to adopt his convictions. Paul exposes these three kinds of Christians in the above passages. I’d like to raise the standard that Paul raised. It is as follows: 1. Each person should have a personal conviction about the matter (Rom. 14:5). Another translation puts it this way: ,Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Develop your own convictions on how to apply God’s moral will. If you can act in faith that a particular action is permissible, then go ahead with it. If you cannot, abstain from it. It is as simple as that. 2. Receive your brother and sister in Christ even though their convictions may differ from yours. The only criteria for Christian fellowship is this: Has God received this person? If God has received someone into His family, then who are you to reject them? If someone trusts in the Savior, Jesus Christ, then God has received them. 3. Do not judge your brother or sister. God’s evaluation of a person comes at the end of the construction project. We are not to judge the
Contrast the priority of convictional intelligence with the models of leadership that are often found and even admired in some Christian circles. Charisma is a great gift, but it cannot substitute for conviction. The same is true of personality skills, gifts of communication, media presence, and organizational ability. None of these things can qualify a Christian leader when conviction is absent or weak.
Albert Mohler