He who looks into the perfect law...

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."
-Psalm 1:1-3

The dictionary lists the definition of "conviction" as: the state of being convinced of error or compelled to admit the truth; a strong persuasion or belief. The Christian is to be a person of conviction.  We are to be fully aware and unwavering in our loyalty to truth (the Bible). In other words, we are to know what the Bible says about the issues of life well enough that we can spot error when confronted with it.


When God gave the Law to the Israelites He commanded them that:

"these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
-Deuteronomy 6:6-9

God gave us His Word as a safe-guard against error that leads to death.  In His mercy, He carefully explained how we are to live so we can be sure of staying far from sin. In I Timothy Paul gives Timothy the instruction to:

Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.-I Timothy 4:12, 13, 16

All throughout the Bible there is instruction to believers to know doctrine, to be familiar with the Bible, to love the Law of God and to be careful to obey it. God gave us His answers, but it is up to us to search them out and obey them carefully.  It is to our benefit, and, really, for our safety that we search the Scripture to know how God thinks.


In speaking with many Christians, it is easy to see that many don't know what the Bible really has to say about the issues of life.  I have heard good God-fearing people discuss for hours the issues of drinking, divorce, homosexuality, etc. without one of them knowing what God has to say on the subject.  They ask friends' opinions or do internet searches but don't look into the answer book itself.


I think we tend to forget that in the end we will not stand before our friends, our culture, Christian authors, or even our pastors to give an account. We will, on the Day of Judgment, not be judged by a jury of peers, but by the Great Judge Himself.  In fact, Jesus said that we will be judged by the Word!

"He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him, the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day."
-John 12:48

There are no surprises on the last day, we will be judged by what God wrote in Scripture for us to read and obey.  The only people who will be surprised are those who foolishly assumed they knew God, when they never took time to read the instructions He wrote for them. (see Matthew 7:21-27 for more information on this.)


I encourage you to become very familiar with the Bible and what answers it has to the questions of life. I can guarantee that it has an answer for anything and everything that you will have questions about.


One last thought:
God is unchanging, "there is no shadow of turning in Him". What He expects of us has not changed since the beginning of time. In your study of the Bible, do not let your view of "cultural issues" be shaped or molded by modern-day philosophies or humanistic mindsets. Let God's Word be your guide. If God loves something, love it with everything in you. If God hates it, hate it with every ounce of your being.  Be confident that, on Judgment Day, you can stand before God with a clear conscience knowing that you will hear "well done, good and faithful servant."

"But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."
-James 1:25