Faith and Opinion

Once I drove over an hour to hear a preacher, When he got up to speak he announced he would prove that Cain was born before Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden. I wondered two things to myself: How will he do that and what does that have to do with my salvation? He spoke for an hour. When he got through two questions were on my mind: How can he prove his point and what does it have to do with my salvation? I would have done better to stay home and watch a ball game on TV.

He didn’t differentiate between faith and opinion and preached his opinion. He treated his opinion as if it were the word of God.

Some treat their fallible, human opinions as if they were faith. Some treat the infallible faith as if it were opinion. Both fail to make the distinction Isaiah taught for the Lord: “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways’ says the LORD. “‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

What is the difference between faith and opinion?

Faith

• Faith is God’s revealed will. The faith “was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude verse 3). Paul preached the gospel that was revealed to him by Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11-12), but in doing so he proclaimed “the faith” (Galatians 1:23). The gospel is “the faith” because it produces faith in the hearts of those who hear and accept it (Romans 10:8, 17).
• Faith determines fellowship. “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works” 2 John verses 9-11, English Standard Version). The word “greeting” is use in the sense of “welcome” (International Standard Version).
• Faith is the basis of unity. We are united on the “one faith” (Ephesians 4:5). We must “speak the same thing.” There should “be no divisions among you, but” you must “be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). We cannot all agree on our opinions, but we can stand together on the faith.
• We must judge others on the basis of the faith (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15).
• Preachers must proclaim the faith. Paul preached “the faith” (Galatians 1:23). He had “the spirit of faith,” thus he could claim, “I believed and therefore I spoke” (2 Corinthians 4:13). We must “speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11).
• In fact, we must contend for the faith. “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude verse 3).

Opinion

The Greek word “hairesis,” from which we get our word “heresy,” is found nine times in the New Testament. In the New King James Version, the word occurs six times in the book of Acts, where it is always translated “sect” (Acts 5:17; 15:5; 24:5, 14; 26:5; 28:22). In other books, once it is translated “factions” (1 Corinthians 11:19) and twice “heresies” (Galatians 5:20; 2 Peter 2:1). W.E. Vine, in his Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, observes that the term “denotes (a) ‘a choosing, choice’...; then, ‘that which is chosen,’ and hence, ‘an opinion,’ especially a self-willed opinion, which is substituted for submission to the power of truth, and leads to division and the formation of sects” (2:217).

Everyone, has opinions, things we think are true but cannot prove by the Bible. My opinion is that chocolate pie is better than pumpkin. You may disagree, but that won’t change my opinion. If either of us decides to teach his opinion and demand that others accept it, that is heresy. If we gather a following around our opinions and exclude those who disagree, we have formed a sect. If we treat our opinions as if they are the word of God and teach them as divine truth, we are teaching heresies (2 Peter 2:1).

• Opinions are man’s thoughts. Some think it is good to eat meat; some eat only vegetables (Romans 14:1-2). Some keep certain holidays; some do not (Romans 14:5). These are opinions.
• Opinions must NOT determine our fellowship. The one who eats meat should not look down on the vegetarian (or vegan), and the vegetarian must not condemn the one who eats meat (Romans 14:1-5).
• We may have diversity in matters of opinion (Romans 14:6, 14). We must be able to have meat eaters and vegans in the same congregation without conflict.
• Opinions Must NOT be the basis of judgment (Romans 14:13). Don’t judge me for eating bacon and giving presents at Christmas, and I promise not to despise you if you abstain from one or both.
• We must NOT preach our opinions (Romans 14:22). I promise not to preach that we should eat catfish or shoot fireworks on the 4th of July, but you should not preach against these innocent practices.
• And, we must NOT contend for our opinions (Romans 14:22). The context demands that the word “faith” is used in a unique sense in this verse, that is, full persuasion in one’s own mind that a practice is allowed. Here we must keep our faith to ourselves, but we must preach and contend for the one faith, the gospel (Galatians 1:23; Jude verse 3).

Conclusion

When I was a beginning preacher (a long time ago), I was in a home Bible study involving two gospel preachers, two Methodist preachers, and a young couple. The young woman asked, “Why do members of the church of Christ believe baptism is necessary for salvation?” The other gospel preacher quoted without comment Mark 16:16 - “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” One of the Methodist preachers replied, “That’s just your opinion.”

He didn’t know the difference between faith and opinion. If I can put my finger on the verse that teaches it, that’s faith. If I just tell you what I think, that’s opinion. Never confuse the two.

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