I’ve been reading, Amazing Grace, the biography of William Wilberforce, written by Eric Metaxas. Wilberforce was a member of British Parliament. He was a central figure in abolishing the slave trade in Britain. It was a hard fought political battle. “On 26 July 1833, as Wilberforce lay on his deathbed, he was told that the Slavery Abolition Bill, granting freedom to all enslaved people within the British Empire, had been passed by Parliament.”
A driving force behind his passion to end slavery was his Christian faith. Lord Melbourne, who was a dedicated opponent of abolition, said of Wilberforce, “Things have come to a pretty pass when one should permit one’s religion to invade public life.”
How could it not? How could his faith not invade his public life? If what one believes does not impact what one does how can it be called genuine belief?
We hear the criticism today. Public figures being lashed out against due to their personal beliefs. In addition, many public figures bending over backwards to convince others their faith will not influence their perspective on public life. They are told to keep such in a box. Yet at the same time, irreligious people allow their belief system to flood into the public square.
When we have an authentic faith it ought to influence our actions. Jesus consistently challenged the religious leaders of his day (Pharisees & Sadducees) for having a religion without action. These leaders acted religiously, but did not act righteously. In essence they had a convictionless conviction. This is exactly what society wants from Christians today.
Another aspect is that people with conviction lack compassion. There is an expression of personal convictions that marginalizes people. There is no compassion in how these convictions are lived out.
Some lack an unwillingness to live out one’s convictions. Others live them out with a lack of compassion. I’m not sure which is worse. Convictionless living reveals a feebleness of faith. Living our convictions without compassion destroys the humanity of those being addressed.
Compassion knocks the rough edges off of convictions. Convictions ought to inform our opinions. Convictions ought to influence our decision making. Convictions ought to give us courage to stand in the face of both criticism and unpopular topics. The application of our convictions must be done with grace, mercy, and kindness.
Our convictions will not be diluted by expressing them with compassion. What does dilute them is our unwillingness to bring them to light!
Wilberforce knew that his biblically informed convictions could not allow other human beings to suffer the indignity of slavery. He was criticized for allowing his personal convictions to flow onto the floor of parliament. He refused to back down. May we be such a people who unashamedly allow our convictions to compel us to take up the cause for others.