Hebrews 11:1 English Standard Version (ESV) Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

We left off yesterday declaring that promises not yet fulfilled might be seen by us as God’s opinion. Faith changes those opinions into truth by the virtue of hope. Since God has done first things of a certainty, then it follows that those other promises will become real to us. The larger and more difficult issues are seen in being convicted by faith.

Conviction comes at the direction of the Holy Spirit in performing God’s will in us. It is not a convincing, the rational decision of a mind that calculates truth by its own judgments.

We will continue to have opinions about God’s word, including attitudes that God has opinions just because we have not yet seen it become real to us.

2 Timothy 3:16 English Standard Version

¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God^[b] may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Footnote ^[b] is translated as a messenger of God. If we do not see ourselves as messengers of God this passage will be registered as opinion. It is necessary that we believe by faith that this passage is true in order to gain the benefits of the training in righteousness. We will need that even if we are never used of God to be another Samuel, or Paul, or Peter.

Romans 12:2 English Standard Version (ESV) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

If the mind is not converting opinion to truth then the testing will not produce the results that allows the will of God to grow us in Christ.

Proverbs 18:2 English Standard Version (ESV) A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

God is not a fool He knows all things as truth, whether it be good or bad for us. Since I compared God’s understanding to that of a fool, can it be said that God takes pleasure in His understanding because a fool does not? I don’t know.

Does God express His opinion or only speak truth? We believe God is true and only speaks truth but this leads us to try and understand somethings that God declares about us that we might not agree with.

Malachi 1:2a English Standard Version (ESV) “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?”

When God makes a comment we do not recognize we tend to see it as God’s opinion. We want some proof before we can believe it to be true. In some ways we believe the Lord because of His promises yet when we have not received those promises, our human condition tends to lean towards God having an opinion.

God is love and we believe that and want to believe God loves all mankind. The first verse of Malachi 1:3 says God hated Esau. Trying to understand why God hated Esau may leave us with some doubt as to His ability to love us because it might seem that we have done worse than Esau. How could He hate Esau and love us?

Romans 3:10 English Standard Version (ESV) as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;”

This is a truth we can accept.

“Justified is a legal word. Rather like “sentenced” or “condemned,” it describes a verdict. When God justifies, He declares or pronounces a person to be righteous.” Quote by Pastor Colin Smith

This pronouncement of our righteousness is in the courts of Heaven and is often seen by us as God’s opinion of us because we have not yet stood before our Judge on judgment day.

In order to reconcile our righteousness we might view this as God’s opinion rather than a truth.