Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25 English Standard Version (ESV) There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

When the Word repeats something verbatim, we can consider it important.

Proverbs 18:17 English Standard Version (ESV) The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.

One of the aspects of opinions is that when we express them we are going to be challenged by those who hold differing opinions.

Isaiah 1:18a English Standard Version (ESV) “Come now, let us reason[dispute] together, says the Lord:”

What if the Lord holds a differing opinion? Do we really expect to win that argument?

His opinion is right and is expressed to us via the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit.

Those who disagree with our opinions feel that their opinion is right or otherwise they would not challenge us. Who that person might be differs depending on the situation.

Since this is a Christian blog and truth here is defined as the person of Jesus Christ, let us not try to reason any opinion other than how we come to know the Truth, Jesus Christ.

Our resources for knowledge of Christ is first and foremost the Word of God, who is Christ, according to the gospel of John. That is a foundation belief and if we cannot agree on that one point we cannot use the same reference materials to establish where our opinions have been formed. We must all have the same reference material to understand each other. Using two different reference materials will never show doubt to the mind of the ones who are wrong.

Most pastors today refrain from teaching in the King James Version because the language was archaic at the time it was released with purpose. The purpose is subject to debate since those who published the KJV are no longer with us. One thing might be that the KJV was the first complete Old and New Testament books together. There were other New Testament bibles that existed before 1611. Perhaps the KJV was written in that archaic language for the purpose of familiarity and continuity.

Acts 22:3 English Standard Version (ESV) “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day.”

Paul had strong feelings based on his heritage, citizenship and education. Paul also said he considered it rubbish for the sake of coming to know Christ. We can have strong opinions based on strong emotions but that does not mean we are right.

We are still dealing with opinions and where we develop those opinions and why we feel so strongly about them.

Proverbs 22:6 English Standard Version (ESV) Train up a child in the way he should go;  even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Parenting is our first influence in what we see and believe. Not all parenting is alike and if the relationship between parent and child does not foster love and respect, other influences will take over in a child’s opinion making schemes. Those could be friends or someone with sinister designs, like gang leaders or cults.

Love and respect are universal and are not limited to one religion or lifestyle. Whoever provides it for the child has the best opportunity to shape that child’s opinions.

We will find ourselves having strong emotional opinions about a variety of subjects. The world will pull at your emotional heartstrings in order to gain our support and cooperation. Those of us that have not discovered love and respect from a positive source will find ourselves being used to serve agendas and some of those can be sinister. Extremists were not born that way, they were fed a steady diet of hate and blame. 

Saul was an extremist, a zealot for God, he thought, until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and became Paul the apostle. Saul is perhaps the finest example of conversion we could imagine. His love of scripture was profound even if the strict teachings of Gamaliel missed the mark.

Now we have come to the crux of the matter, what does opinion have to do with truth?