A simple question that is asked countless times every day: What do you think? It can be asked about anything: What do you think about the ball game? about the weather? about the assignment? about the debate? about my new car? about the chances of your team winning the championship? about the… Fill in the blank.

At the conclusion of this blog I might ask, “What do you think about my remarks?” I would be asking for your personal opinion, your thoughts, your insights, your suggestions, etc. The answer to the “What do you think?” question will be vastly different from person to person. For example, if you were to ask me “What do you think about the weather?”, my answer would be based on my personal preferences. My answer to that question is valid as long as we understand that personal preference is nothing more than one person’s opinion, and that answer is correct for the person giving the answer. However, someone else could be asked the same question and give a completely different answer.

That is perfectly fine. Personal opinions are simply that: PERSONAL OPINION. There is an endless supply of questions that can be answered with my own personal opinion, based on my own personal preferences.

But now, let’s get very specific. There are some things that need more than an answer based on my personal preferences and opinions. There are some questions that have two possible responses: the correct response, and the incorrect response. These questions should not be answered by personal preference, feeling, emotion, etc. A couple of examples will be sufficient to illustrate my point.

First, let’s think about the subject of abortion. Much has been said, written, and documented on this subject. There are those who identify themselves as pro-choice, and others as pro-life. Those are two very broad, encompassing terms that are then explained in a variety of ways. It is all a matter of personal preference – right? I would suggest that it is not a matter of personal preference at all.

My answer to this question is based on a source of authority, a standard, which is authoritative in its own right: the Bible. The subject of abortion is not directly mentioned in Scripture, but it is clearly alluded to. However, before we discuss the subject of abortion, let’s think for a moment about life. The Bible is crystal clear on the subject of human life: God created man (and woman) in His own image. Every individual human being bears the image of God. Life is a gift of God, and every life begins at the moment of conception, according to Scripture. The Bible teaches clearly that every child is formed in the womb by the intricate work of Almighty God. As the psalmist says, we are fearfully and wonderfully made, being “woven” in the womb by God Himself. Of course I realize there are many who would argue vehemently against what I have just written, and they would say that I am only stating my opinion, and that they have just as much right to their opinion as do I.

But, there is a big difference here. My opinion is not based on my personal preferences, but rather on the teachings of God’s word. Therefore I am not stating simply what I believe, but what the Bible teaches. Every human being is fearfully and wonderfully made, being created in the image of God Himself. Therefore, there is something intrinsically valuable in every human life. To end that life – while in the womb, partially out of the womb, or completely out of the womb – is an abomination according to the Bible. So, on this subject, we might debate forever our personal beliefs, but when we turn to the Bible as our source of authority we are faced with facts that must be considered in our final determination.

Let’s think about another social hot topic: biological sexuality. Once again turning to Scripture, we are taught clearly that God created male and female, and that both bear His image. There are clear biological differences between male and female. There is never any question in the mind of the doctor who delivers a baby as to what sex that baby is: there are only two choices. God made man, and God made woman. Period. That is not personal opinion or preference. That is biological, anatomical fact.

In our present societal and cultural climate, there are those who are striving to remove all terminology relative to biological sexuality. They want to be referred to as “they, them, us, or we,” but never “he, him, or her.” Now, granted, I am perfectly fine with looking at a crowd of people and referring to that group as “them”, but that is simply a generic term for everyone in the group. However, if I were to refer to individual persons in the group, I would refer to each one with a pronoun that identified their sexuality – he or she, him or her.

Is that my personal opinion? I suppose some would say that it is, but I would submit that it is a fact based on biological evidence of their sexuality. And that is based on the clear, concise, concrete teachings of the word of God.

There are so many other social hot topics we could consider, but for the sake of time and space I will allow these two to suffice. You see, there are many subjects we could discuss and simply share our personal opinions. We could very easily both be right, based on our personal preferences. For example, I could make the statement that it is a miserably hot and humid day, while someone else might say that it is a perfect weather day. Who’s right? Both are, because they are giving their personal opinion based on their personal preferences.

But those things really don’t matter, do they? If you love hot weather, and I detest hot weather, then we are both right in our assessment based on our preference. However, when it comes to other subjects, such as those discussed above, then there is a right response and a wrong response. You can ask what I think about those subjects, but when it comes to the clear teachings of Scripture, there is absolute truth concerning these matters.

So, what do you think? I would love to hear from you about your “opinion” on these matters. Have a blessed day!