Self Forgiveness
otherwise called
Personal Convictions
By Pastor G. Reckart
Copyright 2007 All Rights ReservedMany years ago between 1955 and 1960 I was introduced to the Pentecostal doctrine called "Personal Convictions." I was quite young then but this one doctrine became a weekly discussion in our Church and between my Pastor and other Pastors and Churches. Here is the way I understood this doctrine:
1.) Personal conviction was the feeling a person had when they believed something was sinful and therefore wrong to do as a Christian.
2.) Personal convictions could vary between different people. One could say they were convicted by their inner feeling that something was sinful and wrong while another person could say they were not convicted and the item in question was not sinful or wrong. This birthed in our own church double standards. One live this way and another lived a different way. The Pastor himself believed in personal convictions but to my knowledge never used them to permit anything that was sinful or wrong. Pastor C.M. Eby was a devout holiness man of God and he never used this doctrine to grant liberty to sinful or wrong behaviour. To his credit and loving memory, he opposed the use of personal conviction to allow sinful or wrong behaviour. I can remember the issue of jewelry quite well. Our Pastor preached against all forms of jewelry including rings (wedding also). He preached against wrist watches, jewelry cuff-links for french cuffs, the fancy swaging gold chains of pocket watches, tie clasps, and other pins and broaches. There was no jewelry whatsoever in the church worn by members who came under his spiritual cover. But neighboring Pentecostal churches in Morgantown and other cities allowed all of this.
I can remember going to fellowship meetings and looking at the other Pastors and ministers sitting on the platform all decked out with gold flashing everywhere in their short sleeves. My Pastor was there a plain Godly man. And if I might boast of him, when he stood to preach or exhort he had more anointing and a move of the Holy Ghost then any of the others. They were more into image, pulpit poodles, and show, and when they spoke it was almost like hearing a Methodist preacher give his sermon. Little anointing and little move of the Holy Ghost. I cannot say that wearing or not wearing jewelry was totally the key here but I believe it played an important part in a doctrine that did play a key role. That doctrine was "personal conviction." Those who flashed their jewelry and made sure their sleeves came up above their wrist watches, had other personal convictions that to me watered down and attacked holiness standards. The difference was what they called their "inner feelings." They did not believe some things were sin and wrong so they not only did them, the Pastors and other Ministers allowed them. Between Pentecostal Apostolic Churches there were double standards and in the case of those who liberalize with this doctrine, there came to be NO STANDARDS AT ALL!
3.) Personal convictions were used to remove standards from a person's life and from the Church. A person would say: "I just don't feel it in my heart." What ever they were not convicted of they did. They allowed. They would not judge as sinful or wrong. Fact is they refused to be convicted. They rejected the Word of God. I heard it over the years "do not judge me." Or they would say: "judge not lest ye be judged." And at last I heard it said: "pick out the beam in your own eye before you try to pull the splinter out of mine." The beam was holiness standards and the splinter was worldliness. Quite a contrast! I saw some pretty steamy and hot arguments. My Pastor was a Godly and smart man. He would stand up and take criticism. He would take their personal attacks although hurt in his soul. He would end conversations when they rose to the level of hatred and he being personally attacked. He was so wise and so intelligent he could put to silence his gainsayers but chose to let them go on their way. I learned something from this Pastor who is now dead and gone to his reward. He put into my soul that a person can only live the level of spirituality they achieve and no more. What he put into my soul is that many are fully dedicated to the Lord in holiness and righteousness and some will live on the fringe of holiness and try to get as close to the world as they can. These are the ones who bring in the world and compromise with sin. They will say things that are sin are not sin. In this way Churches came into existence with standards and without standards. Now the organizations had a problem. Pastors and Ministers who were members were arguing and fighting among themselves over standards or no standards. Out of this was born the philosophical statement of religious science:
"We will not contend for our different views to the disunity of the body, but will endeavor to keep the bond of peace until we all come into the unity of the faith."
This is the creed of men in the Pentecostal organizations that birthed Laodicaea. Condemnation neatly removed and silenced. Materialism and backsliding was protected by official dictate and dogma. The mouths of prophets were gaged and silenced for fear having their license revoked or not renewed. In 1966 this caused over 300 ministers to depart from the UPC and form the Apostolic Ministers Fellowship. But time has now revealed that what the AMF desired would die when the great men who stood and came out were unsuccessful to birth a generation of Pastors and Ministers who would hold their virtues and values. Now, some 41 years later we see the doctrine of personal convictions still eating away at the Apostolic foundations like a cancer. Murray Burr is dead but he put into me a faith that I shall not fail to maintain. Organizational politics will destroy the Jesus name movement and bring it down to the curse of Laodicaea and laity rule. No prophet of his caliber has risen out of the AMF or its successor ACI. The UPC certainly has had no prophets of this caliber. Laity rule over the Church and liberal Bible school graduate Pastors who love worldliness have given us three generations of rebels whose personal convictions have allowed all the world to come into the ranks in one form or another. They shut the door on Jesus and he remains on the outside of Laodicaea knocking to get back in. But there is no man among them who can hear his voice, open the door, and let him back in. Laodicaea is a Christless cursed religious church order. They have their body in unity but they have backslidden from all resemblances of holiness and the faith they once claim they loved. Today there is unity not of faith but of allowing sin.
My Pastor said that in these churches there are people at different levels of spirituality and among themselves there are varied personal convictions so that to go among them you will see holiness, little holiness, and no holiness. According to my Pastor each of these in their different levels of spirituality will judge themselves based upon their own level of dedication to God. Little dedication little personal convictions. Much dedication much personal conviction. It is these who will be the ones to come out from among them. The others, born into a church after two generations of compromise will know no greater spirituality then what they were born into. This is their life and this they will defend and not grow in faith out of. So, my Pastor was correct, those with no personal convictions against sin are the ones who will produce Laodicaea and the great falling away.
The final twist to this perversion of personal convictions is the accompanying doctrine of self-forgiveness. When a person allows sin and wrong and claims they are not convicted of it, they are saying they do not have enough Holy Ghost to convict them. So they are at best luke warm, certainly not hot for God. To take away the guilt of sin they will claim they have a right to forgive themselves. Thus, self-forgiveness will make sin ok and acceptable. They forgive themselves of their sins and dare anyone to question this unbiblical practice. These do not need the blood of Jesus to wash away their sin. To even admit they do would clearly prove to them they cannot forgive themselves it takes the blood of Jesus. But self-forgiveness needs no blood of Jesus. Since there is no need of the blood of Jesus there is no need for repentance. Right here, sin becomes accepted. Personal convictions are justified. There is no guilt. The mind has been seared with a hot iron. And a people come forth who are like Sardis, have a name that they live but are dead.
What of this doctrine of self-forgiveness? Rev. C.G. said he forgave himself for becoming a homosexual. He did not need God's forgiveness. He did not even need the forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. He became a catholic priest unto himself. He gave himself absolution and forgiveness. Now he can stand eye to eye, nose to nose, and yell in the face of a Man of God who would condemn himand say: I AM NOT A SINNER! I have forgiven myself and I am no longer guilty of any sin, homosexuality is not a sin unto me because I am not personally convicted of it. Having forgiven myself I am above condemnation and conviction. I do not need anyone's acceptance. I have accepted myself and this justifies me. I am no longer in bondage to performance religion.
Self-forgiving is:
Accepting yourself as a person who will decide what is and what is not sin.
Rejecting conviction and guilt for sins calling this performance religion.
No longer needing repentance, sorrow, or regret over some act or deed and calling such "works-religion."
The act of self love after you have done something others consider sin.
Giving yourself grace and mercy killing all thoughts of failure to live by a holiness standard.
Refusing to allow others to condemn you claiming salvation by self-forgiveness.This is all modern philosophy, the science of religious gobblygook.
Self-forgiveness is not found in the Word of God.
Personal convictions are not found in the Word of God.
The standards of holiness living are found in the Word of God.
When cigarette smokers, snuff dippers, beer drinkers, dope smokers, homosexuals, adulterers, fornicators, and freemasons, can sit in Pentecostal churches and be accepted because these are entitled to their personal convictions: those congregations are bound by the devil. We should go into these dens of iniquity and take out of the fires of hell as many as we can save.
We who believe in the Bible standard of holiness will swear to no such above creed. We will not believe or practice the false doctrines of personal convictions or self-forgiveness.
That is why we HAVE COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM!
That is why we ARE A SEPARATED PEOPLE!
That is why we ARE NOT LAODICAEA!
This is why we ARE THE PEOPLE OF GOD!
For without holiness no man shall see the Lord.
You can email me click here: Pastor G. Reckart