My Opinion

The Greek of the New Testament seems to distinguish two kinds of opinion.

The first word translated as "opinion" is dialogismos in Romans 14:1. It's the word from which we get "dialogue;" as Strong's says, it denotes man's internal " '...back-and-forth reasoning' – reasoning that is self-based and therefore confused..." The word is more often interpreted in the New Testament as "reasonings;" but also "thoughts," "motives," "speculations," "doubts," "dissensions." It's frequently used of the teachers of the law who posed hostile questions to Jesus about His teachings.

(And indeed, His listeners were amazed that Jesus' teaching had none of this kind of opinion..."for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." Mark 1:22; also Matthew 7:29 and Luke 4:32. The near-contemporaneous Mishnah, first part of the Talmud, exemplifies the teachings of the scribes: "Rabbi Akiva taught...on the other hand, Reb Meir said..." Jesus taught no such human "reasonings:" and when the One Who IS "the Truth" affirmed Truth, His authority was manifest to His listeners.)

The second word translated as "opinion" is gnómé, in I Corinthians 7: 25 and 40, and II Corinthians 8:10. It is the usual Greek word for "to know:" as Strong's says, "...a personal opinion or judgment formed in (by) an active relationship, the result of direct ('first-hand') knowledge." The most frequent interpretation of the word is "judgement:" but it's also translated as "decision," "counsel," "view," "purpose."

As used in Romans, we are told to accept weak believers, but not for the purpose of judging their "opinions/reasonings." In the I and II Corinthians passages, Paul gives his "opinion/judgement" on marriage, and on making a collection for the saints.

The New Testament view of "opinion" is very much as we use the word today: that it's a (wo)man's personal view, from internal reasonings and personal experience. In view of Isaiah 55:8-9, opinion has to be deeply mistrusted, as man's thoughts rather than God's. But by Paul's usage (though "judgement" seems a better translation of the word he uses), we have to allow that "opinion," when one's personal thoughts have been transformed by personal experience of God, may be worth taking into account.

It's noteworthy, however, that in all his uses of "opinion" when writing to the Corinthian Church, Paul draws an explicit line. He makes a clear demarcation of "my judgement" (my emphasis), and goes so far as to remind readers that his "judgement" is "no command of the Lord."

With that scriptural understanding of "opinion:" what God tells us about "opinion:" I give my opinion, from personal experience. Sunday School is usually a place people go to spout their differing fleshly "reasonings." "Bible studies" likewise. To that extent, neither edifies the spirit of believers, or builds up the Church.