Daniel 3:17-18
“If it is so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.”
This passage is from the book of Daniel, written likely in the 6th century BCE during the Babylonian exile. It features three young Jewish men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—who are speaking to King Nebuchadnezzar after refusing to worship a golden idol he had erected. Their response comes as they face an immediate death sentence by being thrown into a fiery furnace.
What does it mean to hold a conviction so deeply that its truth does not depend on a particular outcome?