11/29/23 I think that when a person is asked a question deserving them to be honest, like a questions deserving a Is-this-right-or wrong response, then it is typical for the person to have some system of thought they resource in regards to making decisions. Some standard has to be in place conciously or unconciously, a standard (associated with their identity) they consult for these decisions.
Why Do We Choose The Things We Choose
Sometimes, it seems a person’s upbringing incredibly affects how they will respond, and sometimes the potential is there for a decision to be made in faith because of the eternal work of the Holy Spirit. A person might think that the latter sounds lame, but the Holy Spirit Himself can keep a person in a way of choosing right over wrong, by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Being born again is the only reason why we would want to naturally and consistently choose the right!) I have observed the idea communicated that some people seem to be “wired” like their parents are in their decisions, and I know I have felt this before. There is gotta be some truth to that for minor things, and other results are attributed to a person’s life based on the decisions they make every day. There is also teaching is prevalent in Christianity, (and rightly so) on generational blessings and curses. Of course, a person’s environment also affects the way that they respond due to how they are taught, what circumstances they are faced with, and how valuable they consider the conscience-requiring decision to be that faces them at a given time. I wager that a person’s soul cannot be separated from many of the decisions we make every given day!
Not Naturally Altruistic
It could be that without the Holy Spirit, at best I could only make decisions that would benefit me in some way. So, therefore, I don’t have any true altruism. Then again, if I were real smart, maybe I would try to help others so that there could be something to reap out of it, if I connived it that way. Now I wasn’t intending to talk in philosophical circles, but did want to enhance the idea that there is a lot of thought given to the way people makes their choices. Some of the everyday choices are small and are pushed under the rug or are so routine that a person doesn’t have to “think twice” about which tie to wear or which coffee cup to use. And then there is much of our volition or will that goes into other decisions, made by a larger requirement. For example, could it be that a choosing of a husband or wife takes more thought and will than choosing what is your preferred outfit, or how much ice cream to eat!. I would wager that will-requiring-larger-impact-decisions, automatically lead to those that more effort and self-will is invested in. There has to be more thought put into making those. This is reasonable, that is, for them to be reasoned through, because they deal with how much a person is affected long term.
Clean Conscience Leads to Tender Hearts
I have seen phenomena where when a person’s conscience is tender, they can give and receive of the Holy Spirit, and have an awakeness and an alertness to the things of God. They also are alive to the needs of their family in the Lord, and alive/quickened to be able to help their neighbor. On the other side of things, a person can dull their conscience quickly and drastically if they make decisions continually in a poorly managed effort, or if they knowingly choose against the wisdom of the Bible, or persist in rebellion against God’s people, or if they choose one big time really poor decision (like robbing a bank, or murdering someone). When a person acts against their conscience it is usually because they are poorly informed, influenced by men rather than God, have spiritual weakness, or simply mess up! Who knows – there are surely many reasons?! But the issue is, and stays, that eventually the conscience is dealt with on a serious level for a person before they die, some time in the journey of their life.
Many people trying to start their walk with the Lord, having been “born from above”, are very new to the idea of living and keeping a clean conscience. John, Jesus’ best friend testified that we are “children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:13). I have to admit, I’ve been in churches my whole life, and there’s not a whole lot of direct teaching on it specifically using words like “conscience” and “volition”. When I was born again, I was taught that I needed to stay “squeaky clean”, and though there wasn’t teaching on “conscience” as a word, the Word was dealing with my conscience every day! When God deals with our conscience, he deals directly our our spirit, my spirit – Rebekah, this is good or this is bad. He’s dealing with me on a personal level, so that I can be taken care of (Psalms 23:2). As a spiritual babe, I became more tender as I sought to stay clean in my spirit, and that comes from staying clean in your mind and decision-maker faculty.
Wives – “Be Washed”!
We’re instructed as wives in the Christian way that we are to be sanctified to God by our husbands helping us. “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church” (Ephesians 5:22-23). Jesus is referred to as the head of the church, and the husband the head of the wife, and though our hearts are what counts, our heads are where we make our conscience choices. Therefore, we have to be straightened out by Lord, our husbands, and I mean that in non-defeat-ism! I mean that our husbands would care for us enough to see that we have peace with God from a clean conscience. I believe that though the word “conscience” is not used in these verses, this is what Apostle Paul could imply when he “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleaning her by the washing with water through the word” (Ephesians 5:25-26). When we are washed with the water through the word, that’s a cleansing that comes to us by getting our thinking correct, based on what we know Jesus teaches us, the Bible teaches us about life. Though this passage from Ephesians 5 is about husbands and wives in theory, I believe it could be applied to unmarried women as well, who devote themselves to the care of their Lord, in singleness of heart, as pure virgins unto him, as well! If we are to be without blemish, it will be because we applied the blood of Jesus to our sins once they are repented (1 John 1:9), and I believe that is the way to a clean conscience!
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 NIV).
The Holy spirit came into the word to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He was the gift sent to the believers when Jesus had to ascend into Heaven. That same convicting element of the Holy Spirit can lead us to seeing the truth of our own condition so that the Lord can deal with us on a personal level. This strengthens us in our identity in God!
By asking God for help daily to be formed into the likeness of His Son, in our spirit-man, we have to receive from the Holy Spirit, and all we have to is ask!
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” ~Jesus Luke 11:13
Rebekah's Reflections 