Grace and Truth
Bible Ministries

John 8:32; Gal 5:1; The doctrine of freedom part 9

In our study of the doctrine of freedom. John 8:32: Gal 5:1; We noted that positive volition to any aspect of God's Word of truth creates freedom because God imputes grace through the divine decree to bless positive volition wherever it is found. Lam 3:21-23; James 4:6;

We noted that Positive volition to divine establishment provides for temporal human freedom, positive volition toward the Gospel creates spiritual freedom and positive volition to Bible Doctrine creates experiential spiritual freedom and spiritual advance.

Since truth is the sine que non of freedom and since morality and virtue are the visible printout of truth we have taken a side trip into a study of the doctrines of morality and virtue.

We are now in our study of the doctrine of virtue and last time we were discussing the directional nature of virtue love. We noted that personal love toward man is normal, but not virtuous but personal love directed towards God and Jesus Christ is virtuous because God and Jesus Christ are perfect.

Personal love toward man falls into the categories of romance, friendship, and family love. All three are legitimate expressions of human love, but are absent intrinsic virtue because people fail.

Personal love toward man is virtue-dependent for its effectiveness. Confidence toward man can only be sustained where the virtue of confidence toward God exists to sustain it and protect it from disillusionment because of failure to meet expectations.

Personal love toward man can only be sustained where the virtue of impersonal love exists to provide integrity and honor to meet and resolve the problems of personal love.

Misdirected love therefore has no virtue in fact we must depend on virtue to guard love from disillusion. For virtue to exist in love, it must follow the right direction; personal love toward God and impersonal integrity love toward man.

The principle is that virtue only exists in personal love toward God and impersonal love toward man. Conversely impersonal love toward God is arrogance because it attempts to impose human standards on God.

Personal love for man intensifies the problems of human interaction, resulting in disillusion from the feet of clay syndrome that results in self-pity, jealousy, vindictiveness, implacability, revenge, and disappointment in the object of personal love.

The reason for this is that God is perfect and worthy of personal love, so that personal love toward God is never a basis for disillusion. Disillusion with God is blasphemy because perfect and immutable God never fails.

People are not perfect, and the few we fall in love with have weaknesses and flaws just like we have. Personal love will have disillusion unless there is virtue to sustain the one who is tempted to be disillusioned.

Personal love toward man therefore frequently becomes the tragic flaw. Personal love minus virtue establishes vulnerability to weakness that are manifested as sin, human good, and evil.

Personal love toward God is virtuous and depends on Bible doctrine for its development. Personal love toward man is non-virtuous, and depends on attraction, emotion, some kind of rapport, or mutual admiration for its function.

The key to avoiding misdirection of virtue is to remember that God is perfect and worthy of personal love, confidence and worship. Confidence, and personal love toward man results in vulnerability to the cosmic system from disappointment that results from failure to meet unrealistic expectations.

Without virtue manufactured from function in God's power system, there is disillusion about people, reaction to that disillusion through arrogant preoccupation with self and condemnation of the one who caused the disillusion. Isa 36:6;

Left unchecked, disillusion leads to reaction that leads to crusader arrogance, and the church becoming involved social engineering and political human solutions resulting distraction from God's plan and God's solutions that come from the communication of God's Word.

We must always remember that the Divine solution is the only solution and that the human solution is no solution.

Every believer must face a certain number of momentum tests in the area of personal animosity as well as collective injustice.

To maintain one's integrity in such circumstances requires confidence in God and courage toward man, worship toward God and morality toward man, personal love toward God and impersonal love toward man.

Response to God avoids reaction to mankind. Positive volition to doctrine avoids distraction and departure from the plan of God.

In a civilized society, where working to survive is not as much of a daily issue as in a primitive society, people have more time to be preoccupied with self, and to experience frustration and self-pity by failing the prosperity test. Jer 17:6;

Frustration occurs when one is defeated by one's own arrogant reaction to failure and rather than learning from failure in humble self evaluation arrogantly blaming others for it. 1Pet 5:5-7;

Most people are frustrated over situations and circumstances in which they have control through their own volition, but they use their free will to make bad decisions, thereby perpetuating their self-induced misery and frustration.

Through poor judgment and bad decisions and lack of wisdom that is acquired from Bible doctrine, believers manufacture their own frustrating circumstances as well as their own frustrating environment.

Without the motivating virtues that are directed toward God, frustration becomes a debilitating characteristic of the culture. The motivating virtues not only removes the frustration of the defeated believer, but actually replaces the frustration and unhappiness that comes from narcissistic preoccupation with capacity for life and contentment.

When frustration is permitted through residence in or prolonged function in the cosmic system, it results in total disorientation to life, self-induced misery, possession of the accouterments of happiness, but minus the actual happiness and blessing.

 

© Copyright 2007, Michael Lemmon Bible Ministries. World Rights Reserved.  This document was created on 3/9/2016