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Frank Allnutt
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The Ways of the Heart In conducting the examination, we will consider the six biblical perspectives: the positional, ontological, relational, conditional, functional, and behavioral. We examined some of the positional and ontological issues related to Adamic man in book one of our study, and now we will build on our findings, following an outline based on my 13M Spiritual Heart Examination:
Figure 2-1:
Personhood in Adamic man, while corrupted by sin inherited from Adam, still possesses the God-like features of selfhood, individuality, sense of morality, and perpetuity. Because he possesses the Godly feature of self-expression, he has a strong creative or achieving drive. He is able, within the limitations of his fallen state of being and unregenerate spiritual heart condition, to make limited intellectual moral discernment between good and evil (but not spiritual discernment) because God writes His law on the heart or conscience of every person (Romans 2:14, 15). But, as we will see further on, Adamic man has limited ability to do good, as God recognizes good, and is predisposed to yield to sinful motivations. He is also capable of feeling and expressing erotic love and brotherly love, but not Godly love (agape), for this is a spiritual gift given only to believers (1 Corinthians 13). 2. Maturity Part of conformity is meeting a variety of standards or expectations of one’s peer group. While those standards vary greatly from group to group, in the United States we have seen moral standards swing like a pendulum from conservatism to liberalism over the past several decades. Some social scientists call his phenomenon “relativism.” The Bible calls it “sin.” What is widely considered morally acceptable by many people today—lying, sexual relations outside of marriage, homosexuality, drug use, gambling, and many other addictions—were considered immoral by most people a few decades ago. Some Adamic people might strive for moral or spiritual maturity through many varieties of humanistic religions and philosophies, but they cannot truly mature spiritually because they have unregenerate spiritual hearts—spiritually dead hearts that are separated from God, and are therefore incapable of true spiritual growth or development. God refers to such a heart as a “heart of stone” (Ezekiel 36:26). 3. Mind set What is the mind set of Adamic man? Ask people what is foremost on their mind and you will probably receive a different answer from each of them. However, in the case of generic Adamic man, we will consider what the Bible reveals about his dominating thoughts. Not surprisingly, they are rooted in his basic needs. All people are born with the motivation to survive—to meet their biological, emotional, and social needs and desires. Among those are the desires to feel good about oneself, to be free, and to create and achieve. How to satisfy those desires naturally occupy the Adamic person’s mind. He has a self-centered mind set. All of us, at some time in our life, ponder these four familiar philosophical questions:
The search for identity Self-concepts can be based on physical appearance and ability, intelligence, career, wealth, possessions, social status, and so on. Those who are more introspect attempt to “get in touch with their true inner selves” through a plethora of philosophies, pop psychology, and metaphysical, mystical, and humanistic religious tenets. Few consult the Bible, and when they do, most reject its teachings about the natural person—that he is a fallen creature, separated from God, controlled by sin, and is destined for hell. That is not how Adamic people wish to view themselves. They endlessly look for confirmation that they are someone greater and better off than they really are. Many Adamic people believe humans are no more than a highly evolved animal species. And there are a number of interesting extremes: Some find satisfaction in believing they are reincarnated animals or persons of great physical beauty, talent, fame, or influence; a few even believe they are super intelligent extraterrestrial beings in human bodies. It comes down to this: Adamic man tends to regard as truth and reality what he wants to be truth and reality. The natural person is an “old man” “in Adam” Adamic man’s depraved heart
Though Adamic man has a depraved heart, he is not totally depraved, for he is naturally endowed with moral discernment, and can conduct himself with common morality. This is because God has written His moral law on the hearts of all people (Romans 2:15). His behavior might conform to “the letter of the law,” but cannot fulfill “the spirit of the law,” because that can only be accomplished by the Christian who exercises his spiritual gift of love to obey God. Section 2, Page: 1 2 3 4 Next > Section Index > Click here for further reading on this web site as well as available books, booklets and DVDs. |
