The Hazards of Negative Volition
The Apostle Paul issued a stern warning to mature Christian believers
living at Ephesus when he told them to beware of falling into
a state of indifference to, or antagonism to, the Word of God.
He stated that if they were to become to become negative to the
Lord's teachings, their lives would very quickly become indistinguishable
from those of unbelievers in terms of fruitfulness and Christian
character.
Ephesians 4:17-19, "This I say, therefore, and testify in
the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk,
in the vanity (emptiness) of their minds, having the understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who
being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness,
to work all uncleanness with greediness."
The "darkness" referred to in these verses begins with
a negative disposition toward the Word of God. This volitional
decision not to follow the Scriptures leads immediately to a breakdown
in the faith system of understanding divine viewpoint. There is
a cessation in the spiritual growth process; and there is actually
a total reversal in progress in the Christian life (backsliding,
or reversion).
As a result of the lack of divine viewpoint in the soul, the negative
person begins to entertain human standards, human criteria, human
doctrine, human programs -- these things, plus the full gamut of
Satanic doctrine, are substituted for the plan of God. These further
result in subjectivity, unhappiness, and deep frustration in trying
to live by techniques which do not work.
These conditions lead to a frantic search for happiness through
details of life such as riches, friendships, possessions, human
approbation, personal influence and power, and so forth. The believer
on this treadmill is a slave to these details of life rather than
being a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. While the believer thus
engaged is still "in Christ" positionally, he is actually
no better off that an unbeliever as far as this life is concerned.
In fact, he is destined to be far unhappier than the unbeliever,
as will be be shown in the following paragraphs.
The time, energy, and emotional commitments to this person's search
for happiness lead to further isolation from the teachings of
the Word of God. He is spending maximum effort to find happiness
through other means. Thus, the very method for reversing the downward
trend is ignored.
During this process, neuroses and psychoses are being developed,
aggravated by the self-induced misery which accompanies chronic
and unmitigated sins of the mind such as pride, jealousy, envy,
vindictiveness, worry, fear, mental adultery, implacability, and
the like, from which there is no relief outside of the plan of
God.
Because of these sin patterns, divine discipline is compounded
daily. This believer has a horrible life composed of his own failures,
doubled and re-doubled chastisement, his self-induced unhappiness,
and the fact that he has no defense against the attacks of Satan
and his demons. His "righteousness" (-r) has replaced
the righteousness (+R) of God. This whole miserable situation
is avoidable, as you will see with further study.