Nothing happens automatically in the Christian life.
Christians learning to THINK. Critical Thinking.
Critical thinking gives due consideration to the evidence, the context of judgment, the relevant criteria for making the judgment well, the applicable methods or techniques for forming the judgment, and the applicable theoretical constructs for understanding the problem and the question at hand. Critical thinking employs not only logic but broad intellectual criteria such as clarity, credibility, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, significance and fairness. Definition
Thinking is often casual and informal, whereas critical thinking deliberately evaluates the quality of thinking. SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT AND DISCIPLINE
Understand that spiritual discernment means being ready to admit to weakness or limitation in that very gift; being willing to abandon “shortcuts” in return for the demanding spiritual disciplines that produce lasting fruit; and resisting the temptation to judge the hearts of others.
Lloyd-Jones makes a great point in the quote below. The only thing I would add is that many people today think that simple preaching of doctrine will automatically lead to a transformed life. Lloyd-Jones is right when he says we must be taught to think. We need practical guidance to help us apply the wondrous truths of the gospel, or we will remain stunted and immature Christians. Where is the preaching that will help us live as Christians?
NOTHING HAPPENS AUTOMATICALLY IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
Nothing happens automatically in the Christian life. That is a very profound principle, for I believe that most of our troubles arise from the fact that we tend to assume that they do happen automatically.
We persist in holding on to a semi-magical notion of regeneration which teaches that, because of what has happened to us, the rest of the story is, quite simply, ‘they all lived happily ever after’.
But of course we know that that is not true . . .Obviously the antidote to that is• to think,
• to have an understanding,
• to reason the thing out thoroughly.
The world does not do that. The trouble with the world, ultimately, according to the teaching of the Bible, is that it does not think. If only people thought, most of their problems would be solved . . .
The fallacy of the humanist is, of course, that he believes that all you have to do therefore is to tell people to think. But as long as they are sinners they will not think. (As our study in Romans 1 tell us, I have added)) These elemental forces are so much stronger than the rational forces that ‘man in sin’ is always irrational.
When we become Christians we still need to enforce this self-same principle. Even the Christian does not think automatically; he has to be taught to think—hence the New Testament .
Why were they ever written? If a man who becomes a Christian automatically does the right thing, why did the Apostle ever have to write these epistles? Or if you can receive your sanctification as one act, one blessing, why were these epistles ever written? Here they are, full of reason, full of argument, full of demonstrations, full of analogies and comparisons. Why? In order to teach us how to think, in order to teach us how to work these things out, and how to gain understanding.
David Martyn. Lloyd-Jones, Life in the Spirit in Marriage, Home & Work : An Exposition of Ephesians 5:18 to 6:9 (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1974, c1973), 209.Sanctification happens in our life as Philippians 2:12-13 tell us, but as I have said, we have to put forth the effort to think on the spiritual things of the Word of God and then God gives us the will to do His will for His good pleasure.
