An individual consists of an âme (A French word for spirit-soul, heart or essence), a subtle body (the fluidic envelope) and a physical body.
An individual is under God’s providence[1] and thus has constraints placed put upon his or her freedom. The individual:
1. Is born into a body and subjected to its weaknesses.
2. Has a physical constitution subject to genetics.
3. Is subject to the Laws of Nature for the world the individual is in.
4. Is born at a particular time and place and is exposed to cultural influences, education and wealth outside of the individual’s control.
5. Has his own unique Law placed into him by God that corresponds to God’s Law.
Now the following is said to be true,
“Good, for each man, is the accomplishment of his own law. Evil is that which is opposed to his own law. Every human being has only one law, which is related to the primary Law of Good, which is One.”
Thus within the âme, I contend, there is something metaphysically called “the mind” and “the heart”. Now the bible says the Law will be put into the “the mind” and written onto “the heart”.
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.” (Heb 8:10)
Figure 1 summarises schematically the metaphysical anatomy of a properly functioning human individual. Sadly, few are like this, as we like the moral ability to follow God’s Law. In a functioning individual desires arise at any one moment from any of the following sources:
1. An external impulse.
2. The emotions.
3. The requirements of the Law.
4. The Mind.
Competing desires come from multiple sources at any one time (we are beings that function within Time). Desires can arise internally within the âme and from the physical body, naturally and cyclically, e.g. the desire to eat. Once the desire is sated, the cycle starts again.
The Mind suppresses desires that are inappropriate due to reflection, experience and reason. It is the application of the Mind to suppressing desires that choice can be said to occurs. Jonathan Edwards [1] defines the will as “the mind choosing”.
Figure 1: The anatomy of a "pure individual"
Jonathan Edwards’ thesis [1] in his ‘Freedom of the Will’ is that we are free to choose that which we most desire. Gerstner [2] summarised Edwards as follows:
“Your choices as a rational person are always based on various considerations or motives that are before you at the time. Those motives have a certain weight with you, and the motives for and against reading a book, for example, are weighed in the balance of your mind; the motives that outweigh all others are what you, indeed, choose to follow. You, being a rational person, will always choose what seems to you to be the right thing, the wise thing, the most advisable thing to do. If you choose not to do the right thing, the advisable thing, the thing that you are inclined to do, you would, of course, be insane. You would be choosing something that you did not choose. You would find something preferable that you did not prefer. But you, being a rational and sane person choose something because it seems to you the right, proper, good, advantageous thing to do.”
No one is naturally inclined towards God. We hate God by nature. We have the natural ability to please him but we lack the moral ability. Our nature has to be changed if we are to seek God and do what he pleases.
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.
Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.
The venom of asps is under their lips.
Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.
There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Rom. 3:10-18)
How is our nature changed? It requires God’s intervention:
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (Ezekiel 36:25-27)
Once our natures are changed the battle to live out of the Law of God written on our Hearts and put into our Minds begins.
References
1. Jonathan Edwards, The Great Christian Doctrine of Original Sin Defended, in Jonathan Edwards, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, 10th ed., 2 vols. (Edinburgh/Carlisle, Penn: Banner of Truth, 1979, 1:1)
2. John H. Gerstner, A Primer on Free Will (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1982) p.4-5.
[1] All things are in accord with God’s law and Plan,
“The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the LORD weighs the spirit.
Commit your work to the LORD,
and your plans will be established.
The LORD has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.
…
The heart of man plans his way,
but the LORD establishes his steps.
…
The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the LORD.” (Prov. 16)
The Martinist Pentacle 