What's the Origin of and Solution to Internal Conflict?

Let us start off with my understanding of the biblical worldview regarding internal conflict.

The biblical perspective, as I understand it is, that the heart is the center of everything that makes us human. This heart of man though is under the curse of sin. Therefore a biblical worldview stems from the premise that we are all born under the curse of sin. In the natural man this turns our heart inward, twisting even the best of intentions to be centered on what can be gained personally.

In the biblical worldview this is overcome by Christ’s sacrifice bridging the gap imposed by sin between God and man. By coming under the sacrifice of Christ a person is given access to a new nature through the Holy Spirit which is others focused and centers not on a mans heart being prompted but on the teaching of Christ and a relationship with the Father through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Though a Christian is given salvation and a new nature in Christ, they are still fallen and therefore in constant conflict between the old nature and our new one.

Taking the above into account, both the Bible and psychology agree that conflict originates internally from the person. Any similarities appear to stop at this point. Popular psychology asserts, in contrast with scripture, that internal conflict not only originates internally, but can be solved internally as well by a person helping themselves by appealing to thier individual psychological needs.

This view seems to recall the old adage "Physician heal thyself." Like a physician who would need external assistance to operate on a personal problem, the individual must have external assitance to deal with internal points of struggle such as addiction, phobia, and moral descision making.

A biblical worldview, however, says that the strength to put aside the old or selfish nature of a person originates externally based on what is allowed to flow into the heart. It is then that our hearts can be a “well spring of life”.

Florida has changed the way it does capitol punishment. Should the death penalty be abolished or amended?

In light of Florida's decision regarding court procedure we have an opportunity to open a conversation about capitol punishment and its role in modern day. Here is my brief opinion and some resources for consideration to get the brain gears turning.

The question being asked is "Should the death penalty be abolished rather than amended?"

No. I maintain that the death penalty is warranted in certain instances by law, the constitution, christian morality, and cultural preservation. 

Instances of Law- http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/federal-laws-providing-death-penalty

The Constitution- http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment8.html

Christian Morality- http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/05/01/why-christians-should-support-the-death-penaltyMorality- http://academic.regis.edu/jriley/capunish.htm

Cultural Preservation- (here i found a parallel argument on societal retribution) http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001004

If the threat of death has, in fact, stayed the hand of many a would be murderer, and we abolish the death penalty, we will sacrifice the lives of many innocent victims whose murders could have been deterred. But if, in fact, the death penalty does not deter, and we continue to impose it, we have only sacrificed the lives of convicted murderers. Surely it's better for society to take a gamble that the death penalty deters in order to protect the lives of innocent people than to take a gamble that it doesn't deter and thereby protect the lives of those who are willing to fulfill thier own desires regardless of the cost, thereby risking the lives of innocents. If grave risks are to be run, it's better that they be run by those judged guilty by a jury of thier peers, not the innocent. - from "Capitol Punishment: Our duty or Our Doom?"

Colosians 3:1-11 followed by Personal Thoughts.

Colosians 3:1-11

1If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.

7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self4 with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,5 free; but Christ is all, and in all.

My reflection on Colosians 3:1-11:

We all struggle with something. Temptations, regret, past hurts, ongoing life issues, etc.

Though we war against our old nature, we who are in Christ have a new nature and the strength of the Holy Spirit on which to draw.

Why does the Bible say to set our minds on the things above? It is because our path to Christian maturity is one we take on purpose. Once we come to a point where we know we are sinners, cannot save ourselves from the wrath of a perfect and holy God, and are in need of a saviour we are given Jesus as Gods solution to restore the relationship between His creation and Himself.

We have been raised to walk in newness of life. Christ is seated because the act of salvation is complete. For those of us in Christ our sins are forgiven even as we fight against our old nature and must live with sins consequences in this life. We must remind ourselves that our old ways are dead within and strive to live and set our eyes above to heavenly things.

We are reminded in these verses of the things and attitudes in which we based our lives before Christ. This is not to shame us for having once walked in these things, but to encourage us to look to Christ, to His sacrifice, teachings, and life, to find thier opposite. We put on the mantle of Christ and have taken on a new nature, as a new creation. Shielded from Gods wrath by the permanent sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

We are therefore no longer identified by our past sin nor should christians be labled by the things we participated in before christ renewed us.

Once we sinners repent of our sin and become christians, as in verse 11, the blood of Jesus and the label of Christ Follower must supercede any labels or identifiers resulting from our past sin.

When we look at fellow Christians we should no longer see Joe/Jane the Adulterer/Felon/Murderer/Thief/Homosexual/Con/Addict/Abuser/Etc.. but we should strive to only see Joe/Jane Follower of Christ. We are not who we once were but have been renewed by Jesus Christ who now advocates for us at the right hand of the Father.