I’m not a fan of social and genetic pre-determinism.
One of my frustrations over the last week was in interactions with someone who is attached to their inability to change because of what they refer to as ’social conditioning’. I’m not a fan of this mentality.
Too many people paint themselves into a corner as a victim of their social or genetic circumstances - while I don’t deny we all have certain ‘unchangables’ - often people use their social status or genetic tendancies as their primary reason for doing what they do.
The bottom line is the power of God has the ability to transform our behaviors - to prevail over our family dysfunctions, social status, and even our genetic predispositions. The unfortunate reality is most people will never appeal to the power of God to transform them. They will continue to use their life circumstances as an excuse for their behavior.
This is essentially a means of self-justification. It is becoming disturbing how even the legal system is becoming attached to these theories to the degree of claiming morally and legally deviant behavior as genetically pre-determined. For example: some people are just ‘born’ with a predatory instinct related to children. This is a rabbit-hole that ends in the depths of hell. Suddenly murder, theft, and adultery become genetic pre-dispositions - not choices made in a human heart. Human choice is removed from the picture and we all become victims of our genetic code or our socio-ecomonic milieu.
The irony in this is that those humanists who shout the loudest for ‘human rights to choose’ - are the same ones claiming that we really don’t have much of a choice. We’re simply ‘born’ to murder, steal or lie.
Of course, this is the natural state of the unrenewed mind, to submit to a harsh master, a ‘ba’al’. In this case the master is genetically hard-wired, relentless and exerting it’s power from within our own DNA. Talk about a bleak future. Of course, one of the biggest proponents of this type of determinism is quite infamous: Adolph Hitler. He claimed that the genetic code of the ‘Aryan race’ was the answer to our problems - while the genetic ‘deviations’ of the Jewish race were the source of all of socities’ ills. Is this really a path we want to start down?
Again, it is obvious there are many things that are not within our power to see changed; but this list is far smaller than more people wish. God has placed within us His Spirit - the very power of God that brought forth all of creation. The good news is that our family situation, where we were born, or our ‘genetic predispositions’ are not what primarily defines us. God is the one who names us, changes us, and has the Divine right to determine our identity. That is good news indeed in my opinion.
so do you mean to say our social genetics plays no role? you didn’t deny that there are ‘unchangeables’…but yet you went on to attack the idea that our genetics and social background play any role at all.
what about the ‘you become what you behold’ principle? where if you beheld such sins your entire life they have a since of normalcy…and not the taboo feeling that would in fact be normal? i agree with you on some level…but I feel that all that plays a huge role which is why Jesus died on a cross…and why the holy spirit dwells within. it’s for delieverance from the inevitable.
i’ll restate my sentence in the last paragraph: “it is obvious there are many things that are not within our power to see changed; but this list is far smaller than more people wish.”
many people choose to blame bad behavior (sin) on their circumstances - and ‘let themselves off the hook’ by saying - ‘it was inevitable, i was just ‘born’ this way or ‘raised’ this way.
the nature of redemption is that it transcends our circumstances and empowers us through grace to overcome our past, our ‘genes’ or our social situations.
I enjoyed this post…
I would definitely agree that everyone is without excuse no matter what has happened to them. Otherwise we make room for tolerating and perpetuating sins as if they are outside our free will. But I do think that one can then, in the light grace, unintentionally imply ‘magic pill’ notions. The ‘why aren’t you better yet, don’t you know Jesus died for you’ guilt trip which only works as long as that guilt can keep you going. It is friends, honesty and radical action initiated against areas of weakness that are the context for the out workings of grace. And for most people that takes time.
By the way (unashamedly): http://davidscoggan.wordpress.com/
It’s true… It seems like a fine line that you must walk with caution. All of us, without the saving knowledge of God and the mercy that transforms us, are products of our gender and circumstance. But when you truly bring it to the Lord and ask for help, He’ll bring restoration in a way that most people can’t fathom. Not forgetting where you’ve been or what you’ve endured, but using it. I don’t know who I would be if the Lord didn’t pull me out, but I know that without my upbringing and specific challenges I faced, I wouldn’t be who I am. The Lord flipped it… what the enemy meant for harm, the Lord has meant for good.
All just my humble opinion of course
Well said. God is eager to manifest his perfect character in our weak personalities. It’s always remarkable when i witness this happening to me. On another note, the point you raise is so true- that individuals do have a choice in what they do, and to a certain extent, who they are. But let’s even go as far as to say that an individual was ‘born with’ a certain tendency and that it could be proven that a certain genetic disposition exists- that person still has a choice to submit that sickness to the Lord and be healed.
It’s the same question that was asked Jesus: “Who sinned that this man was born blind?” The question was irrelevant in light of the fact that Jesus had come to heal him.
Kyle, I love the humanist irony you pointed out: guarding their right to choose while maintaining their inability to choose.
I’m thinking Romans 6: we were at one time “free” in regards to righteousness.
The reality of the human condition is that before Christ free will wasn’t working out so well for us as a race: we were dominated by sin and death. Our choice that resulted in deep bondage.
Kyle, I appreciate your perspective. My anger is no more, “who I am” than the burr stuck to my sock after a walk in the woods, assuming I actually walk in the woods.
I admit that change takes time. But some of the changes made would have been more quickly achieved if I embraced radical obedience, fell on the sword, and stopped playing around on the computer. Wait, that didn’t come out right…
Renee!! Great to see a comment from you!
Delighted to be here! I downloaded a timer widget, though, to keep me from complete non-productivity.(Spake the middle-child.)