Motive

[Guest]

.... If anyone wants to know how they are doing, they must look into their heart and check their motives and not their actions, thoughts or feelings ....

Well

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Jeremiah 17:8

God Knows

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

And We Have His Word

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psalms 119:11

On It Too

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Psalms 23:1-3

Trust

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Him

I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

John 10:14

And Be Blessed Beloved Of The KING

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Romans 8:15

Love, Your Brother Joe

[Openly Curious]

'JCISGD' date='Jan 9 2010,

What provoked me to post this topic, was the predominate replies that fail to notice that motive is the decider of right and wrong, with the exception of having good motive but doing nothing to attempt carrying it out, or doing something wrong while thinking it right. The thing remains wrong even if the motive be right.

I disagree that motive is the decider of right and wrong. For it is "God" who has decided for us what is right and wrong and his will is found in the word of the Lord. It is up to us as individuals to learn what the will of God is.

If we fall into temptation it has nothing to do with what kind of motive we have it is whether we have the strength or weakness to withstand temptation that Satan brings into our lives in order to cause us to stumble and fall it has nothing to do with motive.

Even when you speak of a murderer who takes someone's life, yes the murderer does have a motive for why they took someone's life. But it started way before the motive came into place. The one who did the murder was tempted by Satan as he persisting working on their sinful nature and the person gave in to the temptation and murdered someone.

Temptation comes before sins are committed and motives do not decide what is right and wrong.

James 1:2-18

Resist the devil and he will flee from you

[JCISGD]

'JCISGD' date='Jan 9 2010,

What provoked me to post this topic, was the predominate replies that fail to notice that motive is the decider of right and wrong, with the exception of having good motive but doing nothing to attempt carrying it out, or doing something wrong while thinking it right. The thing remains wrong even if the motive be right.

I disagree that motive is the decider of right and wrong. For it is "God" who has decided for us what is right and wrong and his will is found in the word of the Lord. It is up to us as individuals to learn what the will of God is.

If we fall into temptation it has nothing to do with what kind of motive we have it is whether we have the strength or weakness to withstand temptation that Satan brings into our lives in order to cause us to stumble and fall it has nothing to do with motive.

Even when you speak of a murderer who takes someone's life, yes the murderer does have a motive for why they took someone's life. But it started way before the motive came into place. The one who did the murder was tempted by Satan as he persisting working on their sinful nature and the person gave in to the temptation and murdered someone.

Temptation comes before sins are committed and motives do not decide what is right and wrong.

James 1:2-18

Resist the devil and he will flee from you

hi OC, of course i wasnt meaning motive over the clear commands of God, im only talking about how to decide when there is no clear command against something.

[OneLight]

JCISGD, can you give an example to your statement? I am not sure I follow. Thanks ...

[JCISGD]

JCISGD, can you give an example to your statement? I am not sure I follow. Thanks ...

Sure thanks for asking for clarity, i wish more would do this instead of jumping to conclusions and arguing against things i never said or intended.

Its a repeat of an earlier post.

i.e The command to keep a sabbath (one day in every seven) as a holy day is a good law, the Pharisee`s kept it religiously and without fail, but they did so with a wrong motive.

So although its a given that God gave the command and that the command is good, it is our motive/reason for keeping the sabbath that makes our observance of it right or wrong and not the action of keeping it.

But my main reason for posting was in conjunction with the questions that pop up on WFs quite regularily asking is "such and such" ok or a sin?.

This is followed by both sides of the arguement, with one side saying they think it is ok, and the other saying they think not. But for most part the thing in question can be done for good motive/reasons or bad motive/reasons, so im trying to point out it is motive that decides wether it be right or wrong and not the thing itself.

Also that only the person involved and God know the true motive/reason, and that God judges according to our reason/motive.

hope that helps, God bless.

[OneLight]

Yes, that explains your train of thought better. Thanks.

I stay away from such arguments because of what is written to the Colossians.

Colossians 2:16-17 (New American Standard Bible)

Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

But, the idea if the morals behind a wrong decision is good, that the sin is not a sin concerns me. I say this because I can not find any scripture that tells me that it is OK to steal if my motives are right, or that it is OK to commit murder if my heart is in the right place. Can you find any?