Topical Studies
What the Bible says about Internal Motivation
(From Forerunner Commentary)
The ultimate fulfillment of this process will culminate when we are completely composed of spirit, and God's law will be our first nature, not just second nature. But, while we are in an embryonic stage, the process has already begun in us, incrementally, as God gradually displaces our carnality and sin, replacing it with His Holy Spirit, leading to righteous behavior and godliness. Actually, no human being is completely converted, but many people are in various stages of conversion.
Conversion, then, is a life-long process in which we move from a reactive approach to lawkeeping—motivated by rewards and punishments—to a proactive approach—motivated by a deeply placed inner desire to yield and comply to the law's principles, knowing intrinsically from experience that they work for the good and harmony of all. (Proactive is a term author-speaker Steven Covey uses to distinguish internal motivation to do or accomplish something as opposed to external motivation.)
David F. Maas
Righteousness from Inside-OutRelated Topics: Conversion | Conversion Process | Conversion, Stages of | Extrinsic Motivation | Holy Spirit | Holy Spirit "in" us | Motivation | Motivation, External | Motivation, Internal | Proactive Approach to Lawkeeping | Reactive Approach to Law Keeping | Rewards and Punishments | Righteousness | Spirit Beings | Spiritual Body
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