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she calls incarnational reality, that center of Ju- to live from the locus of the true self as the old
deo-Christian faith that affirms God’s presence one is being crucified. This is the center whe-
with us and within us. In describing the new re we are in union with Christ, that completed
life one enters through ‘putting on’ Christ, Pay- self that hears and obeys God” (Payne, 1994, p.
ne writes, “This is no exercise in abstraction, or 148).
even of positive thinking (though it is that and
more), but a waiting on Him who is within, wit- Those who walk in the Spirit are freed from the
hout, and all around us, the utter Reality who is self-preoccupation of the neurotic conscience,
capable at any moment of manifesting Himself and freed for relationship with God. Lake states
to the creatures He has fashioned in His own that the Christian view “places our relationship
image. Thus we are ‘made new in mind and spi- to God through Christ as an absolute priority,
rit, and put on the new nature of God’s creating.’ both as to time and to importance. It affirms
[Ephesians 4:23, NEB]. (Payne, The Broken that if this relationship is maintained and re-
Image, 1981, p. 50) sponded to, ethical behaviour, that is, loving as
one has been loved, is certain to follow” (2005,
The theology of the Orthodox tradition articu- pp. 228-229). Here we see a conscience at peace,
lates the anthropological implications of this the calmed soul of Psalm 131. Here we see a
life in Christ. In Deification in Christ: Ortho- whole person liberated to exist and act in accor-
dox Perspectives on the Nature of the Human dance with the most pleasurable feeling known
Person, Nellas offers this important summary to humankind, that of being pleasing to God.
of St. Paul’s vision of maturity in Christ: “When
he urges the faithful to show that they are at-
taining to mature manhood, to the measure of References
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Paul does not do so for reasons of external pie- Carveth, D. (2013). The still small voice: Psychoanalytic
ty and sentiment; he speaks ontologically. He is reflections on guilt and conscience. London: Karnac.
not advocating an external imitation or a simple Cavalletti, S. (2002). The religious potential of teh child 6
ethical improvement but a real Christification.” to 12 years old: A description of an experience. (R. Rojce-
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the soul to the extent that one can say, “Even the Graeco-Roman world. London: Routledge.
though He slay me, yet I will trust Him.” The Hoose, J. (1999). Conscience in world religions. Leo-
soul is freed from the survivalist maneuvers of minster: Gracewing.
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“To walk in the Spirit, listening, is to live in the Kries, D. (2002). Origen, Plato, and conscience („syn-
present moment, looking to Christ, practicing deresis“) in Jerome’s Ezekiel commentary . Traditio , 57,
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