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interacts with me in and beyond these that I So, addressing this being “messed up” requires
know truth, because both true things and truth participating in true, thorough, transcendence;
is what proceeds from the mouth of Truth. To- not just our appreciating the reality of a trans-
tal reality is that which is a consequent of God’s cendent spirituality, but our thorough appre-
creation and upholding of it (Col 1:16). Scien- hension of sin’s (and evil’s) origin, nature and
tific findings are simply what I and others feel its amelioration (the converse of John 1) and
really confident are true because we believe we a corresponding walking in a “law of the Spi-
have discerned (confidently, for the present) rit of life.” But for this to actually happen first
that they proceed from God’s past and current- requires the experience and persistence of evil
ly creative action. Psychology is functioning to (kakos or rah) in order for the true transcen-
provide greater detail (truth things, mostly) to dent ameliorization to be clearly manifest as it
the truth I gain through scripture and the walk, takes effect (Rom 7:13). I have to know what
a lot like the magnifying glass I might take to sickness truly is and how sick I really am for me
looking at the splinter in my daughter’s foot – It to apprehend how this Physician heals me. So,
may not help me see my daughter but it sure it is this “messed up” aspect of ourselves that is
helps in making out the splinter she is shedding being addressed in the suffering of the sancti-
tears over. fication process through the unilateral restruc-
turing of the person even in intrinsic, even pre-
Stresses in the psychology of sanctification conscious decision making process that is the
These “demands [which] … exceed the resour- target of renewal (Rom 12:2). This requires the
ces of the individual” is intrinsic to Christian surrender of personal sovereignty in the mat-
maturation which is about transformation of ter in favor of God (1 Peter 4:13), authentically,
the person self in its entirety (Rom 12:2; Phil not putatively. Moreover, while this mandated
3:21) not just in the self as understood by the suffering is normative and central, it further re-
self but the ontological entirety of the person quires the individual Christian centrally hold to
including self. That will include not just self the goodness of God despite the fact that the
awareness, but also subconscious dynamics as experience of evil will undercut the very expe-
well as other nonempirical realities of the per- rience of goodness and the communion (bon-
son. Change at such a basic level will often be ding) that is intrinsic to relationships, whether
experienced as a disorienting loss of the integri- with God (vertical ) or others (horizontal) . It
ty of the self experienced as suffering and pain. is this powerful pressure to capitulate to the
Paul talks about what is at stake in Romans 7 conclusions of evil (and worse) that serves as
(vs 24) which he calls a “law” of sin (amarta, or a powerful context for the exercise of personal
“missed it” or “off the path”) and evil (kakos, or and collective sovereignty in either the expres-
“bad”; similar to the Hebrew ra or r’a or rah) sion or negation of both horizontal and vertical
intrinsic to our personhood (18-18, 23). Mind bonding (communion); faith in its affirmation,
(or intellect) might seem like it is is OK (vs 22- or failing that sharing of success with God in
25) but in Rom 12 (2) he says that needs trans- faith, providing the ultimate casus belli of God’s
formed too. The solution comes in 8:1-2 in the efforts unilaterally on our behalf, which is the
form of a walk which he identifies as a “law” underlying reality.
relating to “Spirit” related to “life” all of which True, transcendent response to evil entails see-
is “in Christ.” So the critical change required to ing the development of it, the declaration and
deal with intrinsic evil is a shift from the “law” manifestation of it, and the realization of da-
of sin and death to a “law of the Spirit of life in mage done by it before definitively addressing
Christ Jesus” (NKJV). As a psychologist I find it through countering it with godly goodness,
“evil” and “sin” pretty strong words that I would godly truth and godly beauty. That process,
rather not use but an honest appraisal of the si- therefore appears to require us to experience,
tuation, and the text, rather forces it (but with endure and struggle with it as God works with
others I must confess to using euphemisms like us, though long before we see it, if we see it at
“messed up” ). all, effecting our transformation into partners,

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