Part 1
Why is the moral law self-evident
The moral law is self-evident because we can’t help but feel it.
When I was a young child, I was staying overnight at my aunt’s house, and my older
cousin suggested that we watch an R-rated movie, which was inappropriate for my age.
At such a young age, I did not know it would be wrong for me to watch it. I had not
expected it to be bad, but afterwards I felt extremely guilty.
The fact that I can find myself in a situation, not even consciously knowing that it’s
wrong, yet still feel guilty about it afterwards, points to the fact that the knowledge that
it’s wrong has come from somewhere beyond myself.
Though we know the law, why don’t we follow it
In future years, I would do far greater wrongs but feel far less guilt about them. The fact
that my feelings of guilt were never as strong as that one instance when I was a child, I
think, highlights an important principle. That is, as we commit sin, it clouds our judgment
and makes us more inclined to sin again, which helps to explain why, though we feel the
moral law in our hearts, we increasingly have the temptation not to follow it.
I believe the extreme guilt I felt was a product of my relative purity, being that I was fairly
young. I was seeing more clearly than I would see in the following years.
Thankfully, the opposite is also true. As we draw close to God, who is the author of all
truth, we start to see reality more clearly; we start to see it as it really is. This is why one
of the hallmarks of the great saints is that, as they grew in holiness, they were more
starkly aware of their own sin.
Why does all of this point to God
This points to God because it reveals a knowledge within us, which we could not have
known by our own power but must have been put there by something beyond ourselves.
This knowledge becomes stronger or weaker, clearer or more unclear, as we draw
closer to or further away from the One who put it there.Part 1
Why is the moral law self-evident
The moral law is self-evident because we can’t help but feel it.
When I was a young child, I was staying overnight at my aunt’s house, and my older
cousin suggested that we watch an R-rated movie, which was inappropriate for my age.
At such a young age, I did not know it would be wrong for me to watch it. I had not
expected it to be bad, but afterwards I felt extremely guilty.
The fact that I can find myself in a situation, not even consciously knowing that it’s
wrong, yet still feel guilty about it afterwards, points to the fact that the knowledge that
it’s wrong has come from somewhere beyond myself.
Though we know the law, why don’t we follow it
In future years, I would do far greater wrongs but feel far less guilt about them. The fact
that my feelings of guilt were never as strong as that one instance when I was a child, I
think, highlights an important principle. That is, as we commit sin, it clouds our judgment
and makes us more inclined to sin again, which helps to explain why, though we feel the
moral law in our hearts, we increasingly have the temptation not to follow it.
I believe the extreme guilt I felt was a product of my relative purity, being that I was fairly
young. I was seeing more clearly than I would see in the following years.
Thankfully, the opposite is also true. As we draw close to God, who is the author of all
truth, we start to see reality more clearly; we start to see it as it really is. This is why one
of the hallmarks of the great saints is that, as they grew in holiness, they were more
starkly aware of their own sin.
Why does all of this point to God
This points to God because it reveals a knowledge within us, which we could not have
known by our own power but must have been put there by something beyond ourselves.
This knowledge becomes stronger or weaker, clearer or more unclear, as we draw
closer to or further away from the One who put it there.
Why is the moral law self-evident
The moral law is self-evident because we can’t help but feel it.
When I was a young child, I was staying overnight at my aunt’s house, and my older
cousin suggested that we watch an R-rated movie, which was inappropriate for my age.
At such a young age, I did not know it would be wrong for me to watch it. I had not
expected it to be bad, but afterwards I felt extremely guilty.
The fact that I can find myself in a situation, not even consciously knowing that it’s
wrong, yet still feel guilty about it afterwards, points to the fact that the knowledge that
it’s wrong has come from somewhere beyond myself.
Though we know the law, why don’t we follow it
In future years, I would do far greater wrongs but feel far less guilt about them. The fact
that my feelings of guilt were never as strong as that one instance when I was a child, I
think, highlights an important principle. That is, as we commit sin, it clouds our judgment
and makes us more inclined to sin again, which helps to explain why, though we feel the
moral law in our hearts, we increasingly have the temptation not to follow it.
I believe the extreme guilt I felt was a product of my relative purity, being that I was fairly
young. I was seeing more clearly than I would see in the following years.
Thankfully, the opposite is also true. As we draw close to God, who is the author of all
truth, we start to see reality more clearly; we start to see it as it really is. This is why one
of the hallmarks of the great saints is that, as they grew in holiness, they were more
starkly aware of their own sin.
Why does all of this point to God
This points to God because it reveals a knowledge within us, which we could not have
known by our own power but must have been put there by something beyond ourselves.
This knowledge becomes stronger or weaker, clearer or more unclear, as we draw
closer to or further away from the One who put it there.Part 1
Why is the moral law self-evident
The moral law is self-evident because we can’t help but feel it.
When I was a young child, I was staying overnight at my aunt’s house, and my older
cousin suggested that we watch an R-rated movie, which was inappropriate for my age.
At such a young age, I did not know it would be wrong for me to watch it. I had not
expected it to be bad, but afterwards I felt extremely guilty.
The fact that I can find myself in a situation, not even consciously knowing that it’s
wrong, yet still feel guilty about it afterwards, points to the fact that the knowledge that
it’s wrong has come from somewhere beyond myself.
Though we know the law, why don’t we follow it
In future years, I would do far greater wrongs but feel far less guilt about them. The fact
that my feelings of guilt were never as strong as that one instance when I was a child, I
think, highlights an important principle. That is, as we commit sin, it clouds our judgment
and makes us more inclined to sin again, which helps to explain why, though we feel the
moral law in our hearts, we increasingly have the temptation not to follow it.
I believe the extreme guilt I felt was a product of my relative purity, being that I was fairly
young. I was seeing more clearly than I would see in the following years.
Thankfully, the opposite is also true. As we draw close to God, who is the author of all
truth, we start to see reality more clearly; we start to see it as it really is. This is why one
of the hallmarks of the great saints is that, as they grew in holiness, they were more
starkly aware of their own sin.
Why does all of this point to God
This points to God because it reveals a knowledge within us, which we could not have
known by our own power but must have been put there by something beyond ourselves.
This knowledge becomes stronger or weaker, clearer or more unclear, as we draw
closer to or further away from the One who put it there.
- Seth Johnson
Part 2
The moral law in my own life
These principles have affected my own life profoundly. Oftentimes, when I have fought
against my own temptations, those temptations have become stronger. Whether this is
due to my own inclination to sin, attacks from the demonic realm, or a combination of
the two, I cannot be sure. But I have learned over the years that I cannot overcome
them on my own; they can only be overcome by drawing close to God and trusting in
His grace to help me.
Oftentimes I have not felt like drawing close to Him, but I have found that if I look upon it
as a sort of duty to be done, whether or not I feel like it, He is faithful to meet me where I
am and bring me the rest of the way.
I’ve also learned that God because he has made us both physical as well as spiritual
beings, that he often works through physical means. This takes the form of my Christian
brothers and sisters praying for me and keeping me accountable, the graces I receive
through the sacraments of the Church, and the beauty of the liturgical year itself, with its
moments throughout the year calling me to stop and reflect on my own walk with God,
examining my life and making changes where needed.Part 2
The moral law in my own life
These principles have affected my own life profoundly. Oftentimes, when I have fought
against my own temptations, those temptations have become stronger. Whether this is
due to my own inclination to sin, attacks from the demonic realm, or a combination of
the two, I cannot be sure. But I have learned over the years that I cannot overcome
them on my own; they can only be overcome by drawing close to God and trusting in
His grace to help me.
Oftentimes I have not felt like drawing close to Him, but I have found that if I look upon it
as a sort of duty to be done, whether or not I feel like it, He is faithful to meet me where I
am and bring me the rest of the way.
I’ve also learned that God because he has made us both physical as well as spiritual
beings, that he often works through physical means. This takes the form of my Christian
brothers and sisters praying for me and keeping me accountable, the graces I receive
through the sacraments of the Church, and the beauty of the liturgical year itself, with its
moments throughout the year calling me to stop and reflect on my own walk with God,
examining my life and making changes where needed.
The moral law in my own life
These principles have affected my own life profoundly. Oftentimes, when I have fought
against my own temptations, those temptations have become stronger. Whether this is
due to my own inclination to sin, attacks from the demonic realm, or a combination of
the two, I cannot be sure. But I have learned over the years that I cannot overcome
them on my own; they can only be overcome by drawing close to God and trusting in
His grace to help me.
Oftentimes I have not felt like drawing close to Him, but I have found that if I look upon it
as a sort of duty to be done, whether or not I feel like it, He is faithful to meet me where I
am and bring me the rest of the way.
I’ve also learned that God because he has made us both physical as well as spiritual
beings, that he often works through physical means. This takes the form of my Christian
brothers and sisters praying for me and keeping me accountable, the graces I receive
through the sacraments of the Church, and the beauty of the liturgical year itself, with its
moments throughout the year calling me to stop and reflect on my own walk with God,
examining my life and making changes where needed.Part 2
The moral law in my own life
These principles have affected my own life profoundly. Oftentimes, when I have fought
against my own temptations, those temptations have become stronger. Whether this is
due to my own inclination to sin, attacks from the demonic realm, or a combination of
the two, I cannot be sure. But I have learned over the years that I cannot overcome
them on my own; they can only be overcome by drawing close to God and trusting in
His grace to help me.
Oftentimes I have not felt like drawing close to Him, but I have found that if I look upon it
as a sort of duty to be done, whether or not I feel like it, He is faithful to meet me where I
am and bring me the rest of the way.
I’ve also learned that God because he has made us both physical as well as spiritual
beings, that he often works through physical means. This takes the form of my Christian
brothers and sisters praying for me and keeping me accountable, the graces I receive
through the sacraments of the Church, and the beauty of the liturgical year itself, with its
moments throughout the year calling me to stop and reflect on my own walk with God,
examining my life and making changes where needed.
- Seth Johnson
- Seth Johnson
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