What is suggestive reasoning, and why do we struggle with it? Why is there wicked reasonings in our heart?
These are challenging questions to answer because first we need to establish that there is such a thing as a wicked reasoning and then identify where do they come from.
We do have the answer to both questions as Jesus identified that in fact wicked reasonings do come from the heart.
Matthew 15:18-20… However, the things proceeding out of the mouth come out of the heart, and those things defile (G2840) a man. For example, out of the heart come wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, fornications, thieveries, false testimonies, blasphemies. These are the things defiling a man…
So how did the wicked reasoning get into our heart? And how are we defiled by these things?
Strong’s Concordance G2840 defines the Greek word as to make common, to treat what is sacred as common. Now this is indeed an interesting thought, that we could become common from the stand point of God. Sure and why not, do you not know that our body is a temple for God? What else makes us different from the animals?
First we are made in Gods form or image. Genesis 1:26, Genesis 2:7
Second we can communicate with God. Genesis 3:8-13 God is a spirit, so we need to worship him in spirit so says Jesus Christ. John 4:24 We have the ability to reason, we are able to take a thought and hold it in our mind, as we look at the pros and the cons, looking at our actions we are able to judge right and wrong, we act as both the prosecution and the defense as we internally look at issues. We debate with ourselves as to what we are going to do or not do with respects to any thought we have brought into our minds to examine.
The third point is that the spirit of God can work with us in the realm of reasoning, as the word of God, even to the point of residing with us. That is right the divine being can and will take up residency with us if we will accept him into our hearts. John14:17, John 14:23 We were made as a vessel to house the spirit of God in us, our bodies are a temple to and for God. 1 Corinthians 3:16 Now there is a lot more to these points such as God’s timing and conditions but now is not the time to talk about these things. Were here speaking about the struggle we have against wicked suggestive reasonings.
Now in the animal kingdom no one has been able to observe any animal communicating or worshipping God. So how else are we made different or in Gods image?
Our Lost Freedoms
Man like the angels are free moral agents, that means we can choose to do right or wrong, we have been given sovereign rights as men. That is not to say that we cannot be forced into wrongdoing because coercion and threats to our very life or to our loved ones. Because history has proven this point as humankind has been forced into submission and slavery over and over but notice what the apostle Paul reveals about this coercion and the threat of death to our very lives.
Hebrews 2:9-15… but we behold Jesus, who has been made a little lower than angels, crowned with glory and honor for having suffered death, that he by God’s undeserved kindness might taste death for every [man]. 10 For it was fitting for the one for whose sake all things are and through whom all things are, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Chief Agent of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he who is sanctifying and those who are being sanctified all [stem] from one, and for this cause he is not ashamed to call them “brothers,” 12 as he says: “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the middle of [the] congregation I will praise you with song.” 13 And again: “I will have my trust in him.” And again: “Look! I and the young children, whom Jehovah gave me.” 14 Therefore, since the “young children” are sharers of blood and flesh, he also similarly partook of the same things, that through his death he might bring to nothing the one having the means to cause death, that is, the Devil; 15 and [that] he might emancipate all those who for fear of death were subject to slavery all through their lives.
This is just a fact that even man was created as a free moral agent or sovereign but through the act of disobedience to God’s word, Adam sold humankind into slavery under the authority of the Devil.
Jesus Christ has been sent forth as the chief agent of life to free us from the authority of the Devil and his agents the ones who have been coercing and threatening humankind by death to do what is wrong. Thank God for his salvation and mercy!
Let us look deeper into the subject matter of suggestive reasoning by analyzing the following Scripture.
Mark 7:20-23…Further, he said: “That which issues forth (G1607) out of a man is what defiles a man; 21 for from inside, out of the heart of men, injurious reasonings (G1261 & G2556) issue forth: fornications, thieveries, murders, 22 adulteries, coveting’s, acts of wickedness, deceit, loose conduct, an envious eye, blasphemy, haughtiness, unreasonableness. 23 All these wicked things (G4190) issue forth from within and defile a man.
Now let us dig into the Greek words and get some more depth to the meaning behind them. Looking at Strong’s Concordance #G1607 means going forth, it emphasizes a particular passageway or the influence upon the person which it passes through or comes out.
Let us look at the next word found in Strong’s Concordance #G1261 translated as thoughts or reasonings, this is a deliberation of a back-and-forth self-based process of decision-making.
Strong’s Concordance #G2556 means a inter evil as in bad like, an inner malice, properly rotten foul or poisoned as in a rotten character.
The last word will look at in Strong’s Concordance is #G4190 it means wicked or troubled, pain-ridden with an emphasis on misery that goes with evil.
When we analyze these words together in the sentence structure and in the context that there arranged in we can see that there is an influence that is affecting humanity in his decision-making process, it is an evil character that is interjecting thoughts into the process of man’s reasoning.
Is this something new that we have discovered? Absolutely not! Mankind has realized that this has been occurring and has publicized it ever since the inception of TV and entertainment. This process has been characterized as a good angel and demon sitting upon the left and right side of a man’s shoulder, whispering into his ear what he should and should not do, coaxing him on the right or wrong the good or bad.
This may be a new thought to you, but Psychologist are starting to discover the same truth in how man operates in his power of reasoning. Our Lord Jesus Christ knew it and warned us about it. The question now becomes, now that you know this what are you going to do about it?
The Struggle
So wicked reasonings have been entering into our heart by means of the Devil’s agents, these are the suggestive reasonings that humanity has had to struggle with since the time of Adam.
There are four physical things that are used to input these wicked reasonings into our figurative heart, and they are touch, smell, hearing, and our sight. They enter into the mind and can stick there if we do not deal with them.
These things are presented in the realm of our reasoning, they are in effect on a stage where debate occurs, for the good and bad or the right and wrong. For truth or for deceit this thought process is a wrestling for our moral compass our very well being.
From that our figurative heart the seat of motivation produces an output, and there’s only two ways that these things are coming out of us either through our mouth or our actions.
But we have one more sinister input that has to be dealt with, and that is wicked suggestive reasoning transmitted through the invisible realm and presented upon the stage of our reasoning in our very psyche.
If we have aloud this wicked suggestive reasoning to settle into or win over the influence of our heart then we will become unclean by means of the fowl, rotten, poisoned, wicked influence.
The divine being or logos will advocate for us, but we are a free moral agent, we have to choose to do what is right. We are childlike in our powers of reasoning. These things happen and we do not even perceive the depth in which they occur and so they kill us in the long run. We were even warned that such things would occur.
Deuteronomy 30:19… I do take the heavens and the earth as witnesses against YOU today, that I have put life and death before you, the blessing, and the malediction; and you must choose life in order that you may keep alive, you and your offspring…
This wicked influence has been identified as the spirit of the world, it operates in the theatrical realm of our reasoning, and they thrust their controlling influence upon the Sons of men. It is an internal corruption that has taken up residency in humankind. 1 Corinthians 2:6-16
Evil thoughts and reasonings come out from the figurative heart the seat of man’s motivation and this is what makes one unclean before God, it is the pain of trouble, it is the rotten, poison, foul thinking that presents itself to our moral compass. It sets the stage for us to fight these suggestions on a spiritual level, this is why we have to have the mind of Christ to upset and to put in their place these foul troublesome thoughts.
James 4:1-8… From what source are there wars and from what source are there fights among YOU? Are they not from this source, namely, from YOUR cravings for sensual pleasure that carry on a conflict in YOUR members? 2 YOU desire, and yet YOU do not have. YOU go on murdering and coveting, and yet YOU are not able to obtain. YOU go on fighting and waging war. YOU do not have because of YOUR not asking. 3 YOU do ask, and yet YOU do not receive, because YOU are asking for a wrong purpose, that YOU may expend [it] upon YOUR cravings for sensual pleasure. 4 Adulteresses, do YOU not know that the friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is constituting himself an enemy of God. 5 Or does it seem to YOU that the scripture says to no purpose: “It is with a tendency to envy that the spirit which has taken up residence within us keeps longing”? 6 However, the undeserved kindness which he gives is greater. Hence it says: “God opposes the haughty ones, but he gives undeserved kindness to the humble ones. 7 Subject yourselves, therefore, to God; but oppose the Devil, and he will flee from YOU.
Yes, come Lord Jesus and break up the works of the wicked ones, Amen.
Writingwithlogos.com – Last Revised 5/4/23