Since God is your Maker, doesn’t it make sense to see how He has made man to be like Him? We would benefit from having a more exact understanding of how God has made man in His image (Gen. 1:27-28) and how this shapes decision-making. How one makes choices is a complicated and even mysterious process and the motivations of those choices go even deeper into the heart of a man (Jer. 17:9, Prov. 20:5, I Cor. 2:11).

More effort will be required in one’s sanctification if the Christian does not know and remember how God has made him or her. It is unwise to naively push on with exposure to Scripture in one’s private life, faithful commitment to the local church, and all the other spiritual disciplines without knowing how the Scriptures influence what are known as the faculties of the soul. Ecclesiastes 10:10 warns, “If the iron [ax head] is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.”

Wisdom in making mature choices for one’s spiritual formation is found in a better understanding of the role the whole man plays in his choices. A discerning Christian knows to watch and pray because “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41).