Balancing Experience with Biblical Authority in Decision Making
In Christian decision-making, the authority of biblical teaching is paramount, yet personal experience also plays a role in understanding and applying divine counsel. The Bible consistently emphasizes the importance of making deliberate choices in service to God, exhorting believers to seek Him wholeheartedly and keep His commandments [1]. This commitment is contrasted with indecisiveness or "double-mindedness" [1].
The concept of judgment, or the ability to make sound decisions, is frequently addressed in scripture. Proverbs states, "Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight and strength" (Proverbs 8:14 BSB) [3]. Similarly, Job reflects on "the counsel of God upon my tent" in his days of maturity (Job 29:4 YLT) [2]. The prophet Micah declares himself "full of power by the Spirit of Yahweh, and of judgment, and of might, to declare to Jacob his disobedience" (Micah 3:8) [4]. These passages suggest that true wisdom and judgment originate from God and are imparted through His Spirit.
While divine guidance is central, human experience and discernment are not dismissed. The apostle Paul appealed to the Corinthians' "own powers of judgment" to weigh his arguments, indicating that believers have a responsibility to "judg[e] for ourselves" [7]. This does not negate biblical authority but rather underscores the need for careful consideration and application of its principles. Matthew Henry, a Nonconformist commentator, noted that Solomon, in Ecclesiastes, extensively tested various life experiences, including wisdom and pleasure, to arrive at his conclusions about their vanity [6, 10]. Even when despairing of fully comprehending God's work, Solomon's diligent search yielded valuable insights [8].
The balance between experience and biblical authority is illustrated in the story of Moses, who, according to Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, "balanced the best of the world with the worst of religion, and decidedly chose the latter" [5]. This choice was a "deliberate resolution," made at a mature age when his judgment was developed [5]. This suggests that while the world offers temporary pleasures, the lasting value lies in adherence to God's ways, even if it brings affliction "for a season" [5]. Ultimately, all individuals will face God's judgment, which begins with "the house of God," meaning the Church [9]. This process of divine judgment serves as a chastisement for believers, confirming their membership in God's family and preparing them for the final judgment [9].
Sources
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Decision — Necessary to the service of God -- Lu 9:62. Exhortations to -- Jos 24:14,15. Exhibited in Seeking God with the heart. -- 2Ch 15:12. Keeping the commandments of God. -- Ne 10:29. Being on the Lord's side. -- Ex 32:26. Following God fully. -- Nu 14:24; 32:12; Jos 14:8. Serving God. -- Isa 56:6. Loving God perfectly. -- De 6:5. Blessedness of. -- Jos 1:7. Opposed to A divided service. -- Mt 6:24. Double-mindedness. -- Jas 1:8. Halting between two opinions. -- 1Ki 18:21. Turning to the right or left. -- De 5:32. Not setting the heart aright. -- Ps 78:8,37. Exe”
- Job “Job 29:4 (YLT) — As I have been in days of my maturity, And the counsel of God upon my tent.”
- Proverbs “Proverbs 8:14 (BSB) — Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight and strength.”
- Micah “But as for me, I am full of power by the Spirit of Yahweh, and of judgment, and of might, to declare to Jacob his disobedience, and to Israel his sin. -- Micah 3:8”
- Hebrews (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Hebrews 11:25: He balanced the best of the world with the worst of religion, and decidedly chose the latter. "Choosing" implies a deliberate resolution, not a hasty impulse. He was forty years old, a time when the judgment is matured. for a season--If the world has "pleasure" (Greek, "enjoyment") to offer, it is but "for a season." If religion bring with it "affliction," it too is but for a season; whereas its "pleasures are for evermore."”
- Ecclesiastes (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 2:12: Solomon having tried what satisfaction was to be had in learning first, and then in the pleasures of sense, and having also put both together, here compares them one with another and passes a judgment upon them. I. He sets himself to consider both wisdom and folly. He had considered these before (Ecc 1:17); but lest it should be thought he was then too quick in passing a judgment upon them, he here turns himself again to behold them, to see if, upon a second view and second thoughts, he could gain more satisfaction in the search than he had done upon the fir”
- 1 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Corinthians 10:15: Appeal to their own powers of judgment to weigh the force of the argument that follows: namely, that as the partaking of the Lord's Supper involves a partaking of the Lord Himself, and the partaking of the Jewish sacrificial meats involved a partaking of the altar of God, and, as the heathens sacrifice to devils, to partake of an idol feast is to have fellowship with devils. We cannot divest ourselves of the responsibility of "judging" for ourselves. The weakness of private judgment is not an argument against its use, but its abuse. We should t”
- Ecclesiastes (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 9:1: It has been observed concerning those who have pretended to search for the philosophers' stone that, though they could never find what they sought for, yet in the search they have hit upon many other useful discoveries and experiments. Thus Solomon, when, in the close of the foregoing chapter, he applied his heart to know the work of God, and took a great deal of pains to search into it, though he despaired of finding it out, yet he found out that which abundantly recompensed him for the search, and gave him some satisfaction, which he here gives us; for ther”
- 1 Peter (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Peter 4:17: Another ground of consolation to Christians. All must pass under the judgment of God; God's own household first, their chastisement being here, for which they should glorify Him as a proof of their membership in His family, and a pledge of their escape from the end of those whom the last judgment shall find disobedient to the Gospel. the time--Greek, "season," "fit time." judgment must begin at the house of God--the Church of living believers. Peter has in mind Eze 9:6; compare Amo 3:2; Jer 25:29. Judgment is already begun, the Gospel word, as a "”
- Ecclesiastes (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 7:23: Solomon had hitherto been proving the vanity of the world and its utter insufficiency to make men happy; now here he comes to show the vileness of sin, and its certain tendency to make men miserable; and this, as the former, he proves from his own experience, and it was a dear-bought experience. He is here, more than any where in all this book, putting on the habit of a penitent. He reviews what he had been discoursing of already, and tells us that what he had said was what he knew and was well assured of, and what he resolved to stand by: All this have I pr”