“The Bible contains the most profound philosophy, the most perfect morality, and most refined policy, that ever was conceived upon the earth.” – John Adams

There are a lot of derogatory quotes on line about the Bible and morality, most all from people who have never read the book. Those that have read it understand how valuable it is in instructing one’s life. People like John Adams, a founding father of the USA, quoted above. Which brings us to our most obvious point, if the Bible is going to help one form their moral convictions one must read it regularly.

What may not be obvious is that we must go further than reading, we must read while asking questions of the text itself. Interact with God’s word and the more often the better. A daily devotional is the habit of all the spiritual giants of this and every age. If you are new to the faith, remember the words of my college Greek professor, “Go with what you know.” Once you find a command or principle in the Bible start obeying it.

The role of the Holy Spirit in the life of one of God’s children is often misunderstood. The Bible teaches that the Spirit holds back a certain amount of evil in the world, that he comforts us in difficult times, that he guides us into understanding God’s principles, that he convicts us when we do wrong and that he “seals” us as a child of God (meaning we can never again not be a child of God).

How does the Holy Spirit help us develop moral convictions? As hinted above, he provides us with greater understanding of what we read in the Bible, insight into life, prompting to avoid sin and conviction when we don’t. It takes time to understand his prompts and insights but the more we listen for it the more attuned we become to his voice.

“He that hath a blind conscience which sees nothing, a dead conscience which feels nothing, and a dumb conscience which says nothing, is in as miserable a condition as a man can be on this side of hell.” – Patrick Henry

Like the Holy Spirit, our conscience is given to us by God (Romans 1.190 for the single purpose of helping us master sin rather than being mastered by sin (Genesis 4.7). Unlike the Holy Spirit our conscience can be broken by bad choices and disobedience 1 Timothy 4.2); thankfully it can also be healed through good decision making and obedience.

Finally, we must recognize there are no lone rangers in body of Christ. Christian friends and family can help point out things that we miss when reading the Bible, so ask lots of questions. They can provide you with relevant Bible passages and experiential wisdom. Paul likens Jesus-followers not to a family, but to a body. We all have different roles but we are all a part of a single body, the body of Christ. So if you are a hand and can’t understand something, ask a brain. There are few pursuits better in life than developing biblical convictions.