[OBW]

What I find interesting is that I am regularly reading in mainstream Christianity about the hollowness of WWJD. And like some of the posts here, they are not dismissing it, just putting it in its place.

The problem is that if you are talking about the source of salvation, it is by grace (and depending on where you are reading, with additional descriptors like "by faith"). But if you are talking about the ongoing salvation, it requires that we do. And we have been instructed in both the gospels and the epistles to follow and imitate. So there is an aspect of WW[w]D (what would [whoever] do). Not saying that we can follow just anyone. But we have been instructed to follow Christ, as well as follow those that you know are following Christ.

"Organic" is a term that just gets me riled-up. But I will refrain from my typical comments and just say that I don't think that carbon molecules are very relevant to the discussion. "Organic," in this context, infers that that it is something that is actually changing about the person, not just behavior. And there is clearly truth in that. But the record in the scripture is that we also are never actually changed, but instead must apply ourselves to the task at hand. But note that I said "also" rather than "instead." The overall record is that we are being changed, but that we are never completely rid of the fallenness of our being. So we have something changing in us (you can call that organic if you like) yet we also have something of us that remains in its fallen state. There are no fully transformed people in this life.

And so we use both what comes natural and what we must exercise our wills about to walk according to the way. And, like John said in one of his letters, if we think we have no sin, we are fooled. So we will fail.

And we will continue to fail.

And sometimes using our good minds to consider what someone else would do . . . or what we would not be ashamed for our mother to see . . . is part of how we make our way toward righteousness. It's a little like the old saying that if you don't plan to succeed, you have planned to fail.

Yes, just thinking "WWJD" won't answer every question or decide what action to take in all cases. But at least having that frame of mind is necessary to any kind of move toward righteousness.