Revising Personal Experiences to Align with Scripture

The concept of revising personal experiences to align with Scripture involves a process of self-examination and spiritual discernment, where an individual's understanding and interpretation of their life events are brought into conformity with biblical truth. This process is rooted in the belief that Scripture provides the ultimate standard for evaluating all aspects of life ^[4].

Self-examination is a foundational element, enjoined in passages like 2 Corinthians 13:5, and is considered necessary before partaking in communion ^[3]. This involves a diligent search of one's ways, as seen in Psalm 77:6 and Lamentations 3:40, coupled with prayer for divine guidance in this searching (Psalm 26:2; 139:23-24) ^[3]. The goal is to amend one's life, turning one's "feet to your testimonies" (Psalm 119:59) ^{[1, 3]}. This aligns with the idea of "testing by experience what is well-pleasing to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:10) ^[2].

The need for such revision stems from the biblical understanding of human nature. All human beings are born with a sinful nature (Psalm 51:5), and while the wicked indulge this nature, the godly strive against it (Romans 7:19-23; James 4:1-10) ^[5]. Sin is understood not merely as isolated acts but as a pervasive condition, often described as "vanity" or "all sorts of sinful acts" (Proverbs 30:8) ^[6]. The first sin, as described in Genesis 3:13, was not simply an act of eating but represented a deeper issue of self-love, dishonor to God, ingratitude, and disobedience ^[7]. Deliberate sins are often committed with an insolent or arrogant attitude, reflecting rebellion against God (Psalm 19:13) ^[8].

The Bible teaches that humanity is universally sinful, a theme explored by Paul in Romans 1:18–3:20, where he argues that both Gentiles and Jews are "under sin’s power" ^[9]. God's anger is depicted not as an emotional outburst but as a necessary, holy response to sin ^[9]. To claim "we have no sin" is to deceive oneself, and to claim "we have not sinned" makes God a liar (1 John 1:8, 10) ^[10]. This highlights the ongoing reality of sin even after conversion ^[10].

Therefore, revising personal experiences involves recognizing how sin may have distorted one's perceptions or actions. This process is not merely an outward conformity but an inward transformation, a "renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2) ^[13]. This transformation makes the whole life new in its motives and ends ^[13]. It requires individuals to exercise their own judgment, weighing arguments and discerning truth, rather than passively accepting external influences (1 Corinthians 10:15) ^[14].

The concept of revelation is crucial here. God has supernaturally revealed himself and his purposes, and these revelations have been committed to writing in the Scriptures ^[4]. The Scriptures are not just a record of revelation but are the revelation itself in written form, ensuring the accurate preservation and propagation of truth ^[4]. This divine revelation provides the objective standard against which subjective experiences are to be measured.

The process of aligning personal experience with Scripture is a continuous one, reflecting a dynamic relationship with God. God's "intimacy" with Israel, for example, involved a personal and experiential knowledge that extended beyond mere intellectual awareness, often leading to accountability for their sins (Amos 3:2) ^[12]. Similarly, Christians are claimed by Christ, and in Christ, they are ultimately claimed by God (1 Corinthians 3:23; 6:19-20; 7:23) ^[11]. This ownership implies a responsibility to live in accordance with God's revealed will, constantly evaluating and adjusting one's life and understanding in light of His Word.

Sources

Psalms “Psalms 119:59 (LEB) — I think about my ways, and turn my feet to your testimonies.”
Ephesians “Ephesians 5:10 (BBE) — Testing by experience what is well-pleasing to the Lord;”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Self-Examination — Enjoined -- 2Co 13:5. Necessary before the communion -- 1Co 11:28. Cause of difficulty in -- Jer 17:9. Should be engaged in With holy awe. -- Ps 4:4. With diligent search. -- Ps 77:6; La 3:40. With prayer for divine searching. -- Ps 26:2; 139:23,24. With purpose of amendment. -- Ps 119:59; La 3:40. Advantages of -- 1Co 11:31; Ga 6:4; 1Jo 3:20-22.”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Revelation — An uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen. God has been pleased in various ways and at different times (Heb. 1:1) to make a supernatural revelation of himself and his purposes and plans, which, under the guidance of his Spirit, has been committed to writing. (See WORD OF [532]GOD.) The Scriptures are not merely the "record" of revelation; they are the revelation itself in a written form, in order to the accurate presevation and propagation of the truth. Revelation and inspiration differ. Rev”
Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 58:3: 58:3 All human beings are born sinners (see 51:5); however, whereas the wicked indulge their sinful nature, the godly fight against it (Rom 7:19-23; Jas 4:1-10).”
Proverbs (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Proverbs 30:8: vanity--all sorts of sinful acts (Job 11:11; Isa 5:18).”
Genesis (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Genesis 3:13: beguiled--cajoled by flattering lies. This sin of the first pair was heinous and aggravated--it was not simply eating an apple, but a love of self, dishonor to God, ingratitude to a benefactor, disobedience to the best of Masters--a preference of the creature to the Creator.”
Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 19:13: 19:13 An individual who commits deliberate sins does so with an insolent (86:14) or arrogant (119:21, 69) attitude. • The great sin is rebellion (see 32:1).”
Romans (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Romans 1:18: 1:18–3:20 Paul delays exploring the theme of righteousness through faith (see 3:21) until after he first teaches about universal sinfulness. Gentiles (1:18-32) and Jews (2:1–3:8) are equally under sin’s power and cannot find favor with God by any action of their own (3:9-20). 1:18 God’s anger is not a spontaneous emotional outburst, but the holy God’s necessary response to sin. The Old Testament often depicts God’s anger (Exod 32:10-12; Num 11:1; Jer 21:3-7) and predicts a decisive outpouring of God’s wrath on human sin at the end of history. While Paul usually de”
1 John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 John 1:10: Parallel to Jo1 1:8. we have not sinned--referring to the commission of actual sins, even after regeneration and conversion; whereas in Jo1 1:8, "we have no sin," refers to the present GUILT remaining (until cleansed) from the actual sins committed, and to the SIN of our corrupt old nature still adhering to us. The perfect "have . . . sinned" brings down the commission of sins to the present time, not merely sins committed before, but since, conversion. we make him a liar--a gradation; Jo1 1:6, "we lie"; Jo1 1:8, "we deceive ourselves"; worst of al”
1 Corinthians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Corinthians 3:23: 3:23 Just as they may now claim everything as their own, so Christ has claimed them for himself (see Rom 14:7-9), and in Christ they are ultimately claimed by God (see 1 Cor 6:19-20; 7:23).”
Amos (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Amos 3:2: 3:2 The word translated been intimate indicates personal and experiential knowledge that often extends beyond mere intellectual awareness. It can indicate formal recognition and acknowledgment (Exod 1:8; 5:2), personal experience (Gen 2:17), or sexual relations (Gen 4:1). This word is frequently used of God’s relationship with Israel (Hos 5:3) and of Israel’s ideal relationship with God (Hos 2:20). Because of Israel’s privileged status, God would hold them accountable for all their sins, not just some of them. God holds people accountable in terms of what has been gi”
Romans (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Romans 12:2: And be ye not conformed to this world--Compare Eph 2:2; Gal 1:4, Greek. but be ye transformed--or, "transfigured" (as in Mat 17:2; and Co2 3:18, Greek). by the renewing of your mind--not by a mere outward disconformity to the ungodly world, many of whose actions in themselves may be virtuous and praiseworthy; but by such an inward spiritual transformation as makes the whole life new--new in its motives and ends, even where the actions differ in nothing from those of the world--new, considered as a whole, and in such a sense as to be wholly unattain”
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”

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