Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
James 1:3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
Indoctrination
Definition from Oxford Languages ·
Noun
the process of teaching a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically.
What is missing in the process of indoctrination is critical thinking, the absence of free will. Being conformed to the world is much like indoctrination. You didn’t have much choice in the matter. We told ourselves that we had free will but until we are set free we cannot see the true meaning of free will.
Free will can only be expressed when the mind is allowed to think critically. Critical thinking weighs as many options as are necessary to draw a reasonable conclusion that is not fixed and allows for more data to be collected. Free will is allowed to course correct. Indoctrination does not allow for adjustments to be made.
Faith based free will is always tested. It is tested by tribulations that come from the opposition and by God to measure one and only attribute God cares about love. In God’s Kingdom it only matters if we love Him with steadfast love.
Isaiah 61:8 For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
God has told us what He loves and what He hates and if we choose to love God, then we should love and hate what God loves and hates. Since He cares about it, so should we, but that is also a matter of free will because love can only be expressed if it is free to do so. Having no other choice makes us puppets. God does not have puppets that do not love Him.
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Or anything else for that matter. Money is just one source of distraction, Satan has many more for us to choose from. Lust of the flesh covers many areas of life. Put any of those choices before our devotion to God and we have failed the faith test. That is free will, we are free to fail.