I have permission from my friend to share this with you all. The following was created by Tonia using the Principle Approach method which is essentially reasoning biblically. This would be good to study for self control or using it for comparison when studying civil government/external government. If you have questions, you can email me at ForHIM3 or if you want to wait for an answer from Tonia who checks her mail on Fridays email her at JNerdR. I talk to her almost daily so if you would like a quicker answer. Note that she defines her words using the Bible based dictionary of Noah Webster 1828 and then searches scriptures to reason. I believe she used NIV but you can go through insert KJ. The work is hers; however, I have added the definitions for Judicial, Legislative, and Executive using Webster's 1828 and any of my comments are in [ ]. ************************************************************************ THREE BRANCHES OF INTERNAL GOVERNMENT Judicial = Conscience Legislative = Heart Executive = Will Judicial Branch - Conscience Judicial - Pertaining to court of justice; as judicial power. 2. Practiced in the distribution of justice; as judicial proceedings. 3. Proceeding from a court of justice; as a judicial determination. 4. Issued by a court under its seal; as a judicial writ. 5. Inflicted, as a penalty or in judgement; as judicial hardness of heart; a judicial punishment. Noah Webster defines conscience as "internal or self knowledge of judgement of right and wrong; or the faculty, power or principle within us, which decides on the lawfulness or unlawfulness of our own actions and affections, and instantly approves or condemns them. Conscience is called by some writers the moral sense, and considered an original faculty of our nature. Others question the propriety of considering conscience as a distinct faculty or principle. They consider it rather as the general principle of moral approbation or disapprobation, applied to one's own conduct and affections; alleging that our notions of right and wrong are not to be deducted from a single principle or faculty, but from various powers of the understanding of the will." Conscience - Greek word is suniedisis (soon-i-day-sis). Note: in the Strong's Concordance there is no reference to conscience in the Old Testament yet I believe that there was a Dispensation of Conscience from Adam to the Flood which was 1,656 years. This dispensation was before the law and the law of Nature was the law that governed man. Scripture says that the Law was unable to cleanse our conscience. (Hebrews 9:9-14 the Old Covenant "...gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only a matter of... external regulations applying until the time of the new order... How much more then, will the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God." There are many references to conscience in the New Testament but for the purpose of this study I will not include them all. The ones that are included point to the view that our conscience judges our actions. 2 Cor. 1:12 - "Now this is our boast; our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God." John 8:9 - Referring to the woman caught in adultery "They listened to Him and then they began going out conscience stricken one by one, from the oldest down to the last one of them, until Jesus was left alone with the woman standing there before him in the center of the court. Acts 23:1 - Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." Acts 24:15-16 - "and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. Romans 2:15 - "Since that shows that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them..." Romans 9:1 - "I speak the truth in Christ- I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit..." Legislative Branch - Heart Legislative - Giving or enacting laws; as a legislative body. 2. Capable of enacting laws; as legislative power. 3. Pertaining to the enacting of laws; suitable to laws; as the legislative style. 4. Done by enacting; as a legislative act. Heart - 4. The seat of the affections and passions, as of love, joy, grief, enmity, courage, pleasure, etc. The heart is deceitful above all things. Every imagination of the thoughts of the heart is evil continually; We read of an honest and good heart, and an evil heart of unbelief, a willing heart, a heavy heart, sorrow of heart, a hard heart, a proud heart, a pure heart. The heart faints in adversity or under discouragement, that is, courage fails, the heart is deceived, established, moved. etc. 6. The seat of understanding; as an understanding heart. We read of men wise in heart, and sow of heart. 7. The seat of the will; hence secret purposes, intentions or designs. There are many devices in a man's heart. The heart of kings is unsearchable. The Lord tries and searches the heart. David had it in his heart to build a house of rest for the ark. Sometimes heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Eccles. 8. 10. Secret thoughts; recesses of the mind. "Michael saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart." 2 Sam 6 I believe that whatever we have stored in our heart is the law that is governing our life. If we will allow God's laws to be written on our heart then our conscience will judge in relation to that law. I believe if we have stored up anything other than God's laws then this begins the "searing of our conscience". Psalm 37:31 - "The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip." Psalm 40:8 - "I desire to do you will, O my God; your law is within my heart." Jer. 31:33 - This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after than time, " declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people..." Jer. 32:40 - I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. (KJ "I will put fear in fear in their hearts...") Romans 2:15 - "Since that shows that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them..." 2 Cor. 3:3 - You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Heb. 8:10 - This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Additional reading: Matt. 13:18 Executive Branch - Will Executive - Having the quality of excecuting or performing; as executive power or authority; an executive officer. Hence, in government, executive is used in distinction from legislative and judicial. The body that deliberates and enacts laws, is legislative; the body that judges, or applies the laws to particular cases, is judicial; the body or person who carries the laws into effect, or superintends the enforcement of them is executive. It is of the nature of war to increase the executive, at the expense of the legislative authority. [Does not our body/flesh/carnal nature war with God's law? I Tim. 3:4-5 - "One that ruleth well his own house (temple) having his children in subjection with all gravity; For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God." If we apply the word house here to include our body -- the temple of the Holy Spirit-- I believe this scripture well defines internal government as a necessity and prerequisite to government that is applied externally] Will - That faculty of the mind by which we determine either to do or forbear an action; the faculty which is exercised in deciding, among two or more objects, which we shall embrace or pursue. The will is directed or influenced by the judgement. The understanding or reason compares different objects, which operate as motives; the judgement determines which is preferable, and the will decides which to pursue. In other words, we reason with respect to the value or importance of things; we then judge which is to be preferred; and we will to take the most valuable. These are but different operations of the mind, soul, or intellectual part of man. Great disputes have existed respecting the freedom of the will. Ex. 32:26 - So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, "Whoever is for the Lord, come to me." and all the Levites rallied to him. Deut. 30:19 - The day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. Josh. 24:15 - But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. I Kings 18:21 - Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waiver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; if Baal is god, follow him." But the people said nothing. I Thes. 5:21 - Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. Heb. 3:6 - But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.