Is the body good or is it utterly deprived? Bottom line, can we overcome sin?

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matthew1624

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Not sure if this belongs here but here goes…As a result of some personal study I have come to the following:

Genesis 4:7 says we can… “Sin is lurking at the door yet you can be his master.” (keep in mind that this was after the fall)

Paul says we can’t “For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate” Romans 7:15-21. Or does he…“Glorify God in your body” 1 Corinthians 6:20

Finally, Jesus says we can otherwise he wouldn’t of said “Go, (and) from now on do not sin any more” John 8:11

Now in reference to Romans, if the body is incapable of doing any good then how can we glorify God through the body as in 1 Corinthians? The First Letter of John (5:3) states the following “For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” Again, if good does not dwell within us then how can we keep the commandments? I’m assuming that those who support the OSAS position lean heavily on passages such as the above (Romans). – “It is not I who do it, but sin that dwells in me”.

However, in context (of the whole of scripture) I conclude that we have the grace necessary to overcome concupiscence. The body is good (made in the image and likeness of God) as long as we subject it to the soul and not the other way around. When we subject our soul to the body is when we get in trouble. The rupture of the body and soul resulting from original sin is undone through the incarnation. Don’t get me wrong now, on our own we cannot overcome the tendency to sin but it is through the graces that Christ merited for us on the cross that we can. The Sacraments are another channel of grace that give us what we need to master sin. In the event that we fall, the graces are restored at the confessional. I also envision that we are somewhat transported back to the Garden of Eden and are face to face with the serpent who is offering us the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. However, unlike the original paradise, Christ (the new Adam) has shown us the path to take…to choose the tree of life which is the cross (Mt 16:24) and the fruit of the tree of life is the Eucharist (Jn 6:51) which again supplies us with the graces to live Life in the Spirit as Paul describes in Galations 5:16-26. We still have free will (as at the beginning) and are capable of being cut off if we choose the wrong tree, that is to live according to the flesh (the soul in subjection to the flesh).

What do you all think? Am I on the right track?
 
God told us the body is good.

Isaiah 64: 6 But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

But Jesus cleans our fithy rags.

Also, we now have Christ’s righteousness.

Righteousness**: Breastplate of Faith and Love—Ephesians 6: 10- Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. 11 Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. 13 Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. 14 So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, 15 and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.**

I Thessalonians 5: 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet that is hope for salvation. 9 For God did not destine us for wrath, but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live together with him. (N. B. Righteousness includes faith and love)

We now have Christ’s beauty.

We now have God’s love and beauty.

We are God’s co-workers.

These are mysteries, but somehow God works in and through us.

Beautifully, God dwells in us; mystery, but true.
 
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matthew1624:
However, in context (of the whole of scripture) I conclude that we have the grace necessary to overcome concupiscence. ).

What do you all think? Am I on the right track?
I think you are on the right track. While there will never be a time when we can say we have defeated personal sin in our lives for good, we are constantly offered the graces to overcome the tendency to sin. It is only for us to cooperate with these graces to root sin out of our lives. There are several means to this end:
  1. Prayer, especially the Rosary and before the Blessed Sacrament.
  2. Regular worthy reception of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession.
  3. An active cultivation of the virtues, especially the one(s) in opposition to your predominent vices (for example, if your predominent vice is to gossip, go out of your way when the opportunity arises to be silent or to say only positive things.). Vices are no more than bad habits, which we must replace with good habits, i.e., the virtues. Vices that are not addressed almost always result in sin. Like Barney Fife used to say “You’ve got to nip it in the bud.”
  4. Remove from your lives those things that are occasions or near occasions of sin (For some people, TV is a biggie). If you’re a man who finds himself oggling the women at a certain healthclub where the women tend to dress scantily or provocatively, find another healthclub or exercise at home.
  5. Develop a regular habit of good holy reading like the Scriptures, the Imitation of Christ, or other wise books that will fill your mind with what is spiritually edifying. “Garbage in/garbage out” also works in reverse.
The November/December 2004 issue of Lay Witness is dedicated to this very topic. You can find it here:
http://www.cuf.org/Laywitness/online.asp?lwIssue=‘Nov/Dec%202004’
 
Thanks for your replies. I think to say otherwise is to diminish the Cross of it’s meaning and to take away from the Incarnation. Christ took upon our human nature so that we can also take hold of the divine (2 Peter 1:4).

Thanks again… (if anyone else has anything to add please do so)
 
I just read this in a book titled Fully Human Fully Divine by Michael Casey

The ancient monks placed before their followers the gospel ideal of purity or undividedness of heart and advocated an extreme asceticism to promote its realization. It was a noble extreme ascetism to promote its realization. It was a noble project, worthy of our admiration. The only problem is that is did not and cannot work. Even those hoary heroes of the spiritual life found that, at the end of long decades of spiritual warfare, the most that could be hoped for were occasional brief truces or breathing spaces. Even those who devote their entire lives to living in holiness soon dicover that complete integration of energies is impossible while we are still “in the body.” This inner conflict means that we remain permanently imperfect and we will pass into eternity imperfect. Our only hope is to rely on the mercy of God. In a sense, this necessary transition from self-reliance to ultimate dependence on God is the meaning and purpose of the struggle. Victory over our vices is an illusory ideal. If our sins are the only things that make us rely on God, then it seems unwise to get rid of them too quickly.
 
When i open my heart to Christ, and he enters, no sin can be within me.

I feel Him burning inside my heart, and temptation poses no threat.

However, when i go back to my standard life, all becomes harder.

If i could stop time while in perfect union with God, then i could overcome sin. O wait, thats heaven, 🙂

Yes we can overcome sin, but do not expect to be free from temptation till death.

Try your best though, is not the kingdom of God worth your best efforts?

In Christ.

Andre.
 
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