Temptations from the Body

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Howdy everyone,

I (stupidly) got into a FB Bible Battle. The issue at hand is weather all temptations come from the human heart. I am defending that the World, the Flesh, and the Devil are the sources of temptation (weather they be big temptations, small temptations, venial or mortal. A temptation in general comes from one (not necessarily all) of the sources).

My friend believes they call come from the heart. He takes this very very seriously. Gay people cannot exist (at least as most people would define the term) in his worldview (I am sorry to any gay person that has to put up with this). His argument goes like this:
  1. God temps no one (Letter of James)
  2. If some people were predisposed to be Gay and its not possible to “convert” them to straightness, then their temptation would be from the Body.
  3. God made the body.
  4. So if God made Gay people he would be tempting them which contradicts premise 1.
  5. Homosexuality therefore comes from having an immoral heart. (I should stress here that my friend is not Catholic. Again sorry to any gay person that has to put up with this)
It seems a lot of temptations come from the body (I have experienced many of them, as have all teenage males). I could list a whole gambit of temptations from relatively small to extreme that come from well being human and having a body. Does the body serve as as a source of temptation and if so how can we say that God does not tempt us?

Please no arguments over weather gay people exist (CCC 2358 says that they do). I believe that there is a beautiful vocation for each of us. Not all are called for marriage…but I suppose the complicated discussion on how to be both Gay and Christian is another thread.
 
Something can be a “source of temptation” in two ways:
  1. Interiorly by concupiscence and a thing’s existence, e.g., someone is addicted to alcohol, therefore drinks are sources of temptation for him.
  2. Exteriorly by an agent trying to induce someone to sin, e.g., the devil tempting our Lord in the desert.
Our bodies may be sources of temptation in the first sense, but not the second. There are plenty of things in the created order that are sources of temptation in the first sense; but we cannot lay the blame at God’s door, because they are only sources of temptation due to our concupiscence which is man’s fault (not individually but as a race). In other words, although God does not tempt us (in the second sense), he allows us to be tempted.
 
Ah, the weather is very nice today, wouldn’t you say? I didn’t know weather it would be sunny or rainy.
 
The Temptation of Jesus

Matthew 4: 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

Peace
 
I’m not sure if you and your friend actually disagree. Hear me out.
  1. Scripture says that “all kinds of wickedness” come from the heart and that “the heart is deceitful above all things.” Just as it isn’t cruel to say that envy or sloth come from the heart, it isn’t cruel to say that lustfulness comes from the heart.
  2. Scripture also says that it is very difficult to have a pure heart. On the most obvious way of reading the book of Romans, EVERYONE has an impure heart, unless God heals it.
  3. If your friend claims that gay people have wicked hearts, but Christians don’t, he is speaking heresy. We all have wicked hearts.
  4. Although lust comes from the heart, it does not follow that temptation comes from the heart. Temptation is external, in most cases. Our wicked hearts, however, incline us to succumb to temptation.
  5. I don’t think homosexuality is merely a temptation to lust. As such, it is not evil in itself, but only insofar as it inclines one to evil acts.
 
MalteseFalcon said:
Howdy everyone,

I (stupidly) got into a FB Bible Battle. The issue at hand is weather all temptations come from the human heart. I am defending that the World, the Flesh, and the Devil are the sources of temptation (weather they be big temptations, small temptations, venial or mortal. A temptation in general comes from one (not necessarily all) of the sources).

My friend believes they call come from the heart. He takes this very very seriously. Gay people cannot exist (at least as most people would define the term) in his worldview (I am sorry to any gay person that has to put up with this). His argument goes like this:
  1. God temps no one (Letter of James)
  2. If some people were predisposed to be Gay and its not possible to “convert” them to straightness, then their temptation would be from the Body.
  3. God made the body.
  4. So if God made Gay people he would be tempting them which contradicts premise 1.
  5. Homosexuality therefore comes from having an immoral heart. (I should stress here that my friend is not Catholic. Again sorry to any gay person that has to put up with this)
It seems a lot of temptations come from the body (I have experienced many of them, as have all teenage males). I could list a whole gambit of temptations from relatively small to extreme that come from well being human and having a body. Does the body serve as as a source of temptation and if so how can we say that God does not tempt us?

Please no arguments over weather gay people exist (CCC 2358 says that they do). I believe that there is a beautiful vocation for each of us. Not all are called for marriage…but I suppose the complicated discussion on how to be both Gay and Christian is another thread.
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2 Samuel 24:24 Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”

1 Chronicles 21:21 Satan stood up against Israel, and incited David to number Israel.

Job 1:12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself do not put forth your hand.” So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.

Satan is basically a tool in Gods hands,

Satan only exists and is allowed to tempt and be an adversary for the Greater Good of Gods Holy Will,

All will be revealed eventually, the Scripture is packed with examples of this:

2 Chronicles 18: 18 And Micai′ah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left; 19 and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ra′moth-gil′ead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. 20 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ 21 And he said, ‘I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go forth and do so.’ 22 Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets; the Lord has spoken evil concerning you.”

Lamentations 3:37 Who has commanded and it came to pass,
unless the Lord has ordained it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that good and evil come?
39 Why should a living man complain,
a man, about the punishment of his sins?

Remember, God is Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omnibenevolent, Omniscient, Sovereign and Immortal (God is all powerful, present everywhere and at all times, all loving and all knowing, the Ruler and King of time, space, matter, spirits and souls, everlasting and Almighty),

Lord have mercy,

God bless
 
Thanks for your replies everyone. Sorry I have been away for so long. School has been busy. I will look through your thoughts. Thank you so much!
 
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