Sin How it is Conceived and Overcome
Introduction
Man is not only a physical being but also a spiritual one, and just as an illness weakens him in the physical, sin weakens his spirit. The idea behind the concept of sin dates back to the birth of society when morality was also born, and for centuries many men and women have condemned sin as well as the sinner. But what is sin really and how is it conceived And more importantly, what are the ways that a good Christian should follow in order to overcome it The key to becoming a good follower of Christ is not only learning how to do good but also knowing how to overcome evil. Such is the purpose of this detailed investigation into the nature of sin.
How Sin is Conceived
In Christianity, sin is usually conceived by succumbing to temptations or through the violations of the doctrines of the Church, namely the Ten Commandments and the principles inherent in the Lords Prayer (Aquinas, 1939).
Temptations. To tempt is nothing but to test and prove and that to tempt a man is simply to test or try his virtue. Any temptation towards man is done in two ways in the same way that a mans virtue necessitates two conditions to do good and to avoid evil (Aquinas, 1939). This is based on a line in the Book of Psalms saying Turn away from evil and do good (NIV Holy Bible, Ps. 33.15). This therefore implies that at times a mans virtue is tested in doing good and at times it is tried in avoiding evil. There are basically three types of temptations mentioned in the Holy Scriptures the temptations of the flesh, the temptations of the devil, and the temptations of the world (Aquinas, 1939).
However it should be noted that God frequently sends trials to the just who, through their patience, overcome the sin with their virtue and they themselves increase in virtue (Aquinas, 1939). This statement alone presupposes that behind every temptation, God Himself gives His consent.
Temptations of the Flesh. Man is tempted by the flesh in two ways.
First, the flesh incites man to evil. The flesh seeks its own pleasures, specifically called carnal pleasures, in which man indulges himself and consequently neglects spiritual things (Aquinas, 1939). This is confirmed by the apostle James when he said, Every man is tempted by his own concupiscence (1 James 1.13). The capital sins of lust and gluttony may be examples of temptations of the flesh.
Secondly, man is tempted by the flesh by enticing him away from good (Aquinas, 1939). This presupposes the instances where the flesh puts obstacles in the way of the spirit. The corruptible body is a load upon the soul (Wis. 9.15). Pride and sloth may be classified as temptations of the flesh of this subtype. Pride, I believe, is the flesh enticing man away from humility, while sloth keeps him away from diligence.
Personally I believe that the temptations of the flesh prove to be most severe to man as the flesh is something united to him. There is therefore a need for us to watch over this enemy and guard ourselves from the inside.
Temptations of the Devil. Even when the flesh is subdued, man may still be tempted by the devil with extreme force (Aquinas, 1939). The Apostle Paul says in his Epistle to the Ephesians that mans struggle is not against flesh and blood, but againstthe rules of the world ofdarkness, against the spirits of wickedness (Eph. 6.12).
The devil does two things when he tempts man. First, he deceives a man first. Paul himself, in his Epistle to the Corinthians, says, Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11.14). Secondly, after Satan betrays man, he leads him to sin (Aquinas, 1939).
Some sins, I believe, which are the works of the devil are those that involve some form of deception at first. This may include sins of adultery, in which marriage serves as a deception, and the sin of stealing, where the perpetrator hides his evil intentions before he commits the sin.
Temptations of the World. The world has two ways of tempting man. First, the world tempts man through excessive and intemperate desire for the goods of this life (Aquinas, 1939). The ones who succumb to this type of temptation may be those who seek after money. Paul says to Timothy that the desire of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim. 6.10). Money may not be the only object of temptation here but also physical goods and all other things wealth can buy.
The second way that man is subdued by the temptations of the world is through fears engendered by tyrants and persecutors (Aquinas, 1939). This is further supported by Paul in saying that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3.12). Fear, after all, is indeed one powerful tool of the world that drives man to commit sin. For example, an employee is forced by one of his superiors not to tell the truth about the latters corruption and threatens him with the termination of his services. Such fear may then lead the employee to continually turn a blind eye to his superiors evil deeds and as an accomplice to the crime, the employee commits a sin by allowing himself to be subdued by the temptation of the world.
Violations of the Ten Commandments. In Christianity, other sins may be committed against certain doctrines of the Church and one of which is the Ten Commandments given by God to the Israelites through Moses (Exod. 20.2-17). The first three of the Ten Commandments are directed towards the worship and honor of God, the first two are stated negatively and the third positively. The remaining seven commandments are directed towards ones fellowman, with only the first stated positively and the rest negatively. Man conceives a sin as a direct violation of the actual statement of any of the Ten Commandments, like the sin of killing as a direct violation of the Fifth Commandment. However, there are certain other sins which may be committed as indirect violations of these commandments.
A special mention should be given to anger, which is considered to be a violation of the fifth commandment, Thou shalt not kill (Aquinas, 1939). This is based on what was written by the Apostle MatthewYou have heard that it was said to them of old Thou shalt not killbut I say to you that anyone who is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment (Matt. 5.21-22).
Violations of Certain Petitions of The Lords Prayer. The Lords Prayer is the prayer taught by Jesus to His Apostles (Matt. 610-14) and was taught in very plain and simple words. Aquinas (1939) says that the fourth petition of The Lords Prayer, Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread teaches us to avoid five sins committed out of the desire for temporal things, or things that are temporary (Aquinas, 1939).
Two of the sins worth mentioning here are the first and fifth sins. The first sin is mans inordinate desire to seek those things which go beyond his state and condition of life. The fifth sin, on the other hand, is ingratitude. An example of such is a man who grows proud in his wealth and does not realize that what he has comes from God (Aquinas, 1939). Based on the aforementioned statements, it is clear that the overly ambitious and the ungrateful are both sinful. The other three sins, however, are concerned with greed.
Ways that Lead to the Commission of the Capital Sins. Torre (1980) states that sin has two elements. One of which is turning away from God, which is pride or the disorderly desire for ones excellence. The other one is turning to creatures, which is greed or covetousness, manifesting itself in the form of envy, anger, lust, gluttony or sloth. These are the seven capital sins, thus called because they are considered the heads of all the others (Torre, 1980).
Based on the aforementioned definition of capital sins, it seems that man himself can cause himself to conceive sin either through the rejection of God or through the turning to savage, beastlike ways. These two ways may also be likened to man being subdued by the temptations of the flesh, which is a part of his being.
Evil Effects of Sin
Once conceived, sin causes effects in the spirit. This is the reason for the need to overcome it. Overall, sin has five effects on the spirit (Aquinas, 1939).
The first evil effect of sin is the defilement of the soul, which means that the soul becomes tainted and unclean (Aquinas, 1939).
The second effect of sin is that we commit an offense against God (Aquinas, 1939). The Book of Wisdom states that to God, the wicked and wickedness are hateful alike (Wis. 14.9). This shows us that God identifies the sinner with his sin and He hates both.
The third effect of sin is that man is spiritually weakened by it, which implies that the more he sins, the more prone he is to committing more sins (Aquinas, 1939). However, Paul says that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin may be destroyed (Rom. 6.6). This means that Christ lessened this sickness and weakness caused by sin.
The fourth effect is that we incur the punishment due to sin (Aquinas, 1939). This is based on Gods being just which means that whoever sins must be punished and that the punishment must be in direct proportion with the guilt (Aquinas, 1939). Overcoming sin is therefore essential as if man does not know how to do such, his spirit will forever be punished in eternal damnation.
The fifth and last evil effect of sin is that we incur banishment from the Kingdom of Heaven (Aquinas, 1939) in a similar way the ones who offend the king are put into exile. God is the Kingdom of Heaven and the Symbol of All Goodness. This implies that, although there are ways to overcome sin, God banishes a sinner from the Kingdom and can only return through certain ways and procedures instituted by the Church.
How Sin is Overcome
The spiritual ability to overcome sin is not shared by many people. When one overcomes sin and the ways that sin is committed, one deserves the reward (Aquinas, 1939).
Prayer. The sixth petition of the Lords Prayer states Lead Us Not Into Temptation which presupposes the importance of this prayer and of prayer itself in seeking ways to overcome temptation. Aquinas (1939) states that it is only human to be tempted but to give consent to temptation is devilish.
Patience. The Apostle James says that blessed is the man that endures temptation for when he has been proved, he shall receive the crown of life (James 1.2). The value of patience, therefore, in overcoming sin, cannot be emphasized heavily. Aquinas (1939) says that it is by patience that we obtain peace and the Apostle Matthew also writes the words of Jesus saying blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God (Matt. 5.9). God therefore delivers man from evil but only when man possesses the virtue of patience.
Charity. Charity, even in its smallest degree, is able to resist any kind of sin (Aquinas, 1939). Although this may be a principle that belongs only to certain religions, charity, I believe, serves to lessen the guilt and therefore lessens the punishment. It may also be an external effect of repentance.
Seeking the Guidance of the Holy Spirit. Another way to overcome sin is by walking in the ways of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 517 says, Walk by the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh(Michael, 2007) This means that when the Holy Spirit governs ones ways, he will not be overpowered by temptation and by the sinful desires that draw people away from living a holy life. Paul further affirms this in Romans 8 when he says that those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit (Michael, 2007). The aforementioned statements basically tell us one thing that the sinner is nothing more than a misguided soul. Only the Holy Spirit therefore can direct man in order for him to overcome sin.
Conclusion
Although to be tempted is only human, the mere act of succumbing to temptation and sin is pure evil. Sin is conceived in many ways from temptations to violations of certain doctrines. Such commission of sin instantly results in evil effects to the spirit and even with forgiveness and repentance serving as remedy, the greatest challenge of man remains as his struggle to overcome sin and although there are a few ways, the most effective is seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit and walking in His ways.
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