Theology of the Body — 2011/08/21

"All of Christian morality [as well as the moral system of the Old Testament] finds its fulfillment in a single word — love.

"Paul reveals the connection between freedom and love. 'You, my brothers, were called to be free,' he writes. Therefore 'serve one another in love' (Gal. 5:13). …

"There is a danger [of] misunderstanding what 'freedom from the law' means. Paul warns against using our freedom to indulge in sin — that is the opposite of true freedom. A person dominated by lust cannot be free. … He cannot be a true gift to another — he can only reduce the body to a sex object.

"Among the 'acts of the flesh,' Paul lists 'sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery.' He contrasts these with self-control, one of the fruits of the Spirit. Self-control is inseparable from purity of heart.

"… Paul places purity of heart within the context of a Spirit-driven life – a heart given over to Christ that expresses itself outwardly through self-control and acts of love."

Theology of the Body — 2011/07/27

Continuing my series of excerpts from Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body in Simple Language, published by Philokalia Books, an adaptation of the Pope's talks by Sam Torode:

"Christ's saving work is cosmic, rescuing the entire universe from sin; but it begins with man and the redemption of the body.

"A redeemed life is possible through the power of the Spirit. It begins in the heart, them bears fruit in outward actions. …

"The 'flesh' is not limited to the sexual or physical realm. The 'acts of the flesh' [mentioned by St. Paul] are closely aligned with those things Christ describes as coming from an impure heart — 'evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander' (Mt. 15:19). … All sin comes from the flesh; all purity from the Spirit.

"… When Paul talks [in Romans 8:12-13] of putting to death the body's misdeeds, he echoes Christ's words in the Sermon on the Mount. … Self-control is essential for living by the Spirit.
…
"Living by the flesh means bondage to sin and decay. But living by the Spirit brings true freedom …

"Again and again, Paul stresses that salvation does not come from following the prescriptions of the Old Testament law, 'You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rater serve one another in love' (Gal. 5:13).

"Christ sets us free — not so that we might fall under the control of sin again, but that we might learn purity of heart."

Theology of the Body — 2011/07/21

"Throughout his letters, Paul examines [the] conflict between good and evil in the human heart. … For [the Manichaeans], it was a struggle between matter and spirit — the spiritual part of man is good, but the body is evil. For Paul, however, it is not that simple.

"When Paul uses the terms 'flesh' and 'Spirit," he does not mean body and soul. Instead, his use of 'flesh' is synonymous with John's description of lust in its three forms. Flesh … is the part of [man's] heart dominated by sin. A person who lives 'by the flesh' is driven by desire for that which is 'of the world.' The man described by Jesus, who looks upon a woman lustfully, is a clear example.

"The Spirit of God — who lives in the heart of every Christian — desires something entirely different. God wants us to … develop a disposition to purity. This strength is not our own — it is the power of Christ operating with us through the Holy Spirit.
…
"… Life in the flesh began when sin entered the world. Before that time, Adam and Eve lived entirely by the Spirit. With sin came death and decay. But Paul [anticipates] the final victory over sin and death. The first sign of this is Christ's resurrection.  'If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you' (Rom. 8:11).

"Our only hope for victory is justification in Christ. This justification is not just a promise of something that will happen in the future. It is a real power operation within the heart and expressed through our actions. …
…
"The acts of the flesh [listed in Galatians 5:19-22] spring from a heart given over to lust. The fruits of the Spirit flow from a heart given over to Christ — that is the way of redemption.

"The fruits of the Spirit aren't acquired without effort. Behind each of these virtues — love, joy, peace, and so on — there are moral choices, acts of the will. But it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that a person can overcome the flesh and choose goodness. Spirit-driven acts are not human 'works' — they are gifts of God."

In this section, the Pope quotes the passage in Galatians which I cited. Earlier, he also quotes Romans 5:5 and 8:5-11. If you read those passages, it may make this section of the book even clearer. I did not include the passages in order to keep the post from getting too long.