Is having sinful desires an act of sin if you don't act out on it?
For example: I can get seething with anger in my head when things don't work out the way I expected, but I just can't prevent it from happening. It just goes automatically. The good thing is that I managed with God's help to not act out on it, it doesn't go further than my thoughts. But my question now is if this is still a commitment of sin or not?
There are different positions on the subject.
In Western theology we talk about concupiscence, the inborn and inwardly directed lusts of the flesh; the proclivity toward sin with which we were all born with on account of Original Sin. But there are two fundamentally different positions about it (in the West):
In the Catholic tradition concupiscence is not itself sin, but is only the proclivity toward sin. It represents a wound in human nature.
In the Lutheran tradition concupiscence is sin. Our human nature hasn't been merely wounded, but is in fact dead, we are
totally depraved. But that needs a little further explanation, "total depravity" does not mean "completely and utterly evil", but rather means that our depravity (which means "bent" or "curved") toward sin and selfishness is total, i.e. every facet of our humanity has been stained by sin. So that even our will, our thoughts, our feelings, etc are sinful.
Other Protestants will have varying and different positions on the subject. Some closer to the Catholic view and some closer to the Lutheran view.
So whether or not one considers our sinful desires to be in and of themselves sinful, in a sense, depends on whether one regards our sinful condition to itself be sinful or if only our actual sins constitute sinfulness.
From the Lutheran perspective to acknowledge the totality of our sinfulness is not a cause of massive grief and despair, but rather is an invitation for us to be honest about ourselves, that we are sinners, and as sinners we can hear the word of the gracious and loving God who rescues, redeems, and saves us through Christ. That is the Gospel, and the Gospel is for sinners. As we read, "This is a trustworthy saying worthy of complete acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and I am the chief of sinners." (1 Timothy 1:15)
So as we recognize ourselves as sinners, humbly before God; we confess our sins knowing that God's judgment by the Law is over our sin. But such confession is not confession made in hopelessness, but in the hopefulness of the pure good word of the Gospel which is our very salvation--for the Gospel is the very power of God Himself to save us. And save us He has done and is doing and will continue to do. For He is Faithful and True.
-CryptoLutheran
