Is overcoming our flesh a struggle?

[notinvain]

I always hear people say that they struggle with sin, that it is in thier nature to be sinful and they can't overcome thier flesh, what is this?

This is certainly no teaching of Christ, who here believes that as a Christian you will struggle with your flesh? Struggle with temptation I can understand, but one who struggles with his flesh- has he not already commited the act that he has been tempted with?

 

[bebop]

Romans 7:18

For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it. 7:19 For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want! 7:20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.
7:21 So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me. 7:22 For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. 7:23 But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members. 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 7:25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

I believe that Paul sums it up in the above.

 

[pachomi33]

Greetings!

Yes the struggle with the flesh is normal (I Cor.9:22 I believe). But it is a battle that gets easier. The passions of sin (Rom.7:5) have less powe over us as we grow in grace.
On the flip side Romans 7 is not the normal Christian experience. Romans 8:1-13 is; the law is fulfilled in us. The Christian overcomes the world, flesh and devil, but it is still a fight. The favorite saying among Orthodox is Christ conquers (Xristos Nike) He is the Victor in us.I Jn.4:1-5
God bless you