What do you think are the "lusts of the flesh"?
Does this mean that as a christian you basically have to torture yourself and deny yourself everything which the body wants?
For example let's say it's a totally hot day and you stand there before a fan and the body says "This feels so good" then are we supposed to be like "Oh, you like that? I'll reign over you body and dominate you" and then we go into the sun where it's totally hot and pray or do something else which is totally uncomfortable only in order to go against what the body wants?
Or let's say you come home after work and you're totally tired and you feel like getting a shower or going into the whirlpool to relax a bit then should we deny this to the body and instead do something which is straining in order to control the flesh and to reign over it like the bible says?
Is that basically what it boils down to? Then there's not a huge difference between monks in a monastery who live totally ascetic and deprive themselves of everything which is pleasurable.
With all the talk in the bible about the flesh and not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh I don't really know how to put this into the proper perspective. Those verses can be interpreted in such a way that virtually everything becomes bad and carnal and then there isn't much which remains which one might do except praying and fasting all day.
For example have you ever been depressed and then you ate something good and at least for as long as you were eating the depressing thoughts were gone or didn't matter because of the sensation of eating? Now would that be a sin? Would God expect a christian that instead of doing what the body wants like eating something or relaxing in the whirlpool that we instead pray on our knees and even make our bodies suffer more in order to show to the body that we're in control and that it doesn't matter what it wants? Are we to hate ourselves and do the opposite of what we'd like to do? For example let's say you're hungry and someone offers you a sandwich and you're totally craving to eat this delicious sandwich and then you say no thanks and instead eat some dry bread simply to dominate over your body?
Or what about eating til your full? Is that a sin? Should a good christian always eat less so that he stays slightly hungry in order to control his flesh?`
Does this mean that as a christian you basically have to torture yourself and deny yourself everything which the body wants?
For example let's say it's a totally hot day and you stand there before a fan and the body says "This feels so good" then are we supposed to be like "Oh, you like that? I'll reign over you body and dominate you" and then we go into the sun where it's totally hot and pray or do something else which is totally uncomfortable only in order to go against what the body wants?
Or let's say you come home after work and you're totally tired and you feel like getting a shower or going into the whirlpool to relax a bit then should we deny this to the body and instead do something which is straining in order to control the flesh and to reign over it like the bible says?
Is that basically what it boils down to? Then there's not a huge difference between monks in a monastery who live totally ascetic and deprive themselves of everything which is pleasurable.
With all the talk in the bible about the flesh and not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh I don't really know how to put this into the proper perspective. Those verses can be interpreted in such a way that virtually everything becomes bad and carnal and then there isn't much which remains which one might do except praying and fasting all day.
For example have you ever been depressed and then you ate something good and at least for as long as you were eating the depressing thoughts were gone or didn't matter because of the sensation of eating? Now would that be a sin? Would God expect a christian that instead of doing what the body wants like eating something or relaxing in the whirlpool that we instead pray on our knees and even make our bodies suffer more in order to show to the body that we're in control and that it doesn't matter what it wants? Are we to hate ourselves and do the opposite of what we'd like to do? For example let's say you're hungry and someone offers you a sandwich and you're totally craving to eat this delicious sandwich and then you say no thanks and instead eat some dry bread simply to dominate over your body?
Or what about eating til your full? Is that a sin? Should a good christian always eat less so that he stays slightly hungry in order to control his flesh?`