Sin

[Birthew]

How much of it are we in control of, and how much are we held accountable for. A drug addict who wants to give up but can't, is this there fault due because they willfully take the drugs, or is the because of the withdrawal symptoms their body is exhibiting.

Also how much does the devil influence our actions and what are our own actions.

 

[razeontherock]

Now these are good questions! Someone truly getting down to business with G-d would want to know these differences. One advantage to Orthodox Christianity, is they have a "Spiritual Father," that would be committed to helping one find their answers in their own life. I'm not sure if that's a full-blown Priest, a lesser qualification, or what.

The lines do definitely blur between our own thoughts, our own flesh, the world, and the devil. Those are our enemies. The real key to victory is not gaining control, but surrendering it to Jesus:

(Mat 10:39) He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

 

[salida]

When you give your problems to the cross it makes all the difference.

 

[oi_antz]

Agree with Ray and Salida. I surrendered all to Jesus when I was converted. I didn't go about fighting my addictions, just one day Jesus decided enough was enough and I quit marijuana eight months after converting, quit alcohol and cigarettes about one month later, and sex about three months later. My flatmate has an alcohol problem, I told him the same thing, just ask Jesus to do it. He's now received a serious reason to stop, so I guess that's the power of God in his life. It all comes as a result of committing your life to Jesus, because only He has the power to conquer sin. The more you struggle with sin, the harder it seems, but if you just let it go and let Jesus take care of it, in good time you will conquer sin and Jesus will make you holy. Think about what Paul writes about it in Galations 2:

Paul Confronts Peter

11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish Christians followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?

15 “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. 16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”[d]

17 But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! 18 Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. 19 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ.[e] It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

Note Paul's message: it is by the grace of God, not by our effort. Not that we are stronger than someone else because of our obedience to the law, but that our very nature is Christ-like.

 

[drich0150]

How much of it are we in control of, and how much are we held accountable for. A drug addict who wants to give up but can't, is this there fault due because they willfully take the drugs, or is the because of the withdrawal symptoms their body is exhibiting.

This is a very good analogy, in that it paints the drug addict as a slave to his drug of choice. As does the bible paint a sinner as a slave to his sins of choice. In the same way like a drug addict is a slave to his drugs, we are slaves to sin. So bottom line we are not in total control. Paul talks about this a great deal in the book of Romans.

Also how much does the devil influence our actions and what are our own actions.

The devil is restricted in pointing out opportunity. We are responsible for our deeds.

 

[norswede]

How much of it are we in control of, and how much are we held accountable for. A drug addict who wants to give up but can't, is this there fault due because they willfully take the drugs, or is the because of the withdrawal symptoms their body is exhibiting.

Also how much does the devil influence our actions and what are our own actions.

We are called to hate sin and turn from it. This doesn't mean we won't continue to sin, it just means we feel horrible when we do. We know that we are hurting our Heavenly father and there's no greater shame than that. I quit smoking in 2008 cold turkey through prayer alone. I didn't even have withdrawals and I had been smoking for about 12 years. I also quit drinking even though I was never much of a drinker to begin with but through the power of the Holy Spirit I have overcome a lot. I'm still tempted of course and I still sin everyday in thought and action (especially in thought. That's a tough one to overcome) but I pray for God's help every night and thank him for all he's done for me and everyday I get closer and closer to him and farther and farther away from sin.