For you to know that this duty pertains to the Holy Spirit, the Apostle says in another place: For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live. In these words already man would exalt himself, as if by his own spirit he could put to death the deeds of the flesh. If you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live. Explain to us, Apostle, by which spirit. For man too has a spirit pertaining to his own nature, by which he is man. For man consists of body and spirit. And it is said of the spirit of man itself: No one knows what is in man, except the spirit of man which is in him. Therefore I see that man himself has his own spirit pertaining to his nature, and I hear you saying: But if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live. I ask by which spirit: mine, or God’s? For I hear your words, and am still moved by uncertainty. For when spirit is mentioned, it sometimes refers to the human spirit, and sometimes the spirit of a beast is spoken of; as it is written, during the flood, all flesh died, which had in it the breath of life. And thus the spirit of a beast is spoken of, and the spirit of man is spoken of. Sometimes even the wind is called the spirit; as it is held in the Psalm: Fire, hail, snow, ice, violent winds. Therefore, since the spirit is mentioned in many ways, by which spirit did you, Apostle, say the deeds of the flesh must be put to death? mine, or God’s? Hear what follows, and understand. The question is resolved by the following words. For when he had said: But if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live; he immediately added: For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. You act, if you are led; and you act well, if you are led by what is good. Therefore, what he said to you: But if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live; and it was ambiguous to you which spirit he meant, understand it by the following words, recognize the Redeemer. For indeed the Redeemer gave you the Spirit, by which you put to death the deeds of the flesh. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. They are not sons of God, if they are not led by the Spirit of God. But if they are led by the Spirit of God, they fight; because they have a great helper. For God does not watch us fighting thus, as people watch hunters. People can favor the hunter, but cannot help him in danger.
Saints here do not do what they want, how.
Thus it is here also: The flesh desires against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. And what does it mean: So that you do not do what you want? Here indeed is the danger of a poor understanding. Let it now be the duty of any kind of expositor. So that you do not do what you want. Pay attention, you saints who fight. I speak to those who are battling. Those who battle understand: he who does not battle does not understand me. For he who battles, I do not say understands me, but anticipates me. What does a chaste man want? That no desire at all arises in his members against chastity. He wants peace, but he does not yet have it. For when it comes to that point where no desire arises at all against chastity, there will be no enemy with whom we struggle; nor is victory awaited there, because we triumph over an already vanquished enemy. Listen to this victory, as the Apostle himself says: This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. When this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality; then the saying that is written will come true: Death is swallowed up in victory. Listen to the voices of the triumphant: Where, O death, is your contempt? Where, O death, is your sting? You struck, you wounded, you cast down; but for me was wounded He who made me. O death, O death! He who made me was wounded for me, and with His death He conquered you. And then the triumphant will say: Where, O death, is your contempt? Where, O death, is your sting?
A man wishes not to have desires, yet he does not do what he wishes.
But now, when the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, it is a contempt of death: for what we would, that we do not. Why? Because we would have no desires, but we cannot. Whether we will or not, we have them; whether we will or not, they tingle, they allure, they stimulate, they infest, they want to rise. They are suppressed, not yet extinguished; as long as the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. Does this happen even when a man has died? Far from it. You put off the flesh, how do you drag along with you the desires of the flesh? But if you have fought well, you are received into rest. From which rest you are to be crowned, not condemned; so that afterwards you are brought to the kingdom. Therefore, as long as we live here, brothers, it is so; so even we who have grown old in this warfare, indeed have lesser enemies: but nevertheless we have them. Our enemies are somewhat fatigued now even through age; but nevertheless, though fatigued, they do not cease to infest the quiet of old age with whatever movements. The battle of the young is fiercer: we know it, we have gone through it. Therefore the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; so that you do not do what you would. For what do you wish, oh saints, oh good warriors, oh brave soldiers of Christ? What do you wish? That there may be no evil desires at all. But you cannot. Wage war, hope for triumph. For now, in the meantime, the fight is on. The flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; so that you do not do what you would; that is, that there should be no desires of the flesh at all.
We must fight so that sin does not reign. Our weapons. Power given to us.
But do what you can; as the Apostle himself says in another place, which I had already begun to mention: Let not sin reign in your mortal body, to obey its desires. Look at what I do not want; evil desires arise, but do not obey. Arm yourself, take up the instruments of war. The commandments of God are your weapons. If you listen to me well, and arm yourself from what I say. He says, Let not sin reign in your mortal body. For as long as you carry the mortal body, sin fights against you; but let it not reign. What does it mean: Let it not reign? That is, unto obeying its desires. If you begin to obey, it reigns. And what is to obey, except to present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin? There is no teacher clearer than this. What do you now want me to explain to you? Do what you have heard. Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin. God has given you the power through His Spirit to control your members. Lust arises, you hold your members; what will it do since it has arisen? You hold your members: do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin; do not arm your adversary against you. Hold your feet, so they do not go to illicit things. Lust has arisen, you hold your members; hold your hands from all crime; hold your eyes, that they may not look wrongly; hold your ears, that they may not gladly hear words of lust; hold your whole body, hold your sides, hold the top, hold the bottom. What does lust do? It knows how to rise, it does not know how to conquer. By rising constantly without cause, it learns not to rise.
What it is to hear and to fulfill desires.
Let us return therefore to the words which I had proposed as obscure from the Apostle, and now we shall see them to be plain. For this is what I proposed: the Apostle did not say, "Walk by the Spirit, and do not have the desires of the flesh;" for it is necessary that we have them. Why then did he not say: "Do not act on the desires of the flesh?" Because we do them; for we desire. Desire itself is to act. But the Apostle said: "It is no longer I who do it, but sin which dwells in me." Therefore, what must you beware of? This, without doubt: do not complete it. Damnable desire has arisen, it has arisen, it has suggested: let it not be heard. It burns, it does not restrain itself, and you would wish that it did not burn. And where is it: "That you may not do the things you wish?" Do not give your members. Let it burn without cause, and it consumes itself. Therefore, these desires happen in you. It must be admitted, they happen. Thus he said: "Do not complete them." But let them not be completed. You have resolved to act, you have completed. You have indeed completed, if you decide that adultery must be done, and therefore do not do it because a place is not found, because the opportunity is not given, because perhaps she who you seem to be moved by is chaste; behold, she is chaste, and you are an adulterer. Why? Because you have completed the desires. What does it mean: you have completed? In your mind, you have decided that adultery must be done. Already, heaven forbid, if even the members have worked, you have been cast down into death.
In the three dead raised by Christ, three degrees of sinners.
Christ raised a dead girl in the house, the daughter of the synagogue ruler. She was in the house, she had not yet been carried out. Such is a man who has resolved in his heart to commit a sin; he is dead, but he lies within. If, however, he has reached the stage of carrying out the act with his limbs, he is carried out. But the Lord also raised the young son of a widow when he was being carried out dead beyond the city's gate. Therefore, I dare to say something: If you have decided in your heart and you retract yourself from your act, you will be healed before you consummate it. For if you repent in your heart because you had resolved an evil, wicked, and condemnable sin; where you lay dead within, there within you have risen. But if you have completed it, you have already been carried outside, but you have someone who says to you: "Young man, I say to you, arise!" Even if you have committed it, let it bring you to repentance, return from it promptly; do not come to the grave. But here too I have a third dead person, who is also brought to the grave. He now has the weight of habit upon him, the earthly mass presses him greatly. For he has been much practiced in sins, burdened heavily by his excessive habit. Christ also cries out: "Lazarus, come forth!" For a man of the worst habit now stinks. Rightly did Christ cry out there; and not only did He cry out, but He cried out with a loud voice. For at Christ's cry, even such as these, though dead, though buried, though stinking, will still rise, and they themselves too will rise; they will rise. For none lying down should be despaired of under such a resurrector. Turned to the Lord...