Page:On The Spiritual Battle.pdf/8

 it will be shown that all of those who will stand at the judgment fell under Adam’s curse and died in it, and those who did not fight against flesh and blood will be destroyed. Whoever erroneously thinks against the truth of such things has fallen from the truth, and so has the one who believes him in that lie. To establish an idea contrary to the truth is always delusion, even though it may be disguised as something honorable. Nonetheless, no truth ceases to be true just because someone thinks about it erroneously. In the same way, spiritual struggle will also not pass away from Adam’s sons or Eve’s daughters. They will continue to have temptations and the evil adversities of sin in their flesh. Their flesh has its inception in sin and has a strong foundation and impetus of sin within itself. Evil will not pass anyone by. A person will not attain something just because he would think of it, and whoever thinks that God will give us immortality in the body in exchange for temptation in the flesh thinks it heretically. (The true promise of God to faithful people is not that they should await the resurrection from the dead of this already uncorrupted and immortal body in exchange for temptation in the flesh. God does not promise that they are born without sin and that they dwell here without temptations, but knowing that everyone is born in sin. He had mercy on us and sent His son to purge our sins and to wash us from our sins in His blood). Whoever has such presumptions and sows them among people is always a liar and destroys the hope of the resurrection from the dead, saying and promising that people will sometimes have great holiness here in the world and that they will not have temptations and struggles in the flesh.

It is important for us to faithfully interpret Saint Paul when he says that “our wrestling is not against flesh and blood” because, he does not say that people should not fight against flesh and blood. In speaking that way, he wants to expose another more difficult battle than that which is against flesh and blood, because afterwards he introduces battle against the cunning devil. And that he takes exception to battles against flesh and blood with this discourse is obvious elsewhere when he says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.” (Galatians 5: 16-17) In this discourse it is obvious that he neither affirms nor rejects battles against flesh and blood, but instead the apostle teaches and admonishes that they conduct themselves in accordance with the Holy Spirit so that they do not set out to conquer with fleshly ambition, which continually struggles against God and wages war in our members. Because he says here, “our wrestling is not against flesh and blood,” he demonstrates the more difficult battle with unseen and cruel spirits. The battle against flesh and blood would be too much for us cowardly and corrupted people, because it is difficult and horrible beyond our strength and God will bless whoever will be found faithful and persistent in it. The devil’s depraved desires are measureless, having their ruthless roots entangled in our flesh and hearts and always engaging in their restless depravity, entering into the heart from the flesh and from the heart into the flesh again. When a recollection brings something into the heart, the will immediately grabs hold of it and contemplates it with delight until the flesh is driven by it and catches fire in its improper desires. Then, if the flesh is driven to pleasure, it does not fail to fill the heart with those unbecoming desires.

That is why the most difficult battle is with the flesh, because its desires cling to the heart and grip it forcefully and delightfully in its wickedness. It latches onto the heart with its falsehood so that power and the judgment of truth depart from a person because he is caught and carried away from himself. His gravest enemy has reached inside of him and snatched his heart. And the flesh too, driven by its depravity and indulgences, snatches the heart again and again if the special graces and the strength of the Holy Spirit are not present. The devil has many of those vile roots that remain in the flesh and heart so powerfully that some of them always shoot up and grow through desires. A lustful desire is contemplated in the heart, the flesh is enflamed, and anger or pride is awakened; or avarice leads to hoarding and fear