How Does One Die to Sin?

There is a constant battle that rages in mankind between the world in which man lives and God the Father in heaven. The carnal elements of the world naturally elicit a human sense of awe and wonder when the human appetite is satisfied with the pleasures of the world, whether it's debauchery, gluttony, sexual immorality, deceit, calumny, avarice, and so forth. The carnal elixir that provides temporary satisfaction and relief leaves the person, I argue, desiring more of the same spiritual concoction, which leads to an unholy habitual state of mind and heart embedded in sinful acts.

The state of humanity’s life revolves around a constant engagement between God and the world. And, ultimately, we will need to decide which life we prefer, one with God or one without Him. St. Paul provides a vivid example of this battle in his first letter to the Corinthians,

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.[1]

The Catechism defines sin as an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as “an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law.^[2] When a human being knowingly and actively engages in sinful behavior, they are choosing to separate themselves from the love of God and embrace an alternative form of love that focuses on themselves and not God. From another perspective, the nature of sin means that we either despise or, worse, hate God. This is the battle between God and the world that, through our human father Adam, chose over God. St. Paul reminds us of this important fact in his letter to the Romans, where he states, Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned.[3] The book of Wisdom tells u that God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own eternity, but through the devil’s envy, death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it.[4]

From the perspective of St. Paul’s dialogue with the Romans and the spiritual insights from the book of Wisdom, the path to dying to sin requires the exercise of spiritual docility and honest spiritual and rational awareness of one’s sinful behavior. The caveat here is that the behaviors one engages in are not only sinful-immoral, but also result in a spiritual and human desolation. Spiritual desolation from the position of being distant from all that is holy and divine, e.g., the love of the Father, and human desolation where the person is unable to see themselves or others as a child of God created in God’s image and likeness.

An important first step in dying to sin is the strengthening of the conscience or the voice of God within us, as described in the Catechism.[5] It further describes the moral conscience as follows,

Deep within his conscience, man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment. . . . For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. . . . His conscience is man's most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.[6]

The path toward dying to sin requires a willingness to do good by recognizing both the dignity of the person themselves and those around them. And this is the second step in dying to sin, the willingness to affirm the value in oneself and those around you as children of God. If this step is properly ordered in relation to God the Father, then the desire for evil dissipates because you are no longer anchored to fulfilling a personal disordered desire, and instead seek the good in oneself and others. St. Paul reminds us that our moral foundation rests in Christ as the antidote against spiritual and moral dissension, which is the root of sin. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid with Jesus Christ.[7]

The journey towards the death of sin within our hearts requires us to be in a constant state of docility to the will of God and possess a fervent desire to be in union with Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of the world. Our first movement requires us to say no to the sin(s) that affect us the most once our conscience is properly ordered. The Catechism echoes this very important point as follows,

Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings.[8]

Instead of addressing a multitude of sins, focus on the one sinful habit that distances you the most from Christ, then one’s family, then one’s self. Begin to make a firm purpose of amendment and a daily examination of conscience to not engage in the sin(s) that ail you the most. Seek the assistance of prayerful intercessors to provide you with the spiritual courage to renounce your sins. The aim is not the suppression of your sins but the conversion of your heart to seek Christ first in everything, instead of harboring the sinful crutch that has dominated one’s life. The process of dying to sin involves a weaning away from the destructive habits that have impeded the person’s ability to engage in a loving relationship with Christ.

In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul reminds us about relinquishing our old life and putting on a new life with Christ,  

Put off the old man that belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds and put on the new man, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. . . Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.[9]

As we prepare for the Lenten season, let us take solace in the words of St. John Damasus in his prayer of repentance,

O my God and my Lord Jesus Christ, lead me in Your way that I may walk in Your truth; gladden my heart that I may fear Your holy Name. O Lord so mighty in mercy, so gracious in Your might, assist and comfort me, save, for I put my trust in Your holy Name. In Your wrath, do not let me perish, O Lord and Lover of Mankind, but show me Your great mercy and compassion. O Physician and Healer of my soul, O merciful Savior, blot out all my transgressions, for in the depth of my heart I am sorry for having offended You. Grant me Your grace, that I may avoid my earlier and evil ways; give me the strength, O Mighty One, to withstand the temptations before which I am weak; keep me under Your protection, and under the shadow of Your wings, so that I may serve You faithfully, praise You, and glorify Your Name all the days of my life. The Father is my hope, the Son my refuge, the Holy Spirit my shelter. O Holy Trinity, all glory be to You! All my hope I place in you, O Mother of God; keep me under your protection. Amen.