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     We all must the frailties of our species and embrace the fact that each of us will transgress many times before we reach the end of our lives. We must reconcile ourselves to the never-ending presence of transgression in our society and seek to minimize its occurrence. When it does occur it must be placed within its proper context and learned from it. Rather than simply accepting the direction in which our negative actions take us, we must seek to understand the root cause of what we choose to do. From this knowledge we must learn how to avoid this deflection from the right(eous) path as we move forward in the future. We must learn from our mistakes and consciously fight against making them again. We must recognize that this is a part of our growth process and progress from there. 

     Biblically speaking, in First John 3:4 it says, “…sin is the transgression of the law.” The basic use of the label sin is as a noun, identifying thing that is detrimental to the natural order of things. Transgression is the label for the actual negative action. It is the result of the weakness inherent in the human species. When not held in check, this weakness leads to the manifestation of sin. Sin is the failure to comply with what is righteous within the context of our interactions with either God or with each other. Transgression is the failure to comply with what is right within the context of our individual lives. There is a reason for making this distinction. Each of us must seek to eliminate sinful acts from its behavior because of harm that results to others. We must act righteously during our personal interactions so as not to commit a wrong against another. However, there will always be individual transgression.  

     Our lives as human beings are unlike any in the known Universe. With our five senses we have the opportunity to perceive the moments of our lives in the stimulating context of self. Over the course of time, the wonder of this state of awareness has caused our consciousness to exist on a plane of self-satisfaction. Because of this, it seems as though humanity is more inclined to embrace the philosophy of the Pleasure Principle as a way of life. This is the concentration of the ego or mind on securing a maximum of pleasure with a minimum of effort and pain. This is a very subjective, selfish, greedy way to exist. We must direct our efforts toward more realistic, balanced goals. A more objective and truthful approach to life would be to embrace the Reality Principle. This is the adjustment of the ego or mind to meet the requirements of the external world, while still recognizing that there is pleasure to be had. Thinking this way would have our efforts or works directed at satisfying the requirements of our lives first and then pursuing the pleasure life has to offer. The pursuit of self-gratifying pleasure first is shortsighted. It has led us to act with selfishness and greed to compete for the pleasures of our existence.  

     Most of the difficulties that befall our species are the result of three things. Those three things are the fear of things we do not understand, and the manifestation of both selfishness and greed. Because the human species collectively thinks of itself as being the center of the known Universe, it will not embrace the one truth that should be at the foundation of all that individuals seek to understand. It is the fact that not a single human being knows all there is to know about existence. The arrogant omission of this truth from our collective mindset makes us misinterpret many of the things we do know. To be more specific, our lack of knowledge of the whole truth has not only caused most of us to misinterpret a lot of general information, it has led to a contamination of our belief systems. We also misinterpret the context within which we are to satisfy our needs, wants, and desires. We have allowed our personal pursuit of satisfaction to manifest itself into endeavors of selfishness and greed.  

     Selfishness and greed are the two most destructive elements of our lives. Together they are the basis of most all that is negative within our minds as well as the wrongs of our actions. Selfishness is the excessive indulgence of oneself in subjectivity. Subjectivity is a conscious choice to disregard the natural balance of the mental senses. It causes us to interpret reality such that we as individuals are at the center of it. To this degree, it is as though we are individual gods and the Universe is subject to our personal whims and desires. Greed is the excessive indulgence of oneself in materialism. Greed is a conscious choice to disregard the natural balance of the physical senses. It causes us to behave such that our actions are focused upon satisfying our personal wants/desires at the expense of everything around us. Materialism, or more aptly put, egoism, is selfishness and greed manifested into reality. Selfishness and greed are contrary to the characteristic nature inherent to members of a socialized species. The characteristic nature inherent to members of a socialized species is to commit personal effort toward the goal of collective benefit or mutual, balanced satisfaction.  

     Relative to the Holy Scriptures, there are categories of action that lead to the violation of the Ten Commandments. Recognizing and understanding the nature of each category of action is vital to staying on the path of righteousness. The seven Cardinal sins, or deadly sins as they are more commonly known, are the categories of the actions that serve as the catalyst for violating the Ten Commandments. The basis of all of these occurrences is imbalance, or more directly put, excess. The first of these Cardinal offenses is pride, an undue sense of one's own superiority; it is a sin of excess. The manifestation of pride will lead one to place himself or herself above our God. The second is covetousness, to be excessively desirous and greedy; it is a sin of excess. This will lead to stealing. The third is lust, an excessive sexual appetite, especially seeking immediate or ruthless satisfaction; it is a sin of excess. This will lead to adultery. The fourth is gluttony, the act or habit of indulging in anything excessively; it is a sin of excess. This will lead one to break any or all of the Commandments. The fifth is envy, a feeling of resentment or discontent over another person’s superior attainments, endowments, or possessions; it is a sin of excess. This will lead to bearing false witness against a neighbor, among other things. The sixth is anger, a strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a real or supposed wrong; it is a sin of excess. This will lead one to break any or all of the Commandments. The seventh is sloth, this simply means laziness; it is a sin of excess. This will lead one to steal from and covet the neighbor’s possessions.  

     It is said that every person will commit sin during their lifetime. During the occurrence of our daily lives we invariably break one or more of the Ten Commandments. Whether it is leaving work early without permission (stealing), or consciously stepping on an Ant (murder), we human beings exist in a constant state of sin. During the course of our lives, each of us will be confronted with the temptation to react to some of circumstances we are confronted with subjectively. Temptation is human weakness in the face of perceived joy of sensation and satisfaction. There are three categories of temptation that lead a person astray. They are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Lust is the label for a passionate or overmastering (excessive) desire. The lust of the flesh is the overpowering (excessive) desire to stimulate the senses of the body through touch, chiefly by sexual means. The lust of the eyes is the overwhelming (excessive) desire to stimulate the senses of the body by the acquisition of that which titillates the sense of sight. The pride of life leads a person to believe themselves to be greater (excessive) than another, placing them first above other people, then above our God, by the manifestation of thoughts that are self-glorifying. These thoughts are the interpretations of the perceptions of the senses. 

     Our will is undermined by the weaknesses of our flesh. Without strength of mind and discipline, along with a commitment to doing what is right (which is the essence of honor), we are easily dominated by sensation. Temptation should be looked upon as a test of the strength of human will and resolve. The temptations of life are a test of our character. We must strive to resolve all of our trials and tribulations with positive actions. However, because of the length of our lives together with our negativity within our subjective nature, individuals will sometimes fail and/or give in. These failures we must recognize as weakness and we must use these instances as lessons. We must learn that we are to grow from those experiences so that we do not repeat them. The first time something happens, it is an experience and a lesson. The second time the same thing happens, it is an error in judgment.

     Individuals must limit the occurrence of transgression and make little allowance for excesses. There will be times when each of us will think about indulging ourselves in a selfish manner and perhaps think about what are deemed sinful acts. Yet, if people will truly embrace the right(eous)ness that lies within them, this will help in those moments. Often it is as simple as listening to our heart, heeding our impressions and intuitions, and making judgments based on what we feel is right.  

     There may be times when individuals knowingly commit a transgression that person is able to reconcile within themselves and their spiritual sense. That person may be able to justify a personal indulgence as a selfish desire. That person may be able to reconcile it within his or her spirituality because that action will not harm another or directly violate religious teachings. In these moments, an individual may consciously choose to indulge himself or herself in an endeavor that may contain elements of risk for them. Any indulgence of this sort must be considered an excessive behavior and is therefore a transgression. One must still truthfully repent for that transgression in earnest. To understand these things, each of us must open our mind up to a broader awareness and commit our abilities to applying the knowledge of truth each of us possesses. Each of us must think in larger dimensions than the one in which we currently function. To aspire to perfection means that each of us must think about everything we do. Each of us must seek to make the right choices “continuously”. Each of us must act in ways that are true and positive.

TEMPTATION AND TRANSGRESSION

copyrighted 2002

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