Well, you know, I've read that many times in the cases of homosexulity, it has been noticed that it can be traced back to trauma. It's not a conscious "decision to be gay." And often, as I had a high school guy friend tell me, they try very hard to conceal it for along time, and even try to have the "right" desires. I don't know about that personally, but as one who struggled with mental illness, to many people it was "just set your mind to this." It's not that simple, there are certain barriers that I have to overcome that they do not understand, or try to understand or endured. And if at some point it is concluded by secular studies that homosexulality is a disorder prompoted/influenced by some environmental factor, then it relates to my situation.
I am myself a bit perplexed at the Homosexual state-of-existence. As a kid growing up, I never explicitly thought or indulged my mind on 'who' or 'which-sex' I should be attracted to. Likewise, I heard from many homosexuals through media, personal conversations etc, that it was the same for them. They were naturally finding themselves attracted to the same-sex without having to deliberately make that conscious decision to go against their natural desires? But, who would really want to do that in their right mind ? Maybe some, but are all Homosexuals deliberately wanting to desire after men despite being naturally attracted to women? Somehow I am coming to doubt that unless everything I read and heard in person were all lies and deception. And we know Science even right now cannot find anything inside the brain that is a deterministic component for sexual orientation.
Maybe we can wishfully guess the problem could lie in the spiritual and secret inherited sins from the fathers/mothers. I think its the proclivity to something that the man/woman dwelt upon secretly, and due to societal norms they were somehow forced to marry into the heterosexual scene, without having to deal with 'that' proclivity in a Godly manner and overcome it. So when they reproduce those secret sins also come upon as a proclivity/strange inclination upon the child/children also. And obviously God would not negate his own principles by creating a homosexual.
And the mind and the brain are one, at least that's what psychologists are saying now. If your mind worked independent of your brain, then why would you expect brain damage to affect behavior, decisions, and the like? Eh, call it my "much learning" that's driven me so mad that I can't see something so simple if you like (I use that comparison loosely) - but just taking a look at psychology, I have a hard time believing that sin and holy can be divided so sharply. There are certainly doctors that do, and that's fine. But even so with my own mind, thinking about my decision and the thoughts that propelled them, I can't discern MY OWN thoughts as to say they are completely holy, sinful or out of my control. Minute by minute regulation of thoughts will drive a sane person mad - throw in mental illness, and you can imagine how hard it could be to attempt the same (which I have, btw).
Well, I do agree that most of the time the mind and brain come into unity as they act, or for a certain behavior to be invoked. But to explicitly say that they are ONE - it is the same thing to say that within a computer, the CPU/Hardware is the same thing as the software/OS-programming language acting on the CPU/Hardware. Actually in reality they are not the same. You can manipulate software/logic and pass on whatever instructions/logic to the hardware-CPU. And of course if you break one of the hardware components of a computer like a video card, or sound card you will see the changes in overall behavior/functionality of the computer
I believe "mind" can be renewed that has the potential to affect brain which in turns executes/affects behavior. Like it says in the scriptures:
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." [Romans 12:2]
And trust me, renewing the mind everyday requires patience, effort and the desire to follow God and not the flesh. Otherwise the soul will swing to the carnal mind in a matter of seconds.
This is getting into very basic theology, but I want to know that I understand your premise: Do you believe that once a man or woman receives Jesus, that the person is fully a saint, justified completely and totally by God? Do you believe that salvation is more of a process? Do you think that you are simply sinner and saint? I think I'd have a better understanding about the carnal mind as you define it if you clear those things up for me. It's not that I want to discuss those - I want to know where you start from, what the foundation is.
Wow a saint overnight just by one confession? That doesn't make any sense at all. The King James version specifically says, "
as becometh saints". I do believe it is God that justifies and glorifies. So for that to happen a lot of purging and converting needs to happen inside a human soul. It is not an over-night process. Also it is hugely dependent on the indulgence and desire of the soul to follow God and not his/her flesh? [This has to happen throughout the believer's lifetime while he/she walks on earth] Following the flesh will result in sin and death. And if sin multiplies, therefore death also multiplies. But according to the grace of God if the sin is convicted and the soul
overcomes every sin of his mind which has been pointed out or convicted by God according to His grace, then that's great.
To me personally, a
saint is somebody that has gained significant control and domination upon his/her carnal mind through Christ which has matured inside them. They do not commit anymore the same presumptuous tacky sins like pride, anger, lust and whole bunch of other sins/thoughts of the mind, and instead their relationship with Christ is quite strong from a spiritual-sexual point of view. For example the Apostles and some early Christians were saints IMO.
I am personally
NOT a saint but a SINNER at the moment. I am not at
that stage yet. It would be a blasphemy to my own conscience if I said I was a saint. I know my carnal mind and how wicked she is. So, I believe sainthood is a process just like how Salvation is a process.
"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." [Phi 2:12]
How can there be Salvation without the soul completely converting from his/her past ways/thoughts/sins? Sure we being all sinners have the grace of God and His forgiveness to get up and dust ourselves off and
wage the warfare again! But if the soul decides not to engage in warfare, but would rather indulge in sin and have spritual-sex/agreement with sin, then he/she can forfeit their salvation. What difference would there be between them and the unbelievers that are engaged in the same sins? So, accepting and trusting Christ and then waging a war against the carnal mind, and overcome all sins of the carnal mind through the power/grace of Christ will result in salvation for the soul which God himself shall justify and glorify them. Again we see here Apostle paul likening salvation to a race:
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." [2 Tim 4:7]