Physical effects of sin

[Mina of Alexandria]

hi again,
I wondering about a certain question,
what is the effect of the sin on my nature today? after the redemption and renewing the human nature and uniting with our lord Jesus christ, taking him in eucharist... becoming sons by adoption to the godfather by bearing his only-begotten son in us , if I make a sin ... I think it may have a horrible effect more than the effect of the nuclear bomb on Herushima . because if in the old testament I did the sin with my body , today I do it with our Lord's body. does the sin deform the image of god in me , and my new nature , and build a wall between me and the divine nature again ( I think this would be better than bearing this uncreated grace and making sin !! I'm really confused )
I'm afraid to say that this uncreated grace is a big responsibility which no one can bear it !
please some one tells me about it .
in IC XC
Mina Mounir

[Lourens]

Mina of Alexandria wrote:


what is the effect of the sin on my nature today? ... if I make a sin ... does the sin deform the image of god in me , and my new nature , and build a wall between me and the divine nature again ....

Dear Mina,

Please allow me to express some thoughts on the effects of sin.

First of all, we must accept that we are in a process: we are being changed from one degree of glory to another (deeper/higher) degree of glory, into the image and likeness of the Lord. It is written that we have "all sinned and fall short of the glory of God;" that we were far from Him, because sin separates from the Holy One. This means, however, that as we draw near to God and stop sinning, the glory of His beauty and presence is restored to us. We gradually grow into a fullness of the Spirit of Holiness and are established in Love and Truth.

If we accept that we are gradually changed, we must know that some of the effects of sin are carried with us. Sure, we have been forgiven for our defilement (internally) and our disfigurement (externally), but we are only gradually set free from sin's deadly contamination. It takes the cleansing of the heart, the renewal of the mind, and the washing of the hands. Thank God for the grace in which we stand, and the deliverance we have in Him. Only as the new creation are we able to change our loves and affections, dispositions, attitudes, habits, intentions, etc., and receive power to be the children of God.

Let' s take a person who as a child always experienced that he/she was wronged or unfairly treated by parents and society, and as a result developed a pout---a distinct way of pulling up the chin and lower lip muscles to look saddened or grieved by the wrong committed against them; that life should treat them so harshly!

Such a person might develop a lot of resentment in the heart and even grow a root of bitterness. Thus the heart is defiled by the wrong thoughts and a sinful disposition of embitterment and unforgivingness. Physically, a pout carried and sustained over twenty or thirty years becomes a set feature of the face. But how great is our salvation, that even such effects are changed as the heart and mind is sanctified and we begin to reflect the Light of the Beauty of Holiness.

How dreadful, then, for a person who has been regenerated and is being sanctified, to fall into sin. There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. Not only will the Spirit of Truth speak internally through the conscience, and give a real sense of shame and broken fellowship with God, it will publicly declare our wrongdoing in our behaviour and display it in our countenance and body language. Our spiritual condition is written on our faces, and revealed in how we act.

We all know this. We can see if people are happy, upset, angry, sad, etc. Where do we "read" this emotional condition? On their faces and in the way they act. The same goes for the deeper spiritual condition---the primary place of revelation is the countenance, and body language in a secondary sense. With the cultivation of spiritual discernment, the reflected or revealed condition of the heart and mind becomes clearly visible to the saint: there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.

But thanks be to God, Mina, He has made provision for us: if we repent, and turn to Him, and confess our sins, He is faithful and true to forgive us, and the Blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse us of all our iniquities, and the Spirit of Holiness continue to sanctify us completely unto perfection.

Abiding in Him,

Respectfully,

Learner.

[Kusanagi]

Whatever happens inside of man will be made visible through the appearance. I believe St Ambrose of Optina mentioned this about Holy People living virtuous lives it will reflect on the outside and i am sure it will be the same if someone is living a sinful life.

[Karen Hammer]

Perhaps we should consider what sinlessness might look like. First, I think sinlessness has a transparent quality and a sweetness that's not forced, but easy. There's not that cold or hard or the predator-like narrowed look in the eyes, there's no wall automatically thrown up for protection, no turning away. Instead, there's an openness but because it's just sinless, being naturally impervious to the usual vulnerabilties or suggestions to sin. Neither is there the despair that seems to have drained all life out of the eyes, leaving just a glassy look There's no "all-wised-up" look as if the person has been around the block too many times, no jadedness that somehow spoils the look of even the most physically beautiful person.

Yet it says in Isaiah 53: "for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." This passage has been interpreted as speaking of Christ (I have no doubt that it does). He was sinlessness itself. yet we did not see anything in him but sorrows and grief. We judged then that he had no beauty. Yet holiness is Beauty and we all agree now that Christ is holy and full of light, as was demonstrated in the Transfiguration. What a paradox here. Why did we think Christ, who was sinless, was not beautiful? Most people can detect a beauty of soul to some extent.

When a person's countenance seems to be cheerful, peaceful and even shine with an inner light, what is this due to? Natural causes? Or spiritual ones? How do I know what I'm seeing at any given moment, if I haven't had the chance to observe that person at length?

Remember the smiley Hare Krisna's and the Moonies? They seemed razzle-dazzled and their eyes popped wide open, but somehow unseeing the person they're addressing. Their "blissed-out" looks were vacant, and proved to be all surface when you refused to give them money. There's lots of people trying to imitate the blissful light, but the sinfulness is still visible.