The intimate person is described as “strict with himself…to avoid temptation,” refusing to “put his soul at risk of being conquered by either pleasure or pain”; what pleasures and what pains most reliably bend your will away from righteousness, and what would it look like to structure your life around not merely resisting sin but avoiding exposure to temptation?
Another way to ask: What pleasures and what pains most often pull you away from doing what’s right? What would it look like to set up your life to avoid temptation, not just fight it when it shows up?
Direct Answer
The transcript teaches that the intimate person doesn’t merely fight sin in the moment; he orders his life to avoid situations where pleasure or pain could conquer him, practicing self-discipline and caution.
Support from Transcript:
He is “strict with himself not merely to avoid corruption but to avoid temptation.”
He “never puts his soul at risk of being conquered by either pleasure or pain,” showing both comfort and suffering can become spiritual dangers.
He “disciplines himself to do without pleasures,” indicating intentional limitation of lawful enjoyments that weaken the soul.
He is “uncompromising in spirit, not indulging the flesh at all,” and so can “walk unswervingly where justice directs.”
Later it says, “the one who is intimate with God will be cautious in order to avoid sinning,” using his faculties to avoid losing righteousness.
Discussion Follow-ups
The transcript doesn’t specify which pleasures/pains, so the group must supply honest examples. A key follow-up is: what boundaries would count as ‘avoiding temptation’ rather than trusting yourself to ‘handle it’?
