Concupiscence: Are Our Unholy Desires Sinful?

Concupiscence is a word neither well known today nor well understood. Nonetheless, there is a rich, varied history of this concept in the Christian tradition. In fact, it has been the occasion of severe debates between, principally, Reformed and Roman Catholic theologians. In what follows, we will consider what concupiscence is from a Reformed perspective. Table of contentsWhat is concupiscence?How do our thoughts and will relate to sin?How does concupiscence relate to temptation?What does James 1:14–15 teach about concupiscence?Conclusion What is concupiscence? One will find the word used in the King James Version in a few places: “But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence” (Rom 7:8); “Not in the lust of concupiscence …” (1 Thess 4:5; see also Col 3:5). The translators used “concupiscence” to translate the Greek word ἐπιθυμία. Explore the meaning of ἐπιθυμία with Logos’s Bible Word Study. Try it for free! In brief, concupiscence (concupiscentia) originates from the Latin verb concupisco, which means “to ardently desire.” There are proper, non-sinful forms of desire, which we would call “non-sinful concupiscence.” For example, Jesus said...