Exposit the Self

Triple Concupiscence

Responding to 1 John 2:16, Pope Paul VI produced the “Paenitemini” wherein Augustine’s diagnosis of sin’s center—affections and desires—were given a threefold order called “Triple Concupiscence,” wherein all sin stems from one or more of the following affections and desires:

The concupiscence of the flesh
The concupiscence of the eyes
The pride of life

While attributed to many, the Paenitemini seems to exact most of its study of Triple Concupiscence from French theologian and friar Réginald Marie Garrigou-Lagrange, who in his magnus opus introducing the profundities of eternal life, published the following distinctions for each desire in the trifecta:

Harmony between soul and body
Harmony between God and soul
Harmony between body and the world

Whereas Pope Paul VI seemed to take a more pragmatic view of Triple Concupiscence, Garrigou-Lagrange leaned heavily on Augustine’s “triplex cupiditas,” wherein each of the affections or desires summarizes an intrinsic and existential need for harmony, wherein one’s desires are at peace with the self, God, and the world. Each of these affections are also found in one of the three types of soil that Jesus presents in the parable of the seed and sower, wherein the “good” soil is a soul that has found threefold harmony. For this reason, the second section of SOIL attempts to exposit the self, entering into the disordered affections at the root of stricken souls suffering from an absence of flourishing.

Tilling the Soil

Using Matthew’s account of the parable and Jesus’ explanation afterward, the following paradigms are presented by the tool, along with reflection points and questions, to aid participants in expositing their own selves in response to completing a Sin Paradigm chart for a recurring, sinful behavior:

Practicing Confession

In James 5:6, the apostle gives the following imperative:

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (ESV)

The operative word “confess” (ἰάομαι) refers to the process of surgically curing ailment and giving someone a renewed cause to live. Tertullian summarizes the impact of this word with: “[Regarding confession, some] flee from this work as being an exposure of themselves, or they put it off from day to day. I presume they are more mindful of modesty than of salvation, like those who contract a disease in the more shameful parts of the body and shun making themselves known to the physicians; and thus they perish along with their own bashfulness.” Confession, therefore, is not simply exposure to information but it is the serious means by which an individual can experience profound and radical freedom from the complex roots of sin and the conflicts present in any of three unfruitful states of soil. For this reason, the following model helps walk souls into a increasingly deeper encounter and experience with the radical provisions of confession:

Type of Confession	Description	Example
Honesty	I am able to share personal information.	My name is Rebecca. I am divorced. I am afraid of flying.
Transparency	I am able to share my thoughts and feeling regarding the personal information shared.	I do not like how short I am. I wish I married someone else.
Vulnerability	I am able to answer personal questions in response to information shared.	“Did you know you were lying?” “Do you regret making that decision?”
Liberty	I am no longer afraid of my personal information; I am empowered by what I share.	I was abused as a child, was hurt in this way, but have found hope in this truth.

Proceed to the next section:

Exegete Salvation

SOIL is a study of sin, self, and salvation. As a doctorate of ministry relic submitted at Candler School of Theology, this project is intended to scale in development as a distributable tool for faith congregations and recovery communities. For more information, please contact the author here. © 2022, Phillip Lee. All Rights Reserved.