Thanks for posting your question! It seems to me that this paragraph serves a a bridge from the main ideas of this chapter with the up-coming thoughts of the next. But that said, it gives an important truth. Chastity, looked at in one way can be its own special form of gluttony (either in the giving in to temptation, or the perseverance from doing the same).

The talk about medical versus spiritual causes for *urges* is simply to point out that much of what causes us spiritual temptation has earthly, physical, and bodily factors. Our “urges” can be exacerbated by what we eat or drink, as well as what we see, or hear or talk about. How many a young person has awakened the morning after having too much to drink to find out they have done too much other things as well! Because we are body and spirit together, what we do in one affects the other (and vice versa).

As for the second part (really a flip side of the first point) a gluttony of physical activity will never reduce physical urges. The make up of our physicality is such that you can’t lesson the temptation in one physical aspect by overdoing another. As in any part of our life, there must be some measured middle ground where both the body and the soul are treated together, without excess attention or devotion to one without thought to the other.

It is hard to remain firm in your convictions regarding abstaining from pre-marital sex if you expose your body to food and drink and environments that easily (or repeatedly) stimulate the libido. Likewise it is not reasonable to think that just because you have tired yourself out, you have dealt with the underlying issues of temptation, or weakness of spirit.

Hope that helps.
Keep asking questions!

Not ours to own but ours to use. Even those things we can make a stronger case for ownership of, cannot, and will not be ours forever. Sooner or later after you die all those possessions, all those works all those ideas will become public domain in one way or another.

This quote is given in the context of a hypothetical good man marrying the bad girl. This just as easily applies to a good girl marrying the bad boy. While marriage is not wrong, nor is the desire to bring about good in the other, how often have we seen such choices bring heartache, doubts, or eventually an abandoning of the faith.

A believer marries an unbeliever, even an upright one, and their life of faith is now open to attack, neglect and apathy. Two mismatched Christians get married, but can’t get along and in the resulting fighting both stop going to church. Your spouse has an all-consuming hobby or habit, and eventually not only does it interfere with their life of faith and devotion, but yours too.

Sexuality doesn’t have to be sexy to be (or become) a snare.