Sin

Temptation appeals to our senses—our spiritual, emotional, and physical senses. That was the lure for Eve in the garden, and we have followed the pattern ever since.

When there is an opening in our battle gear, the enemy aims for that vulnerable spot. After Eve’s weak response to Satan’s question, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1), he went from a seemingly innocent question to an attack on God’s integrity.

What causes us to sin? Is it our environment? Does it have to do with our family of origin? Is it in our genes? Let’s consider these questions as we look at our passage today.

It all started in the Garden. In that perfect sinless environment, Satan came to Adam and Eve. There in the Garden, the deceiver twisted the truth and convinced Adam and Eve that God was holding out on them. They bought the lie. When God confronted Eve and asked, “What is this that you have done?” she replied, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13). Through the deceiver, sin and death entered humanity. That’s why Jesus says Satan is a murderer and a liar “from the beginning.”

“You are not worthy.” “You failed again.” “How could God ever love you?” “How could God ever use you?” “You might as well give up. You will never be anything but a second-rate Christian—if you are a Christian at all….” Where do those voices come from?

A good battle plan includes a study of the enemy. What’s their location? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? What is their method of attack? The list goes on. Now granted, our primary study must be about God. The Bible is his love letter to us, and we never want “to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest” in the devils and his demons. But we must be aware of who the enemy is. Today, let’s consider three passages from the Gospel of John where Satan is described as “the ruler of this world.”

Who is Satan? Where did he come from? Did God create him? Why did he fall? These are important questions that believers need to answer in order to be battle ready. Yesterday, we noted that Satan was created as a powerful and beautiful angel before his desire to de-throne God. We considered Isaiah 14, where Satan desired to make himself “like the Most High.” Let’s set the context for today’s passage.

What if you were tempted in a way that you could not resist? What if the temptation was so strong that it pulled you into its grasp? What if you tried your hardest to resist Satan’s attacks, the pull of the world, and the desires of your flesh, but the combination of all three was too much for you to handle? Will God charge you with a sin that overpowered you? Paul answered that question for us in today’s passage.

Sin provides my greatest satisfaction apart from God. Sin is fun…for a time (Hebrews 11:25). It meets my fleshly desires. It gives me control. I think thoughts I want to think. I savor emotions that meet my needs. I do the things I want to do. Sin is all about me and all about me wanting to be in control.