A study of the three ways that sin enters our lives and how we can defend against its attack.
By Tracy A. Plessinger
One of the most common topics of discussion in the professing church today is how believers can overcome sin in their lives. As our culture and society move farther and farther away from God’s principles, sin becomes more and more prevalent, even in the lives of those who claim to be Christians. Most of the formulas that are being presented today as the key to ridding our lives of sin are simply thinly veiled attempts to place people under the laws. Returning to the commandments of the law will not help us overcome sin in our lives. Realizing the truth of grace and who we are in Christ is the only way to truly overcome the power of sin.
We will be greatly helped in overcoming sin if we understand how sin attacks. John explains, in his first epistle, how sin attacks through the world system. He also tells us exactly where those attacks take place. With this information we can prepare ourselves to fend off the attacks when they come.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 1 John 2:16
The world and all that is in it is evil. That evil will seek to influence us through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.
The Evil World System
When Scripture speaks of the world, it is not speaking of the planet on which we live. Rather, it is speaking of the system that is operating on this planet. The way the religious, political, and cultural system of the earth operate is under the influence of Satan and his policy of evil.
In the book of Job, Satan is presented as going to and fro in the earth.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. Job 1:6,7
During the earthly ministry of Christ, He made clear that the reason that the world hated him was because it was evil.
The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. John 7:7
In a very revealing passage of Scripture, giving us the account of Satan’s temptation of Christ, we see just how complete Satan’s hold on the world system is.
And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. Luke 4:5-6
Satan was not making an empty offer to Christ in this instance. At present, the dominion of the world systems belongs to him and that dominion is exercised through the kingdoms of this world. It might be asked how Satan received the dominion on God’s earth. Satan received that dominion from Adam, who had received it directly from God.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Genesis 1:26
When Adam disobeyed God and joined Satan’s rebellion, he relinquished the dominion of the earth and Satan became the god of the world system. This is how Paul presents him in his epistles.
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
Paul also gives Satan the title “prince of the power of the air”. From this position, he guides the course of this world and all unregenerate men walk according to that evil course. Everything that Satan touches becomes evil and opposed the God’s purposes. Such is the case with the world. When Satan entered into, and took control of, the world system, it became evil. The system of this world works in opposition to God’s plan and purpose. As we have already seen, the world system has a specific three-fold attack on God’s purpose and people. The world system attacks using the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.
Attacking the First Adam
The first time we see Satan’s three-fold plan of attack at work is in his temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden. The account of that incident is given in the third chapter of Genesis.
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Genesis 3:1-7
It is important to note that the first step that Satan took in tempting Eve was to weaken her confidence in the Word of God. His opening salvo was, ”Yea, hath God said . . .” After planning this initial seed of doubt, he capitalized on Eve’s lack of knowledge of what God really had said. Notice above that Eve told Satan that they were not permitted to eat or even to touch the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This was simply not true. The real commandment of God is found in the second chapter of Genesis.
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:17
God’s command concerned only eating the fruit. It did not mention any problem with touching the fruit. Eve’s addition to God’s simple commandment illustrates man’s inclination to be legalistic. If one commandment is good, two are better. If not eating the fruit is good, not even touching it is even better.
In reading Gods commandment above, we see another way in which Eve tampered with the Word of God. Notice that God’s penalty for disobedience was clear and sure, “though shalt surely die”. Eve’s interpretation of that commandment was however, somewhat less convincing, “lest ye die”. In making this subtle change, Eve watered down God’s Word and made it less sure and absolute.
The final step in the elimination of God’s Word on this matter was Satan’s absolute denial of truth with the statement, “Ye shall not surely die”. With God’s Word now out of the way, Eve had no defense against the temptations of Satan. With the restraining of God’s word removed, Eve, “saw that the tree was good for food”, (lust of the flesh). She also realized that, “it was pleasant to the eyes”, (lust of the eyes). Finally, she saw it as “a tree to be desired to make one wise”, (pride of life). With the three fold attack of Satan, first Eve, and then Adam, withered under the assault and were easily defeated. Satan’s three weapons of attack defeated Adam and Eve and became the operating principle of the world system.
Attacking the Last Adam
After many years of the world system operating based upon the three-fold plan of Satan, there came a time when Satan again decided to personally intervene and use his weapons on his enemy. This time the enemy was the last Adam, Jesus Christ. The account of this personal attack by Satan is recorded for us in the book of Matthew.
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Matthew 4:1-11
In reading the above account, we see that Satan is using the same means of attack that he used in the Garden of Eden. He encouraged Jesus Christ to, “command that these stones be made bread”, (lust of the flesh). While standing on the pinnacle of the temple he enticed Christ to, “cast thyself down”, so that the angels would catch Him and bear Him up, thus making a great show of His power and might, (pride of life)*. Finally, Satan, “showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them”, and offered to give them to Christ if he would worship him, (lust of the eye)*.
The account above shows us that Satan’s attack on the Last Adam is the same as his attack on the First Adam. It also shows us that the response of the person being attacked was very different. In marked contrast to Adam and Eve’s clumsy and ignorant attempt to use the Word of God, Jesus Christ knew the Word and used it skillfully to completely neutralize Satan’s weapons of attack. The only defense for the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life is, “it is written”. This principle is very important for us to understand. A skillful use of the Word of God is still the basis of our defense against the world’s attack.
Defending Against Sin’s Attack
Just as Jesus Christ knew exactly the right verse to respond to each of Satan’s attacks, so we must have the appropriate verses at our disposal when his attacks come in our life. Remember that Satan’s attack on us will be the same as it was on Adam and Christ. Satan will seek to entice us to follow the world system through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.
Fortunately (and certainly not coincidentally) God has given us, in the writings of Paul, a resource to deal specifically with each of the areas of temptation through which Satan attacks. For each of the ways that sin can attack God has given us a passage of Scripture to defend again the attack and gain victory over sin.
The lust of the flesh
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Galatians 5:24
When the world’s attack is through the lust of the flesh Paul reminds us that our flesh has been crucified with Christ and therefore has no more hold on us. If we allow the flesh and its lusts to control us, we are literally allowing a dead man to run our lives.
Understanding this truth gives a whole new meaning to the lusts of our flesh. They are merely the meaningless desires of a dead man.
The lust of the eyes
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
When the attack is through the lust of the eyes, Paul tells us that we should be looking at things not seen because they are things of eternal value. In other words, anything that we can see with our eyes is temporary and will soon be gone. Only the things that are unseen are eternal and have lasting value in our lives and in our service for the Lord. This perspective allows us to look at things around us in a whole new light. The things that would entice our eyes to stray seem much less appealing when we realize their temporary nature.
The pride of life
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:5-8
If Satan’s attack comes through the avenue of pride, we are admonished to have the attitude that Christ had when He humbled himself and became obedient unto death. What greater cure could there be for pride than to realize that Christ, who had every right to glory in His position as God, chose rather to suffer the pain and humiliation of the cross? He esteemed our need as more important than His position. This is truly the heart of a servant and should be the heart attitude of every believer in the Age of Grace.
The first step in overcoming sin in our lives is knowing the verses listed above. The next step is believing the verses.
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. I Thessalonians 2:13
Notice that Paul tells us that the Word of God works in those that believe. Simply knowing the verses in our heads is not enough. We must believe that what the verses say is true. We must believe that our flesh is crucified, even though our flesh is constantly crying out to us that it is alive and well. We must believe that the things we see are temporal, even though they look very appealing and desirable for the moment. We must have a humble spirit, even though the world is constantly telling us to believe in ourselves and have a good self-esteem. This is exactly what Paul is referring to when he tells us that we walk by faith.
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 2 Corinthians 5:7
We must not allow the information we get from our physical senses to determine what we believe about ourselves. We must believe about ourselves what the Scriptures say. This is the only way that we can have victory over sin in our lives. We must focus on who God says we are, not on who our senses say we are. In doing so, we will be able to overcome the world system as it attacks us with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life.
*Some teach that the temptation on the pinnacle of the temple was an appeal to the lust of the eye, in that it was an appeal to do something visible for all to see. These teachers then make the offering of the kingdoms of the world and appeal to the pride of life, in that Christ is being offered a very exalted position. There is certainly validity to these positions and in any event, it is clear that Satan is using the same three methods of attack that he used on the first Adam.
We will be greatly helped in overcoming sin if we understand how sin attacks. John explains, in his first epistle, how sin attacks through the world system. He also tells us exactly where those attacks take place. With this information we can prepare ourselves to fend off the attacks when they come.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 1 John 2:16
The world and all that is in it is evil. That evil will seek to influence us through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.
The Evil World System
When Scripture speaks of the world, it is not speaking of the planet on which we live. Rather, it is speaking of the system that is operating on this planet. The way the religious, political, and cultural system of the earth operate is under the influence of Satan and his policy of evil.
In the book of Job, Satan is presented as going to and fro in the earth.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. Job 1:6,7
During the earthly ministry of Christ, He made clear that the reason that the world hated him was because it was evil.
The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. John 7:7
In a very revealing passage of Scripture, giving us the account of Satan’s temptation of Christ, we see just how complete Satan’s hold on the world system is.
And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. Luke 4:5-6
Satan was not making an empty offer to Christ in this instance. At present, the dominion of the world systems belongs to him and that dominion is exercised through the kingdoms of this world. It might be asked how Satan received the dominion on God’s earth. Satan received that dominion from Adam, who had received it directly from God.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Genesis 1:26
When Adam disobeyed God and joined Satan’s rebellion, he relinquished the dominion of the earth and Satan became the god of the world system. This is how Paul presents him in his epistles.
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
Paul also gives Satan the title “prince of the power of the air”. From this position, he guides the course of this world and all unregenerate men walk according to that evil course. Everything that Satan touches becomes evil and opposed the God’s purposes. Such is the case with the world. When Satan entered into, and took control of, the world system, it became evil. The system of this world works in opposition to God’s plan and purpose. As we have already seen, the world system has a specific three-fold attack on God’s purpose and people. The world system attacks using the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.
Attacking the First Adam
The first time we see Satan’s three-fold plan of attack at work is in his temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden. The account of that incident is given in the third chapter of Genesis.
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Genesis 3:1-7
It is important to note that the first step that Satan took in tempting Eve was to weaken her confidence in the Word of God. His opening salvo was, ”Yea, hath God said . . .” After planning this initial seed of doubt, he capitalized on Eve’s lack of knowledge of what God really had said. Notice above that Eve told Satan that they were not permitted to eat or even to touch the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This was simply not true. The real commandment of God is found in the second chapter of Genesis.
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:17
God’s command concerned only eating the fruit. It did not mention any problem with touching the fruit. Eve’s addition to God’s simple commandment illustrates man’s inclination to be legalistic. If one commandment is good, two are better. If not eating the fruit is good, not even touching it is even better.
In reading Gods commandment above, we see another way in which Eve tampered with the Word of God. Notice that God’s penalty for disobedience was clear and sure, “though shalt surely die”. Eve’s interpretation of that commandment was however, somewhat less convincing, “lest ye die”. In making this subtle change, Eve watered down God’s Word and made it less sure and absolute.
The final step in the elimination of God’s Word on this matter was Satan’s absolute denial of truth with the statement, “Ye shall not surely die”. With God’s Word now out of the way, Eve had no defense against the temptations of Satan. With the restraining of God’s word removed, Eve, “saw that the tree was good for food”, (lust of the flesh). She also realized that, “it was pleasant to the eyes”, (lust of the eyes). Finally, she saw it as “a tree to be desired to make one wise”, (pride of life). With the three fold attack of Satan, first Eve, and then Adam, withered under the assault and were easily defeated. Satan’s three weapons of attack defeated Adam and Eve and became the operating principle of the world system.
Attacking the Last Adam
After many years of the world system operating based upon the three-fold plan of Satan, there came a time when Satan again decided to personally intervene and use his weapons on his enemy. This time the enemy was the last Adam, Jesus Christ. The account of this personal attack by Satan is recorded for us in the book of Matthew.
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Matthew 4:1-11
In reading the above account, we see that Satan is using the same means of attack that he used in the Garden of Eden. He encouraged Jesus Christ to, “command that these stones be made bread”, (lust of the flesh). While standing on the pinnacle of the temple he enticed Christ to, “cast thyself down”, so that the angels would catch Him and bear Him up, thus making a great show of His power and might, (pride of life)*. Finally, Satan, “showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them”, and offered to give them to Christ if he would worship him, (lust of the eye)*.
The account above shows us that Satan’s attack on the Last Adam is the same as his attack on the First Adam. It also shows us that the response of the person being attacked was very different. In marked contrast to Adam and Eve’s clumsy and ignorant attempt to use the Word of God, Jesus Christ knew the Word and used it skillfully to completely neutralize Satan’s weapons of attack. The only defense for the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life is, “it is written”. This principle is very important for us to understand. A skillful use of the Word of God is still the basis of our defense against the world’s attack.
Defending Against Sin’s Attack
Just as Jesus Christ knew exactly the right verse to respond to each of Satan’s attacks, so we must have the appropriate verses at our disposal when his attacks come in our life. Remember that Satan’s attack on us will be the same as it was on Adam and Christ. Satan will seek to entice us to follow the world system through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.
Fortunately (and certainly not coincidentally) God has given us, in the writings of Paul, a resource to deal specifically with each of the areas of temptation through which Satan attacks. For each of the ways that sin can attack God has given us a passage of Scripture to defend again the attack and gain victory over sin.
The lust of the flesh
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Galatians 5:24
When the world’s attack is through the lust of the flesh Paul reminds us that our flesh has been crucified with Christ and therefore has no more hold on us. If we allow the flesh and its lusts to control us, we are literally allowing a dead man to run our lives.
Understanding this truth gives a whole new meaning to the lusts of our flesh. They are merely the meaningless desires of a dead man.
The lust of the eyes
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
When the attack is through the lust of the eyes, Paul tells us that we should be looking at things not seen because they are things of eternal value. In other words, anything that we can see with our eyes is temporary and will soon be gone. Only the things that are unseen are eternal and have lasting value in our lives and in our service for the Lord. This perspective allows us to look at things around us in a whole new light. The things that would entice our eyes to stray seem much less appealing when we realize their temporary nature.
The pride of life
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:5-8
If Satan’s attack comes through the avenue of pride, we are admonished to have the attitude that Christ had when He humbled himself and became obedient unto death. What greater cure could there be for pride than to realize that Christ, who had every right to glory in His position as God, chose rather to suffer the pain and humiliation of the cross? He esteemed our need as more important than His position. This is truly the heart of a servant and should be the heart attitude of every believer in the Age of Grace.
The first step in overcoming sin in our lives is knowing the verses listed above. The next step is believing the verses.
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. I Thessalonians 2:13
Notice that Paul tells us that the Word of God works in those that believe. Simply knowing the verses in our heads is not enough. We must believe that what the verses say is true. We must believe that our flesh is crucified, even though our flesh is constantly crying out to us that it is alive and well. We must believe that the things we see are temporal, even though they look very appealing and desirable for the moment. We must have a humble spirit, even though the world is constantly telling us to believe in ourselves and have a good self-esteem. This is exactly what Paul is referring to when he tells us that we walk by faith.
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 2 Corinthians 5:7
We must not allow the information we get from our physical senses to determine what we believe about ourselves. We must believe about ourselves what the Scriptures say. This is the only way that we can have victory over sin in our lives. We must focus on who God says we are, not on who our senses say we are. In doing so, we will be able to overcome the world system as it attacks us with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life.
*Some teach that the temptation on the pinnacle of the temple was an appeal to the lust of the eye, in that it was an appeal to do something visible for all to see. These teachers then make the offering of the kingdoms of the world and appeal to the pride of life, in that Christ is being offered a very exalted position. There is certainly validity to these positions and in any event, it is clear that Satan is using the same three methods of attack that he used on the first Adam.