Step In... or Out of Sin?

“When all is said and done, the life of faith is nothing if not an unending struggle of the spirit with every available weapon against the flesh.”  - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Armed forces around the world often boast or make much ado about the weaponry they have at their disposal. As soon as someone devises a new instrument of destruction another does the same, and so on and so forth.

And while all of these various implements of warfare are both, impressive and frightening, they all pale in comparison to the oldest, most powerful "weapon of mass destruction" the world has ever seen or known, and that, is sin.

What's a good definition of sin? As always, we should turn to Scripture for answers to questions like this. 1 John 3:4 tells us that sin is lawlessness. It is being disobedient to God; doing and wanting things our own way despite Him.

Put simply, we sin when we place our own will and desires ahead of God's. It is an outright opposition to Him who has the right to be obeyed. Looking past the definition of sin, are there any discernible clues as to the process of of it?

While there is no shortage of illustrations we could cull from the Bible, perhaps it would be practical for our purposes to examine the most well-known of these, the Fall of Man found in Genesis, chapter 3.

Some believe that sin happens in an instinctive or unthinking manner. In many cases it may appear to be so. However, as we shall see, sin instead occurs in a methodical, step-by-step manner. 

To see this, let's look at Genesis 3: 1-6. Up until now, Adam and Eve had lived an idyllic life in Eden, the earthly paradise. As long as they complied with God everything was perfect, but not for long.

Beginning in Genesis 3:1 we see how the Serpent (Satan) began to slowly chip away at their trusting, obedient relationship with God. The Serpent took the first step by planting the seed of doubt against God in Eve's mind.

This continued in the discourse between Satan and Eve through Genesis 3:2,3,4. Continuing his assault against God's integrity, Satan cast doubt over God’s character in Genesis 3:5, insinuating that God was jealously keeping them from their destiny, to be like Him.

Remember, sin occurs in steps. Satan had taken his, now it was Eve's turn. Her mind was reeling from Satan's evil and treacherous onslaught. There was much confusion going on regarding her natural and physical appetites and desires.

The best thing Eve could have done, especially being alone and without support, would have been to walk away and seek God's counsel about this. But she didn't. As a result, she succumbed to temptation.

One doesn't walk blindly into committing sin, we are first tempted into it. It's all about steps, and there is no definite number. Eve gave into sin in three distinct steps as we see in Genesis 3:6.

What were they? The lust of the flesh (the fruit of the tree was good for food), the lust of the eyes (pleasing to the eye), and the lust of pride (gaining wisdom through the fruit of the tree). One, two, three.

What's worse is that she incorporated her husband Adam into sin. Again, had they asked God for his help with this the outcome would have been different. But like many of us, we think we can resist the temptation to sin on our own.

God takes sin very seriously or else he wouldn't have banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Many use the excuse, "I didn't know what I was doing" for explaining their sin. God doesn't buy that, He knows how sin works (Jeremiah 17:9).

What does all of this mean for us today? First, know that we are tempted into sin. Yes, there are many different situations, but temptation always leads the way. Second, trust in God to help when temptation arises, we are not alone in this (Psalm 69:5). 

Sin is far worse than any man-made weapon ever conceived. The ramifications of sin are eternal. It occurs in steps, but so does our resistance against it. However, we must not go at it alone as we saw with Adam and Eve (Jeremiah 10:23).

We must have faith in God, ask for His help when confronted with temptation, and thank Him for the strength given to resist it. These are steps we must follow whenever Satan tries to tempt us into sin. Remember, it's all about steps...

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13; Matthew 26:41; James 4:7; James 1:15; Romans 5:8

Prayer: Dear God, in my daily battle against temptation to sin I know that in You I have a mighty weapon to help me overcome anything in Satan's arsenal of corruption, disruption, and evil. Amen.

May God be with you always,

Kaelyn