What are the 3 temptations we have to overcome?

[reddogs]

The Pharisees thought as long as they didn't do the act of sin, it was ok. Yet, Christ showed them the fullness of what it is to sin. How did He make this clear and what does scripture tell us that Satan uses as his most powerful temptations to put us in bondage?

 

[salt-n-light]

The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. 1 John 2:16

These things distract us from focusing on the Kingdom of God and His promises and hope and set our hearts on just this life. Visual and sensational things, things that are right there as opposed to the spiritual thing, are very easy ways to manipulate, and that verse sums up how we are affected by it.

That's why we are urged to kill the flesh, set our eyes on the things above, and are reminded that life is a vapour. Basically, don't get caught up, because its only the spirit that lasts. Everything visual and sensational will go away when the body dies, so not to set our hears on these things. They do affect the spirit, but the spirit man tends to be either dead or forgotten, like an out of sight out of mind type of thing. The spirit is what many people tend to forget they have to care about until they approach death.

 

[reddogs]

Right on point, they are the weak links, that Satan looks for to push through our armor of God.

Many people don't know what things in their lives, God requires them to overcome as scripture teaches, and stay addicted to what destroys and corrupts. So what is it that we have to, with Gods help, overcome?

Scripture makes it clear:

1 John 2:15-17 King James Version (KJV)

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 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.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.


The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are the three paths which Satan uses in temptation.

Lust is an intense longing, and can be a lust for anything. Satan uses our own own weaknesses, and desires against us, to make us fall. Satan probes and brings vices to test us, till he learns your weak points, then brings great pressure and phases of temptation till we fall.

So what is lust of the flesh?

Galatians 5:19-21 King James Version (KJV)

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.


If these things are found in us, we will not be able to come before God or inherit eternal life in His Kingdom.


So what is lust of the eyes?

This is simply a temptation to do the sin, which we allow to grow or partake of in our heart and mind, even if we haven't committed the actual deed.

Matthew 5:28

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.


So what is pride of life?


It is a desire of excess greatness or power that is the most insidious for many. Pride of life is what made Lucifer turn from a covering cherub into Satan our adversary. So what does scripture teach us?

Matthew 4:1-11 King James Version (KJV)

4 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4 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.

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6 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.

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8 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;

9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 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.

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.



Scripture shows that Christ was tempted with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, yet He did not sin. With His help, we can overcome.

 

[salt-n-light]

Right on point, they are the weak links, that Satan looks for to push through our armor of God.

Many people don't know what things in their lives, God requires them to overcome as scripture teaches, and stay addicted to what destroys and corrupts. So what is it that we have to, with Gods help, overcome?

Scripture makes it clear:

1 John 2:15-17 King James Version (KJV)

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 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.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.


The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are the three paths which Satan uses in temptation.

Lust is an intense longing, and can be a lust for anything. Satan uses our own own weaknesses, and desires against us, to make us fall. Satan probes and brings vices to test us, till he learns your weak points, then brings great pressure and phases of temptation till we fall.

So what is lust of the flesh?

Galatians 5:19-21 King James Version (KJV)

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.


If these things are found in us, we will not be able to come before God or inherit eternal life in His Kingdom.


So what is lust of the eyes?

This is simply a temptation to do the sin, which we allow to grow or partake of in our heart and mind, even if we haven't committed the actual deed.

Matthew 5:28

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.


So what is pride of life?


It is a desire of excess greatness or power that is the most insidious for many. Pride of life is what made Lucifer turn from a covering cherub into Satan our adversary. So what does scripture teach us?

Matthew 4:1-11 King James Version (KJV)

4 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4 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.

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6 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.

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8 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;

9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 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.

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.



Scripture shows that Christ was tempted with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, yet He did not sin. With His help, we can overcome.

Yay, so where's my prize? lol!

 

[Gary K]

I don't see appetite listed anywhere in this thread, yet we know Eve fell to that temptation in Eden, and Jesus' greatest temptation was appetite during His 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. The fact that Jesus faced such a severe temptation on appetite ought to tell us just how great a weapon it is that the devil uses against us. Ellen White lists it as a temptation that will keep many out of heaven, and that if we fail the test of appetite we will fail to reach heaven. Thus the integrated health message given to the SDA church. With all that focus on appetite it is hard for me to fathom that someone who accepts Ellen White would miss that focus in her writings.

 

[salt-n-light]

I don't see appetite listed anywhere in this thread, yet we know Eve fell to that temptation in Eden, and Jesus' greatest temptation was appetite during His 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. The fact that Jesus faced such a severe temptation on appetite ought to tell us just how great a weapon it is that the devil uses against us. Ellen White lists it as a temptation that will keep many out of heaven, and that if we fail the test of appetite we will fail to reach heaven. Thus the integrated health message given to the SDA church. With all that focus on appetite it is hard for me to fathom that someone who accepts Ellen White would miss that focus in her writings.

That would probably fall under lust of the flesh

And who’s Ellen White?

 

[Dave-W]

And who’s Ellen White?

She was the founder of the SDA denomination back in the mid 1800s.

 

[salt-n-light]

She was the founder of the SDA denomination back in the mid 1800s.

Ah ok

 

[Dave-W]

Ah ok

I grew up near one of the SDA's major seminaries - Andrews Univ in Berrien Springs MI. I used to have several of her books. (lost them in a flood) I still have "The Reign of God" first ed., a first year theology text frm Andrews. An interesting read.

My dad (ordained Wesleyan Methodist) did some research in Andrews' library and found that a pair of Waggoners (our family name - even spelled correctly) were late 1800s apologists for the SDA. I have one of the books by Ellet J. Waggoner, who died in the same town my dad was born in.

 

[Gary K]

She was the founder of the SDA denomination back in the mid 1800s.

Dave,

Why do you keep on repeating this? You've been told it isn't true by multiple SDAS yet you keep on repeating the same old thing. Ellen White was not the founder of the SDA Church. Was she influential? Yes. But so were many other people.

 

[Gary K]

That would probably fall under lust of the flesh

And who’s Ellen White?

The sins listed in 1John 2 are categories of sin. Every sin I've ever committed can fit into those three categories. When we look at the OT we see that specific sins fit into categories of sin. If we're going to use categories of sin that the devil uses against us most successfully, then we might as well just say, sin period. Why? Because almost every sin known to mankind can fit into those three categories. So the answer to the question, if we're going to use categoreis of sin to answer the question, what sin does the devil use against us most successfully? Sin.

1Samuel 15 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

So what were Saul's specific sins? Rebellion and stubborness, and those specific sins fit into multiple categories.

The question asked in the opening post on this thread was not which categories of sin are used against us, but what specific sins are used by the devil to overcome us.

 

[salt-n-light]

The sins listed in 1John 2 are categories of sin. Every sin I've ever committed can fit into those three categories. When we look at the OT we see that specific sins fit into categories of sin. If we're going to use categories of sin that the devil uses against us most successfully, then we might as well just say, sin period. Why? Because almost every sin known to mankind can fit into those three categories. So the answer to the question, if we're going to use categoreis of sin to answer the question, what sin does the devil use against us most successfully? Sin.

The question was what three temptations not what three categories. Not every sin fit perfectly in one category, it’s more so in general this is how sin starts out.

The OT doesn’t address temptation more so than what allotted judgement the person should have in a given situation. It’s organized by severity, raging from making sure to sacrifice a lamb for it to automatic death.

A better example would be Eve, where temptation present itself through seeing that examining the fruit ( lust of the eyes)seeing the fruit was good ( lust of the flesh) anddesiring to be wise (pride of life). That thought process led to her taking the fruit and eating it (sin)

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

She was the founder of the SDA denomination back in the mid 1800s.

One of the people involved in the formation of the SDA denomination. She was given the gift of prophesy and she wrote over 100,000 pages that were compiled into books, periodicals, pamphlets, etc. She only received a grade 3 education yet is one one of the most published and translated women authors in history. Her book "Desire of Ages" is arguably, even among mainstream Christianity, the best exposition of Christ's life ever written.

 

[Dave-W]

Yep. I read that book some 50 years ago.