THREE TEMPTATIONS

John, an apostle, wrote: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16) These are the condensed versions of the Three Temptations toward the end of John’s long life.

The same three are clearly evidenced in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve when told not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But here’s what happened: “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), and that it was a delight to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and that the tree was desirable to make one wise (pride of life), she took from its fruit and ate” (Genesis 3:6). She gave in to the three temptations.

Satan confronted Jesus with the same three in the Wilderness: The first temptation concerns the lust of the flesh. Jesus was hungry, and the devil tempted him to convert stones to bread (Matthew 4:3-4). The second concerns the pride of life and a challenge to his identity: “If you are the Son of God” (Matthew 4:5-7, and here the devil used a verse of Scripture (Psalm 91:11-12), but the Lord replied again with Scriptures to the contrary (Deuteronomy 6:16), stating that it is wrong for him to abuse his own powers The third is the ‘boastful pride of life.’ Satan offered to give Jesus the ’kingdoms of this world’ if he would bow down and worship him.

And, as we started with John: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father but is from the world.” It has never been any different and still isn’t. This stuff is not from the Father…but from the world. Fight on brothers and sisters and watch out for gold, glitter and glory.

“Get away from here, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” Jesus