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In this Text we are reminded of the three (3) sources of temptations, namely: Our Flesh, the World and Satan. We understood that temptation itself is not sin, because we know that our Lord was tempted and yet remained sinless and pure. When we fall to temptations, then sin comes in and we know that we then have to call on the Grace of Christ. Romans 3:23 (both physical and spiritual). “For all have sinned and, come short of the Glory of God.”
These three sources of temptations are evident in the story recorded in Genesis. Eve fell into the temptation, and we can see from this story the manifestation of these 3 temptations; (1) The lust of flesh or eyes (Gen 3:6), World or the creation – the forbidden fruit itself (Gen. 3:3); (3) Satan himself – the Serpent (Gen 3:4-5). This can also be seen in the 3 temptations from Satan himself as recorded in Matthew 4. (1) Lust of flesh – stone to bread to fulfill the desire of flesh. (2) Kingdoms of this world (3) Satan, when he attacked the validity of God’s word.
As Christians, we are in a spiritual warfare, and we need to put on the “armour of God” as recorded in Ephesians 6 which represents Christ Himself. We must put on Christ, His robe of righteousness, and His virtues in order for us to overcome these temptations which are our spiritual enemies. Interestingly, our Lord gave us a solution so we can overcome these temptations, and this can be found in Luke 9:23 “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me”. To overcome the first temptation is to first deny ourselves. The lust of the flesh is our first enemy and to overcome this is to deny ourselves to humble ourselves and fully trust and submit to God’s will and His ways. The second enemy is the temptation from things of the world such as love of money, material wealth, creations, fame, etc. To overcome this is to carry our cross. The one thing we ought to carry from this world is the message from the preaching of the Cross of Christ which was given to us through His gospels. The Cross of Christ carries the message of hope, peace, humility, forgiveness, grace and most importantly divine love. Therefore, we should always carry these heavenly virtues and treasures wherever we go. The last enemy is Satan himself, to overcome him is “to follow Christ”. We must obey the teachings of the Lord, follow in His footsteps and let the works of the Holy Spirit manifest in us to overcome these temptations.
Like our Lord Jesus Christ, He has defeated God’s three enemies for our sakes: Sin, Hell and Death. He defeated these three enemies using the same principle – Denied His throne in heaven and came to us in the form of a bondservant; He carried His Cross; and He followed/obeyed His Father in heaven. Our Lord leads us by setting an example, and we ought to follow His footsteps.
Let us remember this teaching that our Lord gave us, walk, and live by it faithfully. We must never forget that we are called to be more than conquerors through Christ who loved us (Romans 8:37). Indeed, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).