3. The Life We Lost

📖 Bible Discovery

💡 Focus Passage

🌱 Main Teachings

1. Understand the nature of temptations and sin.

   Studying the nature of temptations and sin can help us understand the threat they bring to our spiritual lives and also better equip us to deal with them.

   [Temptations]

   • Temptations appeal to our desires (Jas 1:14-15).
     • Temptations often entice us by appealing to the desires of our eyes, our flesh, and our pride (1 Jn 2:16).
       • Ex: Eve (Gen 3:6), Jesus (Mt 4:2-3); Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20:12-13; 2 Chr 32:25)
   • Temptations are deceitful (Gen 3:13; Eph 4:22).
     • Satan uses temptations to sow seeds of doubt, causing us to question God’s command or to rationalize or justify our actions.
       • “Has God really said…?” (Gen 3:1)
         • God’s commandment was a test for man. It is not the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil itself that gives knowledge of good and evil.
         • Rather, eating the fruit or refraining from it determines whether a person is good or evil, because it reveals whether he is willing to obey God and allow God to determine good and evil.

   [Sin]

   • Sin is disobedience towards God’s commandments.
     • Disobedience reflects a rejection of God and a challenge to His authority.
       • Ex: Saul’s disobedience, characterized by Samuel as “rebellion,” was considered as serious as divination, false religion, and idolatry (1 Sam 15:23).
   • Sin is universal.
     • All humans have sin (Rom 3:10-12, 23).
       • Even as believers, we have sin (1 Jn 1:8), but our goal is not to sin (1 Jn 2:1; 3:6).
   • Sin is progressive (Jas 1:14-15).
     • Sin most often occurs because of a progression, from thoughts and desires into wicked or evil actions (e.g., Josh 7:21; 2 Sam 11:1-4; Ps 1:1).
2. Sin affects our relationship with God and others.

   In the previous lesson, we learned about the crucial role of God’s commandments and the importance of obeying His commandments. Disobeying God’s commandment is a rejection of God’s authority and not only damages our relationship with Him, but also impacts our relationship with others.

   • Negative impact on our relationship with God
     • God will give curses (Gen 3:16-19; Deut 28:15-68).
     • Separation from God (Isa 59:1-2; Eph 2:12)
       • After sinning, Adam and Eve hid from God. They were eventually cast out of Eden — away from God and the life of God (Gen 3:8-10, 23-24).
       • Iniquities are a barrier in our prayers (Ps 66:18).
     • Provokes the anger and wrath of God (Rom 1:18; Col 3:5-6)
       • Judgment is reserved for those who continue to sin willfully (Heb 10:26-31).
     • Spiritual death (Gen 2:17; Rom 6:23; Jas 1:15)
   • Negative impact on our relationship with others
     • Human sinful nature can cause enmity, strife, jealousy, etc. (Gal 5:19-21).
       • After they sinned, Adam and Eve shifted blame (Adam blamed Eve; Eve blamed the serpent).
       • The anger that built up in Cain’s heart led to hatred, and eventually the murder of his own brother Abel (Gen 4:4-8).

👣 Practical Actions

• Guard our hearts and deal with our desires.
  • Watch over our hearts with all diligence, because the heart is deceitful above all things (Prov 4:23; Jer 17:9).
    • Our heart is often the source of evil desires and thoughts. What is in the heart will eventually manifest itself in our speech or actions, which can cause us to become defiled (Mt 15:18-20).
    • What we allow into our hearts (e.g., what we watch, read, listen to, etc.) will feed our desires, so we must be vigilant and mindful of the media that we consume.
  • Set our minds on things above (Col 3:2).
    • Meditate on God’s words (Ps 119:11).
      • Memorizing and storing up God’s words in our heart can help us combat temptations when they arise.
      • God’s word sets clear standards for us on what is right and wrong. His word is living and can discern our heart’s intentions and thoughts (Heb 4:12).
        • By meditating on God’s words, we will have a clear standard to measure ourselves against and not find ways to justify our sin or make excuses for ourselves.
    • Think on things that are godly, pure, true, etc. (Phil 4:8).
• Avoid putting ourselves in tempting situations.
  • Biblical examples
    • “Flee sexual immorality” (1 Cor 6:18); “Flee from youthful lusts” (2 Tim 2:22)
    • Joseph’s example: physically fled from the scene (Gen 39:11-13)
  • Real-life examples
    • Avoid events and locations (e.g., clubs, bars) that may encourage excessive drinking, gossiping, or other unhealthy behaviors that may lead to sin.
    • Avoid remaining idle or in isolated settings for long - we may unknowingly invite temptations into our lives if we are bored, have too much time on our hands, or are alone.
    • Set up our environment to reduce tempting scenarios, e.g., using or putting devices in public/shared spaces to avoid excessive internet use; avoiding late-night phone use which could lead to secretly viewing ungodly content, excessive scrolling, or wasting time.

💭 Food for Thought

• What teaching about sin and temptation from this lesson resonates with you and why?
• What practical actions can you practice this week in order to be more vigilant against sin and temptations?

🎯 Challenge Yourself

• List some of the external temptations (things, events, or actions) you feel could or do draw you away from God.
• Beside each item you listed in the “Outside” column, write down what you think it is “Inside” yourself that attracts you so much to the external temptation.
• Finally, jot down practical actions you can take to prevent and combat these temptations.