Three Temptations faced by Adam, Jesus and us
(Adam failed, but Jesus prevailed, so we can, too)

(Comments by John Myers in parentheses unless otherwise attributed. Disclaimer: I stole this idea from some preacher I heard, source now forgotten.)

1 John 2:15-17, ¹⁵Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶For all that is in the world— (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, (3) and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the New Testament, (1762 - 1832)

1. The lust of the flesh—Sensual and impure desires which seek their gratification in women, strong drink, delicious viands (foods). (In today’s language, “wine, women and song.” Or in my case, wine, women and bongs.)

2. Lust of the eyes—Inordinate desires after “stuff.” (What I see, I want.)

3. Pride of life—Seeking honors, titles, et c. (I just want to recognized.)

(Oswald Chambers in “My Utmost for His Highest” sums up our sin nature with this simple phrase: “My claim to my right to myself.” Are we willing to give up that claim?)

Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters.” (Will it be Jesus or Satan? The first step in following Jesus is to deny your claim to your right to yourself.)

Matthew 16:24, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’”

(These same three lusts, temptations and pride are our legacy from Adam’s sin nature.)

Genesis 3:1-7, ¹Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (The first step in temptation to sin is doubting what God has clearly said in His Word. Satan loves to incite us to doubt God.)

²And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; ³but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” (God did not say “Don’t touch,” only “Don’t eat” in Genesis 2:17. Perhaps Adam added to that, “Don’t touch.” One of sin’s most dangerous pitfalls is adding to or taking away from God’s Word.) ⁴Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (The most alluring temptation is to become your own God.)

⁶So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (1.“The lust of the flesh”), that it was pleasant to the eyes, (2.“Lust of the eyes”) and a tree desirable to make one wise, (3.“Pride of life”) she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Where was Eve when she was tempted? Standing too near the forbidden tree. And where was Adam when she was tempted? Right there with her.”)

⁷Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Eve first looked, then took, then ate. When she looked perhaps she did not intend to take; or when she took, she did not intend to eat: but it ended in that. (The road to hell is paved with good intentions.)

Holman Bible Handbook: Adam and Eve “died” with respect to their covenant privileges (Genesis 2:17) and suffered the indictment and judgment of their Sovereign (Genesis 3:14-19,22-24). This entailed suffering and sorrow and eventual physical death.

(The scientific “Law of Entropy” states that all things decay: The universe is “dying.”

(Spiritual death came immediately; physical death followed, not only for them, but for the whole creation. Then came the “last Adam” to reclaim what the “first Adam” lost.)

1 Cor. 15:45, “And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.” (The legacy of Adam is death, the legacy of Jesus is life, the “life-giving Spirit” Who gives us our new life in Christ.)

Luke 4:1-13, ¹Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, ²being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. (Jesus purposely weakened Himself to the absolute limit of endurance, so we can never say to Him, “Lord, you don’t know my weaknesses.” Yes, He does. He’s been there.)

³And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

(1.“The lust of the flesh”)

⁴But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” (Jesus used the same weapon we have at our disposal, “every word of God.”)

⁵Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. ⁶And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”

(2. “Lust of the eyes”)

⁸And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” (Jesus didn’t deny Satan’s power as “god of this world,” but refused to bow to him.)

⁹Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.

Adam Clarke: “Pinnacle of the temple — It is very likely that this was what was called the king’s gallery; which, as Josephus says, ‘deserves to be mentioned among the most magnificent things under the sun: for upon a stupendous depth of a valley, scarcely to be fathomed by the eye of him that stands above, Herod erected a gallery of a vast height, from the top of which if any looked down, he would grow dizzy, his eyes not being able to reach so vast a depth.’”

(Before you jump, first determine who’s telling you to jump.)

¹⁰For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,’11and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

(3. “Pride of life”)

¹²And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” (When we jump into something without God’s leadership, we are tempting God, Who promises us in Galatians 6:7, “Whatever a man sows, that he shall also reap.” When we jump in where the devil tempts us to go, we’re asking God to repeal this spiritual law.)

¹³Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. (The devil may leave us alone for a while, but he never really quits.)

Matthew Henry: “Our victorious Redeemer conquered, not for himself only, but for us also.” (And Jesus used only three verses, all from Deuteronomy, for His victory.)

Adam Clarke: “There is probably not a temptation of Satan, but is one of these.

“1st. To Distrust. (Command these stones to become bread.) No man, howsoever holy, is exempted from temptation: for God manifested to the flesh was tempted by the devil. The fear of being tempted may also become a most dangerous snare.

“2ndly. To Presumption. (Cast thyself down.) The best way to foil the adversary is by the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

“There is no temptation which is irresistible. When God permits a temptation or trial to come, He will give grace to bear or overcome it.” 1 Cor. 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

“3rdly. To worldly Ambition. (All these will I give if you fall down and worship me.) To be tempted even to the greatest abominations (while a person resists) is not sin: for Christ was tempted to worship the Devil. Our spiritual interests shall be always advanced, in proportion to our trials and faithful resistance.” Romans 5: 3-4, “…We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

(Mrs. Russell was a dear, old soul who loved the Lord, but became severely depressed when she had to leave her home and move into a rest home. “Just pray that God will call me on home,” she told a visiting preacher. “Perhaps God isn’t finished with you yet,” the preacher suggested. On his next visit, the preacher found a smiling Mrs. Russell. She was rolling her wheelchair from room to room, reading to other residents from her Bible.

(Tribulations will come from the devil’s sling, but they must pass through God’s hands before they are allowed to strike us. And God promises to work all things for our good – all things, the good, the bad and the ugly – to transform us and conform us to His will.)

Winston Churchill once said, “There is no more exhilarating feeling than to be shot at and missed.” (For a Christian, the best of all feelings is to successfully resist temptation through the power and victory of faith in Jesus Christ – shot at and missed by the devil.)

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” James 4:7 promises. (We have the same weapon which Jesus successfully used to withstand temptation – the Word of God. But it’s up to us to decide whether we will take the Sword of the Spirit in hand and resist the devil, or to follow our Adam sin nature to give in to temptation. Which Adam will you follow, the first Adam who failed, or the second Adam who prevailed?)

Submit Bible questions by email to writeme@johnwmyers.com

(John Myers has been a Christian lay speaker, Sunday School adult teacher and newspaper Bible study columnist for more than 25 years.)

Three Temptations faced by Adam, Jesus and us (Adam failed, but Jesus prevailed, so we can, too)

Three Temptations faced by Adam, Jesus and us
(Adam failed, but Jesus prevailed, so we can, too)