Chapter I

The Dilemma

Paul, the apostle and founder of many churches in early Christianity, summarized the human condition this way:

I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things. I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t. When I want to do good, I don’t. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. But if I am doing what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing.
It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin (Romans 7:15-25 NLT).

Human beings inherited the result of Adam and Eve’s decision to disobey God in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned…. Referred to as our sinful nature, these tendencies are parts of our spiritual genetic code. Much like two-year-olds insisting on having their own way (even to their detriment), we drift away from God to become our own god. The remedy is to consistently seek God through holy living.
We cannot think of our personal behavior in terms of good and bad because most of us do not consider ourselves as wicked; …no one is good but One, that is, God. Subsequently, we grade ourselves on a scale of behavior. In the spiritual realm, there is no scale, only two absolute possibilities: God versus evil. We have a spiritual choice to make: either follow God’s plan or follow our natural tendencies.
God is still in control of the world; even so, we often forfeit our authority in this realm to Satan when we disobey God (just like Adam did). Nevertheless, there is hope in Jesus Christ, for God provided Jesus as our way back to Him. When we become followers of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit empowers us to conquer the sinful nature that resides within each of us.

Temptation

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 … Temptation is part of the human experience. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. If Jesus was tempted, why would we think that we will not be tempted? Perhaps we should shift our perspective on temptation. Consider that temptation is an opportunity to prove our loyalty to God. Without the temptation, how could we really prove our allegiance?
Temptation continues to assail us. Yet, it is reassuring to know that temptation is not new or unique to any human being. The blessing is that there is always a way out of the temptation. The Bible promises that the escape from temptation is always divinely presented. Our challenge is to abandon our affinity for that specific sin and desperately search for an escape even in the midst of the temptation. This is where willpower, faith in Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit combine for spiritual victory.
Willpower is effective only to the degree that we submit to God and resist the devil. When we start to view the sin as ugly and revolting as God sees it, then we are on the path to victory. Through willpower, we submit our predicament to Jesus knowing that without Him, we are defeated (again). By faith, we hang on as best we can, trusting that the Holy Spirit will provide the escape from the temptation that we are experiencing. The manifestation of the escape is personal, and will cost us our pride at the very least, as we humble ourselves before God, asking Him to deliver us and depending upon His response.
Regardless of how we escape and no matter how many bruises we acquire during our escape, we live to battle another day. It is, however, not wise to continue in this crisis mode of operation or we will be defeated eventually and even worse, we mock God. As we mature spiritually, our key to victory is avoiding the first stages of the temptation by the renewing our mind. The Holy Spirit and the Bible will counsel us on how to avoid this particular temptation in the future. Understand that in this life, we will never be completely free of temptations, but we can learn to recognize them better and avoid many situations altogether.
The Bible specifically mentions that Christians are not to love the world, be friends with the world, or get “caught up” in the world system. Built upon the principles of greed, power, status, and lust (to name just a few), the world system encourages a selfcentered, compromising, “anything goes” lifestyle that directly contrasts with God’s standard for living.
One of the seemingly innocent principles of the world system is self-interest or self-determination, which Satan often perverts into selfish ambition. Such self-centeredness or promotion of oneself to a god status leads to idolatry and pride. Pride is the very reason why God kicked Satan out of heaven! Even our own minds can deceive us. Often, we criticize Adam and Eve for their foolishness in messing up a good thing in the Garden of Eden; yet we rebel against God in our simple, everyday decisions.

Romans 5:12 – Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned. (NIV) Mark 10:18 – So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” (NIV)

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. (NKJV)

Romans 12:2 – Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)