The Anatomy of Sin (or How Satan Outsmarts You)
What the book of Genesis reveals about the 5 stages of temptation.
Often it seems like we just “fall into temptation” without any warning, and without any possibility to avoid it. We feel as though sin is just something that happens in the blink of an eye, instead of a downward facing ladder in which we take conscious steps that lead us into it. But the reality is that sin isn’t something that happens randomly, but a slippery slope that becomes more and more steep every moment that we fail to stop walking on it.
We need to remember that there’s an actual enemy who is trying to get us to sin, and he is much smarter than all of us. He knows exactly how to tempt us, and he uses a terribly effective strategy so that we don’t even see the slope until it’s too late. It’s the same strategy that he used to get Eve to bit the apple and wound us all.
We can see in the book of Genesis that there are actually 5 steps that precede the commission of a sin, and Satan swiftly pushes you along each one, until you inevitably bite the apple too.
Recognizing these steps is a great tool in your fight against temptation, as you’ll become more aware of the devil’s schemes, and thus be able to stop walking down the slippery slope before it’s too late.
If we look closely at Scripture, we can see that Satan actually approached Eve strategically. He didn’t just tell her “eat this fruit”. He took careful, measured steps to confuse and convince her.
And he does the same to us to lead us into temptation.
Step 1: An “Innocent” Lie
Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?”
— Genesis 3:1
Notice that the first thing that Satan does is ask Eve a seemingly innocent question. He knows perfectly well that’s not what God said, but he asks the question anyway.
The question contains a lie, but his goal at this point is not to get Eve to believe that lie, but simply to usher a response from her. He lies to get Eve to correct him.
Because at this stage, the most important thing for him is simply getting Eve to talk with him. He wants her to engage in a dialogue with him, so he can slyly poison her with more lies.
It doesn’t matter how he achieves this, so he lies to get Eve to correct him.
The lesson: Don’t listen to the lies of the enemy, even if they’re seemingly innocent.
Step 2: Dialoguing With Temptation
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
— Genesis 3:2-3
Notice that Eve innocently corrects him. This is already a mistake. She fell for his trick, and is now talking to the snake, who is much smarter than her. She won’t defeat Satan by talking to him, and neither will any of us. Talk long enough with a snake, and you’ll inevitably get bitten.
The very first thing that Satan tries to get us to do is enter into a dialogue with him, even if it’s to correct him or argue against him. The first deceitful question he poses serves that purpose. And after we’ve allowed him into our mind is when he really starts working.
Eve is now fully engaged in conversation with the snake, so he moves on to step three.
The lesson: Do not enter into dialogue with the evil one. Do not believe you can outsmart him or argue your way out of his web of lies.
Step 3: Twisting God’s Words to Cause Confusion and Doubt
But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
— Genesis 3:4-5
Now, Satan goes on full-on attack mode. First, he tells Eve that God is a liar. He tells her a half-truth: “you will not die”. This is partly true because she won’t die instantly, but it’s also false because she will indeed bring death into the world as a consequence of her disobedience. Satan is an expert at these half-truths and hidden lies.
He also plants in her the seed of pride and rebellion, by telling her that God’s instruction not to eat the fruit was designed to keep her down and maintain power over her. He introduces the smallest of doubts into Eve’s mind: is God really all-loving? How could this be, since He gave us such a nonsensical commandment?
God clearly told her what would happen if she ate: she would die. But Satan, the great liar, tells her that she won’t. He pits her against God. He confuses her and gets her to doubt God’s goodness and wisdom, and the morality of His commandments.
Isn’t that what happens to us every time we sin? We decide to ignore God, because we think that we know better.
The lesson: “Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him and He’ll make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5). GOD KNOWS BETTER. Trust Him, even if you do not understand why He wants you to go down a certain path or follow a certain rule.
Step 4: Desire Arouses
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise…
— Genesis 3:6
Notice the last phrase: Eve believed the devil over God. So now, she thinks God gave her an immoral commandment, and she puts her trust on the snake instead, who promises that sin will lead to wisdom.
A blatant, disgusting lie. But Eve falls for it. We all fall for it. Every time we sin, we are believing the lie that in sin we’ll find something good: wisdom, happiness, and so on.
Thinking sin to be desirable, Eve starts wanting the fruit. But there’s an intermediate step here: “... it was a delight to the eyes”. She lets her gaze dwell on the object of temptation.
Again, don’t we all, thinking “there’s nothing wrong with just looking?”.
She has now decided to commit the sin. She trusted the snake, let her heart and gaze be tempted and focused on the object of temptation, and only now does she move towards the fruit.
Notice all the steps that happened beforehand, and how many opportunities she had to stop.
The lesson: Do not let your gaze and your mind dwell on the objects of your desire. Sin enters through the senses, and fixing your attention on temptation opens the door for the sinful action to be committed.
Step 5: The Sinful Action is Committed
…she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate.
— Genesis 3:6
Eve commits the sinful action. She bites the fruit. But this happens only after:
Listening to the devil
Entering into dialogue with him
Believing the enemy’s lies
Failing to guard her gaze and heart
Only then does Eve commit the actual sin. The point is that sin is not something that happens accidentally. Usually, there’s a lot of steps that we take before actually committing the sin, and the story of Genesis perfectly show these steps, and how the devil lies and misleads us.
Don’t enter into dialogue with the enemy, and don’t fall for his lies: trust what God says, not what satan says or what your flesh desires.
Your most powerful ally in the battle against sin is awareness. If you are aware of the schemes and strategies that Satan uses against you, you can rebuke him in the name of Christ before he gets you to sin. He’s a relentless enemy, but you don’t have to defeat him on your own, nor do you need to rely on your own strength to do so.
Christ has triumphed over sin, and He lives in you. Give your battles to Him, and let Him be the source of your strength.
May God bless you and may you remain steadfast in the lifelong battle against the schemes of the enemy.
In Christ,
Juan
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Very good read!
Satan likes to cook us like frogs...slow and steady until it's too late 💯 🐍