By Jannie Linney
We know there are many sins in the world, but Jesus revealed the three main sin roots in His temptations in Luke four. “Then Jesus being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by The Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and after, when they had ended, He was hungry.” He may not have been full of Physical food, but after forty days of fasting, He was full of the Holy Spirit, and being led by the Spirit. In this experience He teaches us a valuable lesson. The three temptations that the devil tempted Jesus with are roots that all sins steam from. And by the way, they were a temptation to Jesus, or the Word of God would not have stated that it was. Jesus was tempted, yet without giving into the sin. Another lesson He was teaching us.
Remember He was hungry; “And the devil said to Him, If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread [Luke 4:2]. Notice the devil said “If you are the son of God” trying to place doubt in the mind of Jesus. Satan does us the same way. He was tempting Jesus with the desire of food because he knew He was hungry. See, we don’t want to receive anything from the devil. And the devil never quits! “But Jesus answered Him, saying, “It is written, man shall not live by Bread alone, but by every word of God” [V.4]. If we love Him we will keep — do His word! Ok, this is an example of us being tempted in the “lust of the flesh.”
“Then the devil taking Him upon a high mountain showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And 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. Therefore if You will worship before me, all will be Yours” [V.5-7]. Look at the word “showed” the devil let Him see all the power and authority He could have if He would just bow down and worship him. Now that act would have been the ultimate stab in the Heart of the Father, who the devil hated so much. “And Jesus answered, and said to him, “Get the behind me satan! For it is written ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”[V.8]. Satan did not realize for real who he was talking to. In His flesh body, Jesus loved His Father more than Life itself. This second temptation was a test for “The lust of the eyes.” What we see!
Then he [satan] brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on a pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, “If you are the son of God throw yourself down from here. ‘For it is written He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash Your foot against a stone.”’ Satan can quote the word. He uses it to his advantage, to control. And Jesus said, “It has been said you shall not tempt the Lord your God.” [V9-12]. The third temptation was the opportunity to get caught up in pride, the very sin that caused satan to be removed from heaven. One he would like for all of us to get into. The third sin root is, “The pride of life.” “For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world [1John 2:16]. All that is in the world indicating that all sin can be listed under one of these “Three Main Sin Roots.”
