How Temptation Works
Genesis 3:1-5
Rev. Brian Bill
February 11-12, 2023
This past Sunday night, the Grammys celebrated Satan by showcasing decadent sensuality and Devil worship, complete with flames, red lights, dancers dressed in red portraying demons, and Sam Smith wearing a red top hat with horns. The audience embraced this expression of evil by applauding loudly as the song “Unholy” was performed. It was troubling to learn CBS tweeted, “We are ready to worship” before the performance.
Albert Mohler summarized the show this way: “The musical performance of ‘Unholy’ at the Grammys was a celebration of Satan and direct refutation of God’s glory in creation.” Another commentator tweeted: “Satan is no longer lurking in the shadows. The days have become so evil that he is parading his presence in broad daylight.” As an example, the Satanic Temple is holding “SatanCon” in Boston in April, claiming it will be “the largest Satanic gathering in history.”
As I reflected on all this, it seems to me that while obvious examples of Satanism are increasing, including the growth of Satan Clubs in schools, even here in the Quad Cities, most of Satan’s work is more subtle, subversive, and sinister as stated in Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
As we get closer to the return of Christ, we will see more and more covert, and overt, explosions of evil. Since Satan is intensely and intentionally opposed to image bearers of God, he will do anything to attack the purposes of God.
Today we come to Genesis 3:1-5 where we will see how temptation works. Let’s stand and read one of the most important passages in the entire Bible:
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
We could call this passage “30 Seconds That Changed the World.” Here’s the main idea: To be forewarned of Satan’s strategy is to be forearmed. Those who know about a threat are better prepared to face it when it comes.
Because the evil one’s approach has not changed much over the centuries, we’re called to be educated and equipped to handle evil. 2 Corinthians 2:11 says, “So that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.” Ephesians 6:11 reminds us we’re in a battle: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the Devil.”
Since we’re dealing with the Devil today, I’m going to use six words which begin with the letter “D” to help us do battle against the designs and schemes of Satan. Our enemy’s attacks are multi-layered, asymmetric, and incessant. Our text is a classic case study of how the Tempter tempts us. One pastor suggests we should study the first temptation in the same way a general prepares for battle by analyzing his enemy.
Let me be quick to say this is not a fable or a fairy tale. This is actual history. Satan is real. Adam and Eve are real. Temptation is real. Sin is real and Hell is hot.
1. Disguise. The word “now” indicates these events took place sometime after Adam and Eve were united in the covenant of marriage. There’s no transition statement or introduction to evil. The first thing we see is how the Devil disguises himself by speaking through a serpent. The very mention of a snake makes most of us cringe or want to run away. Snakes have several characteristics which help us understand how Satan works today.
• Snakes slither in quietly. Eve had no idea what was about to happen as the serpent appeared unexpectedly. She wasn’t looking for the serpent, but he was definitely looking for her.
• The skin of a snake is often camouflaged so they are difficult to see.
• Snakes can see, smell, and hear their prey. As a result, it’s hard to get away.
• Snakes are opportunistic predators.
• Snakes can lie in wait for a long time.
• They are mesmerizing so it’s hard to look away from them.
• Snakes strike quickly.
• Their venom can be deadly.
It’s likely this serpent was not frightening to Eve. The Hebrew name “Lucifer” literally means, “shiny one” so he was likely attractive. We know the “Lord God made” the serpent. This is an important point because Satan was created and is not co-equal with God. Eve was probably not surprised that the serpent spoke because we know Balaam’s donkey had a conversation in Numbers 22.
The serpent was “more crafty than any other beast.” The word “crafty” means, “clever, subtle, cunning, shrewd.” As Christ followers, 2 Corinthians 11:3 calls us to be aware how Satan works so we are not deceived: “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:14 adds, “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
AJ Langworthy, our youth assistant, has been witnessing to a couple guys who are in a cult. He said it’s been difficult because they hold to some things that are true, but other beliefs are clever error. Sometimes false religions even use the same words we do but give them different meanings.
Be on guard because the Devil doesn’t always dress in red and have horns.
To be forewarned of Satan’s strategy is to be forearmed.
2. Doubt. Satan’s second strategy is to cast doubt. Notice the first voice we hear in this narrative opposes God and His sovereignty. We see this in the next phrase: “Did God actually say…” One translation renders it this way: “Really? Did God really say…” The serpent’s scheme is simple and continues today: to stir up doubt by attacking and discrediting God’s Word.
Observe how the serpent uses the generic name for “God” (Elohim) instead of the powerfully personal name “LORD God” (Yahweh Elohim), which is used 20 times in Genesis 2-3. The word “actually” is used sarcastically, in a mocking sort of way. It’s as if Satan is saying, “Come on, did the deity really say?”
The serpent doesn’t take a direct approach but instead starts with a question. His most effective work is finished when he has established a foothold of doubt in someone’s mind or heart.
While questions can be good in our quest for knowledge, several years ago a well-known pastor started questioning settled doctrine in his sermons and books, “We can’t really know for sure, so I just want to ask some questions. How do we know Hell is real? Is the Bible true?” He would invite people to “have a chat” when he was preaching, and then propose questions while not providing biblical answers. His public doubts spread like gangrene to others.
This makes me think of 1 Timothy 1:4 in the KJV: “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith.” Sadly, this pastor eventually left the faith, did shows on the Oprah Winfrey Network, and has now fallen headlong into heresy.
Another pastor who advocated unhitching from the Old Testament in the past has now become unhinged in his views about biblical sexuality and marriage.
Satan still attacks God’s Word, calling into question its accuracy, authenticity, and authority. “Indeed, has God said?” is the same tactic Satan uses today. Be on guard.
To be forewarned of Satan’s strategy is to be forearmed.
3. Demean. The question the serpent asked in the last part of verse 2 was intended to demean God: “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” I think the serpent asked this with a sneer on his face and sarcasm in his voice: “Why has God restricted you from the delights of this place? Do you think that’s fair?” This first question in the Bible was designed to smuggle in doubt in Eve’s soul. The serpent took God’s words and twisted them, causing Eve to doubt God’s greatness and goodness. By mocking God, the serpent got her to focus on what was forbidden.
Let’s go back to Genesis 2:16 to establish what God actually said: “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden.” Notice how the serpent misquoted and demeaned God’s Word:
• He changed the positive permission into a pervasive prohibition.
• He presented God as saying they couldn’t eat from any tree at all.
Satan subtly demeans God’s character to get us to think God is harsh and unreasonable. The evil one wants us to focus on the negatives, so we’ll view God as a grouch. Keep your guard up, brothers and sisters because Satan will tempt you to question the greatness and goodness of God.
To be forewarned of Satan’s strategy is to be forearmed.
4. Distort. We can see how the serpent’s crafty ways started to influence Eve in her conversation with the Devil. Temptation always thrives on dialogue. In verses 2-3 we see how she distorts what God said: “And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
Let’s go back to Genesis 2:16-17 to review exactly what God said and then we’ll compare it to the distortion Eve came up with: “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”
I see seven ways Eve distorted what God said.
• She omitted the phrase “surely eat” and replaced it with “we may eat.” God wanted them to eat with great delight to their heart’s content, but she downplayed God’s gracious permission. It’s as if she said, “Yeah, I guess we have some food to eat if we get really hungry.”
• She omitted the phrase “every tree of the garden” and just said, “of the fruit of the trees in the garden.” She characterized God as a kill-joy instead of the good God who graciously allowed them to eat as much as they wanted from every tree, except one.
• She adopted the serpent’s preferred name for God: “But God said…” instead of calling Him “LORD God.” Once we depersonalize God, it’s much easier to do whatever we want. If we think He is far away and uninvolved, it’s easy to think we can get away with sin. BTW, as soon as God goes looking for the fallen couple in the garden, the compound name Yahweh Elohim is used again, showing how powerful and personal He is.
• She did not use the correct name for the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” and simply called it “the tree.”
• She used the negative word “neither,” which means, “no or not” to emphasize what they can’t do.
• She added to God’s prohibition with the phrase “neither shall you touch it,” which God never said. Eve magnified God’s strictness, implying that even an inadvertent slip would lead to death. This man-made restriction is the first instance of legalism in the Bible.
• She omitted “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” and replaced it with the softer phrase, “lest you die,” which changed a certainty to a possibility. Eve weakened the penalty for disobedience and diluted certain judgment.
Steven Cole writes: “Notice how Eve is drawn into Satan’s line of thinking. Her reply magnifies the strictness of God on the one hand but softens His threat of judgment on the other…she is falling into Satan’s trap by changing the character of God to be more to her liking…Eve was already beginning to waver. The fall really took place before she ate the fruit.”
Eve diminished, added to, subtracted from, and softened God’s Word. This made it easier to disregard what God had said.
• Proverbs 30:5-6 commands us not to add to the Word of God: “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to His words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.”
• Revelation 22:19 gives a warning to those who take away from God’s Word: “And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
To be forewarned of Satan’s strategy is to be forearmed.
5. Denial. After he disguised himself, the serpent raised doubt, and demeaned God. Eve responded by expressing a distorted view of God. Next, the serpent unleased a direct attack on the Almighty in verse 4: “But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You shall not surely die.’” This is a very emphatic statement in Hebrew. Literally it reads, “Not, you shall surely die.” The serpent quoted what God had said and put the word “not” in front of it. The serpent is saying God is not holy, that sin isn’t serious, and judgment isn’t real.
While the serpent started out being sly and subtle, he now strikes quickly, aggressively, and directly. This is the first bold lie of Satan, which is true to his character according to John 8:44: “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
The first doctrine the serpent denied was God’s judgment. He deceived Eve by telling her she will by no means die, or more literally, “You will positively not die.” He basically told her she can do whatever she wants and there will be no consequences. She can disobey and nothing bad will happen to her. She can have whatever she wants and there will be no cost or consequence.
The serpent hisses in her ear, “Go ahead, eat the fruit because you can sin and get away with it.” This is a direct attack on the power and justice of God and its shrapnel is seen everywhere in our society today.
I came across this insight from a review of the book, The Day America Told the Truth, which is worth pondering: “People want to sin, more than they want to do right. They do not want anyone, including God, to tell them that they cannot sin, or to condemn them for doing so.”
To be forewarned of Satan’s strategy is to be forearmed.
6. Desire. To move Eve over the edge, in verse 5, the serpent appealed to her desire by promising her what she really wanted: “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” The evil one attacked the goodness of God, implying that He was holding out on Eve and was somehow jealous of her.
Satan tries to get us to question the justice of God and the love of God. Millions of people are swayed by Satan to think they can live however they’d like because there is no judgment, while others believe the lie that God doesn’t love them. Satan promises pleasure but never mentions the pain, shame, and guilt he wants them to have so that they’ll think God couldn’t possibly love them. We’ll learn more about this next weekend.
Essentially, the serpent promised the fulfillment of five desires to Eve.
• You will be omniscient.
• You will be omnipotent.
• You will be equal to God. Interestingly, pride is what led to Lucifer being expelled out of Heaven as described in Isaiah 14. Listen to his profession of pride in verses 13-14: “I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God. I will set my throne on high; I will make myself like the Most High.” (See also Ezekiel 28:13-19, Luke 10:18, and Revelation 12:9).
• You will be morally autonomous and can decide for yourself what is right and wrong. We see this today when people say, “I’m living my truth.”
• You will be sovereign over your life, and no one can tell you what to do.
Satan’s main lie is this: Sin is not bad, and God is not good.
Kent Hughes says this must have been intoxicating to Eve. Somehow, the serpent managed to make the tree of the knowledge of good and evil seem as if it were in fact, the tree of life. In his book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Carl Trueman argues that “expressive individualism” has permeated our society, leading to all sorts of debauchery, despair, and darkness. In addition, many Christians have subscribed to the religion of “moral therapeutic deism.”
• When we discredit God’s goodness, sin won’t seem so sinful.
• When we deny God’s judgment, we’ll think we can get away with sin.
• We can always justify disobedience if we try hard enough.
Disobedience to God’s Word does not bring greater freedom. Instead, it brings spiritual death and bondage as Jesus said in John 8:34: “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”
To be forewarned of Satan’s strategy is to be forearmed.
Let’s summarize the process of temptation used by Satan.
1. Disguise.
2. Doubt.
3. Demean.
4. Distort.
5. Denial.
6. Desire.
Action Steps
We’ve now been forewarned. Let’s consider some practical ways we can be forearmed.
1. Affirm the authority of the Bible. Brothers and sisters, in order to stand on the authority of the Bible, we must read it daily, study it, memorize it, and quote it correctly. As we’ve been learning in this series, if God says it, that settles it.
When Jesus was tempted by the Devil in Matthew 4:1-11, He quoted Scripture three times by saying: “It is written.” After the third temptation He said, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written…” Verse 11 tells us what happened: “Then the Devil left Him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to Him.” The Word is your number one weapon!
If you’re not in a Sunday Growth Group, a midweek group, or in a discipling relationship, could I encourage you to join one? We’re encouraging EVERYONE to be involved in a group this year so we can grow in our knowledge and application of the Scriptures.
Before leaving this action step, I encourage you to lock into these two passages:
• 1 John 4:4: “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
• Revelation 12:10-11: “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.’”
2. Put on the full armor of God every day. Ephesians 6:13: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”
3. Run from temptation. When you’re in a tempting situation, don’t dialog with the Devil but run away like Joseph did from Potiphar’s wife. 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” The battle is usually won or lost in the first 5 or 10 seconds you’re tempted. The longer you consider the Devil’s offer the more likely it is that you will lose. Look for the way of escape and bolt!
4. Gather with God’s people every week. As we’ve said before, if you unplug, you will unravel. Satan wants to separate you from God’s people, just like he tempted Eve when she was alone. You’re designed to be in community with other Christians. 1 Peter 5:8 says: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Lions typically hunt the vulnerable by isolating them. A lion roars to paralyze its prey with fear before the attack. Peter’s warning is clear: watch out, the Devil is your enemy, and he is ready to attack any unsuspecting and isolated Christian.
5. Live as light in a dark world. We’re challenged in Philippians 2:15 to live as “…children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
In response to the Grammys this past Sunday night, Michael Brown wrote a post called, “Satan is Beginning to Show His Hand More Clearly.” Here’s part of what he said…
“This could be good news for us as followers of Jesus. The greater the darkness, the clearer our light is seen. May it shine brightly in front of the whole world! And may we shine as lights without shame, without compromise, and without hypocrisy. And don’t be surprised if, in the days ahead, in front of our very eyes, we witness scenes as if taken straight out of the Bible where, in broad daylight, visibly demonized people get set free in Jesus’ name – dramatically, gloriously, and in full public view.”
6. Repent and receive Christ. The Bible is clear that you are either in the kingdom of darkness or in the kingdom of light. You are on the wide highway to Hell or you’re on the narrow path to Heaven. There is no middle ground. Unfortunately, according to 2 Corinthians 4:4, if you don’t know Jesus through the new birth, your spiritual blindness is keeping you from believing: “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
Hebrews 9:27 says if you are not saved by the Savior, your judgment is certain: “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” 1 John 3:8 provides some really good news: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the Devil.” Satan has been crushed and defeated and is now out on bond…but his time is short.
Listen to Revelation 12:12: “But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the Devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” If you’ve been putting off a decision to follow Christ, don’t put it off any longer. There will be eternal consequences if you do.
In his book, Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis gives some insight into Satan’s strategy by describing a group of demons discussing how best to keep someone from following Christ. One suggested they plant seeds of doubt about God. Another thought they could use hypocrisy to keep people away. After a number of other ideas were set forth, one of the younger demons hesitantly suggested, “You’ve missed our most effective strategy…just tell them they have all the time in the world to decide. Tell them it’s not that important. Tell them to wait another day…”
If you’re ready to believe and receive Jesus right now, I want to lead in a prayer of salvation. When I’m finished, I’ll move into a prayer I wrote a year ago in response to the Satan Club at a Moline School.
Lord, I admit I am a sinner and deserve Your just judgment. I repent from how I’ve been living and turn to You. I believe Jesus died in my place on the cross and rose again on the third day and now I receive Him into my life. Please save me from my sins and from Your righteous wrath. I want to be born again so I place all my trust in You alone. If there’s anything in my life You don’t like, please get rid of it.
And now, let’s focus our prayer on the battle we’re in.
Almighty God, we thank You that You are the victor and though Satan is a liar, a thief, and a murderer, he is a vanquished foe. We affirm that Jesus has defeated death, depravity, and the Devil through His substitutionary death on the cross and glorious resurrection from the dead.
We come before You today on behalf of our community and ask for protection for precious students made in your image. May the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ continue to be spread. Stir within parents and grandparents to live for You so they can imprint Your Word on the hearts of the next generation. May You use this situation to alert parents to the reality of evil so they will introduce their kids to the life-changing message of the gospel.
Continue to equip children’s ministry directors, the staff at Youth Hope and other gospel-focused ministries like CEF and Quest for Christ, along with youth pastors in our churches as they seek to evangelize and equip students. We ask that those teachers, staff, and administrators who are followers of Christ will continue to represent You well in our schools, using their positions as platforms for ministry.
We pray against the Devil and his demons, recognizing that the real battle in this present darkness is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Remind us to take up the spiritual armor You have provided for us so we can withstand evil by standing firm in Christ.
Awaken us Lord to the need for revival and mobilize Your followers to live on mission for Your glory and for the good of our community. Oh, would You revive us again that we might rejoice in You. We pray this in the mighty, matchless name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
