James 1:14

‘But each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.'

What then is it that causes men to be tempted? And the answer is that it is as a result of his own fallen desires. It is the result of his lustful nature. He is tempted, he is drawn by the temptation, he is then enticed into sin. He sees something, or hears something or becomes aware of something and then his desires take over and he seeks to make it his own, especially if it is something forbidden. This was what happened in Eden. The woman saw and desired. She wanted the fruit with all her heart and was tempted. And as she continued to gaze at it she was enticed. She saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food, was a delight to the eyes, and was to be desired to give her greater wisdom (Genesis 3:6). And that is why she fell. In the end her failure was due simply to her failure to resist temptation by running away, followed by a period when she allowed enticement. Had her heart been filled with love for God she would have turned away immediately, but as it was she lingered, considering the temptation and weighing it up, and as a result she was enticed and fell (see 2 Timothy 2:22 for what she should have done, ‘flee from youthful desires').

There are three main types of sin, the sin of the flesh (Ephesians 2:3; 1 John 2:16), the sin of the mind (Ephesians 2:3; 1 John 2:16), and the sin of seeking worldly status (‘the pride of life', 1 John 2:16). The first is to be fought by running (2 Timothy 2:22), the second by setting the mind on things above (Colossians 3:2), and the third by humble submission to God (James 4:7).