THE TRINITY OF SIN
A. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THE TRINITY OF SIN? OUR OPENING TEXT SPEAKS OF
THE TRINITY OF SIN
- The lust of the eye:
- The lust of the flesh:
- The pride of life: A careful reading of the Bible will show that the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life constitute the Trinity of sin.
- They are, in their very nature, inseparable:
- They sum up sin in thought, word and action:
B. NATURE AND FUNCTION OF THE TRINITY OF SIN
- The lust of the eye:
- The eye is the light of the body - Matt. 6:22; Luke 11:34
- Its condition affects the whole body, "when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness" - Luke 11:34
- Satan has used the evil eye to destroy or ruin many souls -
EXAMPLES -
- Samson - Judg. 16:
- Achan - 1 Sam. 7:
- David - 2 Sam. 11:
- He used the power of the eye to deceive Eve - Gen. 3:6
- The lust of the flesh:
- This sin must be considered one of the most hideous and
deadly of all manifestations of sins -
EXAMPLES -
- Ancient Israel and the lust of the flesh - Num. 25:1-9
- Samson and the lust of the flesh - Judg. 16:21
- Solomon and the love of women - Neh. 13:26
- The antediluvians - Gen. 6:1-3
- Heathenism in its grossest form - Rom. 1:19-27
- Some members in the church at Corinth - 1 Cor. 5:1
- The lust of the flesh is the perversion of the natural propensities, which will lead to excess and moral weakness.
- There is a continued conflict between our spiritual nature and the flesh - Gal. 5:17
- This sin must be considered one of the most hideous and
deadly of all manifestations of sins -
EXAMPLES -
- The pride of life:
- Pride simply means to magnify one's self; the exaltation of the human ego.
- That was the downfall of Lucifer - Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:12-18
- This sin plagues the church of God today.
- It caused the downfall of Nebuchadnezzar - Dan. 4:30
- All who are victimized by this sin are spoken of as being compassed by pride as with a chain - Ps. 73:6
C. HOW TO PROTECT OURSELVES AGAINST THE PRIDE OF LIFE
- Through mortification:
- This is no easy undertaking, but it is a must if we wish to have the victory over sin.
- "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." - Rom. 8:13
- Here is the list which we must mortify at all cost:
- Fornication
- Uncleanness
- Inordinate affections
- Evil concupiscence
- And covetousness, which is idolatry - Col. 3:5
- Walk in the Spirit: "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." - Gal. 5:16
- Watch and pray constantly: Matt. 26:41