Lust of the flesh
Good bodily desire turned against God’s command; remedy: self-control and submission.
Lesson 4 · Course 57
What We Believe About Sin
The fall, imputed sin, and the three lusts — and why sin’s ruin meets the gospel’s remedy.
At a glance
Summary
Adam was not unclear about God’s expectation. Eve was tempted in the lust of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life. The fall affected more than Adam and Eve alone; God is not powerless for allowing sin. All are involved with sin nature, imputation, and personal sin (Moodle: False that some only have nature/imputation without personal sin). Sin is act or attitude; Adam’s disobedience imputes sin, Christ’s death imputes righteousness to believers; sin’s influence reaches every part of human nature.
Quiz 4: 9/10 (90%), 7m 42s, cmid 955 / attempt 101769. Essays Complete/Not graded. Miss: Q6 (chose True; Moodle False — “cruse of Christ” stem).
Big ideas
What to teach and remember
- Adam was not unclear what God expected — that is not why he sinned.
- Eve was tempted in lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life.
- The garden was harmonious until they sinned; the fall did not affect only them.
- God was not shown to be less than all-powerful by allowing sin.
- Q6 miss: from God’s perspective stem about penalty evidenced by “cruse of Christ” is False (Moodle).
- False that some have nature + imputation but never commit personal sin.
- Sin can be defined as an act or an attitude.
- In Adam sin is imputed; in Christ righteousness is imputed to believers.
- Sin’s influence extends to every part of man’s nature.
- Gospel hope restores spiritually and promises resurrection.
Key terms
People, places, and words that matter
Lust of the eyes
Attraction/ambition turned to coveting or control; remedy: contentment and obedience.
Pride of life
Self as center, wanting to be like God; remedy: humility and dependence on grace.
Imputed sin
In Adam’s disobedience, sin is imputed to all people.
Imputed righteousness
In Christ’s death, righteousness is imputed to all who believe.
Sin nature
All are born with a sin nature; Moodle rejects that some never commit personal sin.
Structure
Outline / timeline
- Eden’s clarity and harmony before the fall
- Eve’s three temptation areas
- Scope of the fall — not the first pair only
- God’s power, penalty, imputation, and definition of sin
- Physical and spiritual consequences; gospel hope
- Three lusts with results and remedies
Must remember
Facts to keep straight
| Quiz 4 | 90% (9/10), cmid 955 — miss Q6 |
|---|---|
| Three lusts | Flesh, eyes, pride of life |
| Fall’s scope | Not Adam and Eve only |
| Sin defined | Act or attitude |
| Imputation | Sin in Adam; righteousness in Christ to believers |
| Influence | Every part of man’s nature |
| Q6 | Miss: chose True; Moodle False |
Compare
Side-by-side contrasts
In Adam vs in Christ (imputation)
- Adam’s disobedience: sin imputed to all
- Christ’s death: righteousness imputed to believers
Three lusts — desire, result, remedy
- Flesh → self-gratification → self-control / submission
- Eyes → coveting/control → contentment / obedience
- Pride of life → self-rule / alienation → humility / grace
For the pulpit
Sermon hooks
- Sin is not only what we do — it is also what we want and how we posture before God.
- Preach both imputation stories: ruin in Adam, righteousness in Christ.
- Name the three lusts with their gospel remedies, not just their diagnoses.
- Flag the miss: the “cruse of Christ” stem is False on Moodle — study the exact wording.
Quiz drill
Quiz drill / review · open to practice · 10 items
Quiz score: 90% · 1 attempt
1. Adam was unclear what God expected of him, therefore he sinned.
FalseAdam was not unclear about God’s expectation.
2. Eve was tempted in three areas, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
TrueThree temptation areas.
3. God planted a beautiful garden where Adam and Eve lived in harmonious community with nature, God and each other: until they sinned.
TrueHarmony until the fall.
4. The fall of Adam and Eve only effectively influenced them, each a new child must face the temptation of sin to determine if they will live forever with God or be lost in punishment.
FalseThe fall’s influence is not limited to Adam and Eve alone.
5. God was not all-powerful because He allowed sin to occur.
FalseAllowing sin does not mean God lacks all-power.
6. When view the fall of man from God’s perspective, sin demands a terrible penalty as evidenced by the cruse of Christ.
FalseMiss / partialMiss: chose True; Moodle False (stem as given, including “cruse”).
7. All are born with a sin nature and have sin imputed to them, but not all commit personal sin.
FalseMoodle False — not a class that skips personal sin.
8. Sin can be defined as an act, or an attitude.
TrueAct or attitude.
9. In Adam’s disobedience, sin is imputed to all people, in Christ death, righteousness is imputed to all who believe on Him.
TrueImputation in Adam and in Christ.
10. The influence of sin extends to every part of man’s nature.
TrueEvery part of human nature.
Essay themes
If you preach or review
How we can see sin in ordinary human life
We can see sin in ordinary human life: everyone faces physical death, and people experience suffering and sickness. Even babies show an unlearned selfish desire. People are inclined to lie and can be motivated to harm one another. Sin also shows itself in guilt and shame, alienation from God, and a depraved desire that draws us toward further sin.
Physical and spiritual consequences of the fall
The fall brought physical and spiritual consequences to both Adam and Eve. Physically, death entered, the man would labor over a cursed ground and rule the creation with difficulty, while the woman would experience multiplied sorrow and pain in childbirth and a troubled relationship with her husband. Spiritually, both felt guilt and shame, were alienated from God, lost their positive inclination toward Him, and developed a depraved desire that drew them toward sin. The earth and animal world were also affected by divine judgment. The hope is God's grace and the gospel, which restore the spiritual condition and ultimately promise resurrection.
Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life
The three expressions are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The lust of the flesh is a good bodily desire turned against God's command; its result is sinful self-gratification, and it is answered by self-control and submission to God's will. The lust of the eyes turns attraction and ambition into coveting, power-seeking, or control; its remedy is contentment, disciplined desire, and obedience. The pride of life makes the self the center, seeking independence and wanting to be like God; its result is self-rule and alienation, and its remedy is humility, dependence on God, and trust in His grace. Ultimately, the gospel is God's remedy for the ruin caused by sin.