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Pastor Timothy Christian Huynh
and Priscilla Christian Huynh

Humans sin by breaking God’s Ten Commandments and laws. The Ten Commandments and Laws were revealed by Him within man’s conscience (Romans 1:18-32). People realize they broke God’s commandments, and their conscience convicts themselves. Guilt remains unless continuous sinning dulls the conscience and mankind has pleasure in sin and in fellow sinners:

“And knowing the judgment of God, that those who commit such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but have pleasure in those who do them.” (Romans 1:32).

God later wrote the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets, which were later transcribed by Moses in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21). God’s law was also recorded by Moses in the Biblical books ranging from Genesis to Deuteronomy.

The Ten Commandments are the foundation of God’s law, just as a constitution is the foundation of a nation’s law. God’s Law is an exposition of the meaning of the Ten Commandments and the regulations that prescribe punishment for those who violate them.

Sin begins with temptation. Temptation can be internal or external.

Inner temptation is the will to violate God’s commandments in order to satisfy lust without outside influence. External temptation is an external circumstance that causes one to act on desire, causing a violation of God’s commandments.

In the story of the serpent and Eve, recorded in Genesis 3:1-7, the serpent tempted Eve to violate God’s commandments with lies. However, deep within Eve’s heart, there was also distrust and disrespect for God. This was reflected in her answer to the snake:

“And the woman said unto the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ‘Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it,lest ye die.'”” (Genesis 3:2-3).

It was God’s command to not eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It wasn’t His command to not touch it:

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.”” (Genesis 2:16-17).

In fact, Eve committed the sin of distrust and disrespect towards God, leading to the sin of slandering God, before committing the sin of disobeying God.

Eve’s sin of disobedience to God, eating the forbidden fruit, was a sin that came from both internal and external temptations. The internal temptation is due to her pride in wanting to act according to her will instead of revering and obeying God. She acted out of lust, by only wanting to satisfy her desires despite them harming others and opposing God. She also acted out of her distrust in God, thinking God wouldn’t offer her the best. The external temptation comes from the seductive image of the forbidden fruit and the seemingly reasonable words of the snake.

From the time an archangel sinned, becoming Satan, until the end of the Millennium Kingdom, all internal temptations are due to pride, lust, and disbelief.

Satan himself was arrogant, wanting to be equal to God; coveted dominion and worship that belonged exclusively to God; and did not believe that what he had was the best God gave (Isaiah 14).

When Cain killed Abel (Genesis 4:1-15), Cain fell to internal temptation. Cain was arrogant, wanting to show himself superior to Abel and also wanting to put his own will above God’s by offering sacrifices of his own accord to show off his farming skills. Cain also coveted God’s favor with Abel, so he killed his brother. Cain did not trust in God’s omniscience. He did not believe that God knew what sacrifices should be offered to Him. Cain did not trust in God’s love. He didn’t believe that God loved him and gave him the best. It is also possible that Cain did not believe that God was just, and that he believed that God favored Abel unjustly.

In the story of Job overcoming all temptations from Satan (Job 1-2), Job had no internal temptation but faced external temptation brought by Satan. It can be said that in all of human history, besides Jesus, Job was the one who was most strongly tempted by Satan. From a rich, famous, God fearing patriarch, to whom God Himself testified well before the angels, Satan caused in just one day:

• All ten of Job’s children died after a strong wind blew down the house.

• Part of Job’s livestock was stolen, the servants were killed, and the surviving livestock and servants were burned by fire.

When Job received the terrible news, knowing that all ten children he loved and prayed for daily were dead, and all his possessions were gone, Job responded as follows:

“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshiped, and said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither. The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”” (Job 1:20-21).

The Word of God confirms that:

“In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” (Job 1:22).

Later, Satan afflicted Job himself with a skin ailment from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Then, perhaps also under the influence of Satan, Job’s wife told him to, “Curse God, and die!” However, the Word of God confirms that:

“In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” (Job 2:10b).

Job had no inner temptation because he completely loved God, trusted in Him, and obeyed Him. The following words of Job are worth remembering and emulating by every one of God’s people:

““Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither. The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”” (Job 1:21).

“…What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?…” (Job 2:10).

“…and let come on me what will… Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him !…” (Job 13:13, 15).

When Joseph was faced with the temptation to commit adultery with his master’s wife (Genesis 39), Joseph had no internal temptation but external temptation coming from the wife of his master. Joseph had no internal temptation because he completely loved God, trusted in Him, and obeyed Him. Joseph had no illicit sexual desire. The following quote from Joseph is worth remembering and learning for every child of God:

“How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9b).

In the story of David’s adultery, which resulted in murder (II Samuel 11), David fell to both internal and external temptations. David was arrogant and abused his authority. David was sexually lustful, willing to satisfy his desires unjustly if it meant mistreating and harming others. David did not trust God to always give him the best. The external temptation was the beauty of Bath-sheba, which David saw when she bathed.

In the story of Jesus’ temptation by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11), He had no internal temptation because He completely loved, trusted, and obeyed God. Jesus overcame external temptation coming from Satan and, with the Living Word of God, caused the Devil to leave.

For Job, a man who had an abundance of blessings from God, Satan took away all of God’s gifts to tempt Job to resent God and sin. To Jesus, a man without fame, wealth, or power, Satan tempted him with fame, gain, and power. In addition, Satan also took advantage of Jesus’ mortal body needing food, after 40 days of fasting, to tempt Him to abuse His God-given authority to work miracles, to serve Himself. In human history, Satan’s temptations of Job and Jesus were the two most severe temptations.

The internal temptations of pride, covetousness, and unbelief would be impossible, if one had truly repented of sin, completely believing in the atoning death of Jesus Christ. For all are immediately forgiven of their sins and made new by God; cleansed from sin by Jesus Christ; baptized into the holy spirit, which is the power of God; the Spirit of God comes to dwell inside their bodies to lead them into all the truths of the Word of God. They learn the meekness and humility of Christ, becoming like Christ, hating sin, keeping away from sin, and are willing to suffer in order to live the Word of God. They love God, are grateful to God, and obey God. In them is filled with the qualities of God:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Therefore, while the non-Christian must deal with both internal and external temptations at the same time, true people of God only need to deal with external temptations.

God’s people will always overcome external temptations by avoiding situations and environments where they are tempted, using the Word of God to resist temptations.

God’s people do not read or watch sexually suggestive and depraved cultural products to avoid being tempted to commit fornication. God’s people do not attend meetings, entertainment, or dinning of non-believers that easily lead to fornication. God’s people keep an appropriate distance, are not intimate with, and do not touch the opposite sex to avoid being tempted to commit fornication. Even promised couples must keep themselves sexually clean until the wedding day.

When face with the temptation to commit fornication, God’s people should immediately do these three things:

• Call on the Lord’s name, ask Him to save you. Saying, “Lord Jesus, please save me from the sin of fornication. I thank You. Amen!” Then, use the Lord’s name to command the temptation to get out of your mind. Saying, “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command the temptation to commit fornication to come out from my mind. Amen!”

• Use God’s Word to resist the temptation by reciting it:

I Corinthians 6:18-20

18 Flee fornication. Every other sin which a man doeth is outside the body, but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

19 What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you and which ye have from God, and that ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

• Immediately get out of the situation and the tempting environment.

God’s people do not read, watch, or follow “get rich” schemes to avoid being tempted with the desire to get rich. The Word of God is clear about wanting to be rich:

I Timothy 6:6-11

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.

9 But those who would be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil; and while some have coveted after it, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Wealth is not wrong but the desire to get rich, and the love of money is wrong. We are God’s people, we just need to work diligently for a living and work wholeheartedly as if we were working for God (Colossians 3:23). If God gives us material wealth and prosperity, it is God’s grace for us to use that gift of God to serve Him, through the Church. But we should not desire to be rich, should not run after worldly ways of getting rich. For “having food and raiment, let us be therewith content” is God’s command to all His people.

As children of God, we need to have confidence in His providence and faithfulness. The Word of God affirms to us:

Matthew 6:31-34

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘Wherewith shall we be clothed?’

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek.) For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 “Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

“Let your manner of living be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have. For He hath said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee;”” (Hebrews 13:5).

God’s true people are always meek and humbly following Jesus’ example; always consider others more important than themselves (Matthew 11:29; Philippians 2:3). True people of God, when they receive praise, realize that what makes others praise is God’s gift, so they are truly humble, thank others, and give glory to God with thanks. Therefore, there is no temptation in the heart to commit the sin of pride. When faced with external temptation, God’s people reconcile by giving thanks to God for their praise; and make it clear to others that it is thanks to God’s grace that they can do good work.

When we read Job’s story, we see that God allowed Satan to create adversities to tempt him into sin. When Satan created these adversities, he wanted to use them to make Job sin; so those adversities are temptations from Satan. The same adversities, when they were allowed by God, were tests of Job’s faith from God. God used temptations created by Satan to give Job the opportunity to demonstrate his faith in God.

In the New Testament, the words temptation and trial are the same word. The Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, promised that, except for internal temptations, external temptations and trials will never be more than the people of God can bear. God always leaves a way for His people to overcome.

“There hath no temptation taken hold of you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful; He will not suffer you to be tempted beyond that which ye are able to bear, but with the temptation will also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (I Corinthians 10:13).

The temptation of human nature is internal temptation rooted from pride, lust, and disbelief. Only the internal temptation can hold the tempted person.

James 1:12-15

12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to those who love Him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man.

14 But every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed.

15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Covetousness is the willingness to do injustice to satisfy one’s desires. Desire is not wrong. That is what God put in man. But when one wants to act unjustly, disobeying God’s commandments and laws to satisfy his or her desires, it is covetousness. For example: If you are hungry, you would want to eat. If you are thirsty, you would want to drink. But if you want to steal other people’s food, that is covetousness. Another example: The desire for sexual satisfaction is pure; But if you want to commit fornication for sexual gratification, that is covetousness.

The Word of God clearly teaches, as follows:

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 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. And the world passeth away and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (I John 2:15-17).

Those who still have pride, lust, and disbelief are people who are not of God. Even if they confess their faith in God with their mouths, are active in the Church, or even teaching the Word of God in the Church, they are just wolves in sheep’s clothing, false brothers and sisters (Matthew 7:15; II Corinthians 11:26).

With promises and strength given by God, God’s true people will never fall into any temptation or fail a test. The life of God’s people is always a life of joy and victory in the name of Jesus Christ, shining the glory of God to the world. They maintain their faith in God, love God above all things, suffer faithfully every day for God’s name. They always shun temptation, uncleanness, and sin. When you can’t avoid temptation, immediately call on God’s name and use God’s Word to resist temptation; use God’s name to command temptation out of the mind.

May the Word of God sanctify us and strengthen us. May we all keep our faith and be faithful to the Lord until the day Christ comes. May the love, grace, and fellowship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen!

Pastor Timothy Christian Huynh
and Priscilla Christian Huynh
04/16/2022