Knowing God Better-The Fleeting Pleasure of Sin—Part 4

In the last blog, The Gift of Free Will, we noted that God has given us the liberty to make our own moral choices. He will not force us to obey Him. His desire is that we would choose to obey Him—that we would love Him voluntarily.

With such a generous gift from God, why is it so easy to disobey Him? Why did Eve readily accept what the serpent said, knowing that it was the opposite of what God had said? And why do we, her descendants, fall into the same trap? Perhaps the answer lies in one of sin's most alluring attractions: there is pleasure in sin.

The Pleasure of Sin

Sin is appealing because it promises pleasure. It offers immediate gratification and freedom from restraint. Sin promises fulfillment apart from God's Word. It offers us the alluring opportunity to be our own god—free to determine right and wrong in our own wisdom. "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil," the serpent said. (Genesis 3:5 NIV) The initial sense of such liberation is exhilarating. We are free to do whatever we desire.

Yet the promises that sin offers are only temporary. What at first appears to be liberating ultimately enslaves. Like an addictive drug, sin demands increasingly more of us while delivering diminishing pleasure. The initial rush of liberation eventually wears off, leaving us less satisfied and more bound than before. What promised freedom ultimately produces bondage. Jesus said “everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34 NIV)

The Three Areas of Temptation 

The Scripture gives us insight into three areas of vulnerability in our lives that the enemy seeks to exploit to his advantage. This "intel" is given to help us recognize and resist deception "in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes." (2 Corinthians 2:11 NIV) Each area is connected to the temporary pleasures and corrupt values of a world that is opposed to God. John tells us what these vulnerabilities are:

"Do not love the world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." (1 John 2:15-17 NLT)

Eve's Choice

It was precisely in these areas of vulnerability that Eve was tested. "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it." (Genesis 3:6 NIV)

The serpent cunningly exploited every one of these weaknesses. When Eve saw that "the fruit of the tree was good for food," it appealed to her desire for physical pleasure. The fruit was also "pleasing to the eye," awakening her desire to possess what she saw. When the fruit was presented as being "desirable for gaining wisdom," it appealed to her pride—her desire for something that would elevate her beyond the boundaries God had established. 

The Promise of Freedom

Satan did not merely offer Eve a piece of fruit; he offered her the possibility of becoming something she believed she was missing. He convinced her that God was withholding something good from her. The serpent presented the intoxicating promise that she could become "like God"—free to determine good and evil for herself, free from the restraints God had placed upon her. The idea was alluring and exhilarating. 

What Eve failed to understand was that there is no position of complete independence. By eating the forbidden fruit, she did not become the master of her own life. Instead, she became a slave to the one she had chosen to obey. In believing the serpent and rejecting God's command, she surrendered herself to his deception. Adam followed her.

Paul wrote, "Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living." (Romans 6:16 NLT)

Jesus made it clear that there is no middle ground, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other." (Matthew 6:24 NIV) Ultimately, every person serves either God or that which stands in opposition to Him. There is no neutral ground.

What Freedom is Not

The expression "if it feels good, do it" became a popular slogan during the 1960s, particularly among the hippie and counterculture movements. The motto indicated a dramatic shift away from traditional responsibility and toward personal liberty. Freedom was defined as the right to pursue whatever brought personal pleasure, regardless of the consequences for others.

The outcome of such a philosophy is not difficult to predict. If personal happiness becomes the highest priority, commitments are easily broken when they no longer produce the good feelings they once did. Marriage covenants are readily dissolved when the excitement fades, leaving children and extended family members to suffer the consequences. The bonds that hold families and communities together are weakened.

The same priority of personal pleasure brought about a willingness to experiment with drugs and sexual promiscuity, often with devastating consequences. Addiction, broken relationships, lives destroyed by substance abuse, and a rise in sexually transmitted diseases became painful evidence that pursuing pleasure without restraint does not lead to freedom. Distain for authority, rules, and the common good followed suit, further eroding the fabric of society.  

It is not difficult to trace the roots of this "pleasure" philosophy. We can almost envision Eve standing beside the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, mesmerized by the serpent's deception. What looked like freedom was actually a path to enslavement. What promised pleasure brought consequences she could never have imagined. 

Satan's lie had presented disobedience to God as freedom, and like Eve, her descendants found themselves mesmerized by the same idea.

True Freedom 

What, then, is true freedom? Free will was given to us that we might experience the blessings of liberty—not so that we could indulge every desire, but so that we could freely choose what is good and right. Paul wrote, "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Galatians 5:13-14 NIV)

Individualism and self-centeredness were never a part of God's design for humanity. God created us for relationship—with Him and with one another. When Adam was the only human being, the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him," (Genesis 2:18 NIV) From the beginning, God's intention was that human beings would live in relationship and community rather than in isolation and self-interest.

Scripture teaches us that true freedom does not mean living solely for ourselves. Rather, it frees us to look beyond our own desires and interests and consider the welfare of others. Paul wrote, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." (Philippians 2:3-4 NIV)

True freedom is found when we trust that God's will for our lives is "good, pleasing, and perfect." (Romans 12:2 NIV) The freedom God gives is not freedom from His will, but freedom to live within it. When we surrender our will to God, His Spirit produces in us what our own self-centered desires cannot: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT) As Paul reminds us, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV)

Conclusion

The serpent's deceptive idea to Eve and her descendants is that freedom means doing whatever we want—that our personal desires are all that matter. To choose this option requires rebellion against God. Although the choice may initially seem liberating, the pleasure of indulging our own desires quickly fades, ultimately leading to bondage and death.

God's Word teaches something very different. True freedom means being liberated from the tyranny of our own desires and the bondage of self-centeredness, so that we are free to choose what is good, what is right, and what is pleasing to God.

Unlike Eve, Moses understood true freedom. Of his own free will, "he chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin." (Hebrews 11:25 NIV) Moses understood that obedience to God was worth more than the temporary pleasures offered by Egypt. His choice to identify with God's people ultimately led an entire nation out of slavery. Eve's choice for personal pleasure led her descendants into bondage.

True freedom is not found in doing what we want to do but in doing what we ought to do.

For more from Julia, see her Substack, “Reflections on Knowing God” @juliakamleiter.