RE 1 - CHRISTIANITY IN A CHANGING SOCIETY

MODULE 4.3:
HOW TO OVERCOME TEMPTATION

KNOWLEDGE/OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
1. explained the meaning and kinds of deadly sins;
2. identified ways to resist/overcome temptations.

I. Definition of Sin and Temptation

A. Definition.
Sin - it is from khata (Hebrew) and hamartia (Greek). It means missing the
mark.
Temptation - it is from macca (Hebrew) and peirasmos (Greek). It means
test of character.

II. The Seven Deadly Sins:

Pope Gregory I first enumerated the seven deadly sins in the late sixth
century. For his list, Gregory drew from the ideas of Evargius Ponticus, a fourth
century Christian monk who identified eight evils humans should resist. Broadly
speaking, the seven deadly sins function as ethical guidelines. The following are
the seven deadly and the virtues we need to combat them.
1. Pride - or haughty eyes is when a person looks down upon others and it is
in fact considered as the root of all sins as this sin gives way to the rest of the
sins. The pride is characterized as the desire and persuasion of being superior,
better and important than others, adopting a high level of confidence which
leads towards vanity. We can combat it with HUMILITY.
 2. Envy - it is being jealous of the things others have and want to achieve or
snatch them. Such a person can also be harmful to his fellows. Being jealous
is a natural process but if a person constantly holds his jealousy it can be
dangerous. We can combat it with KINDNESS.
3. Wrath - it is an uncontrolled emotion and feeling of anger and hate are
known as wrath. A person is said to commit the deadly sin of wrath when he
adopts a fierce denial of truth and when he has a desire for revenge. We can
combat it with PATIENCE.
4. Sloth- it is another deadly sin which generates depression and sadness in
our attitude. Sloth or laziness is the negative attitude towards one’s
responsibility, especially towards the spiritual obligation. It is also referred to as
the denial or negligence of a person towards his existence. We can combat it
with DILIGENCE.
5. Gluttony - When we eat and drink excessively it is also considered as a
deadly sin. It is also characterized as the excess of anything which can bring
harm to us such as abuse of alcohol and drinks. Food is necessary for life but the
sin of gluttony can lead towards the end of life. We can combat it with
TEMPERANCE.
6. Greed. The deadly sin of greed is the desire of material or anything in
excess. Sometimes it is only referred to the wealth and materialistic things. It is
considered as sin when a person wants to be rich for his own benefit without
considering others. We can combat it with CHARITY.
7. Lust - When a person has excessive sexual thoughts and also has
uncontrollable sexual desires, it is considered a deadly sin. Lust is also
considered as sexual compulsion or sexual addiction. In a religious term, lust is
about sabotaging the sexual act and using it for the means which are not
productive.

III. How to Overcome Temptation?

Temptation is all around. We cannot escape them but we avoid or overcome

them. The following are the ways we can overcome temptation:
1. BY THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD. (1 Corinthians 10:13a)
2. BY USING THE WORD OF GOD. (Hebrews 4;12)
3. BY THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST (Luke 32:22)
4. BY PERSONAL PRAYER (Matthew 26:41)
5. BY FLEEING FROM IT (2 Timothy 2:22)
6. BY RESISTING IT (James 4:7)
7. BY ACCEPTING THE WAY OF ESCAPE (1 Corinthians 10:13b)
Also, learn to say NO. With God’s help, we can surely overcome temptation.
Human as we are, we sometimes fall to temptation. But God is faithful that He
promised in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from our iniquities.