Distinction between temptation and lust/sin: sin begins when the will yields to desire, not at first awareness of attraction
Response to Hot Wax 93 asking the difference between simple sexual attraction and lust.
Mike uses James 1:13-15 as his framework. Temptation is not sin — each person is tempted when lured by their own desire, but the desire itself is not yet sin. Sin enters when desire has conceived — when the will yields to the temptation. Mike expands the analogy: the temptation is the egg; the act of yielding the will (fantasizing, taking a second look, giving mental assent) is the sperm; the conception is sin. Once sin is conceived it grows and eventually brings death. Practical application: sin begins much earlier than most people think — at the moment the will interacts with the temptation. Fighting temptation at that first moment is far easier than fighting after prolonged indulgence. Context matters: sexual desire directed toward a spouse is positive; toward someone else, it becomes the occasion for temptation.
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