Scripture does not begin its diagnosis of sin with behaviour. God always goes deeper.

All sin traces back to three roots, not culture, not trauma, not circumstance, but desire that has slipped out of alignment with truth. The apostle John names them without hesitation:

• The lust of the flesh, craving what feels good.

• The lust of the eyes, desiring what looks good.

• The pride of life, exalting self through independence, status, control, and self-rule.

These three form the root system beneath every sin pattern. Behaviour grows from desire, and desire is always shaped by one or more of these roots.

The word translated lust in this passage comes from the Greek epithymia, meaning a strong desire that longs to possess, control, or consume. Desire itself is not evil. God created us as desiring beings. Sin enters when desire detaches from obedience and appoints itself as master.

Before sin ever manifests in action, it is conceived in the heart. Before rebellion becomes visible, it is first entertained in the imagination. What we excuse inwardly will eventually take shape outwardly. What appears outwardly as an action first took shape inwardly as a longing that was left unchecked.

The flesh whispers that comfort matters more than obedience. It craves what feels good, comfort without cost, pleasure without restraint.

The eyes persuade us that beauty, success, or possession will satisfy. They pursue what looks good, beauty without boundaries, possession without stewardship.

Pride insists that we know better than God, that submission is weakness, and that control is safety. It insists on being its own authority, wisdom without submission, power without accountability.

This pattern is ancient and consistent and is woven through Scripture.

In Eden, Eve saw that the fruit was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable to make one wise. In David’s fall, a lingering look awakened desire, and desire was allowed to mature into action. The battle was lost long before the sin was committed. Even in the wilderness, Christ faced the same threefold strategy. The enemy appealed to physical appetite, visible kingdoms, and self-exalting authority. The temptation was not merely about bread, spectacle, or power, but about independence from the Father’s will. Lucifer exalted himself, declaring independence from the authority of God. Every fall follows the same inward progression, desire untethered from truth.

The enemy never changes his strategy; he only changes the packaging.

Sin always begins by convincing us that obedience is optional.

This is why transformation cannot be sustained by willpower alone. Behavioural restraint may prune the branches for a time, but it never heals the roots. Victory does not come through striving harder, but through aligning deeper. Willpower eventually runs dry. Determination weakens under pressure. Behaviour modification may restrain the fruit for a season, but it never heals the root.

Transformation comes through alignment.

When desire bows to truth, temptation loses its voice. When the heart yields to God’s authority, deception loses its grip. Obedience ceases to feel like restriction and begins to feel like refuge.

The Christian life is not about resisting sin with clenched fists, but about loving truth with a surrendered heart. Freedom does not begin with effort. Freedom begins with surrender.