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The Downward Spiral · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to reformed thinking. We take time here to look
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closely at foundational truths. And today we're doing a deep
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dive using some specific source materials you've given.
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Us. That's right, we've got notes, a
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lesson transcript here, all looking at sin, how it works,
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and maybe more hopefully, how real change happens.
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It's a topic that, well, it affects everyone understanding
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the mechanics of sin, but also the path out of it.
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Exactly. So our goal for this session is
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to unpack what these sources say about where sin really comes
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from, how it develops, you know, gains momentum.
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And crucially, how it can be overcome, especially thinking
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about believers in Christ. So we'll walk through this
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material together with you, the listener, trying to see what the
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sources let's. Get started.
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Where do the sources begin? They.
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Start with something pretty relatable, I think.
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Just the basic idea that sin gets messy.
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It leads us places we didn't plan on going.
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Yeah, it really does make a mess.
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It has this way of expanding beyond the initial act, doesn't
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it? It complicates things.
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There's a quote they use right at the start, but well, it
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really hits hard. It says sin will take you
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farther than you want to go, it'll keep you longer than you
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want to stay, and it'll cost you more than you want to pay.
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That quote captures something essential about sins,
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deceitfulness. It often looks appealing at
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first, maybe like a small compromise, a little indulgence.
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Or just gaining something you really think you need, right?
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But the end result, the fully grown aspect, is always the
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opposite of that initial promise.
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It doesn't deliver lasting satisfaction.
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It leaves you well stuck and often hurting.
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And the sources are careful to say this isn't just about, you
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know, the huge headline grabbing sin.
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No, not at all. They apply this principle just
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as much to things we might see as smaller, maybe more everyday
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struggles. Things like giving into lustful
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thoughts or telling a small lie or passing on gossip.
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Or moments of just losing your temper, that flash of anger.
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These things also have that potential to grow, to take you
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farther than you thought. To illustrate that escalation,
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they bring up a really sobering example.
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It's a road rage incident from 2015 involving Serio Gonzalez
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and Robert Doyle. Yeah, that's a tragic story, and
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they use it to show that quote in action, how things can spiral
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so quickly. So according to the source
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material, it started like many of these things do, just a
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simple traffic interaction. Maybe someone felt cut off, you
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know, a moment of frustration on the road.
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But the reaction from both men was immediately and intense.
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Intense. Yes.
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And it wasn't just a quick shout.
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And then it was over. They both called 911 apparently
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at the same time. Reporting each other, even
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yelling threats at each other over the phone while still
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driving. The dispatcher tried to calm
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them down, told them just to go home, disengage.
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But one of them, Gonzalez, he didn't let it go.
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He actually pursued the other driver.
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Doyle followed him right to his house.
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And the confrontation didn't stop there.
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It escalated right there at Doyle's home.
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Doyle pulled into his driveway and the source says he got a
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gun. Meanwhile, Gonzalez blocked
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Doyle's car in. And then, as Gonzales got out of
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his own car, Doyle fired the gun.
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Killing Gonzalez. It's just awful.
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Starting from a traffic dispute and ending in death.
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The sources used this to underline that quote.
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Whatever was going on in their hearts, maybe anger, maybe
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pride, maybe a feeling like they needed control, it definitely
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took them farther than they could have imagined.
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I certainly kept one of them longer than he wanted to stay
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permanently. And the cost, well, it was
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infinite for both. Really.
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A devastating illustration of sins destructive path.
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And it really forces you to ask, how does something relatively
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minor blow up like that? The sources suggest that maybe
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these individuals didn't just snap out of nowhere.
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Right. They hint that maybe there was
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already a pattern, a habitual way of responding, something
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deeper going on in their heart. They might have been on that
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path a long time ago. Which?
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Leads right into the next core point the sources make.
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You absolutely have to trace sin back to its real origin.
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We tend to focus on the action, right?
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The outburst, the lie, the gossip, the outward stuff, the
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the fruit, as they call it. But the sources insist we have
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to dig deeper than the fruit the.
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Question isn't just what happened, but where did that
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action come from? And the sources are really clear
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on this. The ultimate source, the root
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cause, is the heart, the. Heart.
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Yes. They use that tree analogy,
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which is helpful. The sinful actions are like the
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bad fruit you see on the branches.
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OK, but that fruit is only there because it's being fed,
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nourished by the root system underground.
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The heart is that root system, so if.
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You want to change the fruit? Just picking off the bad apples
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won't cut it long term. Exactly.
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You have to deal with the root, what's going on in the soil, in
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the heart. They even mentioned Jonathan
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Edwards the theologian, how he made it a personal rule to trace
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his own sinful actions back to their very first 'cause in his
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heart. And to fight the sin there at
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the root, not just trying to manage the behavior on the
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surface, it's a consistent idea in the sources, so.
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Just trying to modify behavior without getting to the heart
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issue isn't going to lead to lasting change.
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That seems to be the core message, which brings us to the
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very beginning of this downward spiral, as the sources describe
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it. And this point might be a bit
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surprising. What's that?
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It doesn't start with temptation.
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OK, that is interesting. I think most people feel like
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temptation just kind of jumps out at them.
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Right, but the sources they point to James chapter 1 and
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explain that something else has to be there before temptation
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can even work on you. And that something is.
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Desire. Desire.
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Desire is the prerequisite. It's what makes a particular
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thing tempting to you in the first place.
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Think about it, if you have absolutely no desire for
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something, is a temptation related to it going to have any
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pull? No, not really.
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With the example they use walking through a toy store, if
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you don't want toys you just walk past.
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No temptation. But then.
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You go to the electronics section and if you've been
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really wanting a new gadget, that's where you feel the pull,
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that's where the temptation hits because the desire is already
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there it. Connects with something inside
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you already perfectly. Put they use that fishing lure
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analogy to the lure only works if the fish actually wants what
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the lure looks like or promises. Right, the fish has an appetite
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for it. Yes, temptation works because it
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hooks into our existing desires, what's already coming out in our
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hearts. James 1.14 says it very
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directly. Each person is tempted when he
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is lured and enticed by his own desire.
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By his own desire, not just some external force.
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It starts internally. That's.
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The point, the struggle begins inside us.
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So. Building on that, the sources
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look closer at the nature of this desire.
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They introduce the Greek word from James 1 epithumia.
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Epithumia, and they explain it basically means intense desire.
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But here's a key distinction they make.
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What's that? That intense desire in and of
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itself isn't necessarily bad. It's initially, well, neutral
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neutral. OK, how so the?
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Capacity for intense desire isn't the problem.
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The sources point to scripture where epithelmia is actually
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used positively. Like what?
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Well, First Timothy 3 talks about aspiring to be an elder.
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That strong desire, that aspiration uses this word
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epithelmia. OK.
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That's definitely a good desire or.
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Even Yeezus in Luke 22, expressing his earnest desire
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epithelmia again to eat the Passover with his disciples
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before he suffered, clearly a righteous intense desire.
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Got it. But the same word is also used
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for bad desires. Oh.
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Absolutely. Jesus uses it for lust in
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Matthew 5. It's used for sexually immoral
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desires or even an intense desire for revenge, things that
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are clearly sinful, so. It's not the intensity that's
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the issue, it's the object of the desire, or maybe the place
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it holds. That's it.
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Which leads to where the sources say the real danger lies when
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even desires for things that are potentially good or neutral
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become problematic. They call these inordinate
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desires. Inordinate desires What makes a
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desire cross that line into being inordinate The.
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Sources describe it as the point where you move from simply
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wanting something generally good.
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You know, wanting a home, a spouse, kids, a good job,
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friends, even just wanting to have fun.
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Things that are normal parts of life, right?
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You move from wanting those things to feeling like you need
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them, especially if it's something God hasn't given you
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or demanding it like it's a must.
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That shift from I want this to I must have this that feels like a
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critical line it. Really is when a desire becomes
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a non negotiable, a must have something you feel entitled to
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or think you can't live without, that's when it becomes
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inappropriate. It's out of order inordinate.
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And the sources say at that point it can start functioning
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like an idol. Yes.
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It becomes something that takes the place God should have,
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something you want more than what God wants for you, or maybe
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something you're willing to sin to get or to keep.
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Wanting something more than God or His will.
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That definitely raises the stakes on these desires.
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And they give a couple of really detailed examples to make this
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clear. First, there's the student away
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at college, his desire to have friends to fit in.
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That's understandable, but it morphs into I must have friends.
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I must be accepted to be OK. It becomes the ultimate thing
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for him and. When it becomes that must that
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idol, it starts driving bad choices.
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The sources say he ends up cheating because he puts
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socializing ahead of studying, lying to his parents about how
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things are going, procrastinating, even disobeying
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rules or guidelines. He feels trapped because this
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need for acceptance makes him feel like he can't say no, even
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when he knows it's wrong. And what are the consequences
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for him? The fruit of that inordinate
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desire. The sources list things like
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fear of fear of getting caught, guilt, constant worry, even
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depression because he's living this double life fueled by that
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one controlling desire. Wow.
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OK, then there's the other example of Mary.
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Right. Mary struggles with a lot of
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worry, specifically about her marriage and wanting stability.
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Her desire for a stable, predictable marriage, wanting
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some control over her life. That's not inherently bad.
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Seems pretty normal. But again, it becomes
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inordinate. It turns into a must have for
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her sense of well-being. And how does that play out?
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Well, the trigger described is her husband's work schedule
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becoming unpredictable, which disrupts her feeling of control
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because her desire for stability is inordinate.
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This relatively normal life event sends her spinning What?
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Kind of fruit comes from that. The sources listings like
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escalating worry, real fear, trouble sleeping, lots of
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complaining about her situation, becoming very self focused on
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her own disrupted plans and feelings OK and even starting to
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have what the source calls delusional thinking.
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Convincing yourself her marriage must be failing just because
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things feel out of her control, even though her husband is
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described as loving so. Her desire for control and
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stability, coupled with maybe a lack of trust in God's plan
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became an idol, and when circumstances didn't feed that
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idol, it led to all this negative internal stuff and
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outward behavior. Exactly.
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The sources make the point that when these inordinate desires
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aren't met, or when we sin trying to fulfill them, that's
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when their true nature is idols gets exposed.
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Yeah, it shows what's really ruling the heart.
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OK, this is making sense. The desire is key.
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Which brings us back to that progression from James 1.1415
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that the sources layout, right? The sequence desire leads to
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temptation. Temptation, when acted upon,
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gives birth to sin, and sin, when it's fully grown, brings
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forth death. Let's walk through that again
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with what we've just discussed. It starts with desire,
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specifically that inordinate desire the must have.
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Yes, and that desire is what makes something tempting.
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The temptation latches onto the desire.
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You're lured and enticed by your own desire.
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Then James says desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to
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sin. What is that conceiving and
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giving birth mean they. Use that biological language.
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Conception leads to pregnancy, which leads to birth.
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Similarly, when you mentally agree with the desire, when you
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decide to act on the temptation it presents, that's the
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conception. And when you actually do the
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action, follow through on the desire, that's when sin is born.
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The sinful act is the inevitable result of giving in to the
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conceived desire. The.
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Giving in births the sinful act. And this is where the idea of
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habits comes in, right? Yes, this is a really practical
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part. Repeatedly giving birth to sin
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through these acts starts to form habits.
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They use that analogy of a Jeep driving in a muddy field.
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The red. Analogy.
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Yeah, first. Time through, just tire tracks.
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Second time a bit deeper. Keep driving the same path over
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and over. And the ruts get deeper and
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deeper. Exactly.
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Until they're so deep the Jeep just naturally gets pulled into
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them, it's almost automatic, like you're on autopilot.
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So repeated sinful actions carve these channels in our lives,
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making it easier and easier to fall into the same sin again.
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That's how bad habits and ingrained patterns form.
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They become these deep pathways established by repeatedly
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yielding to those underlying inordinate desires and.
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That leads to the final stage in James 1.115.
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Sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.
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Death, and the sources are clear.
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This can mean physical death. We saw that possibility in the
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road rage story, tragically. Yes.
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But it also means spiritual death, or maybe better put for
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believers, spiritual decay. Spiritual decay?
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What does that look like? It's not usually the loss of
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salvation for a true believer, but it's a deadening of their
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spiritual life, loss of joy, loss of peace.
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Prayer feels difficult. Maybe love for God and others
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grows cold. A lack of spiritual vitality?
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Fruitfulness, right? Sin promises so much
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satisfaction, freedom, pleasure, but when it runs its full
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course, it delivers the opposite.
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It leaves you trapped in those ruts, spiritually weakened,
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broken, hurting. It's a trap.
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Now the sources also talk about a somewhat different, though
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related, downward spiral. This one specifically describes
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the path for unbelievers based on Romans chapter 1.
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Yes, this is important to distinguish.
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While the James One process describes how temptation
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generally works, fueled by desire, Romans 1 focuses on the
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trajectory of those who fundamentally reject God it.
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Starts with a specific action on their part it.
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Does Romans one says they willingly reject God and
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actively suppress the truth about Him?
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The sources emphasize that God's existence and attributes are
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evident from creation. So this isn't ignorance, it's
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rebellion. They.
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Knew God in a sense, but refused to honor him or thank Him.
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Exactly. And the result of that initial
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foundational rejection, according to Romans one their
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thinking becomes futile, pointless, and their hearts
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become darkened. They claim wisdom but become
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moral fools. Not necessarily intellectually
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lacking, but lacking God's wisdom for life, right?
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And then comes that repeated phrase three times in the
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chapter. God gave them up or God gave
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them over. What does that mean?
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God gave them up? Is God making them sin?
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No, the sources explain it using an analogy.
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Imagine God restraining the full expression of evil, like holding
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a leash on an aggressive dog. When people persist in rejecting
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him, God gave them up. Means he removes some of that
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restraint. Gives them more leash, so to
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speak. Kind.
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Of he allows them to pursue the destructive path they've already
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chosen, it's a form of judgement, letting them
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experience the consequences of turning away from Him.
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It's not God initiating the sin, but allowing the rebellion to
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run its course. Got it.
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It's a consequence of their choice to reject him.
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Precisely, Romans 1 describes the outcome, the trade, God's
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glory for idols, what should be created things.
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And they become filled with, well, the list is long and dark.
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Yeah. Verses 2931 list all sorts of
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unrighteousness, evil, greed, malice, envy, murder, strife,
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deceit. Gossips, slanderers, haters of
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God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, disobedient to
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parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
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It's a grim picture of life, completely alienated from God.
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And the sources point out something really disturbing at
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the end of that passage. That they not only do these
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things, but they actively approve of others who do them,
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even though they know deep down that such actions deserve
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judgement. It's a complete inversion of
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values, a deep spiral Into Darkness rooted in that initial
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rejection of God It. Really is now.
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It's vital here that the sources make a clear distinction for
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believers. OK, while Romans 1 describes
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unbelievers given over to rebellion, believers are
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fundamentally different because they have the Holy Spirit living
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inside them. Which means it.
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Means, as the sources state, believers are actually capable
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of doing what is right. They're able to choose not to
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sin. That ability is not present for
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the person described in Romans one that's.
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A massive difference. A real point of hope.
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Absolutely, yeah. However, the sources are also
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realistic. Just because believers can
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resist sin doesn't mean they always do.
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They can still stumble, fall, go down the wrong path, or get
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caught in a spiral for a time. Can.
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Still develop sinful patterns or habits.
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Yes, and the sources suggest that the James One progression,
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that sequence of desire, temptation, sin leading to
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spiritual decay, that's the mechanism by which believers
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also fall into sin. It's not the Romans one given
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over scenario because they are regenerate, but it's still a
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real and damaging process so. Even with the spirit, the battle
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with desire and temptation is real and can lead to serious
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negative consequences in a believer's life.
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It. Is which is why understanding
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the typical roots of sin is so helpful.
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The sources list common heart level issues, desires, longings,
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motivations that often fuel temptation for believers.
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These are the kinds of inordinate desires we should be
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looking for in ourselves. Exactly, they mentioned things
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like a big desire for acceptance leading to people pleasing,
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maybe compromising to be liked, a desire for comfort or
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pleasure, wanting ease, avoiding hard things, maybe becoming
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lazy, a desire for control, getting anxious or angry when
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things don't go your way. We saw this possibly in the road
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rage and definitely with Mary. Desire for success or
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possessions may be driven by work culture, leading to neglect
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of other areas or ethical compromises, a desire to escape
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or numb pain, turning to distractions, substances,
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anything to avoid dealing with problems or guilt that.
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Makes sense, A. Desire for revenge, or maybe
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justice that becomes twisted. Needing to get back in someone,
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having the last word. Holding grudges again.
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Maybe relevant to the road rage. Just plain pride.
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Difficulty admitting you're wrong.
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Needing to look good. Loneliness driving you to seek
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connection in unhealthy ways. A basic lack of trust in God,
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doubting his goodness or his plan when things are tough.
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Like marry again? And just general self focus or
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self absorption where your own feelings and wants are always
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center stage. That's.
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Quite a list and recognizing these, it seems like the same
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route could cause different problems and different people.
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That's. Exactly what the sources say.
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Someone's desire for control might lead them to micromanage
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at work, while someone else's might explode in anger when
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they're cut off in traffic. Or wanting acceptance might make
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one person gossip and another person cheat on an exam.
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Right. Understanding these common
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roots, the sources suggest, should make us more humble about
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our own potential struggles and more compassionate towards
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others, realizing we often share the same basic heart issues,
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even if they look different on the outside.
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It really underscores that warning from Jeremiah 17.9 about
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the heart being deceitful. We can't just trust our desires
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blindly. Not at all.
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We need to examine them. OK, so that lays out the problem
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pretty thoroughly. The downward spiral starting in
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the heart with desire leading through temptation to sin,
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habits and decay. We see how it works for
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unbelievers in Romans 1 and how believers can still get caught
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in the James One cycle. It's quite sobering it.
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Is. But thankfully the sources don't
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stop there. They pivot to the hope, to the
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path upward, especially for believers.
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And this hope is grounded in what God has done and provides.
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Entirely as we said, believers have the Holy Spirit.
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This means they can do what's right.
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They can choose not to sin because God is at work in them.
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It's not just sheer willpower. No, and the sources highlight
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First Corinthians 10.13 as a key promise here.
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God is faithful. He won't let you be tempted
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beyond your ability to withstand.
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And with the temptation you. Will provide the way of escape
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so you can endure it. There's always an alternative to
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giving in. Believers are not doomed to
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follow the spiral down. God always provides an exit
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ramp, so to speak. A way out.
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Yes, and taking that way out, moving upward, involves
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addressing those root issues in the heart.
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It involves active steps by the believer, but steps that are
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enabled by God's work in them. So.
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What are these steps for the upward path that the sources
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outline the? Very first one is crucial,
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identifying the sin and its root.
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Going beyond just the action itself way.
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Beyond, you have to look inward. Take the log out of your own eye
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first, right? Trace that sinful action back to
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the original cause, the longing, the desire, the motivation in
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the heart, the root. Asking why did I do that?
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What did I really want in that moment that led me there
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exactly? Getting past the surface excuses
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to the matter of the heart, the sources mentioned using probing
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questions like from an X-ray handout they refer to designed
21:06
to uncover the underlying fear or pride or desire for control
21:10
that was driving the train. It's.
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About honest self examination guided by God's truth.
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It has to be. And that honest look leads right
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to the second step, confession. Confession.
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What does that involve? According to the sources, they.
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Define it very specifically. It means saying the same thing
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about your sin that God says about it.
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Agreeing with Him that the action and the heart behind it
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was wrong was offensive to Him. So not minimizing or making
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excuses, no. Minimizing it wasn't that bad.
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No blaming they made me do it. No downplaying I just lost my
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cool. No using non moral language.
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It was just a mistake. So instead of saying I got
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overwhelmed, it might be closer to I chose to act out of my
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desire for control instead of trusting God.
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Something like that. Exactly like that.
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It's owning the idolatry behind the desire.
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It's acknowledging it was willful rebellion, a choice
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against God, not just an Oops moment.
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And they add, this confession happens in the light of the
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cross. In the light of the cross that
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sounds like it connects to the next step.
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They mention preaching the gospel to ourselves.
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It absolutely does. This is so central.
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You constantly remind yourself of the gospel.
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On one hand, realizing your sin is why Christ had to die helps
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you see how serious it is to God it.
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Gives sin its proper weight, yes.
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But the this is the essential bad.
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But because of Christ's finished work on the cross, his death and
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resurrection, genuine confession leads to complete forgiveness
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and cleansing. That's the.
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Promise from first John 1.9 they refer to if we confess he is
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faithful and just to forgive and cleanse.
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That's the one. Preaching the gospel to yourself
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means you don't just stare at your sin, which leads to
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despair. You immediately look to Christ's
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sufficient sacrifice. Your sin required the cross,
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yes, but the cross is powerful enough to deal with your sin
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completely when you confess. Holding the reality of sin and
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the reality of grace together. That's the balance.
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It keeps you from making light of sin, but also keeps you from
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being crushed by guilt. And this understanding fuels the
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next step, repentance. Repentance.
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How do they describe that? It's tightly linked to
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confession and the gospel. It literally means turning.
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Turning away from the sin and turning toward God.
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It's more than just feeling sorry.
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It's a change of mind and direction.
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A change of allegiance, almost. Yes, looking to Christ,
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worshipping him for his forgiveness, and actively
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choosing to follow his path now instead of the path led by your
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own desires. It's making that conscious
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U-turn out of the rut. OK, so turning from sin, turning
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to God, what's next? Resetting priorities.
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This flows directly from turning to follow Christ.
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Submitting to God's rule in your life, right?
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Consciously placing your life, your will, your desires under
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His authority, actively dethroning those idols, the need
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for control, acceptance, comfort and putting God in His will
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found in His Word first. How?
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Does that look practically? It involves praying for wisdom
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to know His ways, acknowledging those wrong desires you
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identified, committing them to Him, and choosing His path of
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trust and obedience instead. It's an active choice.
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Choosing God's way over the pull of the old desire.
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Every time. And this reorientation, this
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resetting, is strengthened by the next step, delighting in
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God's Word. The lighting in it, not just
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reading it right. Cultivating A genuine love for
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God's truth in Scripture, meditating on it, really
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thinking about it, letting it sink in and allowing it to
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change you from the inside out, leading to obedience.
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They connect this back to Psalm One, the tree planted by water.
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Exactly. Meditating on and obeying God's
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Word is like the stream nourishing the root, the heart.
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It allows the heart to draw life from God's truth, enabling it to
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produce good fruit instead of the bad fruit of sin it.
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Changes what feeds the heart. It does, and when your
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priorities are reset toward God and you're being nourished by
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His Word, that enables the next step, walking in the Spirit.
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As Galatians 5 talks about walking by the Spirit not
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gratifying the desires of the flesh precisely.
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As you submit to God's Word and orange your life toward Him, the
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Holy Spirit who indwells every believer, empowers you to live
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differently. You follow his leading, drawing
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on His strength rather than falling back into the old
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patterns driven by those fleshly desires.
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So all these steps, identifying the root, confessing,
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remembering the gospel, repenting, resetting priorities,
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delighting in the Word, walking in the Spirit, they require
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effort from the believer. They do active participation,
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but the. Sources emphasize they're only
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possible because of something bigger.
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Yes, the final overarching reality God working in us the.
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Philippians 2, right? As we are working out our
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salvation through these steps, it's ultimately God who is at
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work in us. He gives us both the desire and
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the ability to will and to work for His good pleasure.
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It's not our strength that achieves the change.
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That provides the motivation and the power.
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He himself is enabling and accomplishing the
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transformation, this whole upward path, the process of
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becoming more like Christ. It's God's work by his grace
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through the Spirit, and that is the ultimate source of hope.
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We're not left to do it alone. God is faithful to finish what
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He started. So the result of this whole
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process, God working through these steps in the believer's
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heart, is that the fruit changes.
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Inevitably, when the root is healed and nourished correctly,
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the fruit will be different. Think back to the examples.
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The student driven by the need for acceptance instead.
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Of cheating and lying. If that rude idolatry is dealt
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with through confession, repentance, and turning to
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Christ, the fruit could become things like diligence, honesty,
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maybe finding security in God's acceptance rather than peers.
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And Mary, struggling with worry from a need for control.
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If she confesses that lack of trust and desire for control as
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idolatry turns to God, resets her priorities on His
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sovereignty, and delights in His Word, the fruit can change from
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anxiety and complaining to peace and trust even when
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circumstances are unpredictable. And the sources mentioned that
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addressing 1 root issue can affect multiple outward sins.
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Yes, because often several different sinful behaviors are
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just different branches growing from the same diseased root.
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Heal the root and you address all the fruit it was producing.
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It's a much more fundamental change.
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It really does all come back to that central idea, the.
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Heart of the matter is the matter of the heart it.
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Seems so clear from these sources.
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Sin starts with desire in the heart.
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It follows that downward path. Desire, temptation, sin, death,
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decay. But for the believer, there's
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this amazing hope. A path upward made possible by
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God. Identifying the root, confessing
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it honestly in light of the cross, turning away from it and
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toward God, resetting our lives around Him and His Word and
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walking day by day in the Spirit's power, trusting that He
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is the one doing the work in us. It's.
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A continual process, isn't it? Learning to see our hearts
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honestly, distrusting those misleading desires, and relying
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fully on Christ and God's grace so.
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Thinking about all this, especially those common root
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desires, wanting acceptance, comfort, control, success,
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escape. Maybe take a moment right now
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and ask yourself, is there one specific desire in your heart
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that might be subtly fueling patterns or actions you're not
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happy with? Just identifying it is the first
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step, right? What might it look like for you
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this week just to take that first step, to honestly
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acknowledge that root desire before God, bringing it into the
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light of His Word and the cross as the very beginning of walking
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that upward path? Definitely something to reflect
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on. Thank you for joining us for
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this deep dive into the heart of the matter.
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We hope to continue the conversation next time.