Original Sin and its effects, Fall of man and the Beauty of Redemption.
Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936) was one of the most influential English writers of the 20th century. He has been called the “prince of paradox.” He was known for his insightful views on many issues. Time magazine observed of his writing style: “Whenever possible Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out.” His prolific and diverse output included journalism, philosophy, poetry, biography, Christian apologetics, fantasy and detective fiction. The Times newspaper once had asked a number of authors to write on the topic: “What’s wrong with the world?”. Chesterton’s answer at that time was the shortest of those submitted – he simply wrote.
Dear London Times,
I am.
Sincerely Yours,
G. K. Chesterton
He was not joking. As a Christian writer, his answer was very fundamental. The problem of this world will never be addressed in full until we come to understand in our minds, hearts, hands, moral fiber, and soul that the problem lies first and foremost within us. God gave Adam and Eve permission to eat the fruit of all trees except the fruit of the tree "of the knowledge of good and evil." Here is what the Bible says: "You may freely eat of every tree of the Garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall die"(Genesis 2:16-17). In other words, God said to Adam and to Eve, "You may eat the fruit of all of the trees that are in the Garden and that are edible; it is only the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that you should not eat. On the day that you do eat it, you shall die."
The day Adam violated the law, he activated death (Gen 2:17).The violation of the law gave death its sting or power.(1 Cor 15:56) The law of sin gave birth to the law of death. God created man and placed him with perfect order in a garden to enjoy perfect relationship, peace, joy and happiness. Genesis chapter one is a very simple narrative of the creation of the world; Simple, yet majestic in its beauty and profound in its depth, when we come to Chapter 2 we find a kind of recapitulation of the main event of Chapter 1, i.e., the creation of man. Here we are given much greater detail of the story of God's making of man. The basic message of Genesis 2:16-17 is that God alone knows what is good for humanity and God alone knows what is not good for us. To enjoy the “good” we have to trust God and obey him. If we disobey, we will have to decide for ourselves what is good and what isn’t good. Remembering and keeping God’s word is our safeguard against deception and temptation
A guilty person wants an accomplice. Satan, who had been an angel and had disobeyed God, becoming Satan, felt guilty and terribly alone. He could keep company only with the other demons. His nature had been perverted; he was unable and is unable ever to think about goodness. He always thinks and desires evil. He always seeks evil for others.
He was jealous of man. He saw that he was so very happy in Paradise in the company of God. So he put his evil plans into action. As the spirit that he is, he entered the body of a snake. Then he climbed the tree of "the knowledge of good and evil." He waited there. Eve came and peered at the tree. Satan intruded upon her curiosity. He asked her, "Tell me, Eve, is it true that God told you not to eat the fruit of all of the trees?" Eve answered, "No. He told us to eat the fruit of all the trees except the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because if we did we would die." The serpent said, "You shall not die. God knows that on the day that you eat of that fruit, your eyes will open and you will become as gods. You will know good and evil." Eve liked Satan's sweet and slanderous words. . “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. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; (Genesis 3:6-7)." The disobedience and transgression of Adam and Eve is called Original Sin.
The Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, seems to have had the power to convey immortality to man, and as such is used in Scripture as a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he "abolished death and brought life & immortality to light through the gospel,” first Corinthians 15:22 and 26 says “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” But what is this "tree of the knowledge of good and evil"? &why did God forbid Adam to partake of this fruit? In Genesis 3:5 Satan misuses the truth, in order to draw women on until she become the victims, of his lie. Serpent said to the woman “You will not certainly die,” “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”That suggests a clue as to what this fruit was and what it did.
God knows evil, not by experience because he cannot experience evil, but he knows it by relating it to himself. That which is consistent & in line with his character and his nature is good; that which is inconsistent and out of line with himself is evil. That is how God knows good and evil. He relates it to himself. God is the only one who can properly do that. God is the only being in the entire universe that has the right to relate all things to Himself. When a creature (man) tries it, he gets into trouble. The creatures of God's universe are made to discover the difference between good &evil by relating all to the Being of God, not to themselves. When man ate of the fruit he began to relate everything to himself. Yet, as a creature, he has no real ability to sustain this kind of relationship and thus he is constantly Interrupt an unbalanced element into life.
When man began to think of himself as the center of the universe, he tried became like God. But it was all a lie. Man is not the center of the universe, and he cannot be. But as we trace the course of human history we can see that this is the seductive lie that the Satan has whispered into the ears of men ever since: "You are the center of life. This is your world, everything relates to you. What you like is right; what you don't like is wrong. You are the center of things." You can find this idea predominant and alive throughout the philosophies of men. That is the curse that fell upon man when he ate of the fruit in the Garden of Eden. They disobeyed God, as a consequence they were at once stricken with guilt and they hid themselves with shame. Guilt and fear replaced the peace and happiness they knew. Here was the beginning of a troubled world- and a troubled mind.
The Bible tells us that sin entered into the world when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God's commandment and Adam's sin has passed to all his descendants, that is, to all men and women as descendants of our first parents, and their heirs, in human nature already deprived of God's friendship. Adam transmitted to the whole human race not only bodily death and other penalties (consequences of sin), but also sin itself as the death of the soul.”Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all men sinned" (Rom 5:12). By one man's disobedience all became sinners" (Rom 5:19), and in the preceding verse: "One man's trespass led to condemnation for all men" (Rom 5:18).
The sin of the world generates multiple and serious consequences in all areas. Consequently, fear, shame, hate, violence, and death entered the world. Humans are profoundly divided within themselves. Original sin is the doctrine which holds that human nature has been morally and ethically corrupted due to the disobedience of mankind's first parents to the revealed will of God. In the Bible, the first human transgression of God's command is described as the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden resulting in what theology calls the fall of mankind. The doctrine of original sin holds that every person born into the world is tainted by the fall such that all of humanity is A) Spiritual died. That is, the separation of man from God, the source of all goodness. B.) Bodily death. That is, the separation of the body from the soul, the return of the body to the earth. C.) The shattering and distortion of the "image." That is, darkness of mind, depravity and corruption of the heart, loss of independence, loss of free will, and tendency towards evil. Since then "the imagination of man's heart is evil "(Genesis 8:21). Man constantly thinks of evil. D.) Guilt. That is, a bad conscience, the shame that made him want to hide from God. E.) Worst of all, original sin polluted our heart and is hereditary, ethically debilitated, and people are powerless to restore themselves, unless rescued by God.
It did not remain only Adam and Eve's. As life passes from them to all of their descendants, so does original sin. We all of us participate in original sin because we are all descended from the same forefather, Adam. This creates a problem for many people. They ask, Why should we be responsible for the actions of Adam and Eve? Why should we have to pay for the sins of our parents? they say. Unfortunately, this is so, because the consequence of original sin is the distortion of the nature of man. Adam and Eve, listening to Satan, blasphemed. Out of egotism, they allowed themselves to be misled. They distorted the "image." They darkened the beauty of the soul. They weakened the nature of mankind. Because of them, we became unrecognizable.
"The imagination of our heart is evil." We constantly think of evil. We feel so guilty. We have been grafted to evil. We have lost our self-control and our free will to do good. When speaking of the origin of sin Paul went back to the beginning explaining to us that sin entered into the world through one man - Adam. (2 Corinthians 11:3) But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
SIN POLLUTED THE HUMAN HEART
The scriptures are consistent in teaching that man, at this present time, is inherently flawed. This idea like that of sin is not popular with many today. However what needs to be embraced is not what is popular but what is true. The Bible as God's word is true when it speaks of the condition of man. Consider the following scriptures which speak of the condition of man’s heart.
The prophet Jeremiah diagnosed the heart of man in this way:
(Jeremiah 17:9) "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?
Jesus said: (Mark 7:20-23) And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man that is what defiles the man. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."
The apostle Paul, one of the greatest Christians to have lived, evaluated his own heart condition in these words:(Romans 7:18-24) For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. {19} For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. {20} But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. {21} I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good........{24} Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
While some might recoil at the thought of admitting to the presence of sin in their heart others might find hope in being able to define and understand a principle at work in their lives which moves them towards that which they know to be wrong. May such an individual find even more hope in the words of the great physician, Jesus, who has provided the way to defeat this enemy within:(Luke 5:31-32) And Jesus answered and said to them, "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. {32} "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."
(John 8:34-36) Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.....”If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.
SIN IS UNIVERSAL IN NATURE
The most important aspect of sin that every person needs to understand and acknowledge is the universal nature of sin. The scriptures are clear and unmistakable on this point. Every person has sinned and stands before God guilty in this regard. Consider the following verses which speak to this issue:
(Romans 3:23) ... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
(Romans 3:9-10) ...for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; {10} as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
(1 John 1:8-10) If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.These verses are not saying that every person is living a life characterized by consistent patterns of gross sin and rebellion against God but simply that all have sinned in one way or another and as a result that none can stand before God in perfect righteousness.
SIN CORRUPTED THE HUMAN PERSONALITY
The Bible teaches that Adam's sin had two main effects on the human race. The first is that it is imputed to everyone. This means that we are all counted guilty for what he did. When Adam was tested in the Garden of Eden, He was acting as the representative of the entire human race. Therefore we share in the blame for his sin. The second effect that, because of Adam's first sin, we are all born with an evil nature that is against God. We all come into this world with a sinful nature. It is important to see that whereas imputed sin means that we share in the blame for Adam's sin, and we also become polluted because of Adam's sin. Imputed sin most directly involves our legal standing; original sin most directly involves our moral character.
Consider the words of James :( James 2:10-11) For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, "DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," also said, "DO NOT COMMIT MURDER." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. Is there anyone reading these words who can honestly say they have never broken one of the Ten Commandments? Or that can say that they have always loved God with all their heart, soul and mind? So then the scripture again proves to be true :( Romans 3:23) ... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
The first man and the first woman had original innocence personality because God created them that way. Both man and woman in their entire person were completely innocent and the body was itself a witness to this. Although they were naked, they were also mutually free from shame. Remember in the story, after Adam and Eve had disobeyed God, they hid themselves because they were naked. God then asked them, "Who told you that you were naked?" and they realized that the shame of their nakedness came not from their bodies but from their disobedience of God's command not to eat of the fruit of the tree of good and evil. It is in the will that we offend God, when we turn our wills against His own.
Original Sin accounts for the conflict that exists in the world and in our personal lives. It affects us because it alienates us from God and results in sickness and death. It has also caused in us what we call concupiscence, or the tendency to do what is wrong. While we recognize that our human nature, our personalities, are deprived of our original goodness, nonetheless we are not depraved as taught by the reformation theologians, such as Martin Luther. How often we must remind each other that we are created by God as good, and by orienting our will towards God, we can begin to regain that goodness that God wants for us.
Because of sin in the body: suffering all kinds of afflictions, disease and illness, minor or severe, slight or incurable. There are deteriorating cells, diseased organs and impeded bodily functions; in all, an organic equilibrium that is torn and dysfunctional. In the mind and the mind's behavior, there are all kinds of maladjustments, breakdowns and imbalances. Within ourselves, with others and with all creation we find disorder and lack of harmony. There are addictions and bondage, anguish, fear, shame, restlessness, anger, stress, sadness and depression, and life without meaning.
SIN PERVERTED THE HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Interpersonal relationships are either nonexistent or false. They are in conflict or sick. Married and family lives are maladjusted and dysfunctional and their serious wounds last a lifetime. We are unable to love in a healthy and constructive way. We cannot express love. Emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children and adolescents is commonplace. Sex is dehumanized and depersonalized. Aggressiveness is manifested in words and actions. Relationships turn deceitful, selfish, and possessive There are addictions and codependency, distrust and loneliness. " Social relationships in groups and nations: corruption, oppression, exploitation of the weak, injustice, violence, slavery, colonialism, imperialism, the search for power and dominion, racial conflicts and wars, segregation and marginalization, misery and hunger, manipulation of the mass media and factual information.
SIN BROUGHT THE CURSE TO THE EARTH
The earth is seriously damaged: The air, springs, rivers, lakes, and oceans are contaminated. Forests are being razed. Animal species are becoming extinct and our natural resources are being abused and destroyed.
God said to Adam "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. (Genesis 3:17NLT)
There are three separate aspects of the consequences of sin which will be explained here: 1). The penalty of sin which describes the very real moral debt that every person now carries as a result of sin; 2). the power of sin which describes the enslaving and corrupting power that sinful thoughts, attitudes and actions can produce in the human heart; 3). the pain of sin which describes the misery and heartache that results in the lives of those trapped by the enslaving and corrupting power of sin. The reader can easily see the reality of the second two points in the world today. However the reality of the moral debt of sin is something which can only be fully understood on the basis of the truth of scripture.
THE PENALTY OF SIN
When speaking of the penalty of sin three words need to be considered: death, separation, and condemnation. The scriptures records that God warned Adam and Eve that if they were to disobey Him that the result would be death. While the serpent assured Eve that she would not die the resultant consequence was in fact the curse of death. Consider the facts as recorded in scripture,(Genesis 3:17-19) Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. {18} "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you shall eat the plants of the field; {19} By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."
The word which God spoke to Adam and Eve warning of the consequences of sin proved true as the curse of death was pronounced upon Adam along with hardship in the pursuit of his daily needs. Later in this same portion of scripture God drives Adam out of the garden and away from the tree of life. Adam would no longer experience the fellowship with God he once knew as a new sense of separation from God would be experienced.
(Genesis 3:22-24) Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"-- {23} therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. {24} So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.
The prophet Isaiah speaking on God's behalf to the nation of Israel highlights the separation from God that is caused by sin.(Isaiah 59:1-2) Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Neither is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. {2} But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.
One might ask how the sin of Adam and Eve affects us today. Unfortunately the Bible teaches that Adam stood as a representative of the entire human race. When he sinned the penalty of death and separation from God was placed upon the entire creation. Furthermore the apostle Paul, who brings these truths to light, states that all mankind has come under judgment and condemnation because of the sin of Adam and because of their own sin.
(Romans 5:12;16;18;19) {12} Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned...{16}.... for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation...... {18} So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men...{19} For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners.
The condemnation and separation from God that sin has caused is very real. The apostle Paul when writing to the Ephesian believers explained to them that before they became Christians they were separated from Christ, without God in their lives and in a hopeless state. This description is as valid today as it was when written by the apostle 2000 years ago:(Ephesians 2:12) ...remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
THE POWER OF SIN
The Bible teaches that thoughts, attitudes of heart and actions which are sinful can eventually enslave an individual and destroy that person’s life. One need not look to far to see the reality of this matter all around. Many today are enslaved to alcohol and drugs. Others give testimony to being enslaved to lust and pornography and only God knows how many criminal sexual acts are the result of minds and hearts which have been poisoned by the pornographic industry. Others might be "controlled" by anger and hate that drives them to destructive acts of violence. The list goes on and on as the reality of the power of sin is demonstrated daily in the lives of multitudes of people.
(Proverbs 5:21-23) For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He watches all his paths. {22} His own iniquities will capture the wicked, And he will be held with the cords of his sin. {23} He will die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.
(John 8:34-36) Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. {35} "And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. {36} "If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.
THE PAIN OF SIN
As in the case of Eve who was deceived regarding the consequences of sin, many today deceive themselves believing they will somehow escape the pain and unhappiness that sin will bring. However, the word of God proves true as countless lives have been ruined or scarred in pursuit of things which God in His word has warned man not to embrace. For example, the Bible forbids drunkenness, but many in pursuit of some misguided pleasure or desire to escape life's responsibilities indulge in excess with alcohol. The resultant pain and misery that has occurred in the lives of the guilty parties and those as well who's lives in one way or another come in contact with these individuals is beyond question. The truth of the matter is that there was never a person who became enslaved to alcohol who did not in a sober state of mind chose not once but over and over again to overindulge to the point of repeated drunkenness. The examples of the pain and misery that sin brings to life are too numerous to record.
(Isaiah 1:4-6) Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him. {5} Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick, And the whole heart is faint. {6} From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts, and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil.
(Isaiah 57:20-21) But the wicked are like the tossing sea, For it cannot be quiet, And its waters toss up refuse and mud. {21} "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."
(Proverbs 12:21) No harm befalls the righteous, But the wicked are filled with trouble.The realities of sin would lead to despair if that were the end of the story. Thank God that in His love, mercy and grace He has made provision to enable us to overcome every aspect of sin. Please continue to the next topic to begin to learn about what God has done for us in and through His Son Jesus Christ so that we may find victory over this enemy of man we call sin.
In the last topic, "A Biblical World View", it was shown that the scriptures consistently present the truth that there is one true God who is maker of heaven and earth; that He reigns as sovereign ruler over His creation governing all things in righteousness and justice, and that God is perfect in the totality of His being. Furthermore, it is clear that the world which God has created is His possession and has been created according to His plans and a purpose meaning that man is to be subject to God in all things receiving with gratitude the gift of life which has been given by God. The reality of sin as it is revealed in scripture has been presented along with it's terrible threefold consequences. Now attention will be focused on God's provision for man's deliverance from sin. The scriptures teach that mankind needs salvation from sin and that God has provided this salvation in the person of His Son Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.
The identity of Jesus as God's Son has been explained in detail under the topic "God's Word the Bible" in the main point "The Identity of Jesus". In that presentation all the evidence supporting this truth was offered for consideration. The purpose of this was to demonstrate that Jesus is God's Son, the Messiah promised in the Old Testament scriptures, who came to this world to reveal and establish divine truth. This fact is important to know because Jesus affirmed the inspiration of the scriptures as He taught with the authority of God.
Even more important than the mission that Jesus had to reveal and establish the truth was His mission to bring salvation from sin to man. The purpose of this section will be to present the biblical teachings which establish the fact that Jesus Christ came to this world as savior from sin.
Sin separates and alienates us from God
God's love is revealed in creation, and it is also revealed in our salvation. God is always faithful in his love and show's his love for us constantly. But... we cannot experience the love of God and the salvation in Jesus because sin separates and alienates us from God, the only fountain of life. The Word of God affirms this: "They have forsaken me, the source of living waters; They have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water" Jeremiah 2:13, "...all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God Romans 3:23.
There is a wall that separates us from God, and an impassable abyss that keeps us from the fountain of life. The result of this is death. "For the wage paid by sin is death." It is losing and missing the only true Life. Man and woman scorned and rejected the tree of life and preferred the nourishment of the tree of knowledge. They did not want God's guidance and elected to walk alone with their own strengths and to build their own lives. They felt autonomous and rejected all dependence on God, believing themselves to be the only creator and author of their own destiny.
From the beginning, humanity rejected God's love and lost all interest of being in communion with Him. Man chose to build a kingdom without God, and instead of worshipping the true God he worshipped idols - the things of this world, his own handiwork - and in fact, he worshipped himself.
Consequently, fear, shame, hate, violence, and death entered the world. Humans are profoundly divided within themselves. Their individual and collective lives portray the dramatic battle between good and evil and light and darkness. By taking a deeper look at the human heart and contemplating his/her life, we can see that they find themselves not only disposed toward evil but truly submerged within a multitude of evils. Mankind feels chained.
Whenever we sin, there are consequences that come as a result of the sin. Some of those consequences are spiritual and some are physical. When Adam and Eve sinned they experienced both physical and spiritual consequences (Genesis 3).
The first result of their sin was their awareness of their nakedness. They lost their innocence. In their embarrassment, they tried to cover themselves by making some sort of clothing. God knew what had happened, but he wanted Adam and Eve to understand and admit their sin. When people make mistakes, there are two responses to the sin. Either they acknowledge their sin or they try to hid it. God understands we make mistakes, but he wants us to admit our faults. We cannot correct a wrong until we are able to admit that we made a mistake. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve tried to hide their sin. When God asked Adam what happened, Adam tried to pin the blame on Eve and indirectly on God. "It wasn't my fault, the woman you gave me, she gave me the fruit to eat." Adam said Eve gave him the fruit to eat, so it wasn't his fault. Indirectly he blamed God, "I didn't asked for this woman. You made her." When God asked Eve what happened, she too tried to pass the blame onto someone else. It wasn't her fault, the serpent tricked her.
God then pronounces the punishment for their sins.
To the serpent, he altered the animal's shape so that it had to crawl on its belly. In addition, he made a natural repulsion between the serpent's kind and the woman's kind. Even today, thousands of years later, there is a natural fear of snakes especially among women. Some people overcome their fear of snakes, but in general there is a natural dislike between snakes and people.
In verse 15, there is a prophecy made about a future event. There would be hatred between a descendant of the snake and a descendant of the woman. The snake's descendant would bruise the woman's descendant's heel .Notice that death is another consequence of the sin of Adam and Eve. Until this time, there was no death. All creatures ate plants and Eve had access to the Tree of Life and therefore could live forever. By their sin, they introduced physical death into the world, giving Satan a mighty weapon to use against them and their descendants. God said they would surely die on the day they ate of the forbidden fruit. The Hebrew word for death literally means "dying you shall die." Adam and Eve did die a spiritual death immediately when they ate the fruit. Their sin separated them from God). But in their spiritual death, they also began to die physically. It wasn't just them. Their sin brought death to the whole creation.
The woman too received punishment for her sin. Just like the serpent, the punishment did not just effect her, but also all those who came after her. The first punishment was that childbirth would no longer be easy. It will be filled with sorrow and pain. Bearing children is not easy: from the morning sickness when the woman is first pregnant, to the discomfort of carrying a child, to the extreme pain of the actual birth, to the depression that follows as the woman's body returns to normal function. The second punishment was that the woman would no longer be emotionally independent. She would become emotionally bonded to her husband, becoming the follower, with the husband being the head of the family. Some women fight against this natural law, but it is a fact that this law exists.
The man also was punished for his sin. Like the serpent and the woman, the man's punishment did not effect Adam only. It applies to all men who descended from him. Until this time, Adam only had to do light work to care for the Garden. From this point on, man would have to labor hard for a living. The world would no longer cooperate and make it easy to earn a living. Even to this day, it is the man's responsibility to earn a living for his family. That work rarely comes easily, even if some of us do not do manual labor. The second half of the punishment is the affirmation of Adam, and all mankind's, eventual death.
The last consequence of Adam and Eve's sin was banishment from the Garden. The purpose of the banishment was to remove Adam and Eve's access to the Tree of Life. An angel was placed in the garden to ensure that no one could enter the garden. Their banishment also put a physical distance between them and their God who would walk at times in the garden. This is a physical representation of their spiritual separation.As a gesture of kindness, God replaced their inadequate fig leaf garments with tunics made of animal skins. This may have been the first death after their sin, when an animal was killed to produce the skins for Adam and Eve's clothing. A tunic is a long shirt that goes from shoulder to the knees; it is similar to long tee-shirts used for nightshirts. The tunic became the basic garment for mankind for thousands of years.
The physical consequence to sin will vary with the sin that is committed. However, the spiritual consequence remains the same; "for the wages of sin is death". The solution to the spiritual consequence of sin is also the same, no matter what the sin, "the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord". Salvation from our sins does not remove the physical consequences of sin. If you drank too much and developed hardening of the liver, it won't go away. If you committed sexual sins and picked up an disease or became pregnant, those problems will remain. However, the long term problem, our separation from God and eternal life can be cured. In addition, learning to live life God's way will give us the tools to handle the results of our past mistakes.
FUTILE SOLUTIONS SOUGHT BY MANKIND.
God is not responsible for all of this. He neither wants it nor sends it. Humanity itself, having rejected God, created the havoc and the chaos, the imbalance, the illness and the death. Humanity itself is responsible.
Man stubbornly returns to the origin and cause of all the evils and problems - the tree of knowledge. He searches and pretends to find the solutions to all his problems in his own science and wisdom. Man trusts his OWN strengths. Man's solutions, however, are all deceiving and false. And even though some of them seem legitimate, they prove to be only partial, superficial, and temporary.
Totally false: Satanism, occultism and esotericism. Magic, witchcraft, sorcery, quackery, spiritism and invocation of the dead, fortunetelling, trying to know the occult and the future, and all superstitious objects and beliefs, such as charms and talismans.
Futile and highly dangerous: Include the search for and the promotion of mental powers and extrasensory faculties, mind control and transcendental meditation, dianetics, and non-Christian orientalisms, etc.
Deceptive messianisms: Rationalism without faith, humanism without God; materialism without transcendence; political ideologies and economic systems that seem to offer a better world.
Legitimate in principle: Solutions offered by science and technology. But since they do not respect ethical and religious values, only having material, economic, and temporal interests, they fail to give real solutions. Therefore, they are only partial, superficial, and temporary.
God is not responsible for any of this; He doesn't want it, and He doesn't order it. Mankind is guilty of all the disorder. Mankind has become a slave to disordered tendencies. In interpersonal relationships, man and women have become addicted or codependent, and they have been oppressed by all kinds of social dependencies: Cultural, economic, and political. We are enslaved by things of which we should be master. For example: Work should creatively actualize humans, but it has become a heavy burden and has unjustly subdued them. Where then can the solution be found?
The guilt and effects of this unique 'original' sin remain as the initial reason for sin in the world. In personal sin, for which each individual is actually responsible (actual sin), we freely follow our inclinations toward evil. This sin is symbolically described in the story of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11).
The Scriptures and tradition tell us far more of restoration and redemption than of original integrity and original sin. "However great the number of sins committed, grace was even greater" (Romans 5:20). In the story of Noah, for example, the rainbow becomes a sign of God's promise of restoration (Genesis 9).
"Whatever else is true of man, man is not what he was meant to be." Chesterton's remark reflects our own experience. We seem to have all the ingredients for happiness. But the power of evil within us and outside us seems to triumph. Our hearts are restless, sometimes broken. "Our hearts were made for you, O God, and they will know no rest until they rest in you" was how Saint Augustine put it.
Unhappiness and evil in the world are definite problems. If the world was created by God who is infinitely good, how did evil come to reign so powerfully? Our question was asked and answered under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by the writer of Genesis. The story of Adam and Eve and how they fell from God's grace is familiar to us all. But as we have seen, the Church has to answer the question: "What did the writer of the story intend to convey to the people of his own day?" And the Church, of course, enjoys the assistance of the same Holy Spirit who inspired the writer.
God's love is revealed in Redemption
The original sin and consequences demonstrate our need for God. Original sin is the loss of original holiness and justice due to Adam's sin. As a result man is alienated from God and also other men. Man has a wounded nature inclined towards evil. A denial of this fact can only lead to serious errors in education, politics, social action and morals. The revelation of original sin cannot be compromised without also compromising the revelation of our Salvation.
In spite of God's design and desire for mankind to live in the harmonious and abundant life relationship with Himself and all creation... the sinful choices of mankind result in separation from God as a consequence. Seeing the chaos in His creation and more directly, our lives, God offers a single, complete and radical solution — His Only Son Jesus. Paul said “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9). The Lord Jesus Christ was eternally rich, glorious, and exalted; but "though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor." And He, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, King of kings, Son of Eternity, to whom all things belonged, decided to become poor for our sake. He then resurrected from the dead to become the life-giving Spirit. As the life-giving Spirit, God is able to dispense everything that He is and has into us so that we can become exactly what He is—the expression of God in humanity. C. S. Lewis said it well: "The Son of God became a man that men might become sons of God." God became a man so that you might become God's child.
God is the ultimate being in existence, perfect in power, love, and character. Since God wanted to share His love with others, He created the angels and human beings—spiritual creatures who can relate to Him. Because God is love, He wants us to love Him and love other people. Scripture reveals that we are descended from Adam and Eve and their extended family. That family relationship—our becoming children of God the Father —is the heart and core of God's incredible plan for humanity! We have the priceless opportunity to be a part of that family, the family of God! God’s love demonstrated through sending His son Jesus to redeem us Bible says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. (John 3:16NIV)
This desire and love in God's heart not only moved Him to create us. It also urged Him to go through a process so that He could enter into us and make us His expression. He, the infinite God, humbled Himself to become a finite human being named Jesus Christ. In Him, all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt, and through Him, all the fullness of the Godhead was expressed. Everything He did, said, and thought was a pure expression of God in humanity. This brought the highest delight to God, for in Jesus Christ, His eternal purpose began to be fulfilled in that a man was fully expressing God. Then the Lord Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified on a cross in order that through death, the God-expressing life that resided within Him could be released and made available to us. Christ opened the way for us to receive His divine life that we might become the reproduction of Christ, bringing delight to God's heart by fulfilling His purpose.
The Incarnation of the Son of God unites earth to heaven. God's greatest revelation of Himself to man is in Jesus Christ. Revelation is the disclosure of truth previously unknown. Before the coming of the Son of God to earth many varied forms of revelation existed. Belief in the existence of God is innate. Since man is a rational, moral being, his very nature provides him with intuitive knowledge. The Bible says, ‘For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him' (Colossians 1:16). Every created thing, from the vastest galaxy to the tiniest particle in the universe, owes its existence to Jesus Christ. There is not an atom, a molecule, a neutron, a proton, a photon, an electron, a quasar or a quark which is not his by right of creation. But He chose to leave eternity and submit himself to the limitations of time and space. He became ‘obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross'. He knew exactly what would be involved in his earthly mission.
He exchanged the perfect harmony of heaven for the turmoil of life on earth, with its pressures and pains, trials and tensions, conflicts and crises. He exchanged being worshipped by angels for being reviled by his enemies. The one by whom ‘all things were created' (Col¬ossians 1:16) had to borrow a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41), a donkey to ride into Jerusalem ( Luke 19:28-40) and a coin to give an illustration (Luke 20:19-26). The one who owned every square inch of Earth was so poor that he had ‘nowhere to lay his head' (Luke 9:58). The one who created water as a liquid compound with its molecule made up of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms (H2O) had to ask someone to give him a drink when he became thirsty ( John 4:1-7). Even in death his body was laid in a borrowed tomb (Matthew 27:57-61).
These are spectacular picture of what it meant for the one who created all time, space and matter to step into their limitations. It was a humiliation without para¬llel. C. S. Lewis said, ‘The Eternal Being who knows every¬thing and who created the whole universe became not only a man but (before that) a baby, and before that a [foetus] inside a woman's body. If you want to get the hang of it, think how you would like to become a crab.’ Yet even this gets nowhere near the staggering truth of what happened when Jesus laid aside his heavenly glory and chose to become human, a truth made even more amazing when we realize that he did this ‘for our sake'.. Praying to God the Father, Jesus spoke of “the glory that I had with you before the world existed'” (John 17:5). Our minds are incapable of grasping the splendor of God's glory, which is so wonderful that even the highest angelic beings cover their faces in his presence (Isaiah 6:2).
God cared for us enough that he sent his Son to die in our place, for our sins. Now we can be fully forgiven and begin an unhindered relationship with God. Like love and acceptance, most of us want to find fulfillment in life.
Like Adam and Eve, when you are out of tune with God, fears and anxieties crowd into your life. When you focus your attention on the uncertainties of life, on a changing, decaying world, your security and confidence are shaken. Your peace is disturbed. Sin has separated man from God. “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6).” “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). Guilt, fear, irritation, resentment, selfishness, and other hostile impulses plague man wherever he goes. They bring weariness and mental exhaustion. The love of self was at the root of the first disobedience of man. It continues to be the one of the first basic evil inclinations that takes you down the path of despair and heartache. The longer you travel the path of self-centeredness, the more troubled you become.
Billy Graham said “The strongest principle of life and Blessings lies in our choice. Our life is the sum result of all the choices we make, both consciously and unconsciously. If we can control the process of choosing, we can take control of all aspects of our life. We can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of our life. So Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable. “If you don’t make a decision then time will make it for u and time will always side against u!”
The God of the Bible offers the most fulfilling life possible. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)He also said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."(John 6:35)So, the God of the Bible promises to quench that inner longing that nothing else seems to satisfy. Reader, it is the birthright of every child of God to be cleansed from all sin, to keep himself unspotted from the world, and so to live as never more to offend his Maker. As all unrighteousness is sin, so he that is cleansed from all unrighteousness is cleansed from all sin. Bible promises us that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Dear friend, Sin Makes Us Feel Worthless and Defeated. Forgiveness Restores Our Sense of Worth. Sin Gives a Burden of Guilt. Forgiveness Restores Our Innocence. Sin causes Fear, Grief, and Hopelessness. Forgiveness Gives peace, Joy and Hope. Sin Is a Barrier Between Loved Ones. Forgiveness Reunites Loved Ones. Sin Leads to Punishment. Forgiveness Leads to Eternal Life. God cares about us so much that He sent His own Son to earth to seek and save lost men. Jesus Died in Our Place. Romans 5:6-9 - Sinful men deserved to be punished, but because He loves us, God sent His Son to suffer so we could escape punishment. Jesus paid this price for all men (Heb 2:9).Salvation is God’s gift to man. But, no one can receive God’s forgiveness and salvation unless and until one personally receives this forgiveness through repentance and faith in Jesus. If one refuses to accept the gift of God’s Salvation, it is painful, for God, and the person who refuses the Eternal Gift will be condemned.” Except you repent, you will all likewise perish (Luke. 13:3,5).
The new life in Jesus, frees us from the devastating hold and effects of sin, guilt and death (Rom. 8:1). The resurrection power of Jesus provides us the Power and Grace to live an abundant and everlasting life filled with righteousness, joy, peace and happiness.
Dear friends ,The single most valuable Prayer you can pray from the depth of your heart to God is: Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner I believe that Lord Jesus Died for my Sins, Thank you for taking all of my sin upon yourself on the cross. I want to receive your forgiveness and enter into a relationship with you. I ask you to come into my life as my Savior and Lord, to be my God from this day forward, and to make me into the person you've intended me to be. Amen
Please feel free to write to me for more information and prayer, God Bless you
