A lot has been said about sin and its entry into the world. Some say it is because of: Pride, Disobedience, Mystery, the devil, and so on. Is it the case? What do you think? Only the Bible can explain.
Before we believe in God, man, or the devil we should have a clear conscience, a vivid picture of the things before us lest we deceive ourselves.
The first step to solving this mystery is acknowledging the inestimable amount of power that God has. Unlike us humans who have developed computers to do stuff beyond our comprehension he on the other side is the exact opposite. God is the source of all things. So behind every source of knowledge including the knowledge of sin is God. There it is friends, so whatever you can [start, built, originate, found, research, discover, invent, create, manufacture, produce, etc.] it’s all simple wisdom before God. Not even a thing that can be made under the sun can have God scratch his head over and so were Sin and its entry into the world.
John 15:5
For without me ye can do nothing.
KJV
The second step is to sit down and ask yourself this question. What does God want for me? Why did he create me for? Is it for suffering or to live life to the fullest? What does he want in return? Who gets to benefit from all this? Read the book of exodus 20: 1-17 and tell me you don’t benefit from that at all. No one wants to be told a lie. No one wants to lose their goods to thieves’ right? No one loves it when we bear false witness against them right? No one wants to be murdered right? And no one wants to be cheated on etc. All these are the foundation of God’s kingdom. Sinning is simply saying doing all this is all right regardless. Is it so? Not.
God commanded us “do to others as you want them to do to you”. Here lies all the truth and the prophets. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself”. Denying all this is the recipe for all the problems we have in this world [war, violence, crime, hate, etc. Should such people live forever? That wouldn’t be a good idea therefore God has made us live through this so that whilst we are here on earth we can make up our minds and choose sides: War or peace, violence or amity, crime or happiness, hate or love. Each one of us through the life that we live is deciding on our future and that is death or life. “For the wages of sin death but the gift of God is eternal life”.
John 10:10
“For the wages of sin death but the gift of God is eternal life”.
KJV
The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10); “I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly”.
KJV
Jer 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
NIV
Origin of Sin
Gen 3:22-24
And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim’s, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
KJV
Three things are happening here?
Looks like men have gotten to know something they shouldn’t
And under that condition, it was not a given thing that he should eat of the tree of life ever again.
He drove him off and put guards to the place.
The answer to the first question is men got to have knowledge of good and evil that was not intended for them. What is wrong with this you may ask? By knowing good and evil men have attained God’s status but still something is not right here. What is not right? So God knows what is right and wrong and why should we not? The difference between God and made is simply this, God can manage this knowledge we humans cannot. He can manage his anger and wrath and all but we cannot. This is evident in his sudden dismissal of Adam and Eve from the garden. This was also to avoid them from eating the tree of life and living forever. It so seems as if chaos was imminent when our parents fell into the trap. In the same way, God cast the devil out of heaven to make sure he does not continue his deceptions he cast our parents into the world also. Only by making the right choices can we have a chance of going back. Whilst we are here on earth we have a chance of witnessing the results of transgression and make the right choice.
“God desires from all his creatures the service of love-service that springs from an appreciation of his character. He takes no pleasure in a forced obedience and to all he grants freedom of will, that they may render him voluntary service”
[The Triumph of God’s Love by Ellen G. White (T.G.L p9)
Having said that let me bring your attention to something special.
Rom 16:25
Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, :26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
1Pe 1:20
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Eph 3:3
How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, :4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) :5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
Eph 3:9
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
What is this mystery?
This mystery is a plan for the redemption of men. You see God is a wise God. From the beginning, he had planned it all out. Knowing what’s right for us he did not want it to be a matter of forced will so he made a plan B. He said, [should they decide otherwise, should they not appreciate, should they not get our point, should they not like our idea about them, should they fail to understand, should they be deceived into] what would we do? Should they fall Christ was to take the form of men and die in their place. Here is the answer.
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
KJV
Rev 13:8
8 Christ the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
KJV
Col 1:13-14.
Jesus Christ is “the Lamb of God” whose death and resurrection have made our deliverance from sin a reality.
The plan of redemption was not an afterthought a plan formulated after the fall of Adam…… From the beginning God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan and of the fall of men through the deceptive power of the apostate
[The Desire of Ages by Ellen G. White (D.O.A p3)]
The easiest way to understand what sin is is to study the mind of the one who commits it.
Gen 3:2-4
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
KJV
Genesis 4:3
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
Some things to note here:
-Where there is no Sin God reigns supreme
-He is not doubted
-His decision and judgements are final and fair
-His existence is exalted
-We have to give him credit for that because he deserves such an high place
The opposite is true
-Where there is Sin self reigns supreme
-God is doubted
-His judgements are questioned
- -His existence is mocked
- At some point in life we all are going to face up with God just as Lucifer and Cain did and these same words will be spoken to us
- “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him”
- We both know that either of the two accepted God’s decision about them. What will yours be ? We should give God the benefit of the doubt. His reasoning is farseeing than ours. There are times in our lives where we feel that God’s judgements and decisions towards us are unfair and which then leads us to doubt. We should trust in God’s wisdom nomatter what and that is faith. Let God reign supreme in your life and you shall be free from sin
The difference between us and the devil
The difference between us and the devil is that the devil has a made-up mind and we don’t yet. He was given a chance to right his wrong but he chose to remain the same. Upon dying on the cross Jesus sealed the fate of the devil. Now the bar is left for you and me to decide what would become of us on that final day.
John 12:27-32
Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
KJV
Even his disciple angels know of the pending destruction that will fall on them when Christ appears again.
Mark 1:24
What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!
KJV
I mean what else the devil is doing besides opposing God. God did not want us to know about right and wrong prematurely. It was not what God had intended for us. If we knew right and wrong and we lived forever it would have been chaotic. People would do as they please and no one would ever question. To love would have been acceptable and to hate likewise. This wasn’t God’s plan. Our God is a God of love a God of peace and order. That is why to right this we would have to stick around on planet earth till we can choose right from wrong. Once we can do that then we are ready for the tree of life and ready for life eternal.
ALL God is asking is that we believe in his son and be saved.
God bless you!!
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