Ever notice how babies lie? Most toddlers have told their first lie not long after they learn how to talk. Ever notice how these same precious little ones have a tendency to rebel against authority and fight with each other? Who taught them to act this way? We perceive this as normal activity for children, but in fact God never made us this way. All of these tendencies to rebel and lie are a byproduct of a sin nature that we all inherit when we are born. It is called original sin. Here is what the Bible has to say about the heart of man:
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Psalms 51:5)
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)
The Beginning of Original Sin
How did this happen? Where did the human race become so corrupted? It all started with the first man, Adam. God created him perfect and placed him in the Garden of Eden. Adam was free to eat from any tree in the garden except one. Unfortunately, the devil crept into the garden in the form of a serpent and tempted Adam’s wife to eat from the tree. Eventually she tempted Adam, and he ate the fruit as well. At that point, there was a change in both. Here is what the Bible says happened:
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. (Genesis 3:6-10)
Immediately, Adam went from a friend of God to an enemy. Their eyes were now opened and they realized they were both naked. Instead of having a relationship with God, they now feared God and fled when they heard his voice. Adam had now become a sinner.
Next Problem – Procreation
Here was the problem. We are all procreated from a mom and dad and we inherit their attributes and characteristics. Now that Adam had become a sinner, every one of his descendants would also inherit this trait, or in other words, the entire human race would be born in sin thanks to Adam. We can see the immediate effects of sin in his first son, Cain, when he kills his own brother without any remorse whatsoever. Here is the story:
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? (Genesis 4:8-9)
Sin had now caused Cain to commit murder and when confronted he denies all. Had he repented, God would possibly have forgiven him. Cain’s heart was now so consumed with sin that he believed Abel was responsible for his own demise.
Sin Continues
After a thousand years and after man had multiplied exceedingly upon the earth, here is what God says about the inhabitants of this earth:
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. (Gen 6:5-6)
From this point on, sin would be passed through the seed of man to the next generation perpetually. For this reason, when God sent Jesus into our world, it was necessary that he born of a virgin. This way, he would not inherit our sin nature, and his death on the cross would be a perfect sacrifice.
You would think that if man was inherently good as we assume, would we not see the error of our ways and change? The problem is we are not inherently good. Here is what God says about us many years after Jesus died:
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Rom 3:23)
Summary
Throughout history and even today, we see the effects of this sin nature. Men and women are committing all types of atrocities, yet when confronted they refuse many times to repent. All of these atrocities can be attributed to original sin, and we owe it all to the first man, Adam. Is there an antidote to this poison? Click here
Next Page: The Cross
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