THE ORIGIN  AND  DESTINY  OF  SIN

 

I could have called this article "The Devil Made Me Do It", since most people believe that Satan is the one responsible for bringing sin in the world. But of course that is not the case. In spite of what John tells us in I John 3:8, namely that; "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning" Adam is still the culprit, our first parent who brought sin upon us when he followed his wife Eve way back in Genesis 3:6 where the Bible says "And he did eat ". These are some of the most somber words ever recorded. And they impacted every single person ever born and indeed all of God's creation. We must see the difference between the existence of evil and the entrance of sin into Adam's world and posterity. Satan's evil preceded Adam's fall, but the fall was not the necessary outcome. Adam did not certainly have to defy God's will. If Adam had not given in to his wife, who was deceived, there would have been a different outcome. We do not know what that outcome would have been, and in the end we must deal with the situation as we find it. Eve was deceived, Adam made a deliberate choice. (I Timothy 2:14) "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression"

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned"
(Romans 5:12)

Every Sunday School student knows that it was not the literal eating of the "Apple" that resulted in Adam becoming a rebel against God, but rather that he substituted his own will for the will of God, which was explicit;

"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die"
(Gen 2:16, 17)

Adam disobeyed that command when he followed Eve - who followed Satan, and therein fulfilled the Scripture which says;

"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"
Romans 6:16

Somehow at this point the whole creation that God had put under the dominion of Adam was now surrendered to that arch deceiver, Satan. (see Rev. 12:9) From that day until this very hour, Satan has been "the god of this world" (II Corinthians 4:4).

Much more interesting detail could be offered about the fall of our first parents at this point, but that is not the purpose of this article. The subject is the origin and destiny of sin. Therefore, now that we have established Adam as the originator of sin in the human race, we want to rapidly move forward in time and look at the destiny of that evil that has been inbred into every human soul.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Good News that God has dealt with the issue of sin in man. How that should thrill the soul of every sinner. Everyone hearing about what God has done should turn to Jesus with abundant thanksgiving and praise. Contrary to Adam's conduct, Jesus always did the will of His Father in heaven. In fact, that one act of rebellion by Adam required a series of redemptive actions by our Lord Jesus.  

We know that Jesus entered the world to save men from their sins;

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners; of whom I am chief"
I  Timothy 1:15

His mission had several objectives that we do not always appreciate. Defeating sin was one of His missions, and as important as that mission was for us who are sinners, it was still only one of the required missions that Jesus must accomplish from God's point of view if man is to be saved for eternity.

1.  First, God in Christ had to take on flesh to undo what Adam had done .                       John 1:14

2.  Then He had to bring Jesus to the place where He was a suitable Sacrifice to cover by His blood the sin that Adam brought to the world.                                                                        Luke 2:49-52

3.  Then He had to gain a beachhead for the Kingdom of God by defeating Satan. This Jesus did in the temptations in the wilderness.                                                                                        Matthew 4:1ff

4.  Then He had to establish His Kingdom in the midst of the Kingdom of Satan.   Matthew 12:28ff

5.  Then He had to die according to the will of God to defeat Sin.                                 Matthew 20:28

6.  Then He had to be raised from the dead to defeat Death                                                        Matthew 28:6

7.  Then He had to ascend on high to allow the Holy Spirit to come                                       John 16:7

8.  Then He had to intercede for us until the time for His return                                            I John 2:1

9.  Then He must come again                                                                                            Revelation 16:15

10. Then He must deal eternally with sin and sinners                                                    Revelation 22:1ff 

So the origin of sin on the Earth falls to the failure of Adam to follow the will of God. The destiny of sin on Earth falls to God who Justly eliminates Sin in final judgment on the basis of the Substitutionary death of our Savior. How wonderful that when this age passes into the ages of the ages that is "eternity", there will be no more of sin for the redeemed.

Sadly, the destiny of men is not always according to the will of God who is "Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (II Peter 3:9) Their failure to believe that God has reconciled Himself to us by sending Jesus to pay the eternal price for sin results in the second death and Hell. (II Corinthians 5:19) "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation"

Take the time today to rejoice in such Great Salvation. If you are saved and you know it, Glorify God. If you are not saved or you are not sure, take the necessary steps to assurance:

1. Recognize the fact that you are one of the sinners.  Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come 
    short of the glory of God"
2. Recognize the consequences. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is
    eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"
3. Recognize the need to believe and confess. Romans 10:10 "For with the heart man believeth unto
    righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation"
4. Recognize requirement that you must act. Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the
    name of the Lord shall be saved"

Once you are saved, continue in the faith by
1. Praying daily. 
2. Reading the Bible daily. 
3. Fellowshipping with the saints as often as you are able.

Pastor Hayden