A synchronized light show in Alpharetta Georgia. Over 65,000 Lights.
What is Sin?
THE BEGINNING OF SIN - SATAN
How you have fallen from heaven, you star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who defeated the nations! But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ Nevertheless you will be brought down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit. Isaiah 14:12-15 (NASB) |
Satan sought to be worshipped over God, the beginning of sin.
THE BEGINNING OF SIN - MANKIND
The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God caused every tree to grow that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ….. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:8-9,16-17 (NASB) |
They had free access to the garden with just one rule, “from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat”
Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to he woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die! For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves waist coverings. Genesis 3:1-7 (NASB) |
We have no record of God ever mentioning a consequence of “touching” the tree.
Satan’s temptation - “You certainly will not die! … you will become like God”
Their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked. There was nothing wrong with being “naked” but they experienced “shame” as a result of disobedience.
Now they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me some of the fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:8-13 (NASB) |
There is evidence that encountering God walking in the garden was a common thing. However, this time they hid because they were ashamed.
God’s question was direct, “Who told you … Have you eaten …”
They progressed from “shame” to “blame”.
First, Adam’s response was to blame Eve. Then, Eve’s response was to blame Satan.
GENERATIONS OF SIN
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned - for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not counted against anyone when there is no law. Romans 5:12-13 (NASB) |
All humankind was condemned by the sin of one man – Adam.
The generations of mankind, Adam’s descendants, have inherited sin from him.
Remember, do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to anger in the wilderness; from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord. Deuteronomy 9:7 (NASB) |
Sin is rebellion against God . They had just been brought out of Egypt, witnessed the plagues, the death of the first born and the parting of the Red Sea and now they worship a golden calf.
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 1 John 3:4 (NASB) |
Sin is the practice of lawlessness, a disregard for the law.
SIN AND DEATH - DEFEATED
So then, as through one offense the result was condemnation to all mankind, so also through one act of righteousness the result was justification of life to all mankind. Romans 5:18 (NASB) |
All humankind was redeemed by the sacrifice of one man – Jesus.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NASB) |
The end of sin is death. The gift of Jesus’ is Life.