We are All Sinners
Day 12
by Gini Crawford, MSW
Disobedience chosen
Why did Adam and Eve choose to eat from the tree God told them not too? That is an age old question that we won't know for sure until we ask them in heaven. But let's take an educated guess from our own experiences. I believe it was their lack of trust in God. They doubted His love and care for them. What do you think?
Why would they doubt God? Now granted, a talking serpent does grab your attention, but to throw out their loving Creator's only command and trust in the talking serpent to give them advice was foolish to say the least. Remember, they were literally with God. They also did not have a sinful nature to contend with, at this point, like we do. Throughout history many people have doubted God. I know I have. Yet why did Adam and Eve, who had a face to face relationship, doubt Him? There was absolutely no excuse for them to doubt God and eat the forbidden fruit, that I can see.
If you didn't know, the talking serpent was Satan, the Devil (Revelation 12:9). An important concept to remember is: Satan is at the root of sin. (1 John 3:8).
How heartbreaking! God had created them so He could love them, and they turned their backs on that love by trusting Satan. Do you do the same by trusting in someone other than God? I know I can.
It's just not Adam and Eve who sin
God's Word teaches us that we all are sinners (Romans 5:12, 19). This is because we are born with a nature coming from our ancestors that habitually sins. Yes, what Adam and Eve did thousands of years ago still affects us today in a horrific way, and that does seem unfair. But reality is, we all would have eaten the forbidden fruit sooner or later. To be honest, as a Christian, I sin in thought, word, and deed daily. Yes, for worse and not better, we all sin.
...as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." Romans 3:10-18 ESV®
How often do you think you sin? The difficult truth is, even if we only have sinned once in our life, because of that one sin we would deserve to be punished. (I have sinned so much there is no way I could even start to count.) Remember one sin brought death and punishment into the world. If we are honest with ourselves, disobeying God is our natural way of life. It is supernatural for us to desire what God wants in our lives. (Psalm 14:1-3; 143:1-2, 8).
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. James 2:10 ESV®
Have you ever chosen to do something that has changed your life in a negative way? Maybe you have done something against the law; or through laziness, recklessness or deception damaged a business, a school career, or a relationship; or perhaps by wrong choices you have destroyed a ministry, or so on. King David could relate to Adam and Eve. He said,
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Psalm 51:1-5 ESV®
We can all relate to Adam and Eve, can't we?
Life Application
God loves sinners
I watched the movie, Apocalypto, by Mel Gibson years ago. Human sacrifices were portrayed in living color, with the heads of the sacrificed men rolling down the stairs of the temple of the sun god, and the priests with blood dripping down their fronts from the still beating hearts that had been just cut out of their human victims. (Jeremiah 19:4-6, 32:35). I thought, "Oh Mel, why be so graphic?" Then it hit me that this is the history of our sinful human nature, granted, at its worst. Yes, thank God few people do this type of evil, but if we are honest with ourselves, we all do many things that are contrary to what God wants. (Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9-10; James 4:17).
We need to keep in mind, when Adam and Eve sinned, God still loved them. When we sin, God still loves us. God still wants to be in an intimate relationship with us, but remember there is a separation between God and us because of our sin. However, God never wanted us to be separated from Him, so He paid for our sins by doing the unthinkable, sacrificing Himself for us, so that the people He loved would not be separated from Him. Read Psalm 51:1-5; Isaiah 53:4-12, 59:1-2; 1 John 4:9-10. What do these passages say about sin? What did God do to take care of our sin? How did God show His love for us even though we were sinners?
Reflect on Psalm 51:1-5