Reason 2: You are not as God Originally Made You

Individually and universally, people are sinners. Man is a fallen creature. We are all considered in the eyes of the holy and just God sinners from the womb.

You and I are sinners not because of any particular sin that we have committed, but simply because we are born that way:

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me,” as Israel’s famous King David said is true for every one of us (cf. Psalm 51:5).

Regardless of ancestry, religious affiliation, class and social standing, we are all deemed unclean in the eyes of the living God. No amount of piousness and good deeds can make any man clean in His eyes:

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6).

As to how man became a sinner or fell from the position of honor, righteousness and divine favor, the Bible provides us with adequate information.

Genesis chapter 3 explains how sin entered the world, and finally made its way into the heart of man.

The entrance of sin and the fall of man, in short, answers all the questions as to why and how man and the world is disjointed and far removed from the Creator’s origin.

Also, it answers why sin, with all its attendant sufferings, exists throughout the world.

All human vices can be traced down to this one event in history – the fall, and its consequences at this mundane time.

The period man lived in innocence was relatively short. Our first parents had no children before the fall; therefore, every human being, with the exception of Jesus Christ, is born with the corrupt nature that became of them because of the fall – “man is unable not to sin.”

Here is the Bible narrative of the fall:

“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 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.

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

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” (Genesis 3:1-6).

As narrated from the Scriptures above, it was Satan who first introduced sin to the human race and into the world not long after man was created and given dominion over the earth.

In the Bible, Satan is called by other names such as Lucifer, Deceiver, Devil, Great Dragon, the Evil One, Old Serpent, Enemy, Tempter, Persecutor, and the Adversary of God and man. Once a guardian and obedient angel, Satan became evil:

“You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones” (Ezekiel 28:14; cf. Mathew 13:19; 1 John 2:13-14; 3:12).

Satan was created perfect, but lost it and became the architect of sin. He rebelled against the rule of God – sin is a rebellion:

Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee (Ezekiel 28:15; cf. Jude 6; 2 Peter 2:4; Isaiah 14:12-20; Ezekiel 28:12-19).

The Scriptures warn us to be aware of Satan’s multi-personality. Satan entered the Garden of Eden in the body of a serpent:

“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14; cf. Revelations 12:9; 20:2).

Because the serpent was more subtle than any other creature, Satan took advantage of it to accomplish his end.

The serpent approached Eve feigning ignorance, and asked a seemingly sincere question:

“Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Adam and Eve, representatives of the human race, were warned against the very thing Satan sought to make them do.

The test was tailored for Adam; it was that which man could overcome. Eve could have stopped Satan right there and then, but did not; instead, she foolishly listened to Satan question the very motive behind God’s command, and even added her own version to Satan’s proposition.

Compare Satan’s beguiling question and Eve’s answer:

“Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 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,”

With the original command from God:

“And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (cf. Genesis 2:16-17).

As unbelief slowly and seductively crept into the human heart and began to take root, Satan maligned God’s word – sin is a lie:

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

Sadly, our first parents, Adam and Eve, chose to follow the evil council of Satan, and by this sinful act chose death for themselves and their descendants, which includes you and me:

“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.”

As parents and representatives of our race, their choice was on behalf of us all.

A man becomes a servant to whom he or she chooses to obey. Through the fall, the entire human race became servants to sin and Satan:

“Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:34).

From the moment of the fall, our first parents died spiritually. Their nature became corrupt beyond healing.

Immediately upon eating of the forbidden fruit, the eyes of both were opened, and Adam and Eve knew they were naked:

“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” (Genesis 3:7).

The pristine glory that clothed them was gone – man was no longer innocent and free; instead, he became a sinner bound in sin, fear, and under divine wrath and judgment.

Sin is the failure to attain to the divine standard – this deliberate act of sin ended man’s righteousness and upright standing before the holy and just God. Even though our parents continued to live for a while, it was only a matter of time.

Man is by nature captive to sin, sold under it, condemned, and under its curse. We are unable not to sin. Man by nature is represented as dead in trespasses and sins (cf. Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 John 5:19

The Holy Scriptures summarizes the moral condition of us all including Jew, Gentile, ignorant, educated, noble, barbarian – you name it. In the following:

“There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways:

And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:10-20; cf. 3:23; 5:13-15).

Beloved, it is primarily due to the fall of our first parents, coupled with the fact that we are all born in sin and unable not to sin, that God demands that every man must be born again to escape divine judgment and punishment and to obtain eternal life.

Further, it is this divine indictment and its dire consequences that call for every man to be made new through a Savior and a redeemer. A low view of sin is a low view of God. True religion is to accept unequivocally the revealed will of God.

The blessing of salvation in the gospel is represented as life – eternal life. Sin is represented as death – the wages sin pays to every man is death (cf. Romans 6:23). Sin destroys all that is beautiful, good, and righteous: – Sin is a mistake and a mockery.

Here are the words of divine wisdom for your study:

“Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: Both low and high, rich and poor, together. My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp. Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?

They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.

For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.

Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.

Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself. He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.

Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish” (Psalm 49:1-20).

There is no joy, beauty, and utopia in rebelling against the rule of God.

The search for happiness and peace outside the will of God is an illusion. The reward for disobedience is shame, death, and punishment. Sin is enmity against God – we demonstrate our love for God when we obey His commandment:

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

He who sins loves death. The wages sin pays to every sinner is shame, sorrow, and death (cf. Romans 2:5).

To make matters worse, our fist parents upon realizing their mistake, shame, and guilt did not call upon God for mercy and pardon; instead, they chose to help themselves – sin is self-righteousness:

“And the eyes of them both (Adam and Eve) were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons” (Genesis 3:7).

When God came down into the Garden of Eden looking for them they were no where to be found.

The couple hid themselves from God the source of life. For the first time, man hid from his God and Creator. Sin causes people to stray from the light and the truth:

“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. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:8-19).

There was no repentance in the heart of man.

By nature, man is defiant and self-righteous. As shown in the above narrative, Adam sought to escape judgment by blaming it on Eve; the mother of the human race also blamed it on the serpent.

However, our Creator is merciful; He demonstrated His love for us by driving our parents from the Garden of Eden to prevent them from eating from the tree of life, which will have sealed their doom and that of all their descendants.

As expected, the architect of evil, Satan, was defenseless, and as for him, his punishment is still pending – it will come at the end of time:

“ And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:9).

Now, to the Most High God of all the earth be all the glory, honor and praise for ever and ever. Amen.

Thanks for reading.