ORIGINIAL SIN

ORIGINIAL SIN

First Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” This is a verse of bad news and good news. It is a truthful verse that helps man understand original sin, its consequences and its remedy.
Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
David understood original sin. Sadly most of the world today does not understand original sin.
We will look at a four-point outline that will open our eyes to Original Sin.

I - THE EXAMPLE
II - THE ENORMITY
III - THE EXPRESSION
IV - THE EXONERATION

I - THE EXAMPLE
Genesis 1: 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

God created this world and then He created the first couple. Their name was Adam and Eve.
-They of course were created in the image of God.
-They were sinless, pure and innocent.
-They reflected God’s love and life.
-They had the opportunity and ability to live forever.
-They were alive spiritually.
-They walked and talked and fellowshipped with God.
-God told Adam and Eve that they were to dominate the world and everything was for their pleasure, except one thing.
-They were not to eat of one tree: Genesis 2:17 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.

A - In Genesis 3 we have the story of the ACTIONS of original sin?
1 – Doubt – Satan will first befriend you. I personally don’t believe this was the first time Eve saw Satan as a serpent in the garden. Nor was he hideous to look upon. He was a most beautiful creature. He probably had wings and hover in the air more meticulousness than a humbling bird and more majesty than an Eagle.
His familiarity brought a sense of acceptance and fellowship and communication. As Satan questioned Eve about what she could and couldn’t do in the Garden He sowed the seed of doubt. He said, “Has God said?” (Genesis 3:1)
The first step to sin is doubt always. He’ll tell you to doubt your parents, your authorities, God’s word. He’ll get you to doubt to why you should be chase and pure in all things.

2- Denial – Then Satan simply sowed with confidence the seed of denial. He said, “Ye shalt not surly die” (Genesis 3:4).
5 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.
Satan sowed two seeds here; denial and curiosity.
You see, God did not create man to know evil, only good. When we receive our glorified bodies, we will know no evil then, only good.

3 – Death – God said to Adam in Genesis 2:17, “Ye shall die.” Satan said to Eve in Genesis 3, “Ye shall not die.” 200,000 times a day, God’s word is proven true. 200,000 people die every day.

Satan tempts Eve and she succumbs to his temptation. She eats of the tree God said, “Don’t eat of it.” She then gives to Adam and he eats.
The great ORIGINIAL SIN was the act of “disobedience.”
Genesis 5:3 - 6:5 - Job 14:1 – Isaiah 6:5 – Jeremiah 17:9 – Rom 5:12
Illustration: When I was younger I bought an apple. I picked out the prettiest apple I could find. I shined it up on my shirt and dug my teeth into it. I chewed and tasted that sweet red delicious taste. I bit again deeper into the apple and waited again for that sweet red delicious taste, but it didn’t come. I looked at the apple and there was a huge brown rotten center in the apple with a worm. How did that worm get there? I discovered that an insect can lay a worm in the apple blossom and when the apple grows that larva is inside the apple and feeds on the inside until it comes out.
And that is mankind. He has been born a sinner. Man is not born good as the humanistic world claims to dead, but man according to God’s Word is born spiritually dead.

II - THE ENORMITY OF IT:
This sin brought a curse upon the whole world:
- The physical creation would suffer with thorns and thistles and poisonous plants; lightening, earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, floods, burning heat and frozen tundra’s.
- Mutations in the insect and animal world would bred poisonous creatures. Those creatures that once were dominated by man would one day thrust fear in man’s heart.
- Man died the day he sinned. His spirit died to the sweet fellowship he had with God. Man who died without God would now go to hell.
- A physical cursed fell on Adam and Eve and one day they would die physically.
- Because of this sin for the next six thousand years disobedience would turn to jealousies, envies and hate.
- Hate would turn to bitterness and anger and murder.
- Pride would turn to disobedience and rebellion and anarchy.
- Lust would fill man’s heart and turn to pornography, fornication and adultery.
- From nature would come diseases, pestilences, famines and floods.
- Greed would lead to war and mass murder, catastrophes, lawlessness.
- Children would rebel against parents, husbands and wives would hate each other, man would kill man and husband would kill their wives and wives would kill their husbands.
- Deadly philosophies and false religions would be taught across the globe that would destroy the souls of our children and send them to hell.
- Pride would bring contentions, debate, arguments, division and divorce.
The enormity of sin is greater than the devastation of a thousand nuclear bombs exploding on the American Continent.

Question: if sin is so enormous and dangerous, why doesn’t the world or the Christian view it that way today?
Because sin has been played down, water down and painted grey by the media, the government, the church and many preachers.

Society teaches from the humanistic ideology that as taken over our culture that everything is relative. That means that with time everything changes. What was sin for mom and dad is not necessairly sin for you and me.
It is not necessarily sin to steal, to lie and at times even to kill.
This is subtlety be taught to our children and adults in society today.

When Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to hide from God.
Understand friend it is normal to be ashamed of sin.
It is normal to want to hide from God but it is sin to hide from God.
It is normal to not want to confess and admit that you have sinned but it is a greater sin to not confess and admit you have sinned.
The longer you bury your sin, the more seeds it produces. And those seeds are seeds of destruction and death.
Sin is like the story of the boy who had a baby anaconda. As the boy grew, the snake grew. At first to touch the snake was eerie to the boy, for the snake’s body was cold. But, after touching it often, the boy became familiar with the death feel. As he played with the snake, the snake would crawl around the boys arm and then unravel itself. The boy thought he would try to train the snake by giving the command to coil around his arm and then uncoil. As the snake grew, the snake was commanded to coil around his leg and after many years the twenty foot anaconda would coil around the man’s entire body.
He had traveled and had become very popular. Giant crowds would gather to see the amazing stunt. Show after show was booked. The crowds would watch as the man stood on the stage and commanded the giant snake to come. The snake would coil his body around the man’s feet and work his way up to his neck. The crowds stood in shock to see such a sight.
Then one day, something went wrong. After the snake coiled his body around the man and the crowds cheered, the man gave the command for the snake to uncoil. Rather than uncoil the snake tighten his grip again and again. In moments the man was crushed. The crowds scream in fear.
Do you see the analogy of sin? At first, you sense, you feel that it is wrong, but your body becomes accustomed to it. You play with it and proudly think, other may have fallen, but not me. I can handle it. I can play with it. I can keep it in the closet of my heart and it won’t destroy me. Don’t be silly friend. You can’t gamble with Satan and win. Every night before the sun sets confess your sins and clean your heart. (Eph 4:26)

Satan will say, “Bury your sin, hide it, cover it up, don’t confess it.”
And when your world is turned upside down, don’t blame God.
God gives you till sunset to make things right. The only reason you take longer is because of pride in your heart.
Christian, learn to hate sin. Learn that it will destroy you. It will steal your love from God. It will steal your joy and peace. It will break up your marriage. It is hideous. It will make you the very thing you hate.

I know it is unpopular to preach on sin and therefore many will not. But, man is in the trouble he is in and the world is in the trouble it is in today because of sin. Man suffers the heart ache he suffers and you and I suffer the heartache that we suffer because of sin.

III – THE EXPRESSION OF SIN
If any one expressed a close description of sin it was King David.
He had committed the sin of adultery. He first tried to cover it up and sweep it under the carpet. He thought he had succeeded. He thought he had hid his secret sin. He thought no one would ever find out. Then the Prophet Nathan comes into David’s chambers and points his bony finger in David’s face and reveals David’s hidden sin.
David falls on his face before God, tears streaming down his face and he cries out in Psalms 51.
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
David realizes his sin is against God and he takes full responsibility for his actions.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
David recognizes that he was born a sinner. He was not blaming his mother, but was admitting that He was a sinner from birth.
That is important to know because in the days of Christ, the Jews denied that they were sinners. They boasted that they were born of Abraham. Thus, until one admits that they have sinned against the holy God, they cannot be saved.

6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
David made it clear that he wanted to walk in truth.
David wanted every part of his soul to be perfect in God’s eyes.
David admitted that God had chastened him and broke some bones.

9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
David was ashamed of his sins. Many folks today carry their dirty sins in their heart to church with them. They carry them to the store. They carry them to work. David was ashamed to carry his sins with him. He wanted a clean, pure heart and he wanted again God’s sweet loving spirit.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
David knew apart from complete confession and purity of heart, there was no fellowship with God. One sin keeps you from sweet fellowship with the God of heaven.
You say, “But, I am mad at someone.” You say, “Someone treated me wrong.” You are not right with God. Your pride and sin is keeping you from walking with the Lord.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
David knew that revival began within. Psalms 85:6 reads, “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
That is why David prayed, “Restore unto me the joy of my salvation.”

15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
When we walk with the Lord, we can offer praise to God. Could you stand up tonight and praise God for his goodness or would the Holy Spirit arrest your heart and remind you that you have some unfinished business.

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
David reveals truthful repentance of sin here. It is a humble, repentant, remorseful and apologetic spirit and the desire to be in sweet fellowship with Almighty God.

In India a flood caused the residents to flee to higher ground as the water rose. Nightfall over took the people as they scampered for safety amidst the darkness. Exhausted and having on the clothes on their back they collapsed to the ground for rest during the night. As the sun peaked over the eastern sky the following morning, some of the children and young people were admiring a beautiful Bengal tiger lying on the grass near by to where they were standing. They were admiring its beautiful stripes and masculine muscles as it peacefully stretched in the sunlight. In a moment of time a shot rang out and the tiger was dead.
“Why did you do that,” cried one of the youth.
“Because it is the nature of the tiger to kill,” said the wise adult.
He was just resting, when he had his strength back you would have been his breakfast.
Remember the expression of sin is still death. Sin never reaps good. It never reaps that which is beneficial. You may try to justify it. Don’t! Call it what it is – Sin. For it will bring death and disease, sadness and sorrow.

IV - THE EXONERATION
Augustine of Hippo declared, “that all are born in sin and therefore infants must be baptized to wash away that original sin or they will go to hell.”
This doctrine was adopted by the Catholic Church and many protestant churches of today such as the Lutheran and Presbyterian churches under John Calvin and Martin Luther.
That is not Biblical founded. That is a man’s opinion. Yet many denominations believe and preach that infant baptism is a must for original sin to be forgiven.
Ill. If man committed three sins a day, only three, in fifty years man would have to give account to the Judge of the Universe for over 53,000 sins. If man stood before a judge having broken the law 53,000 times do you think he would be exonerated? No way!
To exonerate legally is to relieve one of there debt forever.
Man owes a debt to God. That debt is so great that man cannot pay it. He can not pay it with a thousand times the amount of Gold in the world.
If the stars were gold and you owned them all, it would not be enough payment for God to forgive you of one sin.
2 Cor 5: 21 tells us that God made payment to exonerate us from this great debt. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
But just because he paid the debt for us doesn’t set us free.
We must come to Him.
John 10: 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
We must cry to Him.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The poet Elizabeth Barrett married Robert Browning in 1846. In her youth, Elizabeth had been watched over by her tyrannical father. When she and Robert were married, their wedding was held in secret because of her father’s disapproval. After the wedding the Browning’s sailed for Italy, where they lived for the rest of their lives. Even though her parents had disowned her, Elizabeth never gave up on the relationship.
--Almost weekly she wrote them letters. Not once did they reply.
After 10 years, she received a large box in the mail. Inside, Elizabeth found all of her letters; not one had been opened! Today those letters are among the most beautiful in classical English literature.
Had her parents only read a few of them, their relationship with Elizabeth might have been restored.
God wrote his love letters over 1500 years telling the world of His great love. If they would but read them, what a relationship could be restored.