MAN IN THE STATE OF SIN
The Origin of Sin.
Scripture clearly indicates that the serpent, who appears as the tempter in the story of Sin of the fall, was but an instrument of Satan,
John 8:44; Rom. 16:20; 2 Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9.
The first sin consisted in man's eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This eating was sinful simply because God had forbidden it. It clearly showed that man was not willing to subject his will unconditionally to the will of God, and comprised several elements.
In the intellect it revealed itself as unbelief and pride, in the will as the desire to be like God, and in the affections an unholy satisfaction in eating of the forbidden fruit. As a result of it man lost the image of God in the restricted sense, became guilty and utterly corrupt, and fell under the sway of death,
Gen. 3:19; Rom. 5:12; 6:23.
The Essential Nature of Sin.
At present many substitute the word evil for 'sin,' but this is a poor substitute, for the word 'sin' is far more specific. It denotes a definite kind of evil, namely, a moral evil for which man is responsible and which brings him under a sentence of condemnation.
The modern tendency is to regard it merely as a wrong done to one's fellow-beings misses the point entirely, for such a wrong can be called sin only in so far as it is contrary to the will of God. Sin is correctly defined by Scripture as "lawlessness," I John 3:4. It is lack of conformity to the law of God, and as such the opposite of that love which is required by the divine law.
Guilt and Pollution The Bible always contemplates it in relation to the law,
Rom. 1:32; 2:12-14; 4:15; 5:13; Jas. 2:9, 10; I John 3:4.
It is first of all guilt, making men liable to punishment,
Rom. 3:19; 5:18; Eph. 2:3,
and then also inherent corruption or moral pollution. All men are guilty in Adam, and are therefore born with a corrupt nature.
Job 14:4; Jer. 17:9; Isa. 6:5; Rom. 8:5-8; Eph. 4:17-19.
Sin has its seat in the heart of man, and from this centre influences the intellect, the will, and the affections, in fact the whole man, and finds expression through the body. Prov. 4:23; Jer. 17:9; Matt. 15:19, 20; Luke 6:45; Heb. 3:12. Iit does not consist in outward acts only, but includes evil thoughts, affections, and intents of the heart.
Matt. 5:22, 28; Rom. 7:7; Gal. 5:17, 24.
Next >>>> Sin in the Life of the Human Race.
The Bible teaches us that sin entered the world as the result of the transgression of Adam and Eve in paradise
The first sin was occasioned by the temptation of Satan in the form of a serpent, who sowed in man's heart the seeds of distrust and unbelief.
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