The True Nature of Sin

Leprosy was very common in Bible times. The reason that the scriptures talk so much about it is because its incurable and fatal nature is reminiscent of sin's loathsome and destructive power. Anyone who was held under its dominion, was looked upon as an outcast in society and is forced to leave the comfort of family and friends to dwell with fellow lepers. It enslaved its victim with such might that it took a miracle of unimaginable proportions to free him from its clutches.

Such is the power with which sin has enslaved the human race that the apostle Paul was compelled to admit that it has gained such mastery over his will so as to prevent him from doing that which he knows is a good and right thing to do. (Read Romans 7). For this reason, Paul exclaims, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24)

To find an antidote to any disease, no matter how deadly, a thorough investigation has to be undertaken to understand its origins, behavioural patterns and symptoms. Until such investigation is carried out, one cannot hope to find a cure to the disease. Similarly, we have to search from scripture the correct and accurate definition of sin and only then can we discover the true solution for the problem.

How Sin Entered the World

How did the entire world come under the power of sin? The word of God clearly states that by the sin of Adam, sin made its entry into the world and all man have sinned as a result of this.

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (Romans 5:12)

But why is it that the sin of one man has such power to cause all mankind to sin and fall short of God's glory? The answer to this lies in the principle of inheritance. God gave one life and that life was in Adam. The children of Adam, from one generation to another, were meant to receive this same life from their parents by way of inheritance. But because Adam had sinned, the eternal, unblemished life of the Father was taken away and man possessed the physical life that is polluted by sin. Now it is this sinful life of Adam that mankind inherits. In other words, man inherited the sinful nature from his parents. This principle is clearly spelled out in the Bible.

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." (Psalm 51:5)

A State of Being

The above passage reveals that at the very moment a child is conceived, it is sinful. Before it has limbs to perform works of iniquity; before it has a mouth and tongue to speak lies; or even a brain to think and perceive what sin is, it is already sinful. Sin is a nature that is inherited and inbuilt in man. It is something that has been handed down from generation to generation, beginning with Adam and Eve. Therefore, no one needs to be taught to commit sin as it is part and parcel of man’s biological makeup.

Because of this knowledge now in hand, it is reasonable to say that the definition of sin is not limited only to that which is held dogmatically by most people, which is the transgression of the law. (Read 1 John 3:4). Contrary to popular belief, sin is a state of being, rather than an act of breaking the law.

The Temptation of Christ

Consider the first temptation with which Christ was tempted when he was led into the wilderness.

"And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." (Matthew 4:3)

What does the turning of stones into bread and satisfying one's hunger have to do with breaking any of the 10 commandments, as we know them? The devil did not tempt Christ to turn away from the worship of the true God or even to break the Sabbath. He did not ask Him to commit adultery or murder and bear false witness. Yet if Christ had merely turned the stones into bread and quenched His hunger, He would have sinned! Here, we do not see any indication that sin is solely the transgression of the law.

The Case of Adam and Eve

Apart from Christ, every human being was born with a sinful nature. But this principle cannot be applied to Adam and Eve because they came into existence through the process of creation. Initially, sin did not mar their nature because they were perfect and they were also the temple of the living God. The will of God was what ruled their conscience for as long as they chose to remain this way.

People who say that sin is ONLY the transgression of the law, argue that our first parents became sinners or committed sin the very moment they ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. If this argument were true, then it stands to reason that it is God or His will that prompted them to transgress His law. This view is absurd because if God’s will was what governed their thoughts and perceptions from the very beginning, it is logical to conclude that it was God who caused Eve to change her mind about how she viewed the forbidden fruit because just prior to eating the fruit, she was still one with God. The limited understanding of the nature of sin gives allowance to the notion that God can be tempted and He should be held accountable for the consequences that we now face. Isn't this exactly what Satan wants the world to believe? Does he not say that God is the reason why bad things happen? But the Bible clearly states that He cannot be tempted. (James 1:13)

So, if Adam and Eve functioned perfectly under God's will, whose will governed their thoughts that led them to eat the forbidden fruit? This dilemma can be solved or understood when we go back to the conversation that took place between Satan and Eve.

"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)

At the start of this conversation, Eve strongly believed what God told her about the consequence of eating the forbidden fruit to be the truth by explicitly stating that she would die if she chose to disobey. Her initial reply indicates that she does not have the willingness to go against God's will. But Satan convinced her to go against her conscience by misrepresenting God's character. When he stated that the fruit had in it the properties to open her eyes and be like God Himself, he was implying that God had all along withheld from her and her husband better things. These better things included the ability to enter into a higher level of existence and enabled man to be like gods, knowing good and evil. And to keep her from eating the fruit, God fabricated a lie by saying that anyone who ate it would eventually die.

The Fruit of Unbelief

The sophistry of Satan was enough to cause Eve to lose faith in God. She now believed the words of the serpent and began to view God as a tyrant and a liar. She therefore, desired independence from her Creator's will and wished to be a law unto herself. God who does not force His way into others, did not remain in the heart which no longer wished to retain Him. Therefore, her unbelief eventually caused her to separate herself from Him who created her.

Outside of God, Eve's will was what ruled her conscience and it now caused her to see that the forbidden fruit was good to eat. She was now bent on committing an act that was contrary to the will of God. This will is also known as " the carnal mind," which is not subject to the will of God.

"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." (Romans 8:7)

Sin as a Problem from Within

The eating of the forbidden fruit is not sin in and of itself, but it is merely a visible manifestation that God was no longer in control. This precept is outlined in the words of Jesus.

"A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." (Matthew 12:35)

What the Saviour is saying is that, no one can produce good works if the nature of his heart is not good. On the surface, the passage seems to support the idea that one is capable, on his own, to have a good heart and therefore produce good works. But remember that when the rich young man addressed Jesus as the "good Master", Jesus' reply was, "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God:" (Matthew 19:17) This does not mean that Christ is not good, but the reason that He chose to reply in this fashion was because the rich young man did not see Jesus as the Saviour but took Him as one of the prophets. Based on this understanding, Jesus was implying that if, to the young man, He was a mere mortal, then know this that the only person who should rightly be called good is one who is God or who possesses divinity. A mere mortal cannot be good and remain good outside of God.

The Wages of Sin

The carnal nature that now took captive of Eve prompted her to eat the forbidden fruit. However, the eating the fruit did not seem to produce the immediate and instantaneous result of death. But unbeknown to Eve, death had already taken hold of her before she even ate the fruit because as a result of the separation from God, she is cut off from the ONLY Source of life. This death is more of a spiritual nature than a physical one. Spiritually, she now lacked the spiritual discernment that she was already a sinner and in need of a Saviour. She was misled to think that death after all was nothing but a ploy by God to cut her off from acquiring the “benefits” that the forbidden fruit had to give her. Encouraged by the “lack” of visible evidences to validate the warning of God, she immediately rushed to her husband to tell him about her discovery.

I believe that when Adam listened to the words of Eve about her encounter with the serpent and seeing that she was alive and well even after she had eaten the fruit, he too believed the words of the serpent that God should not be trusted. This led him to cease believing in God and his unbelief led him to separate himself from Him who alone is good. This was what caused him to transgress God's law. This in turn produced undesirable consequences, the greatest of them being death.

Curses or Consequences?

At this junction, I feel that it is necessary to clear the prevailing misconceptions that popular idea has it that, as a result of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, God was filled with wrath and therefore He put them and the entire human race under a curse. Though the story of the fall of man in Genesis 3 seems to support this notion, what many do not know and understand is that the “curses” pronounced by God in the garden of Eden were but the consequences of their separation from Him who is the only Source of life and goodness.

Death, for instance, is inevitable considering the fact that our first parents have broken free from the Fountain of life. And as I have also pointed out that goodness cannot exist outside of God, it is absurd to think that goodness should even be expected when God is no longer in control of our lives. Nevertheless, in the midst of the prevailing hopelessness, God who abounds in graciousness and love, continues to shower some of the goodness that can still be seen in some of the things that surround us. But most of all, He came to the garden to announce the coming of the Redeemer to redeem us from our sins. Many individuals fail to recognise this part of the story but rather choose to focus on the curses which are but the consequences or the curses of sin.

On account of this truth, it stands to reason that sin, as a state of being, is a condition of being separated from God. And all humans were conceived and born with this same condition. The words of the Psalmist once again confirms this teaching for us.

"The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies." (Psalm 58:3)

To be estranged means to be isolated from something or someone. In this case, babies are estranged from God from the moment they were conceived.

Therefore, in dealing with the problem of sin, many have taken the wrong steps. They think that the mere correction of outward behaviour is the solution to the problem. This has led them to a zero percent success rate. How then shall we deal with the problem of sin and who or what is the solution to this problem? This issue is dealt with in the next article, Faith is the Victory.

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