THE CASE FOR JESUS
SIN IS A BIG DEAL
We have all heard “There are only 2 things certain in life- death and taxes.” We know that even Jesus died but was resurrected. We, as Christians, will follow Jesus’ example. There have been and will be other examples of those who did not or will not experience death. Let’s start with a quiz – Who are they? (Enoch, Elijah and the generation of Christians who will be alive when the Rapture occurs- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) Scripture provides the only answer that explains how sin and death are universal. We realize Adam & Eve disobeyed God and brought sin and death on themselves and their off-springs- which are everyone else. (3 or 4 years ago I heard of a scientific study that found proof –through a new concept called “nuclear DNA”- that all mankind can be traced to Adam & Eve. So much for those who discount the first few chapters of Genesis! ) The origin of sin & death is important to understand for us as apologists, because for people to believe in Jesus they first need to understand that they need to be saved from sin. Remember, even though we are Christians, this simple understanding helps us to be a defender of the faith.
Read Genesis 3:1-6 Sin Defined
So there was actually a time in human history when there was no sin in the world- God’s plan. Today we are constantly “hit in the face” by sin & evil. So Adam & Eve’s rebellion (both not just Eve) against God started all of sin, death, and other fearful consequences on the whole human race. Why do you think God created the tree of knowledge of good & evil? (This established the concept of personal choice and that the universe was created with both material order- laws of the physical realm- and a moral order- laws of spiritual realm. So we must not live contrary to God’s established order.) Adam & Eve were placed in a perfect environment with only one command to obey; Don’t eat the forbidden fruit! All it took was for Satan to cast doubt on God’s word and distort it. How did Eve try at first to correct Satan? (She said they were permitted to eat freely from all other trees – just not this one.) Satan’s answer was to lie. Eve was then faced with a choice. “For from within, out of the heart of man, comes evil thoughts”- Mark 7:21. In Proverbs 4:23 wisdom is provided in “Keep your heart with all vigilance; for from it flows the springs of life.” Eve did invite Adam to also eat of the fruit but Adam made his choice of his own free will. With disobedience to God’s word, comes sin. I believe a key point is that we always get in trouble when we dwell on what God forbids, rather than on the countless blessings & promises God has given us.
Read Genesis 3:16-19, 24 Sin’s Consequences
After the sin occurred, God asks “Where are you?”- Genesis 3:9. Adam’s reply in verse 10 was that he had become naked and hid. So this set up God’s declaration of punishment. First the serpent & then Adam and Eve! Verse 15 is a prophecy of what is to come- “He will strike your head and you will strike His heel.” The last part refers to Satan’s many attempts to defeat Christ but strikes to the heal will not destroy. The first part is God revealing His plan to defeat Satan with strikes to the head, which are deadly. So now God’s attention turns to Adam & Eve in the verses just read. Let’s talk about what the punishments were & what they mean. What are your thoughts? Sin has within itself the seeds of its consequential punishment. The curse on the serpent explains why it has no legs & why most have a real fear of snakes. There is a promise of hope out of this punishment- “He shall strike or bruise your head” says we have god’s assurance of ultimate triumph of good over evil. For the woman or the man, no curse was spoken here upon them. They had become victims of the consequences of sin they had chosen. So God was declaring they should reap the results of their participation in evil. The curse seems to have been placed on the serpent and the earth, which must be removed for us to dwell here on earth with God.
In the Garden of Eden, life was like Heaven. Everything was perfect and had Adam & Eve obeyed God, they would have lived there forever. However, they no longer deserved “paradise” and God told them to leave. This was another part of the judgment on the first couple- separation from God. From this time mankind has no access to the tree of life until we get to Heaven. In Revelations John sees this tree – now in Heaven. Eternal life in a state of sin would mean forever trying to hide from God. (It is hard to understand why so many fail to understand this). Thankfully God has provided a clear remedy for sin.
Read Romans 5:12-14 Everyone Sins
Paul did not finish the sentence of verse 12. Instead he deals with a problem suggested by his final clause of that verse. It could be asked: What about those who lived between Adam and Moses? What about the presence of sin in the world before the law was given? Paul says that sin was in the world before the law was given (the 10 Commandments). Many centuries passed from the time of Adam to Moses, and there were many sins during this period- but the law was not present until given to Moses. What are some thoughts about what this references? (Difference between sin before & after the giving of the law is a subtle one: sin is not charged to one’s account when there is no law.) This means that no “record” is kept when no laws (per se) are broken, but God’s will was still violated before the law was given. For example, Cain’s murder of his brother Abel was a sin despite the absence of the 6th Commandment at this early time in history. The reality of sin became clearer when God gave the law through Moses, but the law did not provide a remedy for sin.
Paul is telling us- all people are sinners and he says it goes back to sin’s origin. He states that sin entered the world through one man (Adam) and that sin & death spreads to all. Sin is the devastating truth about the human condition. As we know, since all people have sinned, all people need Jesus as Savior. Verse 14 brings up a concept that seems hard to understand. What do you think it is saying? (Adam & Christ are contrasted and compared. Paul says Adam is a symbol, a representative of Christ. Verses 15-19 draw 5 parallels between Adam & Christ.) Clearly Paul is stating that keeping the law does not bring salvation. Death is the result of Adam’s sin. Romans 5:19- “As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners; so by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous”. We really don’t know how men were made sinners by Adam’s disobedience when he sinned (we think we have some idea but that remains a mystery). We know for sure that all are sinners because of it. However, we do know how we can be made righteous through Christ’s obedience. We can not “inherit” this salvation. It must be due to our personal involvement in faith that Jesus is our Lord and Savior.
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