Here we will look at sin and how it affects all mankind. This knowledge is important because unless we know the seriousness of sin, we will never understand why there is a need to turn to Jesus Christ for salvation.
When God first created the heavens and the earth, it was very good. The first couple, Adam and Eve, lived in perfect condition in the garden of Eden and had fellowship with their creator God face to face. God created them without sin and to live forever.
But among all the trees in the garden, they were told not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This restriction was given to test their obedience. God warned Adam that when he ate of it, he would surely die.
It went well with them until one day, an adversary called Satan came and deceived Eve into eating the fruits from that tree. She gave some to Adam and he ate it. From that day, sin entered the world through Adam’s disobedience and created all kinds of evil and calamity we see today.
First, sin brought death as God had warned Adam. It did not affect Adam and Eve only but all mankind because we inherited their sinful nature. From that day, men could no longer live on earth forever but are subject to decay, sickness and physical death. But that was not all. Sin also brought the fearful second death. This takes place after physical death when a person will suffer the horrifying fire of hell forever.
Second, sin brought separation from God. When Adam and Eve were banished from the garden of Eden because of their disobedience, they could no longer come near to God and fellowship with him face to face. This special relationship between them was cut off. Sin had cruelly separated them from the presence of the holy God.
Likewise, the sinful nature we inherited from Adam has also separated us from his presence. No mortal man can now see his face and live. This is tragic, for God is the most wonderful being we could ever want to meet and live with.
Third, sin brought evil and wickedness. From the day Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin began to work in them. They started to shift blame and point fingers for the first time. Sin also passed down to their descendants. The first murder in history took place when Cain their firstborn son murdered his brother Abel.
This was just the beginning of a string of wicked things that people began to do. For men have become slave to the sinful nature that lives inside us. It works all kinds of evil and lawlessness we see today. Murder, adultery, sexual immorality, fights, hatred, envy, pride, drunkenness, orgies, lies, cheating, theft, slander, gossip, greed, evil thoughts, abusive words and the like. If there were no laws in the world to govern people, we would have destroyed each other long ago.
Fourth, sin brought law and judgement. As people multiply on earth, sins also multiply among them. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Therefore God gave his perfect Law to men. To the Jews, he gave the Ten Commandments and other rules. To the rest, his moral Law is written on their hearts.
Hence, all men are bound by the Law to keep it. Any violation of the Law would constitute a sin, and sin leads to judgement. The final judgement will take place after physical death when we will stand before God to give an account of our earthly lives. It will be a fearful day for many people.
Fifth, sin brought hardship to men and decay to earth. Beginning from Adam’s fall, the ground is cursed and it is no longer in perfect condition for people. It is subject to decay, ageing and damage as we can see today. And unlike living in the garden of Eden where food was abundant and work was pure pleasure, men must now work their sweat for food. Sin had brought men from a perfect paradise to a painful world we are now living.
Sixth, sin gave dominion of the earth to the adversary that deceived Eve. He is a spiritual being called Satan. Since the fall of Adam, the whole world lies under the sway of this evil being who is invisible to the human eyes. You can read more about this deceiver and murderer later.
As you can see, sin brought condemnation to everyone born into this world. However, God did not leave men without a hope. In his great love, he sent a Saviour.