Sin
Our loving God created a perfect paradise for mankind. All that God made was perfect and very good.
He allowed man to choose to live in obedience to Him or to live in rebellion against His rightful authority.
The first man and woman, that God created, were disobedient and sinned against God. (Gen. 2:15--)
Every person on earth since has also rebelled against God at sometime.
Man chose to rebel. Wanting to live his (our) own way, according to what he thougt was right, man chose
to disobey God.
Simply stated, Sin is disobedience to God. It's doing anything not pleasing to God. It's anything not pure
and holy. It's not believing in Christ as our Savior.
God is the Creator and should be obeyed. Even more important, God Himself the standard of what is right.
Sin causes spiritual separation from God and physical death. Separation occured because God is perfect and pure.
His purity cannot dwell with sinfulness and His justice cannot allow it to go unpunished.
As a result of sin, the natural world was also cursed and began to die. The ground became less fertile and food
became scarce. Man had to work harder to harvest much less. Mankind would also realize the effect that sin has on human relationships,
leading to cruelty, murder, lust, and causing disharmony in the family.
Today, mankind continues to sin, living in rebellion agaisnt God, the Creator. This is why the world is filled
with suffering today. Man must take responsiblilty for destroying the perfection of God's creation.
Because of our sinfulness, man cannot know and experience God's love and fellowship, no matter how hard he may
try to reach God on his own through good deeds, religious rituals or philosophies.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Romans 3:10 "As it is written, 'There is no one righteous, not even one."
Because of God's love for his
creation, Jesus Christ died for us!
Jesus came to explain the truth about God and to pay the price for man's rebellion.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says "He (God) made Him (Christ) who knew no sin to
be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." In other words, Jesus died because of our sins,
so that we wouldn't have to pay the penalty demanded by true justice- eternal death."
Jesus died for our sins, and was raised victorious over death.
1 Corinthians 15:22 "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be
made alive." and verses 54-57 "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is
your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ."
Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to have our sins forgiven and to have a relationship with God which results in eternal
life.
Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while
we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
John 14:6 "Jesus said, 'I am the waym the truth, and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through Me."
One day Christ will return and create a new Heaven and new earth. A paradise
for those who have believed in Him and been forgiven of their sins.
Ultimately, God will restore paradise. Again there will be no death, no suffering, no evil. Our
experience in this world of hardship and travail will be but a brief moment in a wonderous eternity.
We will spend eternity exploring God's new creation.... How great that will be! Imagine an eternity
to discover the infinite creations of an all knowing, all powerful God!
We will praise God while in Heaven for His work as Creator and Redeemer, "You are worthy, our Lord
and God, to recieve glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by your will they were created and have their
being." Rev. 4:11
You can have your sins Forgiven and have a wonderful relationship with
God!
Believe in Him, receive the forgiveness that He offers.
John 1:12- "To all who recieved Him, to those who believed in
His name, He gave the right to become children of God."
Trust God for eternal life in Heaven,
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and
only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Trust God for fulfillment in your present life.
John 10:10 "I have come that they may have life, and have it to
the full."
Don't put it off for another time. Accept God's gift of life today!
The Bible says: "It is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgement." --Heb. 9:27
Someday, each of us must stand face to face with the God of creation. What happens at that judgment depends upon the
dicisions you are making right now.
Example prayer for accepting Christ's gift of salvation:
"God, I know that you are good and loving. You Created this wonderful world in perfection. Lord, I know that I have sinned
against you. I have been rebellious and I would like to turn to you today for forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died on the
cross and rose again the third day. Thank you for dying in my place and your forgiveness. Please forgive me Lord, and help
me to be committed to you and live in a way that is pleasing to you. In Jesus name, Amen."
It's not just "saying" words that saves us, it's believing in our heart Christ died on the cross for our
sins, he was buried and rose again the third day. It's coming to God with a changed heart of obedience and loving him.
1 Corinthians 15:3-6 "...Christ died for our sins according to
the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared
to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time..."
Answers in Genesis:
Romans 5:12: 'Wherefore as by one man sin entered the world and death by sin, and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned.'
The meaning of sin is dependent upon its origin.
Because there was a literal man in history (Adam) who was in a literal garden, who took literal fruit from a literal tree,
was given the literal fruit by a literal woman who was tempted by a literal serpent, there was a literal rebellion.
The
meaning of sin is rebellion against God and His Word. Romans 5:12 in the New Testament teaches very clearly that 'original
sin' is the result of the actions of one man, Adam. Of course, Paul goes on to teach that all humans sin like Adam because
we in Adam have rebelled. If you don't believe in the literal history of Genesis 1-11, then there is no basis for determining
the meaning of sin. Sin could then be interpreted any way you want. The only reason we know that sin is rebellion against
the absolute authority of the Word of God is because of the literal rebellion in Genesis 1-11. The doctrine of sin is dependent
upon the foundational Book of Beginnings being true-being literal history.
The meaning of death, therefore, is that it is the penalty for sin. This is the reason Jesus
Christ suffered death on a cross. Those who believe in millions of years of history teach that death was in the world long
before Adam sinned. If physical death was not the result of sin, then death would not be the penalty for sin. This would make
Christ's death on the Cross meaningless.