Adam and Eve although had one sin which was dealing with the forbidden tree in the garden of Eden contrary to God’s warning, that sin had many tentacles. A single sin before God may have other connected or implied sins for which reason we must be careful since all sins are intertwined as one.
God said to Adam in Genesis 2: 16-17 “you may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” Adam and Eve allowed themselves to be deceived by the devil, Genesis 3: 1-24. We will therefore continue with the sins that arise from the single sin of disobedience to God.
Sin of betrayal
God demands loyalty from us. Deuteronomy 18: 13 says you must remain completely loyal to the LORD your God. Also Deuteronomy 7: 9 says, know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations. When Adam and Eve went contrary to God’s instructions, they betrayed God’s trust in them. In like manner we continue by our iniquities to betray God’s trust in us.
Job 15: 15 says God puts no trust even in his holy ones, and the heavens are not clean in his sight. We need God’s grace to restore that lost trust. We betrayed Jesus when he came, John 1: 11. However, our betrayal ends with believing and repenting unto righteousness in Christ Jesus, John 1: 12. Jesus said in 2 Corinthians 12: 9, my grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.
Sin of disrespect
Flouting God’s commandment shows gross disrespect to the sovereign God. This was the implication of the decision of Adam and Eve to ignore God’s instructions. We show the same attitude to God in several ways. Jesus said in Matthew 15: 8-9 these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me; teaching human precepts as doctrines. We honour God with our lips but dishonor him in our deeds.
Unless our actions are consistent with our utterances, we deceive ourselves. Proverbs 13: 13 says those who despise the word bring destruction on themselves, but those who respect the commandment will be rewarded. The LORD asked in Malachi 1: 6, a son honours his father, and servants their master. If then I am a father, where is the honour due me? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me? God deserves respect from us.
Sin of rebellion
Adam and Eve rebelled against God in acting contrary to his instructions. We also continue by our DNA from Adam to rebel against God in many ways. 1 Samuel 15: 23 says, for rebellion is no less a sin than divination, and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry. The bible says in Proverbs 17: 11 evil people seek only rebellion.
Impliedly, we together with our fore-parents are evil people who seek rebellion against God. We must not harden our hearts as in the rebellion, Hebrews 3: 15. Jesus said in Matthew 3: 9; Luke 3:8 bear fruits that befit repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, we have Abraham as our father; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
Sin of stubbornness
Adam refused to accept his sin but rather blamed God for giving him Eve. Adam said in Genesis 3: 12,“The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” In other words had God not given him the woman, he Adam would not have been tempted or sinned?
We must be ready to accept our shortcomings and confess for forgiveness. 1 John 1: 9-10 say if we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Confessing includes turning away completely and unconditionally from our sins never to go back.
Sin of immorality
Adam and Eve committed a sin of depravity. They had perverse or stubborn minds hence acted without God’s authority which is self-indulgence or dishonesty. Just as they did, we are also not truthful to God. John 4:24 says God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. We cannot deceive God.
Paul affirmed this when he wrote in Galatians 6: 7-8 do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. God knows the thought of every heart and also judges from the heart. What conscience do we have before God? Are we any different from Adam and Eve?
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, just as Adam and Eve were, so are we and fallen short of your glory in sin. We ask for your forgiveness and cleansing in your precious blood which you shed on the cross for us. Lead us in righteousness and make us seek to know you better than we have always done. Make us worthy ambassadors of the cross in your holy name, Amen!!
0 Comments