The Consequences of Sin

Genesis 1-3

Life was good in the garden. Adam and Eve lived in the perfect setting with no worries or fears. God visited with them regularly and they took walks together through Eden. Perfect people in a perfect relationship with a perfect God in a perfect world. God made them in His image. They were eternal, spirit being in the flesh. They were made with a free will and the ability to make choices. And they did!

That is where the story takes a turn for the worse. God told them they were free to eat of all the trees in the garden, except one. The tree in the middle of the garden was off limits to them, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They understood that they would die if they ate the fruit from that tree. (Gen 2:16, 17) They knew the consequence and chose to do it anyway. People! God had demonstrated His goodness to them by the vast freedom He had given them. But the prohibition of the one tree demonstrated that they must live under a law and that the law was enforced by a practical penalty of which they had been mercifully warned.

Satan, the father of lies presented sin to them the same way he does to us today. He said to Eve, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen 3: 4-5) He tells her that God has lied to her and that He wants to keep them from being like Him. Who should she believe, the God that created her and has provided for her or her new "friend" that offers her a chance to be like God. She listens to him... her first mistake.

She looks at the fruit. She takes the time to examine the fruit... her second mistake. Her time of inspection comes to an end with her decision to eat it. She thinks it will taste good, that it looks good and that she will be smart after she eats it. John puts it this way in 1 John 2:16, "For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life —is not from the Father but is from the world." Eve was no different than you and me. She was tempted by the same things that we are today. Sensuality, pleasure and ambition, the threefold nature of sin are still pulling at us today. Pretty girl, handsome man... sure. New car, fancy house.... got to have them. Power and influence.... give me more.  Solomon got it just right when he wrote..."What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." (Ecc 1:9)

That brings us to the consequences of sin. Adam and Eve realized what they have done. They understood that they had broken God's law and that everything had changed. I cannot imagine that moment, the one when they looked at each other and realized that they had made an eternal mistake. A momentary pleasure had destroyed the relationship they had with the Father. A momentary pleasure... we would never do anything like that. So what are the consequences... the first is shame. Adam and Eve realize what they have done and for the first time in their lives feel shame. Their innocence is gone. Moses puts it this way... "Then the eyes of both of them were opened".

The second result of sin is fear. Adam and Eve understood that they had disobeyed God and naturally they were afraid. They heard God taking His daily walk through the garden and they hide from Him. Their relationship has changed. The open, honest relationship between the Creator and the created had changed. The consequences of this are eternal. God calls out to His people and they hide and are afraid. Sin always produces fear and fear causes us to hide. We run from God, we cover our sins, we put up a good front, but in the end we are all sinners and our relationship with God is damaged. That is the story of man and thankfully God provides a way for our sins to be dealt with. John tells us in Revelation that God was already dealing with our sins from creation..."All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world." (Rev 13:8) Jesus was slain from the creation of the world. God's plan of redemption was already in place when Adam took the bite that changed man's relationship with His Creator.

The third thing that sin produces is blame. When God confronted Adam with his sin, Adam quickly pointed the finger at Eve, "the woman you put here with me". When God turned to Eve, she pointed to Satan, the deceiver. As Flip Wilson used to say, "The devil made me do it". We are always looking for excuses, for someone or something to point to when it comes to our sinfulness. James clears up the controversy this way, "Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." (James 1:13-15) Sin comes from within us, our desires, our wants, our lusts. The finger of blame must be squarely pointed at ourselves. I don't sin because of Adam; I sin because of Dale. You don't sin because of Satan; you sin because of your own personal desires. God does not tempt us to sin; we are drawn away by our own desires.

Shame, fear and blame. That was and is the consequences of sin. From the beginning until now, it is always the same. We are ashamed of our conduct. That shame causes us to fear a loving God, our Creator. And because of the shame that we feel, we seek to blame someone or something for actions. We can choose to go down that road and suffer the consequences of sin or we can recognize our condition and turn to God. Just like in the garden, God calls out to us... "Where are you?” And just like Adam and Eve, we are free to choose. Do I respond to His call or do I ignore Him and live in my sinful state? We must make the choice; the Lamb was slain from creation to deal with the sins of mankind. God did His part; he provided a solution for the problem. Now it is up to you and me. Live separated from God or have our relationship with Him restored. If you are interested in learning more about this restored relationship, send me a message on my blog. God is calling, will you answer? May God richly bless you as you study His word.