All Men Sin
Taking the account of creation, God gave instructions to a man, saying, “Do not eat the fruit in the middle of the garden of Eden. The day that you eat thereof, you will surely die” (Genesis 3:3). Afterwards, the serpent came to confuse the woman (did it know that if it spoke to the man, nothing would have happened?). “If you eat of the fruit, you will be clever like God, and you will not die”(v 4). From that time, all have offended God by sinning. Sin is universal, and no-one is exempt from the presence and effect of sin (Rom 3:1-23). Sin affects our whole being including:
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Our will (John 8:3)
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Our mind (1 Corinthians 1:21)
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Our emotions (Romans 1:24-27)
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Our thoughts (Mark 7:21)
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Our behaviour (Galatians 5:19-21)
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Our speech (Psalm 5:9)
Sin is the root cause of all mankind’s problems, be they war, crime, disease, poverty or death. Ultimately, sin is an act against God. It is a violation of the perfect holiness of God (1 John 3:4; Rom 3:23). It is the nature, or attitude, within us that causes us to do evil/wrong. Sin can be seen as:
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Missing the mark, erring (Ex 32:30; Ps 51:9)
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Active rebellion, or transgression of God’s will (Pro 28:3)
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Going astray (Lev 4:13)
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Unrighteousness (1 Cor 6:8)
The origin of sin is always in man (Gen 3:6; Romans 5:12).
The penalty of sin is death. In the day of judgement, those who are rejected will die and have no further existence. The disciples of the Lord need not fear death, because, Jesus brought in forgiveness and salvation through his life, death and resurrection. We are no longer subject to eternal death if we seek forgiveness through Jesus.
Bro Jonathan Johnstone at work
Bro Jonathan Johnstone (Kasese, Uganda)
