Grace Gospel 101 (Part 1): Man’s Sin Condition
The Fall of Man
The first man ever to live was Adam and the first woman was Eve. They lived in the Garden in Eden. God had provided for all of the needs of Adam and Eve. They were given great freedom in the Garden. However, God put Adam to the test in one area: "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17). The only restriction placed upon Adam was that he must not eat of "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
God was testing Adam to see if he would obey. Adam failed the test: "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat" (Genesis 3:6). Thus, Adam disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit.
The Consequences
When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, they became sinners. This is when sin entered the world. "Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12). The entrance of sin into the world also brought death. God had warned Adam "thou shalt surely die" if he disobeyed the command.
Adam now had a sin nature and soon had "a son in his own likeness, after his image" (Genesis 5:3). Due to Adam's sin, every person is born with a sin nature. ("For as by one man's [Adam's] disobedience many were made sinners...") Many people say that man is basically good and that we only need to create an environment in which man's goodness will be expressed. However, this is not true since all are born with a corrupt nature and are "alienated from the life of God" (Ephesians 4:18).
Man's Condition
All men are now sinners before God. "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10). Whether rich or poor, famous or unknown, all are sinners in God's eyes. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The whole world is now "guilty before God" (Romans 3:19). Some religions teach that there are one or more holy men or women who live a much better life than all other people. This is not true from God's perspective. God says, "They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Romans 3:12).
It is common to hear religious and political leaders talk about how all men (regardless of race, nationality, religion, etc.) are children of God. However, notice the following words that Jesus Christ spoke to some religious leaders of His day: "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do" (John 8:44). In a later study we will see what the Bible teaches about how we can become children of God. However, it is important to understand that no one is born a child of God and being religious does not make one a child of God. Jesus Christ said that the religious leaders of His day were children of the devil.
The Bible not only says that the religious leaders to whom Christ spoke were children of the devil, but also teaches that Satan is "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). Clearly most of the people in the world are following the devil, not the one true God. Man's understanding is darkened and his heart is wicked. Even when speaking to His own disciples, Christ said, "If ye then, being evil." Men may act religious and quite moral, but according to God's Word all are sinners. Romans 7:18 declares "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing" and thus it is impossible for a man in his natural condition to please God.
It is important to remember that man has a twofold problem. First is the fact that every person commits sins against God. Second is the truth that all men are born with a sin nature. Thus, even if a man is able to control himself from committing sins through religion or moral teaching, he still has a sin nature. Therefore, in God's sight he still is evil and guilty.
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