So far we’ve painted a pretty rosy picture of things: God wants a relationship with us, the Bible is a trustworthy source for learning about that relationship, and every human has intrinsic value as an image-bearer of God. So what’s the problem? Why do so many people feel far from God, and why is the world so broken?
The biblical answer to this question uses a word that seems out–of-date and almost non-existent these days. That word is “sin,” and in this lesson we’ll tell you all about it.
Defining Sin
Sin is going your own way, trusting and acting on your own opinions and feelings instead of on God’s truth. The first series of the Bible illustrates this definition in the story of Adam and Eve, the first two humans. God created them and placed them in the Garden of Eden, generously giving them all of the trees to eat from – except the tree in the very middle of the garden. The tree “of the knowledge of good and evil” was off-limits. That’s where we pick up the story:
Genesis 3:1-6 (NLT) The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
God gave Adam and Eve freedom in the garden, and there was plenty to choose from. But look at how the serpent twisted God’s words, trying to make him look stingy and controlling. And notice that the serpent ended with a bald-faced lie – and so the woman was convinced. Eve turned her back on the Creator and instead trusted the creature.
At the end of the day, Adam and Eve were trusting their own opinions and feelings over God’s truth. They acted on their “truth” and went their own way, and sin entered the world. And the same basic story has been repeated throughout history ever since.
Broken In Every Way
Sin is a practical problem, not just a theological one. Sin brings brokenness in every way, keeping us from experiencing the fullness of life that God wants for us. This doesn’t mean we’re all as bad as we possibly could be. But the infection runs deep in all of us, and there’s no getting around its devastating effects.
Think of our sin nature like a glass of lemonade: one drop of poison is enough to contaminate the whole batch. Sin is that poison, and it infects everything it touches: our thinking, our relationships, our physical health, our finances, and everything else.
Because of sin, we cannot keep the Greatest Commandments. Instead of loving God and others, we put ourselves first. This fundamental disordering of our lives has a domino effect, causing brokenness in every way: spiritually, relationally, and emotionally. Pauls spelled out what happens in his letter to Galatia:
Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT) When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Far from a comprehensive list, Paul offers here a sampling of the fallout from sin. Notice the breadth of vices, from sexual immorality to simple envy. When it comes to sin, there’s something for everyone. This verse in Romans make it clear:
Romans 1:30 (NLT) They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.
Every generation seems to invent new ways of sinning. Much of what our parents considered to be “sin” is perfectly acceptable in today’s society. Where will the line be drawn for our children’s generation?
Born Into Sin
So when, exactly, does this sin problem start for us? And does it affect everyone? The biblical teaching is clear: since the fall of Adam and Eve, we have all been born into sin. Every one of us has a sinful nature at birth, no exceptions.
Romans 3:10-12 (NLT) As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”
Romans 3:23 (NLT) For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Think about two-year-olds. To one degree or another, they’re all born with a bent toward selfishness – and they never fully grow out of it! We all have a natural bias toward narcissism. We’re all born into sin. That’s why Jesus said this:
John 3:3 (NLT) Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
The problem of sin affects all of us from birth. The solution is to start over, to be “born again” to a new life in Christ. This language is meaningful. It’s as if Jesus is saying, “Your first birth doomed you to a life of sin. Your re-birth can undo the damage.”
Jesus isn’t suggesting that you can change your sinful nature. He’s not asking you to stop sinning and start trying to be a better person. He’s saying that something has to happen to you, something beyond your control. That’s how birth works. You don’t earn it; somebody else does all of the work to make it happen.
Being “born again” works the same way, and Jesus did the work to make it possible for us. That’s the topic of our next lesson.
