Sin

By Liston E. Wallace

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     Sin started with a snake. Remember Adam and Eve and the serpent? The word sin in our language starts with a letter that resembles a snake. Look at the letter "S". Doesn't it remind you of one of those vipers? Now, look at something else about this word sin. What do we find in the middle of it? We find the letter "I". Each of us can say, "I am right in the middle of sin." This is so true. For the Bible tells us that "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23). Also, it says, "If we say we have not sinned, we make God a liar and His word is not in us" (1 John 2:10). Sin has us surrounded. We are in the center of it.

     Let's go back to Adam and Eve and the serpent. God had told Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. For if he did he would surely die. But, the serpent beguiled Eve and she ate of the fruit of this tree. She gave some to Adam and he also ate of it.

     For the first time sin had come upon man. Man was tempted and he yielded to that temptation. Man sinned and for some six thousand years since that time sin has flourished in this world and has affected the lives of every living soul.

     We don't know where Adam was when the serpent tempted Eve. We can only imagine what took place when he came home that day. Eve had probably already eaten of the forbidden fruit. When she saw Adam she was elated.

     "Oh Adam," she exclaimed. "The most wonderful thing has happened. While you were gone the serpent assured me that if I ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil I would not die. But, that I would be like God, knowing good from evil. And he was right. I did eat the fruit and it was delicious. See...I'm not dead. And I know it is good to wear clothes. I just can't wait until I make me a pretty dress. Here take a bite and become smart like me."

     Adam was overwhelmed. It all looked good to him, so, he too ate of the forbidden fruit. Immediately he became "educated." He too, knew that it was evil for him to be naked. So he and Eve went looking for some clothes.

     It wasn't enough for Eve to sin; she had to get Adam involved in it too. The same thing happens today. Many times when we sin we do our best to involve others.

     When I was a small boy, I was forbidden to play with fire. Yet, I thought it would be great fun to do so. I was a little leery about starting a fire by myself so I conspired with my cousin, who was about my age, and who also had been forbidden to play with fire, to come with me and help build a fire to cook a pigeon that we had killed.

     We gathered all the things we needed to cook the pigeon with and headed for our secret hide-out in the hills behind the house. We found a nice barren spot where there was nothing but rocks. "A perfect spot," so we thought, "with no trees or grass to catch on fire."

     We made our fire on those rocks with some wood and sticks we had found nearby. We cleaned our pigeon and put it in a skillet to cook.

     As we sat there and watched the fire burn and the pigeon cook, we felt kind of proud of ourselves for having built a fire. "There is nothing to it," I said. "Any one can build a fire if they are careful and keep it away from things that burn."

     What we didn't know though, was

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that hot rocks could explode. It wasn't long before one did and a piece of it hit my cousin on the forehead. It left a nasty gash. All at once we had had enough of fires. So we put it out; threw our pigeon away and headed for home. We were worried too, about what our parents would say. But, we knew we would have to face them with the truth. Because, cut foreheads just don't go away.

     We were lucky, I guess, to get off with just a stern lecture. However, that still didn't ease that guilty feeling I had. I knew that it was my fault that all this happened. For, if I had not persuaded my cousin to come along and light that fire he would never have been hit by a hot rock. My sin had not only gotten me into trouble but I had involved someone else.

     We found out something else that day too. We learned that God's word was true when He said, "Your sins will find you out" (Numbers 32:23). Not only do parents find out but God finds out too. Adam and Eve learned this great truth there in the garden. They tried to hide but God found them.

     Another thing about sin that happens many times is that we try to blame someone else for our actions. Adam blamed Eve for his sin. Eve blamed the serpent. We call this "passing the buck."

     Not only are individuals affected this way, but even nations like to blame other countries for their troubles. If there is war between two countries, they each blame the other for it. When things go wrong the Democrats blame the Republicans and the Republicans blame the Democrats. The president blames the congress, the congress blames the president. A husband blames his wife and she in turn blames her husband. And whom does the church blame for it's problems? Isn't it usually the preacher? Then he in turn blames the church.

     In general we are a "buck passing people." Never quite willing to bear our own sins. It seems to matter little whether our troubles are great or small, the tendency is to blame the other fellow.

     During the time the children of Israel were being led out of Egypt to the promised land they would blame Moses for their plight whenever things got a little rough.

     The age of a person seems to have little bearing on one's eagerness to shift the blame. A few years ago my dad was swinging my four year old son. My dad was standing behind the swing pushing him while he sat in the swing holding to the ropes. After several minutes of this my son turned loose of one of the ropes, lost his balance and fell to the ground. He was surprised and frightened more than he was hurt.

     Jumping to his feet he yelled to his grandad, "You did it. You did it." "What did I do?" His grandad asked. "I don't know," he replied, "But you did it."

     Grown people too, like to blame others. Not always knowing why, but blaming them just the same.

     Not to accept one's own guilt, by trying to pass it on to someone else, is in itself sinful, thereby adding to the sin we have already committed. God knows where the blame lies. Usually the sinner knows too. But he tries to wiggle out of it somehow by shifting blame to some one else.

     "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). God had told Adam and Eve that they would die if they sinned. God kept His word. There was no more easy life for them. Because, from the sweat of his face did Adam make a living and Eve's sorrows were multiplied. All of this man has inherited because of sin.

     However, God's compassion for Adam and Eve caused Him not to put them out into a cold world unprotected. He made coats of skin and clothed them. Neither has He left mankind unprotected. A way out of the cold darkness of sin has been provided. That way is Christ. His precious redeeming blood can cleanse us of those sins and can

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make us pure and free as Adam and Eve were before that episode in the garden with that deceiving serpent.

     There will be sin in this world until the day of judgment when God will cast Satan and his followers into the lake of fire. And it will be of our own choosing if we are among that number. God doesn't want anyone to perish, but wants us all to repent and come to Christ. The choice is ours. Whom will it be? Christ or Satan?