Perry Martins
Ever wondered where on earth did a two-year old learn to be jealous over his sibling? Jealousy, murder, stealing, cheating, adultery, smoking etc- these are the most common replies when people are asked to define ‘sin’. But they constitute sinful nature and not sin itself. In other words, because we are sinners, we think, act, live in a sinful manner.
Then, how and when did sin enter a human? The Bible traces it back to the time of Adam and Eve, a story we’re all familiar with. A quite natural question emerges out of this- why didn’t God hinder Eve from eating the forbidden fruit? Let’s assume that God did intervene after all and the fruit moved higher so that Eve could not reach and thus, avoid eating it. Would Eve then be established sinless? We must understand here that sin was more than the mere action of consuming the fruit, but the decision to move away from God by violating His commands. In doing so, the entire human race born out of her lost the relationship with God and became deserving of eternal death.
Very often we try to justify ourselves. But had my thoughts be projected in a movie screen before my family, could I even dare to sit and watch? How much more then before God in front of whom our every part and being lies threadbare? …But the same holy God desired for us to live, to be forgiven and
reconciled to Him. When I acknowledge myself as a sinner and repent, I take my first step towards experiencing the restoration of the relationship with God that I had lost in the Garden of Eden years ago.
“Sin is like a jail cell except its nice and comfy and there doesn’t seem to be any need to leave. The door is wide open. Until one day, it slams shut.” (God’s not Dead).
Written by ICPF Bangalore
