The Essence and Power of Sin (Part 2)

The essence of sin is disbelief: to believe a creature instead of the Creator.  Man and woman were made to be the image and likeness and glory of God.  Man is God's glory, woman is the glory of God's glory.  But they sinned and fell short of God's glory, missing the mark, not fulfilling God's goal for them:  Dominion.  First self dominion.  They could FREELY eat from the trees in the garden.  Adam could freely work the garden and freely name the animals, exercising his godlikeness.  In working the garden he was active.  In naming the animals, womankind, and the first woman, he was active.  But when he sinned, after Eve sinned, they introduced the power of sin:

PASSIVITY.

 

The essence of sin is disbelief; the power of sin is to passively accept anything that contradicts God's words.  Both Adam and Eve did this. They passively accepted the words of a creature instead of actively accepting the words of the Creator.

 

Eve said she was deceived, and Paul agrees with her in the New Testament.  As you know, Eve blamed the serpent, but God didn't agree with her lack of responsibility.  She knew what God said, and could've gone to Him to address what the serpent told her.  In fact, if she had actively taken the dominion God gave her, she would have put the serpent in his place.  Who was he to question the queen of earth about the words of the King of kings and queens?  She could have asked her husband as well, but her husband passively stood listening to the serpent.

 

Adam also knew the word of God, and the scriptures make it clear that Adam was not deceived.  God said to Adam,

"Because you LISTENED TO YOUR WIFE and ate from the tree I commanded you not eat from..."

Adam blamed Eve, continuing to be passive, refusing to take responsibility, or dominion, as God made him to do.  In being passive, the first man and woman sinned, leading to every sin of every man and woman after them...until we come to The Last Adam, the Second Man...and his mother....

(click HERE for part 3)