Genesis 3:1-13
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 ¶ 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.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 ¶ And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 ¶ And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that t
The origin of sin is found in Genesis 3, where Adam's disobedience led to the fall of humanity.
Genesis 3 details the devastating events that occurred when Adam sinned against God, marking the origin of sin in the world. According to Romans 5:12, by one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin. This chapter illustrates how Adam's disobedience had dire consequences, not just for him, but for all humanity. Following this act of rebellion, the biblical narrative encompasses the themes of guilt, death, and total depravity that arose from this sin. Understanding the fall is vital for grasping the nature of sin and its inherited consequences for mankind.
Original sin is affirmed through Scripture, particularly in Romans 5, which states all are made sinners through Adam's disobedience.
The doctrine of original sin asserts that all humans inherit a sinful nature due to Adam's sin, which is clearly articulated in Romans 5:12. The text outlines that through Adam, sin entered the world, resulting in death and spiritual separation from God. Additionally, other Scripture passages reinforce this idea, emphasizing that every human being is born into sin and unable to achieve righteousness on their own. This foundational belief is essential in comprehending humanity’s need for redemption and the grace offered through Jesus Christ, who is the remedy for this fallen condition.<br>Further, passages such as Psalm 51:5 indicate that we are conceived in sin, underscoring the inherited nature of sin from our first parents. This understanding is critical for grasping the profound implications of salvation in Christ.</br>
Understanding the fall is crucial for Christians to grasp the magnitude of sin and the need for redemption through Christ.
Comprehending the fall of Adam is essential for Christians as it frames the entire narrative of Scripture and the gospel of salvation. Genesis 3 outlines how Adam's sin introduced death, guilt, and total depravity, which have affected all of humanity. The understanding of these consequences undergirds the necessity for redemption through Jesus Christ, who addresses the penalty of sin with His sacrificial death and resurrection. Romans 5 further elucidates that through Adam's act of disobedience, many were made sinners, but through Christ's obedience, many will be made righteous. This dual representation emphasizes the significance of being found in Christ for salvation and eternal life.<br>Without a clear understanding of the ruin caused by Adam's sin, believers may not fully appreciate the depth of grace that is available in Christ, or the comprehensive nature of the salvation He provides. Recognizing our fallen state leads to a greater appreciation for God's mercy and the gift of righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus.</br>
Genesis 3:1-13, Romans 5:19
Sermon Transcript
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Genesis chapter 3 we continue in our study Finishing chapter 1 and chapter 2 now we come to chapter 3 and I'm going to use for a title to the message Adams sin against God Adams sin against God or this title What happened in the garden? what happened in the garden. Someone said years ago, and I don't know, I'd give credit if I knew, but my pastor used to quote this all the time. I know Brother Todd Nybert quotes this as well all the time.
Wrong on the fall, wrong on all. You cannot be wrong here and be right anywhere else. Without doubt, this is one of the most important chapters in all the Word of God. Genesis chapter 3 and Romans chapter 5. Those two go hand in hand. One of the most important lessons that we could ever learn from God's Word is what happened when Adam sinned against God. Here we learn the origin of sin and the terrible consequences of sin When sin is finished, it brings forth death. God plainly told and commanded the man Adam, you may eat of every tree but one. Don't eat. And when you do, you're dead. You're dead. You will die.
Here we learn also that in Genesis chapter three, we learn the promise of redemption of sinners through the sacrifice of Christ. In verse 15, about the seed of the woman will bruise his head, his power. Who is that seed of woman? Well, it's the Lord Jesus Christ, born of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the law.
Adam lost the way, the truth, and he lost life. Death entered in. In the Lord Jesus Christ we have the way, the truth, the life fully restored and much more. You remember Paul wrote in Romans 5, we're sin abounded, grace is much more bound. The Lord said, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life. No man comes to the Father but by and through me. I will have no clear understanding, and this is so, and I've experienced this, I've seen this over the years that I've been in the ministry more than 40 years.
You'll have no clear understanding of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ until you understand what happened when Adam sinned against God. He wasn't simply bruised, he was dead. Dead. Graveyard dead spiritually. And we'll have no clear understanding of ruin and sin and Adam if we have no clear understanding of ruin and sin and guilt and Adam. We'll have no clear understanding of redemption that's in the Lord Jesus Christ and the righteousness that's found in Him.
Romans 5 is such a companion chapter to chapter 3 of Genesis. where it says, by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners. That's why you're a sinner, by Adam's sin. By one man's disobedience, many were made sinners. So by the obedience of another, the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, shall many be made righteous.
We're righteous in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. God, in his infinite wisdom and eternal purpose, is going to deal with all humanity in these two representative men. In Adam, all died. In Christ, shall all be made alive. In Adam's fall, we see sin, death, guilt, separation, wrath, judgment. Not only passed upon Adam and Eve, but she's the mother of all living. When Adam fell, you fell in him. And the scriptures again, I refer you to, we won't turn, but in Romans chapter 5 verse 12, sets it clear, sets it so clear.
By one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin. So death passed upon all men in whom all have sinned." You sinned in a representative man. But thank God there's another representative man that we're raised up in. God's going to deal with all men in those two federal heads.
And Adam all died, even so in Christ. shall all be made alive. In the Lord Jesus Christ, crucified and risen from the dead, we have salvation, we have redemption, salvation by His grace, redemption through His blood, righteousness that's freely imputed, we have reconciliation. In the Lord Jesus Christ, we have everlasting life, passed upon all His elect, all of His covenant people, His sheep, Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
What a blessing we have in Christ Jesus. Where sin abounded, grace does much more abound. And it does. Grace does much more abound in the Lord Jesus Christ. That as sin has reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. That's the good news of the gospel. Now, by way of review, and I'll go through this quickly, We have studied so far, Genesis 1 and 2, God created all things according to His eternal purpose and He said it was very good.
The Lord God created man out of the dust and breathed into him the breath of life and he became a living soul. The breath you just took is a gift of God's grace. All he has to do is just withhold that breath, and you're gone. This body will die for lack of oxygen. But God gives us breath, the breath of life. The Lord God gave Adam an ultimate command.
Every tree you may fully eat but one, that tree of knowledge of good and evil that's in the midst of the garden, don't eat it. Don't eat it. Don't eat it. And the day that you do, you reckon God knew that he would sin against God? Well, sure he knew that. But look what it says in chapter 2 verse 17. But a betrayer of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that you eat, It's not a matter of if. If you do, Adam, if you mess up, you're going to be in big trouble. No. For in the day you eat thereof, you're going to die.
You see, before Adam ever sinned, the Lord Jesus Christ already stood as a surety of the everlasting covenant of grace. For He's the Lamb slain before the creation of the world, before Adam. was created before Adam's sin, the Lord Jesus Christ stood as a surety of the covenant. Had there been no surety of the covenant when Adam sinned, he'd have been gone forever, eternally condemned. But the surety stood for Adam. I believe he is one of God's elect, and for all of God's elect.
The Lord God created, we saw last week, a beautiful woman. She was a beauty queen. Her name was Eve. And God fashioned that woman, made that woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, now this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. You know, he loved her. He loved her. She's my own. God made her and God gave her to me. And I love her so. And I'm going to protect her and take care of her and all this before sin entered in.
And then what happened after the fact? He was quick to cast her under the bus, as we say. The woman, that woman! Oh, not my lovely wife now, that woman, that woman you gave me, that old woman, she made me sin. Now, how long they were in this state of innocence when God created the woman and the man and put them in paradise. How long were they in that paradise before Satan came and tempted Eve?
How long, I don't know. I don't know, nobody else knows either. But I would like to think a long time, a long time. I don't know, no one else knows, but according to God's good pleasure and God's good time, according to the decree of God, paradise was lost. through sinful disobedience, in order that Christ may be glorified in saving sinners."
You see, this is all God's purpose and God's decree. And He decreed all this from eternity. People often speculate, well, why didn't God stop Adam from sinning? It wasn't His purpose. Could He have? Absolutely. Satan couldn't touch Job. Satan said, you put a fence around Job, I can't get him. I can't get to him. You just take that fence down and he'll curse you to your face. Well, God took the fence down. God could have, if he would have, but he didn't for his own purpose and glory. Now, I'm not smart enough to understand that. But by faith, I believe it. Because God's a God of purpose. God of purpose.
Now we see here in verse 1, we see here the wicked assault of Satan, that old devil, upon Adam and Eve. We read in Revelation 12, that great dragon, he has a lot of names, he's a great dragon, was cast out, that old serpent called the devil. Satan, which has sieved the whole world, he's cast out into the earth and his angels are cast out with him. Is Satan a real created being? Yes. Who created him? God did. But we know that Satan is a fallen creature. Satan is a sinful creature.
Satan was a created angel who rebelled against God and fell from his original state. The apostles write about it this way, the angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation, he God hath reserved. an everlasting change under darkness unto the day of great judgment. Peter writes, God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into change of darkness to be reserved unto judgment. So there was a time when Satan was an unfallen angel, but now he's a fallen angel and his desire is to Assault the throne in the goodness of God. Assault the throne in the goodness of God. Now, his chief aim is to deceive sinners, to believe a lie, and not to believe the truth of God.
He's a liar. He's a murderer from the beginning. He's subtle. He's crafty. He's deceitful. He's a father of lies. John writes about it this way. He said, the devil sent us from the beginning. Remember 1 John 3, 8. Our Lord listened to this, told the Pharisees. When they said, Abraham is our father, you remember they bragged about it. Abraham's our father. Remember what the Lord said?
You are of your father the devil. The lust of your father will you do. He was a murderer from the beginning, a bold not in the truth because there's no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. You are of your father the devil. He is a liar. He's a liar from the beginning. He's lying to Eve. God said, you shall die. They said, really? I don't think so. You shall not die. Now who's right? We know who's right.
We read in 2 Corinthians 11, but I fear lest by any means there's a serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety. So your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity, the simpleness of the Lord Jesus Christ and salvation in Him. Now you remember what our Lord said to Peter, Simon Peter, Peter, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired thee that he may sip thee like wheat, but I prayed for you that your faith fail not. And then Peter writes in his epistle, we're kept by the power of God through faith. And then the apostle Paul says, lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of revelation that was given me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me.
He's an active evil creature, still seeking. He's called the accuser of the brethren. Thank God he can't get to us because we're kept by God's power. Now how Satan used this creature, I'm not sure. But somehow we read of people in the Gospels who were possessed with demons, right? And these demons even spoke, didn't they? We know who you are, you're the Holy One of God. So how Satan entered into this creature, I don't know, but somehow he did and this creature was used.
Satan used this creature to deceive the woman. Satan tries to say to Eve what God told Adam, had God said, and he twisted what God really said. He said, is it really true God has said you should not eat of every tree of the garden? Is that really true what he said? His method of deception has not changed today. His ministers today yet try to twist the Word of God to their own destruction.
They're called angels of light, ministers of righteousness. And what do they use? What have false preachers used in the pulpits this morning? What are they using? They're using the Word of God, aren't they? And they use it and twist it to their own destruction.
They try to show you that salvation is totally conditioned upon you. It's what you must do. We've got a new radio preacher, they kicked my time back and some foreigner from Alabama was on the radio and he was talking about, you want a heart operation, don't you? Give God a chance. My goodness. I'm going to call the radio station first thing in the morning. I'm going to find out what's going on.
Why they bumped me off the air to give this charlatan air time. I think they ought to kick him off. But he's probably got more money than I've got. He come all the way up from Alabama to be on the radio in Kentucky. He must have somebody promoting him. Here's the thing.
And a woman said unto the serpent, verse 2, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat of it, Neither shall you touch it, lest you die. Now, think about this.
God told Adam, don't eat of that tree. In the day you eat thereof, you'll die. Eve was not there when God said that. She had not been created yet. So what she is saying, what she is repeating, is what Adam told her. Adam told her, don't eat that tree, don't go near that tree, and don't even touch it. Don't even go near it. Don't even think about it. He knew the consequences. She didn't listen. She got deceived. She was beguiled. She was deceived.
God said, we can eat of every tree but one. He commanded us not to eat of the tree of knowledge, good and evil. lest we die, and some people criticize what she says here, neither shall you touch it. Well, she added to the word. That's probably what Adam told her. Don't go near that tree, don't look at it, don't eat it, don't touch it, just stay away from it.
Don't you think that's probably what happened? I think so. But Satan, he doubles down. Verse four, the serpent said, Satan said, let's say it that way, unto the woman, You shall not surely die. Now what did he add? He added one word. And he added one word, and he changed the whole meaning, didn't he? He used what God said, but he added to the word of God, didn't he? Not. Not. You shall not surely die. Well, God doesn't know verse 5. God knows.
And He does know. that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods. You'll be a god yourself. You'll be so much better off. Oh, you'll be so much better off. You'll be so much wiser if you just disobey God, and you shall be as gods. And that word there is the same word that's used in the beginning, God, Elohim, knowing good, and evil. Satan promises advantage by disobeying God.
You'll not be a loser. You'll be a winner. You'll gain knowledge. Oh, you'll be so smart. You'll have knowledge of not only good, but of evil. You'll be like God. He's holding back on you. You'll be like God. You'll be as God yourself. Your eyes of your understanding will be opened and you'll know not only good, but you'll know evil too. And you'll have so much wisdom that you'll be able to refuse the evil and choose the good. He's a liar, isn't he? Still is. We're never better off when we disobey God, are we? Nope.
Well, the woman, verse 6, the woman saw that the tree was good. Now, there was nothing evil in that tree, that tree of knowledge of good and evil, nothing evil about that tree. God created it, said it's good. But when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant, a desire to the eyes, pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise.
She's believing a lie, isn't she? She took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also unto her husband, and he did eat. Now nothing happened as far as death and depravity and guilt and shame. When Eve took that fruit, she was not the federal head. That command was given to Adam. And when Adam partook of that, and when he did eat, both of them died. And we died in him. The woman is deceived by Satan.
We read in 1 Timothy 2.14, Adam was not deceived. But the woman was deceived. This woman was deceived was in the transgression. She believed Satan's lie and disregarded God's truth. How dangerous is that? How dangerous is that? She saw the tree was good for food. She saw the tree was pleasant to the eyes. She saw the tree was desired to make one wise. John writes about it this way in 1 John chapter 2, when he says, all that's in the world, lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
When Eve ate of the fruit, nothing happened. But when Adam ate the fruit, it plunged both of them into spiritual darkness, guilt, death, and total depravity. What a total ruin for the whole human race. This is what we call original sin. You say, well, everybody believes in original sin. No, they don't. Most churches up and down this road deny what we call original sin. They think people are born in innocence, then they grow up and become sinners. That's not so. I was born in sin, shaping in iniquity. I'm never a sinner on the basis of what I do. It's what I am. That's my problem. Oh, wretched man that Paul said, I am.
Total ruin of the whole human race. For sin by man came death. Thank God for the second part of this. By man came the resurrection from the dead. For as in Adam all died, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. You wonder why so much sickness, disease, death, guilt, murder, crime, depravity, this human race is plagued with it. All started right here. The origin of sin is right here. And we have the blood and guilt of Adam flowing through our body right now. Guilty. Guilty. Let every mouth be stopped and all the world become guilty before God.
There is none righteous, no, not one. There's none that understands. There's none that seek after God. They're all together gone out of the way. There's none righteous, no, not one. One. Not your baby, not mine. Eve was deceived. Adam was not. Adam was not deceived.
He willingly disobeyed God, knowing the consequences he would suffer of his rebellion, death, and immediate spiritual death. He lost his innocence. He obtained guilt. He lost his standing before God and was cast out of the garden. and we were cast out with him. As it says in verse 24 of Genesis 3, so he drove the man out, pushed him out, and he placed to the east of the garden of Eden cherubims and a flaming sword of God's justice which turneth every way to keep the way of a tree of life. God going to guard salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ. innocence. Someone said the will of God was rejected, the word of God was rejected, and the way of God was deserted in Adam. What a disaster. Well, what are the results? I've got Few minutes left and see if we can work down through these verses here. What are the results of Adam's rebellion and sin against God? Well, death, judgment, shame.
The eyes of them were both open, of them both were open, and they knew now they were naked. Now, before they were naked and had no shame, but now something different here. Their eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked, and they sewed fig leaf together and made themselves a covering.
And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees. And the Lord God called unto Adam." Can you imagine? Adam. Adam, where are you? Adam, who is this one speaking? Who's the voice walking in the cool of the day? It's the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ who's called the Word of God, the voice of God. Adam, what have you done?
The immediate consequences of Adam and Eve, upon all of us, their eyes were opened, not to things pleasant and delightful, but to distress, fear, guilt, and evil. They lost their fellowship and communion with God. They were full of shame. Their soul was naked. And that's a nakedness. They were naked in body, but now their soul is naked before the holy justice of God. And they feel shame. They feel... Have you ever had that feeling of guilt? Guilt! That drags you down, doesn't it? I'm guilty. They knew they were guilty before God. They knew they were naked. Their souls had been stripped of innocence. They lay bare before the holy justice of God. Spiritually separated from God.
That's what it means to be dead in sin. That's when Paul talks about you hath he quickened who were dead in sin. They died, God pronounced a physical death upon Adam. He died when he was 930 years old, physically. But he died the instant he rebelled against God spiritually. He lost his state of innocence and plunged into death.
We are born without God, without hope, and without Christ in this world. That's how we're born. They made vain attempt to cover their shame, their guilt, and sin against God. Fig leaves of self-righteous religion won't cover a naked, guilty soul. God looks on the heart. That's the problem. God doesn't look on the outward. Three-piece suit, $500 three-piece suit, looks pretty good.
Not before God. Not going to cover your guilty soul before God. The vain attempt to cover up their shame, guilt against God, fig leaves will not cover a guilty soul. Any and all attempt to hide from God behind the works of religious pride, works of self-righteousness, will not cover a naked, sinful, guilty soul. By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Fallen sinners are no different today, are they? Why do religious men try to do the things they do to please God? They don't understand original sin. That's the whole issue. That's why works religion is so popular. They don't understand what happened in Adam. If you don't understand what happened in Adam, you won't understand what Christ did upon the cross. They go hand in hand.
Fallen sinners are no different today, still trying to satisfy God by the deeds of the flesh. Sinners are so depraved, they would rather trust themselves, the deeds of the flesh, rather than looking to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that's depravity, isn't it? They look to themselves, rather than look to the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, I'm God, beside me there is no other.
Look unto me. Oh, we're too busy looking at ourselves. We think we're pretty good. We think we're pretty good creatures. Going about to establish a righteousness of our own rather than submitting ourselves unto the righteousness of God in Christ. Looking unto the Lord Jesus Christ. That saving faith is given of God. How do I know if I have saving faith? Where do you look? Saving faith has a single eye to Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ exalted. We count all else rubbish and dung that we may win Christ and be found in Him. In verse 8 down through verse 14, we see the immediate effects of sin written and displayed before us. Adam and Eve tried to hide from God. Their foul and guilty nature produced fear, foolishness, and ignorance. To try to hide from God? Are you crazy? Are you so foolish? You're going to run behind a tree and think God can't see you?
He's Almighty. He knows everything and everyone. being sensible of God's approach and filled with shame and conscience of their own guilt and dread of judgment, instead of fleeing to God for mercy, they foolishly attempt to run and hide from Him. Now you see how depraved Adam is?
Why didn't he cry out for mercy? Because he's dead in sin. Spiritually so. David, awakened by the Spirit of God when he sinned against God, he said, God have mercy upon me, thee sinner. Adam here, in his fallen state, is so totally depraved and guilty, he doesn't even have enough sense to ask for mercy. That's how depraved we are before God. Man will never truly call upon the Lord for mercy unless God is pleased to do something for him, raise him from the dead. The Lord God doesn't ask questions.
Adam, where are you? Adam, what have you done? The Lord doesn't ask you a question for information, but rather to draw out of Adam what he did. Where are you, Adam? What have you done? Adam, what condition are you in now after disobeying the command of God?
The Lord God says this to bring about confession from Adam and confront him over his rebellion against God's command. But look what happens. Now, if you want a monument and testimony to total depravity, here it is. That wife that God made and gave to him out of his sight, an object of his love, when he confronted him with his sin, He turned on the woman. And he said, I heard the voice, thy voice in the garden. I was afraid I was naked. Who told you you was naked? Hath thou eaten of the tree? And the man said, verse 12, the woman, that's the woman that you gave me. What does he do here?
In essence, he puts the blame on God, doesn't he? Don't tell me the carnal mind is not enmity against God. Don't tell me the carnal mind will not receive the things of the Spirit of God. Adam, instead of taking the blame, puts the blame on Eve. In essence, he blamed God for his rebellion and sin against him, rather than confess his sin and own it, rather than confess his sin and ask for mercy, he blames the woman. Blames the woman. This shows how depraved we are.
You know, it's always someone else's fault. It's always quite amusing when people are hauled into court, a court of law, whether it's Fayette County or Pike County. How often have you seen someone say, I'm guilty. Upon the advice of my attorney, what does the attorney always say?
Plead not guilty. Plead not guilty. How many times have you seen someone stand before the judge in an arraignment and say, how do you plead? Guilty, sir. That just doesn't happen in our day, does it? Nobody's guilty. We're all guilty against sinning against God. We've all sinned. Let's come clean now. Let's come clean. Let's shuck right down to the corn cob now. We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God.
That it? The wage of sin, what do I deserve? The wage of sin is death. Sin is of death. That's what I deserve. If God sent me to hell, I'd be getting exactly what I deserve. Exactly what I deserve. The wage of sin is death. Job asked this question, shall I cover my transgression as Adam did by hiding my iniquity in my bosom? Job knew better than that. Job said this in Job 9, if I justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me. If I say I'm perfect, I shall also prove I'm perverse. If I justify myself, my own mouth condemns me.
What about sweet little Eve? What's she going to say when she's confronted? And the Lord God, verse 13, said to the woman, Woman! What have you done? It's the serpent's fault. She blamed God too. Who created that creature that Satan possessed? God did. The woman said, the serpent beguiled me and I did eat. She didn't beg for mercy either, did she? You see how depraved both of them are? And the nature we have came from them. And Adam all sinned, and Adam all died. Instead of begging for mercy and asking for mercy for breaking the command of God, she blamed somebody else.
John writes this, if we say that we have no sin, That's what they were saying. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth's not in us. If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and the truth's not in us.
You say, well, I'm not a sinner. You just called God a liar. God said, you are. I am. We all are. But thank God we know there is forgiveness with the Lord. He is plenteous in mercy, plenteous in redemption. We have the promise of the Redeemer coming in verse 15. Verse 21, we see the Lord God shedding blood and sacrificing an animal to clothe them. And that's a picture of Christ our righteousness. We'll see that next week.
Because of our sinful nature, we blame others instead of ourselves. We seek to justify ourselves instead of owning our guilt. That's just how depraved we are. But one man's sin, Adam, death, came upon all men. That's the plague that's upon us now. Death, guilt, fear, shame, hate, foolishness. Everything Adam lost in the garden, In Christ we have restored and that much more. Much more. Sin abounded, grace is much more abound.
Consider this. I'll give you this in closing. What few minutes I've got here. Consider saying, in Adam all died. In Christ shall all be made alive. Consider death. In Christ we have spiritual and eternal life in the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to save sinners. Consider guilt. They had death, they had guilt. But the good news of the gospel is the Lord died in our room and in our stead to put away our guilt.
We read in Romans 8, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who read the word of Jesus Christ. I have no guilt because I have no sin justified before God. God committed His love toward us, and while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, being justified freely by His grace through redemption that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Lord Jesus Christ, believers are holy, unblameable, unreprovable in God's sight. I have no sin, therefore I have no guilt before God. He put away my sin. You see how much more we have in Christ?
Consider fear. Fear. Adam was scared to death of the holy judgment of God. We read in 1 John 4, perfect love cast out fear. In Christ we can say, Abba Father, listen to this. We have received not the spirit of bondage again to fear. This is what Paul says of believers in Romans 8. But we have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, and of children, then heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. If so we suffer with Him, we shall be glorified together with Him.
You see, no more death, no more guilt, no more fear, The way is opened through the blood of the Savior. He said, come unto me, all you who labor heavy laden. I'll give you rest. Come boldly to the throne of grace that you may obtain mercy. Fear not, Isaiah said. I am with thee. Be not dismayed. I am thy God. I'll strengthen thee. Yea, I'll help thee, hold thee by the right hand of my righteousness. No more death in Christ. No more guilt. No more fear. No more sin put away. No more shame. Shame. Shame.
He that believeth on the Lord shall not be ashamed. Paul said, I know whom I believe. I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. I know whom I have believed. I'm persuaded that He's able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day. We're ashamed of ourselves, but we're not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. No more shame. We can stand before the holy judgment bar of God Almighty with no guilt, no sin, no shame, no fear, excepted in the Beloved. He's able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory, and He does so with exceeding joy. In Christ we have all spiritual blessings freely bestowed. I love that word freely. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all thanks? What happened in the garden? What happened in the garden? Death. Judgment. What happened to the cross? Sin put away. Judgment fell on Christ. Salvation through His perfect sacrifice for our sin. Righteousness established.
About Tom Harding
Tom Harding is pastor of Zebulon Grace Church located at 6088 Zebulon Highway, Pikeville, Kentucky 41501. You may also contact him by telephone at (606) 631-9053, or e-mail taharding@mikrotec.com. The website address is www.henrytmahan.com.
Pristine Grace functions as a digital library of preaching and teaching from many different men and ministries. I maintain a broad collection for research, study, and listening, and the presence of any preacher or message here should not be taken as a blanket endorsement of every doctrinal position expressed.
I publish my own convictions openly and without hesitation throughout this site and in my own preaching and writing. This archive is not a denominational clearinghouse. My aim in maintaining it is to preserve historic and contemporary preaching, encourage careful study, and above all direct readers and listeners to the person and work of Christ.
Everything that exists is a thought in the mind of God.
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I spent the majority of my adult life building something I didn't know had a name. It started with the Scriptures and a lot of late nights. It ended with one sentence that generates every theological position I hold, from the nature of God to the nature of heaven and hell, without contradiction. One sentence. Thirty chapters. Sixteen appendices. And if you accept the sentence, everything else follows.
Most systematic theologies start with a list of doctrines and work through them one by one. This book starts with an ontological claim - that everything that exists is a thought in the mind of God - and derives everything from that single proposition. This is not a rearrangement of existing theology. This is a paradigm shift. Since Augustine imported Plato's metaphysics into the church in the fourth century, every major system of Christian theology has been built on a foundation the Scriptures never laid. This book identifies that foundation, names it, traces its influence across sixteen centuries, and replaces it with an ontology derived from Scripture alone. If the claim holds, this is the most significant shift in the theological starting point since Augustine. And I believe it holds.
This is not a devotional. This is not a commentary. This is a systematic theology built from the ground up by a computer programmer with no seminary degree, no denominational backing, and no one's permission. It uses the vocabulary of information theory, computer science, and quantum physics to describe realities that traditional theological language has never been able to reach. If you are a scientist who suspects that information is fundamental to reality but can't bring yourself to call it God, this book speaks your language. If you are a sovereign grace believer looking for a system that follows the logic all the way, this book does that. And if you have been told that the sharpest doctrine produces the coldest heart, this book ends with the widest arms you have ever seen in a Reformed theology.
The digital edition is free. The truth doesn't come with a price tag. - Brandan Kraft
Where this book stands in the tradition
4th century BC
Plato
Idealism — forms over particulars
The Republic ethic: “God is not the author of evil”
“Everything that exists is a thought in the mind of God, sustained by His will, authored by His purpose, and held together by personal covenants of love.”
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