WHAT Went Wrong?

     Sometimes it’s very difficult to sit and think about ALL the things going on in the world today and how things might be different.  I’ve often wondered when we want things to be different so badly, why have things continued to be so as they are.  So I thought I’d take a few moments and analyze things from the beginning.  I can’t speak for all of you who may read this blog, but I am a very spiritual man.  So it is only understandable I’d use the history from the Bible to give consideration to my examination of the “History of Man.”

     “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth!” I think we’ve all heard or considered that thought from Genesis 1:1.  However, for many from that point forward things get a little bit fuzzy.  It goes on to describe how God made all the things that we see around us today: the light, the darkness, vegetation, dry ground, all the oceans and seas, the fish in them, the animals walking upon the land, and then came His crowning creation of mankind, as stated in Genesis 1:26.  This is the man who we have come to know as Adam and his wife, Eve.  Verse 15 of Chapter 2 tells us that God took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and to take care of it.  In the very next verses (16 and 17) God lays the only restriction that was placed upon this new creation that had been made in God’s image: “From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction.  But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will certainly die.”

     Now let’s do a little thought searching here and a little reasoning on what was said.  What would you consider if you were told the following by your doctor:  “This item of food is dangerous to you.  If you eat it you will die!”  Doesn’t that sound very plain?  If you eat the food you die. Would not the opposite also be true?  If you DON’T eat the food you will continue to live!  And so it would have been true in the case of Adam. If he had NOT eaten from the tree and been obedient to God’s requirement he would still be alive TODAY!  Obedience was the requirement that was laid upon him.  He didn’t NEED that specific tree for survival.  He had ALL the other foods available to him in the garden.  So, our question: WHAT went wrong?

    After the above analysis it’s plain to see the problem: Adam WAS NOT obedient and he ate from the tree. (Gen 3:6)  So because of this disobedience Adam had sinned against God! 

     The Hebrew (chata) and the Greek (hamartia), the most common words translated as “sin” in the Bible literally mean “missing of the mark.”  God himself sets the “mark” that his intelligent creatures are to reach. Missing that mark is sin, which is also unrighteousness, or lawlessness. Sin is anything not in harmony with God’s personality, standards, ways, and will, all of which are holy. It may involve wrong conduct, failure to do what should be done, ungodly speech, unclean thoughts, or desires or motives that are selfish. The Bible differentiates between inherited sin and willful sin, between an act of sin over which a person is repentant and the practice of sin.

A couple of questions to consider:

     Did perfection require that Adam and Eve be unable to do wrong?  The maker of a robot expects it to do exactly what he has programmed it to do. But a perfect robot would not be a perfect human. The qualities viewed as essential are not the same. Adam and Eve were humans, not robots. To humankind, God gave the ability to choose between right and wrong, between obedience and disobedience, to make moral decisions. Since this is the way humans were designed, the inability to make such decisions (and not an unwise decision) is what would have indicated imperfection.

     Is there really such a thing as “sin” nowadays?  Let’s illustrate: If a sick man was to break the thermometer, would that prove that he did not have a fever? If a thief said that he did not believe what is written in the law books, would that make him innocent of crime? Similarly, the fact that many people do not believe it is necessary to live according to Bible standards does not put an end to sin.

Some people may choose to do what God’s Word forbids. But that does not prove the Bible wrong. Galatians 6:7, 8 warns: “Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap; because he who is sowing with a view to his flesh will reap corruption from his flesh.” The epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, broken homes, and so forth, gives evidence of the truthfulness of what the Bible says. God made man; He knows what will bring us lasting happiness; He tells us in the Bible. Does it not make sense to listen to Him?

If we understand WHAT went wrong from the beginning, at least as individuals we should be better prepared to make sure it doesn’t continue to happen in our case. We have a choice to make: Will we “miss the mark” or will we be obedient?  This is the important decision we have to make.   However, you’re only human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Words can truly hurt,

choose the ones you use wisely."