THE OLD TESTAMENT TEACHES US ABOUT SIN
LIBERTY AND LOVE #49
The Old Testament begins to prepare the way for the New by telling us what our problem is. Were it not for the things written before (Romans 15:4), the nature and impact of sin in the life of mankind would not be nearly as apparent. Examples and illustrations from the lives of people in the Old Testament serve to make biblical points clearer, and such is the case with sin. For example, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, we have not only the first recorded sin, but also a practical picture of what sin is.
Out of a desire for spiritual intimacy, God created man (Genesis 1:26, 27; 2:7, 18-25). Following His formation of Adam and Eve, God placed them in the beautiful Garden of Eden and instructed to them “work and keep it.” His plan was for them to exist buoyantly in the perfect environment of Eden, maintaining dependence upon him to meet all of their needs, both physical and spiritual, while they in return served him faithfully. Due to his benevolent nature, he blessed them with access to every tree in the garden, with one exception, the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
His command to them was not to eat from this tree (Genesis 2:16-17). The law of God was given to them in words they could plainly understand. Therefore, there was no occasion for speculation on their part in regard to what God wanted them to do. Also, the consequence of disobedience was expressly stated: “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you must not eat from it: for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17).
Satan appeared in the form of a serpent and tempted Eve. At his insidious prompting, she ate of the forbidden fruit from the tree in the midst of the garden, then gave to her husband who did likewise. Consequently, God moved to pronounce the judgment of separation upon their transgression, which led to their eviction from the beautiful garden (Genesis 3:8-19).
Sin is vividly presented in the account of Adam’s fall, and we therefore possess a practical exemplification of its meaning and nature: Sin is disobedience to God. The New Testament tells us that sin is “lawlessness” (1 John 3:4), and that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). We are made to understand this point even better when we go to the Old Testament and see the first sin and its consequences.
Dewayne Dunaway
