Well then, am I suggesting that these laws of God are evil? Of course not! No, the law is not sinful, but it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known the sin in my heart—the evil desires that are hidden there—if the law had not said, “You must not have evil desires in your heart.” But sin used this law against evil desires by reminding me that such desires are wrong, and arousing all kinds of forbidden desires within me! Only if there were no laws to break would there be no sinning.
That is why I felt fine so long as I did not understand what the law really demanded. But when I learned the truth, I realized that I had broken the law and was a sinner, doomed to die. So as far as I was concerned, the good law which was supposed to show me the way of life resulted instead in my being given the death penalty. Sin fooled me by taking the good laws of God and using them to make me guilty of death. But still, you see, the law itself was wholly right and good. Romans 7:7-12 (TLB)
Sin is dead. Yes, you heard right. Sin is dead…..apart from God’s law. Without standards of right and wrong, there can be no perception of sin. Without morals and principles, anything goes until standards are raised and God’s instructions are heeded. Yet commands intended to decrease sin seem to increase the desire to commit those sins.
COMMANDS INTENDED TO DECREASE SIN SEEM TO INCREASE THE DESIRE TO COMMIT THOSE SINS.
If you’ve ever raised children or taught them in any capacity, you understand the tendency to push against authority. While some children naturally desire to follow rules and obey those in charge, other children appear drawn to do the opposite of a command. If you say don’t or no, it seems they do exactly what you told them not to do. The end result—consequences resulting from disobedience.
Imagine our Heavenly Father giving directives to His children. Now visualize their disregard for His decrees. This indifference to authority has happened for ages. It began in the Garden of Eden and is recorded in the Book of Genesis.
God placed Adam in a paradise of sorts—a beautiful ample garden—to tend and keep. Of all the trees given for food, only one was off-limits. God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)
God then created all the creatures of the earth as well as a companion (a woman named Eve) for Adam. Even though it doesn’t appear to have been recorded, God’s directions must have been relayed to this woman because the serpent took the opportunity to converse with her about God’s command. “Did God really say?” said the serpent.
As the serpent spoke with Eve, he challenged God’s authority. Satan, that cunning serpent, tempted Eve and she disobeyed God. Eve enticed Adam and he defied the Lord’s law. Rebellion maligned innocence. Sin originated. Consequences transpired. (Genesis 3:1-19)
COMMANDS INTENDED TO DECREASE SIN SEEM TO INCREASE THE DESIRE TO COMMIT THOSE SINS.
Satan easily enticed Eve to do his bidding. Eve encountered no resistance in luring Adam to ignore God’s order. Sin entered the human heart. Violations became reality. And mankind needed more than rules and regulations to avoid sin.
God gave Adam a command. How well did he communicate those instructions to Eve? Did Eve understand the seriousness of obedience to her Creator? Satan takes every opportunity through God’s commandments to produce in mankind a desire to break every law given by God. Do we truly comprehend the gravity of sin and disobedience? What can we do about sin and temptation?
The Bible has an answer for our rebellion, a way out of sin through one Man. This mode of escape from the enticement of evil is alluded to in the third chapter of Genesis in the fifteenth verse. Who is behind the temptations we face? Who provides a way out of wrongdoing? Come back next week to find out more…….
