Lesson 3 Thinking It Through: 1. What did mankind gain by eating of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? 2. Explain what the sinful nature is, and how it came into being? 3. Explain whether man had an evil desire before they ate of the forbidden fruit? 4. Explain whether sin is an aspect of man s nature or whether it is a power in and of itself? 5. Explain whether man always did what he wanted? 6. Why do children not need to be encouraged to be bad, but instead they need constant reminding and discipline to be good? 7. Why do people continue to sin even though they hate what they are doing? 8. Explain whether man's good ever canceled out his wickedness, thereby escaping the wrath of God? Why? 11 Basic Discipleship 101 Basic Discipleship 101 Man: The Weakest Link a
Lesson 3 Preamble Without Christ, the moral condition of mankind is Day 1: Read the narrative of Cain, Genesis 4:1-16. What did you learn about man before Christ? Day 2: Read the summary of man before the flood, Genesis 6:1-8. What did you learn about man before Christ? Day 3: Read the narrative of Solomon, 1Kings 11:1-13. What did you learn about man before Christ? Day 4: Read the narrative of Israel s captivity, 2 Kings 17:1-23. What did you learn about man without Christ? Day 5: Read the narrative of Judah s captivity, 2 Chronicles 36:11-21. What did you learn about man under law? Day 6: Read God's summary of man, Romans 3:9-20. What did you learn about man without Christ? Day 7: Read Paul's summary of his life under the law, Romans 7:7-25. What did you learn about man under law? Memory verse: As it is written: "There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one." Romans 3:10-12 1 Basic Discipleship 101 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (1Jn.1:10) We have worked all our lives serving our master: sin; and in the end, we will receive our wages: For the wages of sin is death, (Ro.6:23) A man's work is worth his wages, and to deprive a man his wages would be unjust. Hence, all men must suffer death-eternal death. It is our sin and not our rejection of His Son that causes us to face the wrath of God: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him. (Jn.3:36) Rejecting God's Son kept us under the wrath of God- which was our original position: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. (Co.3:5-6) Our very first forefather sealed our death sentence, for by gaining the knowledge of God apart from His character, it created a sin nature: For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, (Ro.8:13) Since the sinful nature is contrary to God s character, it makes living with Him for eternity an impossibility; eternal separation is the only option: Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Ga.6:7-8) Living a life of sin causes us to receive the wrath of God; do not be deceived by those who say otherwise: For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person --such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no-one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. (Eph.5:5-6) Since mankind are eternal beings, they cannot be destroyed; God s wrath bears eternal consequences: the lake of fire, a living death. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Re 21:8) Therefore, man s nature is bent towards sin; for this reason, God s wrath comes on all men because all have sinned. Basic Discipleship 101 10
Lesson 3 submit to God s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. (Ro.8:5-8) Before Christ, Paul s nature was controlled by sin, always preventing him from doing that which he wanted, coercing him to do the evil he did not want to do: I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. (Ro.7:18-20) Under the law, sin controlled Paul s heart, causing him to always do the evil which his heart desired, while preventing him from doing the good his mind knew he ought to do. The law could not help us overcome the power of sin because it relied on man s will to obey. However, since man had a sinful nature, he always was subjected to sin: For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. (Ro.8:3) Our nature that is bent on sin must be destroyed in order for us to be saved : When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. (1Co.5:4-5) We never did what we wanted but rather followed that which controlled our hearts whether sin or the Spirit: For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. (Ga.5:16-17) What you do does not send you to hell, in as much as what controls you; this affects where you will spend eternity and controls what you will do. Therefore, all mankind is born with a sin nature, one that rebels against God to the point that we can agree with the Bible: There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins. (Ec.7:20) All are Guilty of Sin So when all is said and done, what is to be concluded about man? Romans states it simply: There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Ro.3:22-23) We must conclude that we have all sinned. You may deny this, but that will not change the matter: 9 Basic Discipleship 101 God created man on the sixth day of creation. He created man different then the animals, for man was created in God s image and God s likeness: Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Ge.1:26-27) Image and likeness are two different things. Man was created in the image of God; image has to do with the physical appearance in the image of God He create him masculine singular pronoun. God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all whom the Scriptures refer to with masculine pronouns. Man was created in the image of God, and Jesus became a man Who was the image of God: The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2Co.4:4; Co.1:15) The Bible teaches that only men contained the image of God further supporting the fact that God is masculine: This is the written account of Adam s line. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man." When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. (Ge.5:1-3) Both man and woman were created in the likeness of God, but only man was created in the image of God: A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. (1Co.11:7) Even though man, was created in the image of God, it has no advantage over women as both need Christ: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Ga.3:28) However, both man and woman are created in the likeness of God; likeness, on the other hand, means similar in that both God and man are trinities. God exists in three parts: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well Basic Discipleship 101 2
Lesson 3 pleased." (Mt.3:16-17) Jesus was baptized, the Spirit descend, and the voice of the Father spoke all three were in different locations at the same time. We find further proof in Romans when the terms God s Spirit and Christ s Spirit are used interchangeably; You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. (Ro.8:9) In John 5, we find the three are one, except John uses the term the Word to describe Jesus just as he did in John 1: For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. (1Jn.5:7 NKJV) God is three in one; when He created man on the sixth day, He made him in His likeness three distinct parts of one being: The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Ge.2:7) Man was created with three distinct parts: body, soul and spirit. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. (1Th.5:23-24) Both men and women have a body, soul, and spirit; for it is our spirit that is eternal and gives us life: For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. (Ja.2:26; Ps.104:29) Since our spirit was instilled in us by the breathe of God, it is eternal. This means that it cannot die but will return to God after our physical death:...and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. (Ec.12:7; Job 34:14-15) It is the fact that our spirit is eternal which changes the question from if we will live eternally to where will you spend eternity? The third aspect of God was gained through the fall of man. God commanded man not to eat of one tree the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die. (Ge.3:16-17) The knowledge of good and evil was gained once man ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree. The knowledge of good and evil made man more like God, but it also held some serious consequences: And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. (Ge.3:22) When man gained the knowledge of God, man became hopelessly controlled by sin. For when man gained the knowledge of God, he could not control that knowledge; they lacked the character of God His holiness. 3 Basic Discipleship 101 to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. (Ro.7:14-17) Paul, as a Jew, lived by the law; it would say, Do not touch! and suddenly sin s power became evident in his life always doing the evil, never able to attain the good. Notice that Paul was never able to do the good he wanted but always did the evil he did not want to do. My younger brother started smoking at a young age. He always insisted that he smoked when he wanted to, denying that he was addicted. One day, he decided to stop; suddenly, he found that he could not stop cigarettes controlled him. It is the same with sin; as long as we yield to temptation, we think we are in control, doing what we want. The moment we try to stop, we feel sin s power and control. In this way, the world does not perceive the power of sin, as they always do what they want, not realizing that sin manipulates what they feel. Hence prior to Christ, sin was master; and we unknowingly served it as its slave. for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. (2Pe.2:19) Man always thinks that it is he who chooses to sin but in reality it is sin that controls him. King Solomon summarized his experience with sin when praying: "When they sin against you for there is no one who does not sin (1Ki.8:46) When they sin indicates the helplessness of mankind trying to attain the law by their own effort. They do not recognize the power of sin: The scriptures declares that the whole world is a prisoner to sin, (Ga.3:22) All of us at one time lived as a prisoner to sin, being controlled by our sinful nature; our actions reflected the sin which controlled our hearts: The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Ga.5:19-21) Our nature s inclination to sin caused us to rebel against God and His will for man: All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. (Eph.2:3) Many do not like the concept that we were controlled by sin, that our nature was bent on sin; but the Bible is clear that we were: Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not Basic Discipleship 101 8
Lesson 3 consequence, they will be controlled by sin: For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. (Ro.7:5) Before becoming Christians, we were controlled by sin, making our choices a reaction to a higher power that worked incognitively in our being and leading us to rebel against God: Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. (Ro.8:8) We all were part of those who displeased God. Paul, in the New Testament, states that all mankind apart from Christ are under sin We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. (Ro.3:9-12) Notice the all inclusives: all; no one; not even one- no exceptions. Romans 7 carries on this hopeless theme when Paul describes his life apart from Christ while under the Law: But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. (Ro.7:8-11) In the previous Scriptures, sin is seizing, producing, deceiving, and in the end putting Paul to death. Once I worked with a friend s brother. Every day he came to work smelling of beer, often unable to do his job. I mentioned to my friend that his brother had a drinking problem. His response was: Nah, he just likes beer. Some deny that mankind is controlled by sin; they think the reason why they choose sin is because of their preference. Jesus said: I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. (Jn.8:34) Mankind was not only deceived into thinking that they always choose sin, but they were unaware that they themselves were enslaved to it: At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. (Ti.3:3) We are deceived into thinking that we always do what we want; the only time our slavery is revealed is when we try to stop. Paul, before Christ, describes his life of trying to live by the law: We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want 7 Basic Discipleship 101 It is the fact that God is holy that kept His knowledge of evil in check. It is the fact that man gained the knowledge of God apart from His character that led to the creation of the sinful nature in man. Mankind could not receive God s divine nature till after Pentecost when the Holy Sprit descended upon man: His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2Pe.1:3-4) It is only after Christ that we can share in the divine nature, which enables man to know evil yet live above it. Therefore, the sinful nature was created when man gained the knowledge of God apart from the character of God, causing the knowledge of evil to control man and to enslave them to sin. Man Was Created Innocent The first sin ever committed was by Eve in the Garden of Eden. God only gave Adam and Eve one command: "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." (Ge.3:16-17) God created all things but only reserved one tree for Himself; of all the others, mankind was free to eat. There was nothing morally wrong with the fruit; it is similar to a mother telling a child, You cannot have a piece of cake. Eating a piece of cake was not a sin until the mother told him that he could not eat a piece of cake. To eat that which God forbade was sin an act of disobedience. Mankind understood the command and the consequences for disobedience: The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die. " (Ge.3:2-3) In Eve s response, it is important to notice her description, or rather lack of description, of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was just some nondescript tree in the middle of the garden, that is, until Satan removed her innocence by giving her a reason to disobey God by eating the fruit: You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Ge.3:4-5) Satan tempted Eve with the opportunity to become like God by gaining wisdom through the eating of the forbidden fruit. However, notice the change that takes place in Eve in the way she perceives the fruit: When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, Basic Discipleship 101 4
Lesson 3 she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Ge.3:6) Satan only tempted Eve saying that the fruit was desirable for gaining wisdom. However, from within Eve, the fruit not only became pleasing to the eye; but she also concluded it was good for food. Eve lost her innocence when Satan taught her that she had a choice. Through the knowledge of choice, her sinful nature came alive, causing her to lust after and rationalize why she should eat the tree s fruit: Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (Ja.1:14-15) Eve desired the fruit, ate of the fruit, and death came into the world. Since Eve, by her own evil desire, was dragged away and enticed by the physical appearance of the fruit, she had both a sinful nature and the knowledge of good and evil prior to eating the fruit, proving that neither were the result from eating the fruit. Eating the forbidden fruit did not give Eve the knowledge of good and evil, rather Satan did. Eating the forbidden fruit was proof that such knowledge had been attained. And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. (Ge.3:22) Nowhere does the Bible record that the character of God was imparted to mankind before the fall. The Bible teaches us that God looked on all that He created and considered it good: God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning the sixth day. (Ge.1:31) Man was considered good at the time of creation. This does not mean that man shared the holy nature of God, but rather that man had not sinned at that point in time and was found to be without fault just as Satan being a created being was also considered good on the sixth day. For my wife may make cookies that are very good when she baked them, but four weeks later they may have become very bad. Hence, eating the forbidden fruit was the evidence that man had gained the knowledge of good and evil, for mankind was created in innocence- without the knowledge of sin: The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (Ge.2:25) Adam and Eve were innocent, just like an infant boy and girl can both be naked in the bathtub without feeling shame. Babies are not perfect or born good, just without the knowledge of evil: Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. (Ps.51:5) All babies are born in sin yet innocent of what sin is. Even at a very young age if you want them to lie on their backs, they want to roll over. They have the desire to do evil without the knowledge of evil. As they grow older, their 5 Basic Discipleship 101 innocence is removed through the attaining of knowledge; and sin begins to manifest itself in their lives. When Adam and Eve gained the knowledge of good and evil, their perspective changed: Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. (Ge.3:7) Therefore mankind, having not yet committed a sin, was considered good when they were created. However, they were neither created morally neutral nor perfect but were good by virtue of their innocence. This they lost when they became sinners: And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. (1Ti.2:14) "Sin" as a Power Came into the World Once Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, the power of sin and the power of choice came into the world: Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-- for before the law was given, sin was in the world. (Ro.5:12-13) Once eating the fruit, mankind knew that obedience to God was optional and not a prerequisite to life. The Bible clearly teaches that once Adam and Eve sinned, this mindset not only affected them but their children as well. Two of their sons were Cain and Abel. God warns Cain of the power of sin: Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Ge.4:6-7) The choice to disobey God is never free; it has consequences. Each subsequent time you disobey God, it becomes easier, making sin your master. Even after God had warned Cain about sin s design for man, Cain yielded to it: Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let s go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. (Ge.4:8) By killing Abel, Cain proved that he was mastered by sin just as it mastered each one of us from birth. It was man's inability to conquer sin s control of his heart that caused the world to be destroyed by the flood. For God summarized society before the flood: The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. (Ge.6:5-6) Sin had control, as evident by the all inclusives: every, only, and all. As long as man perceives the choice to disobey God as an alternative without Basic Discipleship 101 6