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Lesson 7

What The Bible Teaches About
The Origin Of Sin And Evil

The Beginning Of Sin

1. When and where did sin begin?

Revelation 12:7-10

Revelation 12:7-10 (KJV)
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

2. In whom did sin originate?

Ezekiel 28:14-17

Ezekiel 28:14-17 (KJV)
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Sin On Earth

3. What sign of obedience did God give to Adam and Eve?

Genesis 2:15-17

Genesis 2:15-17 (KJV)
15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

4. What did the first sin consist of?

Genesis 3:1-6

Genesis 3:1-6 (KJV)
1 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.

The Terrible Consequences Of Sin

5. What is sin?

1 John 3:4

1 John 3:4 (KJV)
4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

6. Who does the sinner submit to?

1 John 3:8

1 John 3:8 (KJV)
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

7. What is the final result of sin?

Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23 (KJV)
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

WHAT MUST I DO?

1. Resist Satan in God's name.

James 4:7

James 4:7 (KJV)
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

2. Not compromise with sin.

Romans 6:12

Romans 6:12 (KJV)
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

3. Overcome, with Jesus' help.

Romans 8:37

Romans 8:37 (KJV)
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

MY RESOLUTION

I will try, with God's help, to cleanse my life from all sin.

Additional Study 7

SATAN (LUCIFER) IS THE AUTHOR OF SIN. Lucifer was created perfect (Ezekiel 18:14, 15). He wanted to be equal with God (Isaiah 14:13, 14). A battle took place in heaven (Revelation 12:7-9). Lucifer did not remain in the truth (John 8:44). He sinned from the beginning (1 John 3:8).

WHAT IS SIN? It is the transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4). Every injustice is sin (1 John 5:17). Knowing to do right and not doing it (James 4:17). Reject Jesus' message (John 15:22).

THE TERRIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN. Takes away peace from the soul (Isaiah 57:20, 21; Romans 2:9). Separates the person from God (Isaiah 59:2). Turns the sinner into a servant of Satan (1 John 3:8). Causes eternal death (Romans 6:23).

EFFECTIVE HELP IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SIN. We have a constant battle against the devil's snares (Ephesians 6:11, 12). But if we are with God, the devil flees (James 4:7). We have a full armor to defend us from the evil one's attacks (Ephesians 6:11-18). Christ's blood cleanses us from sin (1 John 1:7).

Who Created Satan?

God did not create Satan (adversary), but rather Lucifer (bright star), a creature of extraordinary beauty and intelligence. Little by little Lucifer began to cultivate envy, hatred and pride. He desired to be equal to God. He rebelled against God, accusing Him of tyranny and lack of love. God did not destroy Satan, in order to allow that over time he would manifest the cruelty of his actions and there would be no doubt about divine love and justice.

Original Sin

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him". "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." (Genesis 1:27, 31). Man was given, by his Maker, intelligence, reasoning, and the capacity to freely choose his destiny. Confronting Satan and falling into temptation, she committed the sin of disobedience to a definite command from God. Also, she exercised her power of choice mistakenly. She believed Satan and mistrusted God. In this way, she rejected her Father God and put herself under Satan's control.

The Seriousness of Sin

"From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment." (Isaiah 1:6). The prophet compares sin to the terrible sickness called leprosy. God hates sin, but he loves the sinner. He wants to see the sinner free of the horrible consequences.

Sin always causes tragedy and problems. "When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer." (Psalm 32:3,4). The worse consequences of sin are the destruction of the spiritual life and estrangement from God.

The End of Sin

The disastrous experience of sin will come to an end along with its author, the devil: Satan and his angels are reserved for the judgment of the great day (Jude 6). Ultimately, they will be destroyed in the great lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). Sin will be eliminated and it will never again appear (Malachi 4:1).