Did Adam and Eve commit the original sin?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: Did Adam and Eve commit the original sin? – O.S.
A: A man on television once said, “I’ve only one problem in life – temptation.” Temptation entices. We grab hold of what appeals to our senses without considering the penalty for our choices that are costly and sometimes deadly. Satan uses every deceptive trick to tantalize. He starts with a little truth but distorts its very meaning.
First, we look and admire, then we touch and consider, then we taste. Eventually the sweetness turns bitter. Satan’s formula hasn’t changed. He’s still up to the same cunning tricks, pulling people down to substandard – the devil’s playground.
There are two ingredients to deceit: a good bit of truth and a few little lies. Many people claim they don’t believe in original sin, but the story of Adam and Eve reveals the wickedness of the human heart that turns its back on God. Late-night television uses skits to spoof the idea of sin. Animators fill the internet with crass characterizations of Adam and Eve, quoting Bible verses and making jokes about disobedience to God. The world may laugh at the idea of sin, but Adam and Eve did not find the curse of sin humorous.
God isn’t laughing and neither should we. Those who jest about sin don’t escape the consequences of sin. The Bible says the soul is “full of troubles” (Psalm 88:3, NKJV), filled with bitterness, grief, and guilt. Adam and Eve paid a price for their disobedience and were driven out of the Paradise of God and into the world they had chosen, where Satan “works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).
But that isn’t the whole story. Genesis portrays not only the beginning of the human race, but the start of God’s redemptive work in history. Salvation was put in place at the very beginning. Because God so loved His creation He initiated a way to make amends for sin.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
©2024 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(c)2024 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
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