CONSEQUENCES OF SIN: MANKIND AGAINST ITSELF

By Charles N. Spence, Jr.

When man sinned, consequences were the result. Adam and Eve gave birth to two sons, Cain and Abel (Gen. 4:1-2). Abel was a keeper of sheep and Cain was a tiller of the ground. When the time came to offer sacrifice unto the Lord, Abel's worship was acceptable while Cain's was not. The Bible says, "By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks" (Heb. 11:4). God accepted Abel's offering because he gave it according to faith. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). Some believe that all men are born "Totally depraved" as a consequence of "Inherited sin" from the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden. The doctrine of "Total inherited depravity" suggests that man is born in darkness with no ability to do good towards God. Unless there is an effectual working of the Holy Spirit upon the spiritually dead, there can be no faith, never mind the ability to hear the word. Yet how would they account for the faith of Abel?

Nonetheless, Cain was jealous of his brother and ended up killing him (Gen. 4:8). Not only was man at odds with God because of sin, but man was now at odds with his fellow man also. If sin never entered the world, there would be no murder, rape, theft, covetousness, war, false testimony, etc. As a consequence of sin, man's relationship with his fellow man was threatened and harmed. History has documented from the beginning of time the brutal and savage treatment of people toward each other. All one would have to do to get a sense of the impact sin had upon man's relationship with his fellow man is trace the origins of the struggles between the Arabs and the Jews. What one would find is another example of a falling out between brothers (Gen. 21:8-14 – Isaac and Ishmael).

God sought to improve relations between men by giving the Ten Commandments. The last six commandments regarded man's relationship to his fellow man (Exo. 20:12-17). Jesus taught that if man was to get along with others, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt. 19:19). Paul taught that love fulfilled the law and did no harm to one's fellow man (Rom. 13:8-10). The irony of our present day is man is still not treating his fellow man much better and our institutions recognize this fact. Yet, the very foundation upon which wholesome relationships are formed and governed are outlawed and replaced with multiculturalism, political correctness and sensitivity training.

There is a place where this particular consequence of sin is curbed. There is a place where men from all walks of life can walk hand in hand in peace. There is a place where men would not have to know war any more and brother will not rise up against brother again. The Bible says, "He [Jesus] himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us, having abolished the enmity, that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity" (Eph. 2:14-16). This is a fulfillment of Isaiah 11:6-9. In God's holy mountain, there will be peace. This is not saying that all will be peaceful everywhere, but is a characteristic of those citizens who occupy the kingdom of God. People from all walks of life will be able to be at peace with one another, leaving their animalistic (carnal) traits behind. This is due to the transforming effect of the Gospel which is sometimes called the gospel of peace (Rom. 10:15, Eph. 6:15). Afterwards, men will be lead by a child-like spirit and live a peaceful existence with each other. What a joy it is to be a part of God's kingdom.