Our Doctrine: Sin
When God created man there was nothing but perfect harmony between them. God made it this way. There was no death, or pain, or toil, or any disease to plague the world and its inhabitants. God had made everything "good". There was a tree in the midst of Eden which bore beautiful fruit that was pleasing to the eyes of Adam and Eve. God had said "you may eat of every tree that I have made, but of the tree in the midst of the garden you may not eat. For in the day you eat of its fruit you will surely die." This was the first law God had given, and it asked only one thing of them, "love me more than yourself."
The serpent (Satan) who had fallen from heaven because of his own rebellion, was allowed into the garden and tempted Eve to disobey. Eve was overtaken by the power of greed, lust, and the hunger for power, and she ate of its fruit. "She gave some to her husband and he also ate."
This too was no surprise to God. He sought them out for confession, but as He had said, their eyes were opened to know good and evil, and death came rushing in. This was the great fall of man. No longer could man get to God on his own. No longer could man fellowship with God without a mediator. This death signified two things, the death of man's Spirit, which meant corruption and wickedness in the hearts of every man born since, and physical death, which means that this life is not all there is. Every man will surely die and there is an eternity beyond this life.
The fall of man was not a partial fall, but a complete and total fall from relationship with God. No man has the ability of himself to escape this death or to assist in paying the debt for Adam's original sin.
After the fall, Adam and Eve were suddenly ashamed of their nakedness. This was an awareness of their need, and vulnerability, and death. They sought to cover this problem in their own strength using fig leaves, but the attempt was feeble and fell far short. Something innocent, something without the marks of sin must make payment for the guilty. God then sacrificed the first animal, a substitutionary sacrifice, fashioned clothes from it's skin and covered their nakedness. A curse was pronounced on Adam and Eve, the due consequence for their sin. The Serpent was also cursed for his deeds, but his curse would be our redemption. God promised to one day do away with the enmity, the chasm formed between Himself and man. He would restore the paradise that was lost. This would be accomplished through the "seed" of a woman, the coming Messiah, the Son of God. His death on the cross of Calvary would crush the head of God's enemy, the "seed" of the Serpent (death and Satan). It would all come to fulfillment thousands of years later through one man, Jesus Christ, the only adequate payment to cover man's nakedness and reconcile him again to God.
The serpent (Satan) who had fallen from heaven because of his own rebellion, was allowed into the garden and tempted Eve to disobey. Eve was overtaken by the power of greed, lust, and the hunger for power, and she ate of its fruit. "She gave some to her husband and he also ate."
This too was no surprise to God. He sought them out for confession, but as He had said, their eyes were opened to know good and evil, and death came rushing in. This was the great fall of man. No longer could man get to God on his own. No longer could man fellowship with God without a mediator. This death signified two things, the death of man's Spirit, which meant corruption and wickedness in the hearts of every man born since, and physical death, which means that this life is not all there is. Every man will surely die and there is an eternity beyond this life.
The fall of man was not a partial fall, but a complete and total fall from relationship with God. No man has the ability of himself to escape this death or to assist in paying the debt for Adam's original sin.
After the fall, Adam and Eve were suddenly ashamed of their nakedness. This was an awareness of their need, and vulnerability, and death. They sought to cover this problem in their own strength using fig leaves, but the attempt was feeble and fell far short. Something innocent, something without the marks of sin must make payment for the guilty. God then sacrificed the first animal, a substitutionary sacrifice, fashioned clothes from it's skin and covered their nakedness. A curse was pronounced on Adam and Eve, the due consequence for their sin. The Serpent was also cursed for his deeds, but his curse would be our redemption. God promised to one day do away with the enmity, the chasm formed between Himself and man. He would restore the paradise that was lost. This would be accomplished through the "seed" of a woman, the coming Messiah, the Son of God. His death on the cross of Calvary would crush the head of God's enemy, the "seed" of the Serpent (death and Satan). It would all come to fulfillment thousands of years later through one man, Jesus Christ, the only adequate payment to cover man's nakedness and reconcile him again to God.