A Brief Bible Study |
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Your Bible Lesson For The Day
How Has Sin Affected Mankind's Relationship With God?
I counseled couples having marital problems. Their sins against one another had destroyed their love for another. They were alienated and felt separated. Their relationship was ruined. You can probably understand this. For how do you feel after someone dear has sinned against you? And what kind of guilt and fears do you feel after you have sinned against someone close to you? Sin affects relationships, doesn’t it? Likewise, sin has affected mankind’s relationship with God. How? Consider what Genesis 3 tells you.
Genesis 3 tells you that after Adam and Eve had sinned, they realized they were naked and sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Then they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden and hid themselves from his presence among the trees. And when the Lord God questioned Adam, Adam said he hid because he was afraid. Moreover, when God gave him the opportunity to confess his sin, he said the woman, whom God had given to him, gave him the fruit and he ate it.
So how did sin affect Adam and Eve’s relationship with God? After their creation they had enjoyed a blessed, close relationship with the Lord God their Creator. After their sin they ran away and tried to hide from him. They knew they had disobeyed him, and so they had a guilty conscience and were afraid to face him and his punishment. They realized they were naked and tried to cover up their shame with fig leaves. They no longer felt close to God. They were alienated and separated from him. Adam refused to confess his sin and even displayed a hostile attitude toward God by blaming God for having given him the woman who led him into sin! Their relationship with God was ruined.
It is the same today. People know they have sinned against God. They have a guilty conscience. They try to cover up the shame of their sins by blaming others and with the fig leaves of lies and excuses. They are afraid of God and have no desire to face him and his punishment. They are alienated and separated from him. They have a hostile attitude toward him. Their sin is a barrier between them and God.
So, how has sin affected mankind’s relationship with God? Sin has ruined it. And only God, through his loving forgiveness and gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, can restore it.
Genesis 3 tells you that after Adam and Eve had sinned, they realized they were naked and sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Then they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden and hid themselves from his presence among the trees. And when the Lord God questioned Adam, Adam said he hid because he was afraid. Moreover, when God gave him the opportunity to confess his sin, he said the woman, whom God had given to him, gave him the fruit and he ate it.
So how did sin affect Adam and Eve’s relationship with God? After their creation they had enjoyed a blessed, close relationship with the Lord God their Creator. After their sin they ran away and tried to hide from him. They knew they had disobeyed him, and so they had a guilty conscience and were afraid to face him and his punishment. They realized they were naked and tried to cover up their shame with fig leaves. They no longer felt close to God. They were alienated and separated from him. Adam refused to confess his sin and even displayed a hostile attitude toward God by blaming God for having given him the woman who led him into sin! Their relationship with God was ruined.
It is the same today. People know they have sinned against God. They have a guilty conscience. They try to cover up the shame of their sins by blaming others and with the fig leaves of lies and excuses. They are afraid of God and have no desire to face him and his punishment. They are alienated and separated from him. They have a hostile attitude toward him. Their sin is a barrier between them and God.
So, how has sin affected mankind’s relationship with God? Sin has ruined it. And only God, through his loving forgiveness and gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, can restore it.
