"And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, 'where are you?'" (Genesis 3:8,9)
You have just read the first question God asked man. An important, but sad, event had just occurred. Sin had entered the world. Adam and Eve could have avoided sin, if only they had listened to God instead of Satan. We might tend to judge them harshly. After all, look at the simplicity of God's earlier statement:
"From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16, 17)
As we consider this, other great truths come to mind. Join me as we examine a few of them.
It is interesting to note that when Adam answered God's question, he did not give their exact location. He only indicated that he was hiding. Such wasn't necessary anyway, no more than asking the only child in the room, "Who did this." The purpose of God's question was to draw attention to what Adam had done. Adam's reply clearly shows the intent of the question. He was forced to view his "location" with respect to God. Physically, Adam and Eve were still in the garden, but spiritually, they were separated from God (Isaiah 59:1, 2). When we allow sin to enter our lives, we separate ourselves from God.
Ashamed
As Adam spoke of the shame he was experiencing, it was clear that his and Eve's relationship with God had changed. Where was the open communication they previously had with God? Before they sinned, they had nothing to hide, so they walked and talked with God. Sin changed all of that. Now, knowing what they had done, they did not want to face God. Do you remember how difficult it was to face your parents after you had done something wrong? The world has lost its sense of shame. Do we feel shame when we sin? Do we sorrow over the hurt that sin brings to God?
"For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death." (2 Corinthians 7:10)
We must realize that our sins grieve our heavenly Father, and that they made Jesus' death necessary.
Passing the Buck
People often want to shift responsibility for their deeds to someone else. We need to learn that "the buck stops here." Adam tried to shift the blame for his sins to Eve, and she tried to shift it to the devil (Genesis 3:12, 13). It didn't work for either of them. And it won't work for us. Each of us is personally responsible for the sins we commit.
Ezekiel wrote: "The person who sins will die. The son shall not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself." (Ezekiel 18:20)
The guilt that results from sin is not transferable. The doctrine of "original sin" is not true.
Satan's Role
We often hear the phrase, "The devil made me do it." However, just as Adam could not shift the blame for his sin to Eve, neither could she put the blame on the devil. Satan can only provide the temptation. He deceived Eve with a lie by saying, "...you surely shall not die." (Genesis 3:4) God had said, "...In the day that you eat from it, you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:17) She persuaded Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit, but we must keep in mind that neither of them had to sin. Recall the process of sin:
"But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." (James 1:14, 15)
God has graciously provided a way for us to resist temptation. He assures us that the various things that are tempting us are common to everyone. Furthermore, He will not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to resist, and He will always provide a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). For this reason, we know we can do as James said when he told us to submit to God and flee from the devil (James 4:7). We are responsible.
Conclusion
Where are you in your relationship with God? Have your sins been forgiven? From this study, we must conclude that sin is a personal problem. We have no one to blame but ourselves.
Not only has God provided a way for us to resist temptation, he has also provided for our forgiveness when we do yield to sin's allurements. We all need God's grace and mercy (Romans 3:23).
In our day and time, people think we are not supposed to openly discuss sin. It is not "politically correct" to condemn anyone for anything. It seems to me that too many Christians are buying into this same philosophy. As a result, in some churches, there is no longer a desire for plain discussion about sin and its deadly consequences.
Jesus paid the ultimate price for our forgiveness (1 Peter 1:18,19). Do we appreciate it enough to avoid sin whenever possible?
Unfortunately, we live in a society where people seek, in many ways, to escape personal accountability for their actions. We often hear young people in trouble say that it's their parents' fault, the school's, or friends who made fun of them, and try to place the blame on society in general. Some even go so far as to say, "I didn't ask to be born into this world; none of this is my fault or responsibility." Such thinking is the reason that so many in our country have no respect for any kind of authority. The day will come when God places the blame where it belongs-on the shoulders of those who have done wrong. We may run and hide and place the blame on others-but in judgment, God will get it right! (KMG)