Genesis 3: 4 - 5 NKJV
A lot has been said of "the fall" in Christian teaching. That moment when Eve, deceived by the serpent, ignored Gods warning and took of the fruit of that she had been told not to. It was at that moment where our lives changed forever. Gone was the identity we once had with the Lord, or so it seemed. At that moment we entered into a life of separation from God, of constantly trying to gain His approval and to make up for what we had done. I wasn't there that day, but I still felt the guilt. Guilty by association. For if I indeed shared in Adams lineage, then I also share in his punishment. So, I went through life constantly trying to make up for what Adam had done. Thanks to him, I was a sinner {Romans 3:23}. But wait, what if I were to tell you that you haven't been told the entire story about that infamous day? What if I told you that the lie Satan put on Eve still resonates today in Christian teachings? This isn't some heresy or anti Christian viewpoint, but simply the part of the story of the fall which we are seldom told. We may believe that the lie told by Satan the deceiver is true, that we need to spend the rest of our days trying to make up for the mistakes of the garden. However, nothing could be further from the truth. First off, Christ Jesus came to eliminate that sin debt we once carried {John 3:16}. I admit that most all Christians know this truth, yet still feel the weight of guilt for their sins. Why? Because in our hearts we know that God cannot be in the presence of sin. Being sinners, we also believe that it is our sins which separate us from God. This belief works out very well...for the accuser. Satan is fine with our belief that we are somehow separated from God, for this steals away our Hope. Now, let me ask you, if you knew someone who constantly lied to you, would you keep on believing them? Not me. Yet that's what we are doing every time we believe in the lies of our accuser. That's what they are...lies. The truth is, we are not separated from God. The apostle Paul assures us of this in Galatians where he reveals the truth of Christ Jesus in us {Galatians 2:20}. So, do you still believe in the lie?
Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives; He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV
It was difficult for me to accept the truth for some time as well. I knew that I was a sinner, and that I had a lifetime of repentance to look forward to. I also believed that God was constantly watching me for whatever sin I might indulge in. As funny as it seems, this is the teaching I grew up in. It's also the Christian teaching which is being spoken today. The tipping point for me came in a Easter Sunday sermon where a pastor I looked up to asked people to confess their sins immediately after preaching on the forgiveness of Jesus. It all sounded a bit hypocritical to me. Why would I need to bare the weight of my own sins if Jesus has dealt with that issue on the cross {2 Corinthians 5:21}? Not only that, but Paul tells us that the sin issue is finished {John 19:30}. Through Christ, we are now dead to those sins that once haunted us {Romans 6:11}. What remains is the lie of the accuser which he continues to speak any chance he gets. You're a sinner! God cannot be in the presence of sinners! You are separated from God because you are a sinner! Nothing could be further from the truth. It is through the love and mercy of our heavenly Father that we are now one with Christ and the Father {John 17:21}. It has never been Gods desire to make us suffer for the sin of doubt we showed in the garden. On the contrary, it is God who brought us to restoration through Christ Jesus. The lie of Satan claimed that Adam and Eve, after eating of the forbidden fruit, would "Be like God." In reality, we already were like God {Genesis 2:7}.
~Scott~
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