When Adam was created (without sin) the Bible teaches us in Genesis 2:16-17 that the Lord God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it, and to watch over it. The Lord God commanded the man saying, “you are free to eat from any tree of the garden but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge, good and evil for on the day you eat from it, you will surely die.” Adam disobeyed God’s command, and God pronounced Adam guilty and sentenced him to death.
Sin entered the world through Adam, and death came through sin. Sin separates us from God. Then we deserve God’s punishment of death. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. David, a man after God’s own heart, in Psalm 51:5 says: “Indeed I was guilty when I was born. I was sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”
Some may ask the question of why did God hold us accountable for the disobedience (sin) of Adam. We didn’t have any choice of our own at that time. But the Bible is clear that we do have a choice about our sins now. The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:3: “We gratify (take pleasure) the cravings of our sinful nature.” That is a choice. We are sinners by deed as well as by the nature of our own sin, which condemns us—not just Adam’s sin. Yes, we are born in sin; however, we continue to sin by our own personal choice. They that are in the flesh cannot please God. We must not walk in the flesh but walk in the Spirit.
Death through Adam and life through Christ is shown in Romans 5:12. Therefore just as sin entered the world through one man and death from sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all have sinned in the eyes of God.
As through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through one man’s (Jesus Christ) obedience the many will be made righteous. Where sin multiplied, grace multiplied more. Just as sin reigned in death, also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 5:19-21).
We should make every effort to stay focused on our life in Jesus Christ. We are to speak boldly but with gentleness and respect, telling the world of the goodness and kindness of Jesus Christ (the anointed one) for His love, kindness, forgiveness, and faithfulness toward us and His gift of eternal life. Every step we take should be a walk for Jesus. As we live this life for Jesus Christ, we are too separate ourselves from sin and worldly distractions and keep our hearts and minds stayed on Jesus our Lord and Savior—for He is the way, the truth and life.
“And you were dead in your trespasses and sin. In which you previously lived according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others also,” Ephesians 2:1-5. The good news is that God (who is rich in mercy, because of his great love) has made us alive within Christ even though we were dead in sin. We are saved by grace, through Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross. Jesus took on the sins of this world so that the world might have life through faith in his sacrifice and amazing grace.
