God’s Word teaches us that we all are sinners just like Adam and Eve. This is because we are born with a nature that can only sin. A sinner is someone who disobeys God. Romans 3:10-18 says,
…as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one. Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
King David said, in Psalm 51:5,
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
It surely is reasonable to think that it is unfair that what Adam and Eve did thousands of years ago affects us today. The sad truth is, from Romans 3 – we all would have eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil! As a Christian, I would dare say, the number of times I sin in a day far outnumbers Eve’s sins in Genesis 3. Ouch!
Even one sin can be life changing. Sin tends to take control and alter our lives for the worse. Remember one sin brought death and changed the entire human race (Romans 5:12). James 2:10 teaches us that if we obey God completely, then disobey Him just once, we are guilty of all sin before God.
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
For some reason, some people think God doesn’t see their sin if they hide it. I guess trying to hide our sin is part of our sinful nature because Adam and Eve tried it as well. Are you hiding from God like Adam and Eve were (minus the fig leaves)? The fact is, God knows when you sin whether you think so, or not. He knows everything. This is a good time for us to learn about how God knows everything, and how He is always present.
God is omniscient, in other words, He knows all things.
God is omnipresent, or He is always present.
From Psalm 139 it is clear that God knows everything about us. He knows every thought and motive we have (1 Corinthians 4:5). God is always present no matter where we are or what we are doing. We can’t hide from God! He has seen you at your best, and He has seen you at your worst, and still He loves you so very much!
- Read about God’s knowing all things and always being present from Exodus 32:1-9, Jeremiah 23:23-24, and Matthew 28:20. Write down any insights and applications that the Spirit is giving you from these verses.
- What does the knowledge that God is all knowing and always with you mean to you? Use a Bible verse in your answer. (Examples: When I am ashamed about what I’ve done, shouldn’t I call upon God who knows everything about me, but loves and forgives me anyway? (1 John 4:10) When I am alone and afraid shouldn’t I seek after the God who is always with me? (Psalm 139:7))
- Read Genesis 4 – this chapter shows us clearly that sin passed onto future generations along with its awful consequences. How do you think Adam and Eve felt about what happened in this chapter? Remember they were living with the knowledge that their sin would affect all future generations.