Sin and Its Effects

Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die – Genesis 2:17

The scene of Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden provides a nutshell perspective of many vital truths that are further explored and expanded upon throughout the remainder of Scripture — we see the devil’s desire to undermine our faith in God, our tendency to view God’s protections as kill-joy restrictions, a spouse’s potential to build up or tear down, and the dangerous allure of the mysterious or unknown.

Perhaps the most poignant reminder, though, as we gaze at the sickening sight of perfection being seduced into rebellion, is the fact that even the seemingly smallest sins have enormous and eternal and horrific consequences. There is no such thing as “getting away” with sin. Every sin has its own built-in, unavoidable calamity. 

And the greatest tragedy of every sin is that it leads to separation from God. Salvation is knowing and savoring Jesus Christ (John6:54; 17:3). Each sin leads to death, a separation from the Truth and the Life that is only found in Jesus.

Therefore, the caution that God gives in the garden—in the day you eat of it you will surely die—is an accurate depiction of the end of every sin. And each time we are faced with temptation, we have the opportunity to stand firm and nurture our fellowship with Christ, or to waiver and wreck our relationship with Christ.