The Cause and Effect of Sin

Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. ~Ravi Zacharias 

In the beginning, God created a perfect world. He also created two perfect people, Adam and Eve. When God told them not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Satan came and tempted Eve by making her doubt what God had said. Sadly, she ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and then persuaded Adam to eat from it too. Not only had they disobeyed God, but also were banned from the garden lest they should eat of the tree of life and live forever in their sinful, fallen state. Since Adam and Eve sinned, every single person born on this earth is born a sinner. Romans 5:12 says, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."

There are many bad results of sin, but the worst one is spiritual death which is separation from God. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, the close bond of fellowship they once enjoyed was broken. God had to kill an animal to clothe them. Their sin had to be paid for by an innocent, perfect sacrifice. Before a sinner becomes a Christian, they are separated from God because of sin, and destined to spend eternity in Hell. Just like Adam and Eve, our sin had to be paid for by a perfect sacrifice. God's remedy was that Jesus would become a man, as 2 Corinthians 5:21 states: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 
His blood and righteousness covers our unrighteousness, and if we accept by faith the payment for sin which has already been paid, we can live in Heaven with Christ for eternity.

Sin is enticing and addicting. It can even be pleasurable for a season. It's like a Venus Fly Trap. To ants, small bugs, and insects, Venus Fly Traps look enticing. They smell good. When an insect lands on the blades, (the blades are the trap) the plant's triggers go off, and the blades close, preventing the insect from escaping. That's similar to how sin works. It looks attractive, but once a person is in sins's grasp, it's difficult to free themselves from it. It's also similar to leprosy. Once a person has contracted leprosy, it slowly eats away at the person from the inside out, causing a slow, painful death. Sin will do that as well. It will eat you from the inside out and destroy your life. That's why the blood of Jesus was shed - to free humanity from the horrible grip of sin. Jesus is the Savior of the world! 

Photo Credits: My Daddy