The Result of Sin and Our Relationship With God

Genesis 3:8

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. [ESV]

Because of sin the relationship between God and humanity changed. Yet, it wasn’t God who changed but Adam and Eve. They had become enemies of God for He is Holy and will not and cannot tolerate certain things. It was Adam and Eve’s disobedience by eating of the fruit of good and evil that moved them into disfavor with their Creator. Just as their sin brought results from God your sin too receives the same reaction of separation from the Holy Father. Where once you looked forward to time with God, now you hide from Him. Millard J. Erickson gives a good analogy by using the example of how we perceive a police officer “If we are abiding by the law we do not mind seeing a police officer. We may even have a good, comfortable feeling when we spot a police car… If, however, we know we have broken the law, our attitude is quite different. We become very upset at the sight of a squad car”. (Christian Theology page 603).

In the book of Romans we see several examples of God’s displeasure with sin and the activity of the one who commits the sin.

Romans 1:18-19

18 God's anger is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known. 19 God punishes them, because what can be known about God is plain to them, for God himself made it plain. [GNT]

Romans 8:7

7 And so people become enemies of God when they are controlled by their human nature; for they do not obey God's law, and in fact they cannot obey it. [GNT]

For Thought:

1.    Even though original sin broke the relationship between God and humanity, God built a bridge back to Him through the obedience of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

2.    Know that God’s hatefulness towards sin and your acts of sin does not keep you from Him. It is you who run from Him in your sin.

3.    The wonderful aspect of this is you do not have to live apart from God. For it is God who has made a path to Him and that is what we who are in Christ call “The Good News”.

Colossians 1:21-23

21 At one time you were far away from God and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought. 22 But now, by means of the physical death of his Son, God has made you his friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into his presence. 23 You must, of course, continue faithful on a firm and sure foundation, and must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope you gained when you heard the gospel. It is of this gospel that I, Paul, became a servant—this gospel which has been preached to everybody in the world. [GNT]

Today, when speaking to God in prayer stop, be still, and cry “Abba Father”, I am sorry for sinning against you. Forgive me for not walking with you; forgive me for running away from you. Restore me back to you. May I walk in the truth of the Spirit and not the desires of the flesh for I truly love you even though my actions, at times, may not reflect this.