The Story of Cain and Abel: Still Relevant Today

 

Why study the first murder? The story of Cain and Abel sheds light on the trouble we have getting along, but God always has a few who reject the way of Cain.

The biblical account of the first humans is found in the first few chapters of Genesis. What we read there is merely a broad overview of mankind’s history. Since chapters 1-7 of this book summarize over 1,650 years of mankind’s history, there isn’t space for much detail.

But what is recorded for us in God’s Word regarding this period is extremely valuable.

The setting for Cain and Abel

Before we consider the significance of the story of Cain and Abel, let’s note the context. In Genesis 1-2 we read of God’s fashioning the earth for life and creating plants, sea creatures, birds, mammals and humans.

In Genesis 3 we learn that Satan, in the form of a serpent, deceived the first woman, Eve (see also Revelation 12:9). The serpent told Eve that she didn’t need to obey God and that she wouldn’t die, as God had said, if she ate of the forbidden tree. Instead, the serpent said, she would be like God and be able to decide for herself how to live.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil

Satan’s argument was appealing. Eve and her husband, Adam, the first man, disobeyed God by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-6).

Eating of the forbidden tree represented Adam and Eve’s choosing to decide for themselves what was right or wrong, good or bad, appropriate or inappropriate, instead of looking to God for guidance. Their tragic decision has been followed by mankind ever since and has brought about severe consequences.

In addition to the fact that they were now under the death penalty for their sin of directly disobeying God’s command (Romans 6:23), Eve would experience pain and sorrow in motherhood, and Adam would have to work hard to get the ground to produce food (Genesis 3:16-19). Most significant, they were driven out of the garden and lost access to the tree of life, which represented the choice of obedience to God, which would ultimately lead to immortality (verses 22-24).

Genesis 4 documents the development of human civilization after Adam and Eve chose a lifestyle of deciding for themselves what was good and what was evil.For a more detailed discussion of the two trees, see “The Tree of Life” and also the Daily Bible Verse Blog posts on Genesis 2:9 and Genesis 3:22-23.

The story of Cain and Abel is found in the following chapter. Genesis 4 documents the development of human civilization after Adam and Eve chose a lifestyle of deciding for themselves what was good and what was evil.

The births of Cain and Abel

Cain was the first human to be born. It was a time of joy and wonder. After bearing Cain, Eve exclaimed, “I have acquired a man from the LORD” (Genesis 4:1).

Then Eve bore another son who was named Abel (verse 2). Some scholars say the Hebrew text indicates the boys were twins.

Cain murders Abel

As Adam and Eve’s boys grew up, Cain became a farmer, and Abel became a herdsman. In time they both gave God an offering. They each gave to God from their chosen occupations. Cain gave produce from the ground, and Abel gave a firstborn animal from his flock of sheep (Genesis 4:2-4).

Then we read that God respected Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s (verse 5). The Bible doesn’t explain exactly why, but in any case, Cain thought God’s response to him was unfair. Cain saw himself as a victim, not the recipient of a response he had earned. Instead of being humbled by God’s reaction and determining to change his ways, Cain got angry.

God advised him to control his emotions (verses 5-6), but Cain allowed his anger and jealousy to get the better of him.

Ironically, the freedom Cain thought he would have by rejecting God’s guidance made him a slave to his misguided emotions and led him to murder his brother. New Testament writers refer to this as being in “bondage” to sin (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:3; 2 Peter 2:19).

The first murder

Why did Cain commit such an awful and vile act—the malicious murder of his own brother? John explains that it was “because his [Cain’s] works were evil and his brother’s righteous” (1 John 3:12; compare Hebrews 11:4).

God was not pleased with Cain because of Cain’s lifestyle. Jude referred to Cain’s thinking and way of life as simply “the way of Cain” (Jude 1:11).

This way of Cain, with its faulty thought patterns and deeds, continues today. It is the reason for today’s conflicts between people and nations. People feel mistreated and disrespected and react in anger. And, sadly, in far too many cases people truly have been mistreated by others.

An ongoing lesson from this story is that distrust of God and acceptance of Satan’s encouragement to reject God often leads to distrusting and disrespecting others.

My brother’s keeper

After Cain murdered his brother, God asked him where his brother was. Cain’s well-known response was, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9).

Of course, Cain lied. He surely knew where his dead brother was.

Scripture makes it abundantly clear that we are to love and respect all of our fellow humans. Jesus distilled the 10 Commandments into two great commandments: love God and love our neighbor (Mark 12:29-31). Based on this instruction, we understand that we are indeed our brother’s keeper.

So how are we as Christians to respond when we are mistreated or feel mistreated? In such circumstances, we need to remember that God told Cain that he was responsible for his actions. God told him to rule over—resist—the negative emotions he was feeling so he would not sin (Genesis 4:6-7).

People and nations need to heed this advice today. We need to examine ourselves to see if our ways are right before God. If we have sinned, we need to repent. If we have not sinned, we still need to respect others. When we love God by obeying His good and beneficial laws, we find peace and are better able to love our fellow man.

Sadly, few respond as God advises, and our world is filled with anger, divisions, jealousies, murders and wars. The highly polarized anger reflected in politics, extremist groups and between nations today exists because people have followed the way of Cain.

Fruit from the forbidden tree

After ignoring God’s instructions and killing his brother, Cain suffered consequences. The ground was cursed; his occupation as a farmer was made much more difficult. Furthermore, he was to live the remainder of his days as a fugitive and a vagabond (verses 11-12).

Cain then whined to God that his punishment was unfair and that he feared being killed by others. In response, God set a mark on Cain to keep others from killing him (verse 15). Even so, Cain apparently lived the rest of his life in fear of being murdered.

Good and evil

When humans reject God’s instruction, they symbolically choose to eat the fruit from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:17). While this is a choice that leads to death instead of life (Proverbs 14:12), some good can also come from this choice because it represents both good and evil.

Some of the fruit that came from Cain’s descendants included the development of music and the ability to smelt and forge bronze and iron—things that can be used for good or for evil (Genesis 4:21-22). The bad fruit that Cain’s descendants produced and experienced included polygamy and the insecurity of living in a world filled with violence, wickedness and evil (verses 19, 23-24; Genesis 6:5).

Life apart from God and in opposition to His instructions brings severe penalties.

The way of Cain vs. the way of righteousness

Another issue often overlooked in the early chapters of Genesis is that mankind separated into two ways of life. Just as many chose the way of Cain, a few chose God’s way of life.

Abel’s way of life was righteous (1 John 3:12). After Abel’s death, Eve bore another son and named him Seth. Eve said, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed” (Genesis 4:25).

The scriptural indications are that at least some of Seth’s descendants strove to follow Abel’s example of living a righteous life. Both Enoch and Noah “walked with God” (Genesis 5:24; 6:9).

But the vast majority followed the way of Cain, and God decided the downward spiral had to be stopped. God spared Noah and his family, thus preserving the human race from the Flood. God saved a minority—the few who were striving to live the way of righteousness.

Jesus said that an elect few will also be instrumental in saving the end-time generation from total destruction (Matthew 24:22, 37).

The story of Cain and Abel still has relevance for us. God continues to respect the minority of people today who strive to live the way of righteousness.

The annual observance of Pentecost commemorates the beginning of the Church of God, which Jesus called the elect and a little flock (Acts 2:37-47; Luke 12:32). These themes remind us of this principle of God’s honoring the few who strive to live like Abel, Enoch and Noah.

The two different ways of life chosen by Cain and Abel still exist—the way of Cain and the way of righteousness. Which way will you choose?

The Dire Consequences of Hidden Sins

 

How many of us are guilty of hiding our sins? By concealing them, will we be spared the penalties sins produce? What is the right way to deal with secret sins?

There is an example in the Old Testament that dramatically demonstrates how attempting to hide sins can have devastating results.

Lessons from the story of Achan

After crossing the River Jordan, the Israelites entered the Promised Land. One of their first challenges was to conquer the city of Jericho, but there was an important requirement—they were forbidden to claim any spoils for themselves.

The instructions from God were clearly spelled out: “And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it” (Joshua 6:18, emphasis added throughout).

The definition of “accursed,” according to Strong’s Concordance, is: “Things which should have been utterly destroyed, (appointed to) utter destruction.”

The precious items such as gold and silver were “consecrated [set apart] to the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD” (verse 19).

Despite God’s crystal-clear instructions, Achan from the tribe of Judah took of the accursed and consecrated things and hid them in his tent. He took a Babylonian garment and some gold and silver. Somehow he foolishly thought that his actions were hidden from God (7:1, 21).

The devastating results of disobeying God

After destroying Jericho, the Israelites’ next objective was the town of Ai. However, the Israelite army was unexpectedly defeated, with the loss of 36 men (7:2-5). Joshua was rightly upset and confused, for God had promised to help them conquer the people of the land (1:5-9).

Why did God allow this defeat to happen? What had gone wrong?

God revealed to Joshua that “Israel has sinned . . . For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived . . . Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies . . . Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you” (7:11-12).

Sin cuts people off from God (Isaiah 59:2). God will not coexist with or tolerate sin.Sin cuts people off from God (Isaiah 59:2). God will not coexist with or tolerate sin. Through a process of elimination, God made known to Joshua that Achan was the guilty person. As a consequence, Achan, his family and possessions were destroyed (Joshua 7:10-26). This demonstrates how abhorrent sins are to God.

If not checked and removed, sin can spread and negatively influence and harm other people. Once the sin of disobeying God’s instructions was brought to light and removed, God once again blessed the people of Israel, and the city of Ai was easily overcome and conquered (8:1-29). The nation of Israel was no longer cut off from God—He continued to support the Israelites as He had promised.

Paradoxically, had Achan obeyed and patiently trusted God, he would have been allowed to take the spoils from the conquest of Ai (8:2). Sadly, he allowed greed and covetousness to master him, which led to his death (7:24-26). Disobeying God, and then attempting to hide the sin, was an extremely unwise decision.

God sees secret sins

Sometimes we consciously try to hide our sins. Other times we just overlook them.

But no matter how well we may try to conceal or ignore them, God sees all. God knows all our thoughts and motives and actions.

1. Our thoughts.

There is nothing hidden from God, not even our thoughts. Psalm 94:11 states, “The LORD knows the thoughts of man.” And furthermore, true Christians are admonished to cast “down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5-6).

Achan did not realize that “there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).

God knows our thoughts of covetousness, lust, hatred or deception. He is not deceived, even if we have fooled others—or ourselves.

2. The intents and motives behind our actions.

Why do we do the things we do? God is very much aware of our motives, whether they are good or bad. Are they first and foremost to please God (Colossians 3:23-24), or are they for personal gain and glory?

God reveals that He knows our intents. Notice what King David told his son, Solomon:

“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever” (1 Chronicles 28:9).

Later, the apostle Paul reminds us of what we need to consider when reading the Bible: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

3. The things we do in secret.

Many sins (such as pornography and other addictions) are done under cover of darkness or in secret. Paul wrote about the “unfruitful works of darkness”: “For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret” (Ephesians 5:11-12).

But the Bible tells us, “For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

And so we should choose to do the good, not the evil. Jesus Christ set us an example that we should “follow His steps”—do and act as He did (1 Peter 2:21).

The apostle Paul encouraged us to “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10). Furthermore, he wrote that we should “walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Thessalonians 2:12).

Recognizing the seriousness of sin

Besides not really realizing that we can’t hide from God, there are additional reasons we often don’t understand the vital importance of overcoming our sins. We must recognize these flaws in our thinking and seek God’s help to realize how serious sin is. These flaws include:

1. Lacking fear and reverence for God and His laws.

We don’t naturally fear God or have deep respect for His law.

After God gave the Israelites His 10 Commandments at Mount Sinai, we read: “And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin’” (Exodus 20:20).

The prophet Isaiah was inspired to record the following life-giving advice from God: “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2). God wants us to learn to be humble and to hold His Word in highest regard.

The psalmist made an astounding observation about evildoers and workers of iniquity: “Concerning the transgression of the wicked: there is no fear of God before his eyes.” Notice, the actions related to lacking the fear of God: “For he flatters himself in his own eyes . . . The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; he has ceased to be wise and to do good . . . He does not abhor [reject, loathe] evil” (Psalm 36:1-4).

2. Not realizing that when we sin, we sin against God.

King David, a man after God’s own heart (Acts13:22), after his illicit relationship with Bathsheba, deeply repented of his sins. He came to realize, “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight . . . Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom” (Psalm 51:4, 6).

These and other scriptures should help us recognize how serious sin is. They should motivate us to battle against temptations and to avoid succumbing to sinful acts. Understanding this should make us ashamed and remorseful to realize that when we sin, we are defying and denying our Creator and Heavenly Father.

3. Not understanding that disobedience to God’s laws has severe consequences.

John Bunyan (a Puritan preacher and author of Pilgrim’s Progress) said: “One leak will sink a ship: and one sin will destroy a sinner.” Unfortunately, many people have a blasé and nonchalant approach to sin.

The late Billy Graham (a well-known preacher) said, “Self-centered indulgence, pride and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle.” This is not only true in America, but in most countries of the world.

To Christians, the apostle Paul wrote: “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages [what we earn] of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:22-23).

If we were given a survey asking us to choose between death and eternal life in the Kingdom of God, we would surely choose life. So why would anyone want to chose death by living a life of sin?

Moses is an example of a person who made a conscious choice “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin . . . for he looked to the reward  . . . For he endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:25-27).

What an example to follow!

4. Lacking understanding that sin spreads like a virus, contaminating others.

Returning to the example we started with, Achan said, “When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent” (Joshua 7:21).

Notice the progression to sin: he saw, then he desired, then he stole, then he hid the items. He allowed his thoughts to grow into wrong actions.

The nearer we get to sin, the stronger its pull. It is like a magnet—the closer it gets to a piece of iron, the easier it is for the two items to come together. But physical distance alone is not sufficient. Sin begins in the mind, and physical actions are the end result of those thoughts.

This is how the apostle James describes the progression of wrong thoughts to sin: “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15).

As a result of the sins of one person, 36 men died (Joshua 7:5)—men who likely left behind wives, sons, daughters and other relatives. We need to be acutely aware that the evil of sin not only hurts us, but others as well.

Blessing of forgiveness

Our sins, even our hidden sins, can severely affect others. And our sins earn us the penalty of eternal death.

After the situation with Achan was resolved, God again began blessing the people affected by Achan’s sin—the people of Israel. The city of Ai was easily conquered with no loss of life (Joshua 8).

God wants to forgive and bless sinners who don’t conceal their sins but instead repent.And God wants to forgive and bless sinners who don’t conceal their sins but instead repent.

Proverbs 28:13 says: “He who covers [conceals] his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

King David understood this principle: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered [atoned for; forgiven] . . . I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:1, 5).

All humans are subject to weaknesses and fall prey to sinful actions from time to time. But God has made it possible for sins to be forgiven upon genuine repentance. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).

We strive not to sin, but when we do, God is merciful and kind to forgive the repentant sinner (1 John 2:1-2; Psalm 103:15-18).)

What a wonderful blessing!

Examples for us

Read Joshua 7 again. This will help to imprint on our minds the importance of obeying God and, especially, of not hiding or concealing our sins.

Achan made a terrible mistake by disobeying and then hiding his sins. As the apostle Paul wrote, “These things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted” (1 Corinthians 10:6).

We must strive to live in harmony with the way our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have instructed us in the Bible. We must be willing to acknowledge any sin in our lives, especially habitual ones, and once we do, we must repent, always seeking God’s forgiveness and asking for His help to overcome.

This is the process of conversion—the way that leads to eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

Learn more in our article “How to Repent.”

Were You Born With Original Sin?

 

A widely held belief in the Christian world is that humans are born with the stain of original sin. Is this true? Is every baby born guilty of Adam’s sin?

Most people don’t look at babies and think of them as sinners deserving punishment. But a doctrine held by the largest Christian church teaches that babies are born with sin on their record.

This is known as the doctrine of original sin, and it is held (in one form or another) by some of the largest Christian denominations on earth.

What is the reasoning behind this doctrine? Is it true? Do babies inherit sin at birth? Is this what the Bible teaches about sin?

The doctrine of original sin and the fall of man

Though the idea can be traced back to multiple early Catholic writers, the theologian who did the most to develop the teaching was Augustine of Hippo. Augustine converted to Christianity from paganism nearly 300 years after the New Testament era.

The doctrine is based on the story of Adam and Eve. The interpretation is essentially that after Adam chose the forbidden fruit, his nature was altered and became inherently twisted and corrupt. But this change in nature didn’t just apply to Adam. According to Augustine and others, Adam’s sin resulted in the fall from grace of all human beings who came after him. This is often called the fall of man.

This view sees sin like a disease that is transmitted from parent to child before birth. Adam’s fall was the fall of all those who came from him—the entire human race. According to this view, not only did Adam and Eve’s offspring inherit Adam’s nature, but also his sin. Adam’s sin, or the original sin, as it came to be known, is seen as a stain on the soul that every human being is born with.

This is why many of the largest denominations who believe in original sin practice infant baptism. This baptism, usually by pouring water over the infant’s head, is done to remove original sin. For further insight into what the Bible teaches about this subject, read our online article “Infant Baptism.”

Did Adam’s sin pass on to his children?

Even though large segments of the Christian world adhere to these ideas, thinking Christians should look at doctrines that arose years after the New Testament record with a critical eye and ask: Is this rooted in the Bible—God’s inspired Word—or in the ideas of men?

First, the phrase original sin is found nowhere in the Bible. It was coined years after the Bible had been completed. Though Adam’s choice in Genesis 3 was certainly a sin, nowhere does the Genesis account say that his children inherited his sin. In fact, the first time the word sin appears in the Bible is when God warned Adam’s son Cain that “sin lies at the door” because of Cain’s anger issue (Genesis 4:6-7).

Certainly, Adam’s sin had consequences for his offspring. God proclaimed: “‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’—therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken” (Genesis 3:22-23).

So we see:

• Adam and Eve chose to disobey God—to sin—after being tempted by the first sinner, Satan (see our online article “Satan: A Profile”). Everyone since has made that same choice. Sin entered the human realm, and each person goes down that path by his or her own choice.
• Because sin and death entered the human realm, Adam and his family disconnected themselves from God. They could no longer enjoy the blessings and perfect environment of the Garden of Eden or have access to the opportunity to live forever (Genesis 3:19; Romans 6:23; Isaiah 59:2).

Without a doubt, the consequences of Adam’s choice had an enormous effect on the history of his offspring.

The book of Proverbs puts it this way: “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies” (Proverbs 1:29-31).

In other words, Adam’s and his descendants’ choices to reject God and His way resulted in God’s cutting them off from Him and allowing them to experience “the fruit of their own way.” This is a reference to all the suffering they would bring on themselves by choosing the path of sin.

Sin is always a personal matter

When we look at the Bible’s teaching on sin, we see clearly that God always regards sin as a personal matter. In other words, sin is always imputed as a consequence of each individual’s choice to personally break the law of God (1 John 3:4).

Though a person’s sins can definitely result in physical consequences that impact others, the spiritual guilt falls only on the person who committed the sin.Though a person’s sins can definitely result in physical consequences that impact others, the spiritual guilt falls only on the person who committed the sin.

In the time of the prophet Ezekiel, there was a common belief that children somehow inherited the sins of their ancestors. This was expressed in a proverb that Ezekiel quoted: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (Ezekiel 18:2). This saying was so off base that God gave a detailed rebuttal of the idea of inherited sin (verses 3-32).

God’s refutation of this idea is summed up in verses 20 and 30: “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. … Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways.”

The message is clear: God holds each individual accountable for his or her own personal sins. While sin’s consequences can impact future generations, God doesn’t hold people guilty for other people’s sins—not even Adam’s.

Jesus clearly taught that “whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). People aren’t born a “slave of sin”—they become one when they first make the choice to commit sin. Many scriptures show that individuals carry only the guilt of their own personal sin (Isaiah 3:10-11; Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 14:12).

To learn more about the Bible’s teaching on sin, read “What Is Sin?”

Does Romans 5 teach original sin?

The scripture that is most often quoted by proponents of “original sin” is Romans 5:12. The beginning of that scripture reads, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men …”

If you stop reading there, it could be interpreted to mean that death spread to “all men” because of the sin of the “one man” (Adam). But consider the last three words of the verse:

“…because all sinned” (emphasis added throughout).

Reading the last part as a whole makes it clear: “Death spread to all men because all sinned.” When Adam (the “one man”) chose to sin, sin entered the human realm (“the world”), and sin’s presence in the human realm resulted in the penalty of death (see Romans 6:23). Death, as a consequence of sin, spread to all men—because “all sinned.”

In other words, all of us have followed Adam’s example and sinned, therefore we all earned the same penalty he did. Paul wrote that clearly in Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Born into a sinful world

No, we weren’t born with the stain of Adam’s sin on our soul or conscience. But we were born into a world that has followed the same basic path that Adam chose in the Garden—a world that chooses to live its own way apart from God, that embraces sin in its many forms, and that continues to be under the sway of that deceptive serpent (1 John 5:19).

But the good news is that we can choose to come out of this world by repenting of our sins and being forgiven through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:15-19). Taking that step can lead you off the wide, sinful path blazed by Adam and onto the narrow, righteous path blazed by Jesus Christ.

To learn how you can repent of your personal sins and pursue the way of life Adam rejected, read our articles on “How to Repent” and “What Is Conversion?”