MAN'S PUNISHMENT FOR THE ORIGINAL SIN

Proclamation:

“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; dust you are and to dust you will return.”  Genesis 3:19 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of God which were written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The third chapter of Genesis describes the first sin of man, his fall from grace, and the punishment that he received for it.  Eve was tempted by Satan, in the form of a serpent, and she did eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17) which The Lord God had commanded them not to eat. (Genesis 3:1-6)  She offered some of this fruit to Adam and he also ate it. (Genesis 3:6)  After eating the fruit they immediately became aware of their situation and tried to hide from God. (Genesis 3:7-10)  When God questioned Adam about his action, he blamed Eve, and she blamed the serpent. (Genesis 3:9-13)  For their part in this, the original sin, God cursed the serpent, Eve, and Adam. (Genesis 3:14-20)  Even though He punished them, God still provided for Adam and Eve, and He protected them. (Genesis 3:21-24)

Application:

Even though he was blessed with the abundance of God’s provisions, man still sinned and disobeyed God.  When we sin today, it is not out of necessity for our survival; it is because of our selfish desire for personal gain, greed, or lustful pleasure.  There is a price to be paid for our sins. (Romans 6:23)  Jesus, The Christ, paid the price for our sins on Calvary and offered us the way to salvation and eternal life.  However, we must all give an account of our behavior and stewardship, (Luke 16:2 and Revelation 20:12) and every word that we speak. (Matthew 12:36)   Man had it made in the Garden of Eden with all of God’s provisions, now after the sinful fall from God’s grace we have to work and sweat to eat and survive.  Even though we are punished for our sinful choices, The Lord God still blesses us.  Our physical death will be the separation of our spiritual soul from our physical body.  Our body will return to the dust of the earth.  However, where our soul will spend eternity depends upon our acceptance or rejection of Jesus, The Christ. (Ephesians 12:7 and Revelation 20:15)

THE BREATH OF LIFE

Proclamation:

"The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." Genesis 2:7 (NIV)

Explanation:

These Holy Spirit inspired words of God were thought to have been written by Moses even though he was clearly not present when the events occurred.  The title of the first book of The Old Testament, Genesis, in Greek means “origins” while the Hebrew translation means “in the beginning.”  After creating the heavens and the earth by speaking them into existence, (Genesis 1:1-8) God then created man. (Genesis 1:26-27)  God created man from the dust of the earth but man did not become a living being until God breathed into him the breath of life. (Genesis 2:7)

Application:

God gave us our most precious gift, the breath of life.  One day each of us will have to give it back to Him.  The dust of the earth and the minerals that make up our physical bodies will one day return to the dust of the earth. (Job 34:15 and Psalm 104:29)  The breath of life, which is the spirit within our bodies, will return to The Lord God who gave it to us. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)  This life is short and it will soon be over. (James 4:14)  We should live our lives, our temporary existence here on earth as living souls, as if we value and appreciate God for giving us the opportunity to exist.  We should thank God for all that we have and for every blessing that we have received, and we should live our lives like we are grateful to Him for being alive and having the breath of life.  Our spiritual soul will live forever, but not our physical bodies.  Just how and where our soul will spend eternity will depend upon our relationship with Jesus, The Christ. (John 3:16 and Revelation 20:10 and 15)  The choice is ours, please choose wisely.