This chapter discusses in depth, the reason why salvation of the human race was necessary.



THE INVISIBLE WAR

Satan was the most intelligent and powerful of all the created, angelic beings, and originally played a prominent role in God's kingdom. But then he became puffed up with pride and determined to raise himself above the throne of God. Other angels joined him in his rebellion (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:13-15, Revelation 12:9).

Because of the evil they began and the devastation and ruin their actions continued to generate, God resolved to have a day of judgment. He has determined that on that day He will put an end to rebellion and sin. With this purpose in mind He has prepared a place for the confinement of all influence of evil. The Bible calls it hell.

There are now two opposing kingdoms in the heavenlies, God's Kingdom of Light and Satan's Kingdom of Darkness. And they are engaged in an unrelenting war. We're unaware of our own involvement in this conflict because it's in the spiritual realm (c/f Daniel 10:1-14, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Nevertheless, there is a battle being waged for our souls, and the outcome will determine our individual eternal destinies. All who become part of God's Kingdom of Light will enjoy eternal life. But those in the Kingdom of Darkness will be separated from God, as well as from His influence, eternally. The Bible calls this "eternal destruction" (2 Thessalonians 1:9).



THE FALL OF MANKIND

Mankind was the pinnacle of God's creation, made in His own likeness (Genesis 1:26). The first couple, Adam and Eve, lived in an idyllic and carefree environment with only one restriction: God warned them not to partake of the fruit of the tree of good and evil, as this would result in their deaths.

Satan's aim was to bring about the downfall of God's whole magnificent world system. So the ruination of mankind was high on his agenda. Setting his evil plan into action, he enticed Eve to rebel against her Creator (Genesis 3). Firstly he insinuated that God hadn't really meant what He'd said, when He'd warned them about the consequences of eating the forbidden fruit. Next he maligned God by implying that He didn't have their best interests at heart. Then he put the idea into Eve's head that God wanted to prevent her and Adam from becoming like Him. Lastly he wound up his web of temptation, deception and lies by maintaining that God had lied when He'd said that they would die if they ate the forbidden fruit.

Eve fell into Satan's trap and disobeyed God's command. And Adam joined her. But instead of feeling wise and godlike as Satan had promised they would, they felt guilty, ashamed and fearful. So they hid away from God. Not only had their disobedience and sin ruined their previously trusting relationship with Him; it had effectively created a barrier between them. Satan had won a resounding victory. His victims stepped out of God's Kingdom of Light and into his Kingdom of Darkness.

Through the crafty use of enticement and subtle flattery, Satan had convinced them that their desires and opinions were more important than God's were. This had started a chain reaction that was a recipe for disaster, heartache and misery. Their lives did an about turn from being God centred, which would have resulted in righteousness. Instead they became preoccupied in serving their own interests. Self will, self justification, pride and prejudice became the order of the day.

Although Adam and Eve had originally been created in the image of a morally righteous God (Genesis 1:27), we note that after the fall their progeny were born in their own sinful likeness (Genesis 5:3). The effects of the fall were so invasive and deep-seated that they were passed on to their children.

The fall of Adam and Eve spelled the ruination of mankind.

Through the fall Satan succeeded in alienating the whole of mankind from the One who'd created us for fellowship with Himself. Not only that, he's also alienated us from one another. We're a fallen race, living in a ruined world, existing on a much lower level than God had intended. In place of physical and mental well being, love, peace, and togetherness with God and with each other; the fall of the human race has brought about distrust, enmity, suffering, fear, anguish, disease and death. And we're caught in a downward spiral that has to end in God's judgment.



THE CURSE OF SIN

The Bible tells us that as a consequence of their deliberate and wilful disobedience, God cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden with the sentence of death hanging over their heads. He also cursed the earth so that Adam would have to work long and hard to make a living. Eve was told that childbirth would be agonizing, and that although her desire would be to "rule the roost," she would be subservient to her husband. Satan was also cursed for the part that he had played in their downfall. (Genesis 3:14-19).

Spiritual separation from God is the first stage of death. The very moment they had sinned they became spiritually separated from the One who is the source of all life. Their bodies immediately began the process of decay. Physical death was already setting in, and it would only be a matter of time before it completed its task. God had never intended that mankind should die, but because of sin, death has now become our enemy.

There are three phases of death. First of all there is spiritual death described above, followed by the next phase, which is physical death (Hebrews 9:27). Then there is eternal death, which is eternal separation from God and His influence. This final death is the full penalty of sin (Revelation 20:13-15). That is why biblical salvation from sin always includes the free gift of eternal life.



WE HAVE A PROBLEM

Because of the fall of Adam and Eve, every member of the human race is born with a fallen nature and has within himself the inclination to self-bias and sin. And although it is true that man still bears a likeness to God in that he has traits of goodness in him, they have been marred by sin.

God would never declare us unrighteous or sinful merely because our forebears, Adam and Eve, had sinned. The sad truth is that each and every one of us is personally guilty of sin.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, KJV)

For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth [only] good, and sinneth not. (Ecclesiastes 7:20, KJV)

If we say that we have not sinned, we make him [God] a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:10, KJV)

Involvement in sin implies either a distrust of God, or a rebellion against His person and His standards of righteousness. In either case it is a declaration of independence, where we put our "self" in that central place that belongs by right to God alone.

"The sinfulness of sin lies in the fact that it is against God, even when the wrong we do is to others or ourselves [Gen 39:9; Ps 51:4]." (The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright 1988.)

WHY COULDN'T GOD JUST FORGIVE US?

Some of God's characteristics are holiness, power, righteousness, goodness, justice, mercy, love, omniscience and so on. But He is always all of these things simultaneously. In other words, He doesn't lay aside one of His traits in order to be able to display another.

Some people insist that their sin doesn't hurt anyone. But that's because fallen man is limited in his ability to see things as they really are. God is our Creator and He is holy, so our sin is firstly against Him. Moreover, sin has a ripple affect, and always affects someone else, sooner or later. It's the cause of all the misery, heartache and suffering in the world. And because of His holiness and justice, God has to punish sin. The fact that He is loving and merciful in no ways nullifies His traits of justice and holiness.



This article is merely background material that provides an understanding of what lies behind salvation.



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Copyright 2009 by Yvonne Gibbs. All rights reserved.

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