Deep within every person is the desire for goodness. Yet in seeking to do good, each of us finds the inclination to do evil within ourselves. We then must struggle with it to fulfill our true desire.
The world God created was good and should be only good. Yet, it is full of evil and sin and is in such turmoil. How did evil start? What is the definition and origin of sin?
Sin is an act or state that separates a person from God. A sinner cannot perceive God's love clearly or respond to it fully. Deliverance from sin is the restoration of the sinner's relationship to God, but this is impossible until we understand what separated us from God.'
There are two kinds of sin. The first is the personal sin that each one commits in their lifetime. The second is the original sin, by which the first couple separated themselves from God.
This sin has radically affected their descendants, generation after generation.
The nature of the original sin has never been exposed, though its evil effects have been universally inherited. None of us has been able to free ourselves from this sin, however great our desire and effort.
Are there any clues concerning the origin of sin?
According to Genesis 3, sin originated when Adam and Eve, tempted by a serpent, ate of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This sin was passed on to their children and is still inherited by us today.
As the Bible states: "None is righteous, no, not one." (Rom. 3:10b)
Everyone, without exception, is born under sin and needs a savior for deliverance.
Eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge must be symbolic because eating a fruit could not be the cause of the inherited sin that affects all humanity. As Jesus said, "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." (Matt. 15:11)
If the fruit is not a literal one, what does it symbolize?
In the Garden, Adam and Eve had been naked and unashamed. After they ate the fruit, they realized their nakedness, felt ashamed, and concealed the sexual areas of their bodies.
(Gen. 2:25; 3:7)
These actions suggest the symbolic meaning of eating the fruit. It is human nature to conceal anything wrong or defective. Adam and Eve concealed the lower parts of their bodies, which indicates that they had had a sexual relationship in violation of God's command.
Their shame was the reaction to their loss of innocence. The Jewish rite of circumcision also sheds light on this matter. To be marked as God's chosen people, the sons of Israel were circumcised.
Uncircumcised Jewish males were not allowed in the temple and were considered Gentiles. At God's command (Gen. 17:10-14), Abraham initiated the rite of circumcision as a sign of God's covenant. In this way, his descendants could make symbolic restitution for the original sin inherited from Adam.
In referring to their sexual actions, the Hebrews commonly spoke of eating or picking a fruit. In the Bible and elsewhere, to "know" a woman often means to have sexual relations with her. Also, to know good and bad is a Hebrew expression for sexual experience.
Thus, it is clear that "to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil" means to have sexual relations. One of the main tenets of the Christian Church is that people are born with original sin.
The only sin that can affect one's descendants is sexual sin: that which is transmitted through sexual union. "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it." (Gen. 1:28)
This passage indicates God's intention to bless Adam and Eve in marriage. Marital love was to be a blessing of God. Adultery and fornication, being contrary to marriage, are sins. It is obvious that the sexual action of Adam and Eve must have taken place outside of marriage and that this action was the original sin.
We may compare mankind to a tree. The leaves and small branches represent the individuals of the present generation. Some leaves or branches may be rotten, but they do not endanger the life of the tree.
Likewise, although some people of the present generation are sexually immoral, they cannot corrupt the lives of all mankind. Adam and Eve's sin was like rotting the root of the tree because they were the parents of mankind.
The original sin completely distorted the growth of the tree. Thus, the original sin is the root of all sins and evils and caused the spiritual death of mankind.
Young Oon Kim