In 2007, Nebraska Democratic State Senator, Ernie Chambers decided to go straight to the top in an effort to stop natural disasters from befalling the world. “Chambers filed a lawsuit against God in Douglas County Court (Omaha) Friday afternoon,” KPTM Fox 42 reported.
The suit asks for a “permanent injunction ordering the Defendant to cease certain harmful activities and the making of terroristic threats.” The lawsuit identifies the plaintiff as, “the duly elected and serving State Senator from the 11th Legislative District in Omaha, Nebraska.” Chambers also cites that the “defendant directly and proximately has caused, inter alia, fearsome floods, egregious earthquakes, horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornados, pestilential plagues. . .”
Even though this lawsuit was a kind of protest or warning against preventing limitation for lawsuits, it is an example of how we blame God, or Adam, for our calamities. We, human beings, since the moment Adam and Eve committed sin, have always tried to find a scapegoat for our own errors. There is in our nature a strong tendency to blame others for what is our own responsibility. In most cases people regret the consequences of their mistakes, but not the sin itself.
The fact is that because of our rebellion, we became separated from God; we assumed the control of our own life, and chose to live independently from the Life Giver. The result of this rebellious attitude is pointed out in the Spirit of Prophesy:
“This was the position of the human race after man divorced himself from God by transgression. Then he was no longer entitled to a breath of air, a ray of sunshine, or a particle of food.” –Faith and Works, p. 21
- Why did Adam and Eve not die right at the moment of their transgression?
The Lord had given clear and straight warnings to Adam and Eve about the fall of an important part of the angels of heaven. They were fully updated about the rebellion of Lucifer, and the danger pending to the universe. The ban of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, under penalty of death, was a test of loyalty.
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17
The shocking fact is that they ate of the forbidden fruit, and did not die, at least not the same day, even though the Lord had said: “for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die.” Why?
From the Biblical record it appears, after all, that the snake was right, and God exaggerated his threat. The Spirit of Prophesy yields light on that regard:
“Adam listened to the words of the tempter, and yielding to his insinuations, fell into sin. Why was not the death penalty at once enforced in his case?—Because a ransom was found. God’s only begotten Son volunteered to take the sin of man upon Himself, and to make an atonement for the fallen race. There could have been no pardon for sin had this atonement not been made.” –The Review and Herald, April 23, 1901,
“As soon as there was sin, there was a Saviour. Christ knew what He would have to suffer, yet He became man’s substitute. As soon as Adam sinned, the Son of God presented Himself as surety for the human race, with just as much power to avert the doom pronounced upon the guilty as when He died upon the cross of Calvary.” –The Review and Herald, March 12, 1901
It is not that they started dying the day they sinned, as some have proposed. It is not that their death after over 900 years later was the fulfilment of the sentence of death. They did not die because Jesus would suffer, instead of them, the penalty of the transgression of the law of God. Jesus would take the sin and guilt of humanity on Himself. The sentence was fulfilled as God had said, not on Adam and Eve but on Christ. The condemnation was transferred from Adam to Christ. That very day, the death penalty was put upon Christ, and God accepted it as a fact. Jesus granted a second chance to the human race
Prophesy announced it in the following statement: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:5–6
“God’s only begotten Son volunteered to take the sin of man upon Himself, and to make an atonement for the fallen race.” –The Review and Herald, April 23, 1901
Jesus took upon Himself the sin of Adam, not in part, but in full. The liberation of the fallen couple was complete; their salvation was not partial, but total. As a substitute, Jesus was the sin bearer instead of Adam. Since Jesus made Adam free from sin, although he now had a sinful nature, he had no more sin on him.
Consequently, since original sin was no more on Adam but on Christ, Adam could not transmit such a sin to his posterity. We cannot inherit from Adam what he did not have. It had been taken by Jesus, and it belonged to Him. Conclusively, we can affirm that, although we have a sinful human nature, we do not inherit the sin of Adam.
Some people are snatching away what was taken by Jesus, and saying that they were born with the sin of Adam. It is to blame Adam, and ultimately God, for their sins. It is actually denying personal responsibility, and finding an excuse for their sins.
- If we do not inherit the sin of Adam, why do we die? Why did we not stop committing sin?
The immortality of Adam was conditional—he did not have natural immortality—it depended on two factors: Loyalty to God, and eating of the tree of life.
“And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of Us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” Genesis 3:22–24
If Adam would have been allowed to eat of the tree of life after his sin, he would not have died.
Because of his rebellion Adam lost his right to eat of the tree of life; therefore, even though Jesus had taken sin out of him, he was to die and his descendants as well. The death of Adam was because he was prevented from eating of the tree of life.
“The fruit of the tree of life in the Garden of Eden possessed supernatural virtue. To eat of it was to live forever. Its fruit was the antidote of death. Its leaves were for the sustaining of life and immortality.” –Heaven, p. 172
“The tree of life had the power of perpetuating life. Adam would have continued to enjoy free access to this tree and have lived forever, but when he sinned he was cut off from the tree of life and became subject to death. Immortality had been forfeited by transgression. There could have been no hope for the fallen race had not God, by the sacrifice of His Son, brought immortality within their reach.” –From Here to Forever, p. 329
Adam could not transmit eternal life to his children; that is why we die. This death that comes as a direct consequence of the deprivation of the tree of life is compared to sleep. “These things said He: and after that He saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.” John 11:11. All men, good and evil will be awakened from that sleep. “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” John 5:28–29
If we do not inherit the original sin, why do we sin?
We commit sin because we choose to sin; we repeat the rebellion of Adam. We chose to eat of the forbidden tree. We do not sin IN Adam, we sin LIKE Adam.
Adam and Eve transgressed the law of God. They ate of the forbidden fruit, and were driven from Eden. We might well rejoice if this had been the only fall. But since the fall of Adam, the history of the human race has been a succession of falls.” –The Review and Herald, July 9, 1901
Every generation, after the sin of Adam, has repeated the rebellion of their ancestor.
III. The whole race was restored to the favor of God
“And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2
“By His wonderful work in giving His life, He restored the whole race of men to favor with God.” –Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 343, 402
“Christ’s atonement includes the whole human family. No one, high or low, rich or poor, free or bond, has been left out of the plan of redemption.” –The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 464
Jesus restored for us the privilege of enjoying a ray of sunlight, the privilege of breathing the air, and the privilege of eating a morsel of bread.
- What will happen to those that despise the redemption obtained by the sacrifice of Christ?
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him.” Hebrews 2:3
For those that despise and reject the salvation of Christ there is a second death.
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:12–15
There is no resurrection after the second death; it is the total and absolute annihilation of sin, rebellion, and evil.
Conclusion
A Romanian murderer hit the headlines in 2005 when he decided to take God to court. Arguing that his baptism had been a binding contract broken by God, convicted criminal, Pavel Mircea attempted to sue God for failing “to protect me from all evils”.
Mircea, who is serving a 20-year jail sentence, claimed that God “gave me to Satan, who encouraged me to kill”. He filed a lawsuit against the Romanian Orthodox Church, as God’s representatives, citing five crimes allegedly committed by God—including fraud, breach of trust and an abuse of a position of authority.
Mircea argued that God had not kept His side of the bargain, accepting prayers without offering anything in exchange. Fortunately for the Church, the case was thrown out of court since God does not have a legal residence at which He could be served with the legal papers.
God is blameless of our evils, miseries and ruin. Adam created chaos with his sin, but Jesus took on Himself the sin of Adam, and paid the penalty for it. Jesus found a solution, and restored the human race to the favor of God. But Adam could also not transmit to his children the sin that had been taken by Jesus, neither eternal life, for it depended on the tree of life which was out of his reach.
Pastor Neptali Acevedo