The lie about the "sinful nature" (Part 2)
"Sin is crouching at your door. It desires to master you, but you must master it."
~God to Cain, before Cain murders Abel
Last time, I talked about the lie I learned in church: that we were "born sinners." The idea is that Adam and Eve sinned, their nature became "sinful," and they passed their sinful nature to their children, which includes us. If this is true, then if anybody had a sinful nature, Cain did! He was born after Adam and Eve sinned, and he committed the very first murder in human history. Did he murder his righteous brother Abel because he had a "sinful nature?"
Look again at what God said:
"Sin is crouching at your door. It desires to master you, but you must master it."
Let's break it down:
1. "Sin" crouched at Cain's door. What does this mean? The picture is of an animal crouching waiting to pounce. "Cain's door" symbolizes his heart, or will; it symbolizes an opportunity that was before Cain--an approaching situation God made known to Cain.
2. It (sin) desired to master Cain. We already know what this sin is because we know Cain's story: the sin was murder. So we could substitute the word "sin" for "murder," or even "murderous hate," as Jesus taught much later. Murderous hate desired control over Cain. Clearly it hadn't mastered him yet because of what God said next.
3. "But you must master it." This is key. God didn't say, "But you must let me help you master it." God also didn't say, "But you can't master it--unless I do a work in your heart-- a work that you're too sinful to even want me to do--so I have to do it for you." This is what God said: "You must master it"--Meaning the sin that crouched at Cain's door.
So whatever sin means, whatever the sinful nature is, it can't mean that Cain had to murder his brother because of his sinful nature. It can't mean that. It doesn't mean that. So what does it mean?
Read here for the answer and conclusion.
~God to Cain, before Cain murders Abel
Last time, I talked about the lie I learned in church: that we were "born sinners." The idea is that Adam and Eve sinned, their nature became "sinful," and they passed their sinful nature to their children, which includes us. If this is true, then if anybody had a sinful nature, Cain did! He was born after Adam and Eve sinned, and he committed the very first murder in human history. Did he murder his righteous brother Abel because he had a "sinful nature?"
Look again at what God said:
"Sin is crouching at your door. It desires to master you, but you must master it."
Let's break it down:
1. "Sin" crouched at Cain's door. What does this mean? The picture is of an animal crouching waiting to pounce. "Cain's door" symbolizes his heart, or will; it symbolizes an opportunity that was before Cain--an approaching situation God made known to Cain.
2. It (sin) desired to master Cain. We already know what this sin is because we know Cain's story: the sin was murder. So we could substitute the word "sin" for "murder," or even "murderous hate," as Jesus taught much later. Murderous hate desired control over Cain. Clearly it hadn't mastered him yet because of what God said next.
3. "But you must master it." This is key. God didn't say, "But you must let me help you master it." God also didn't say, "But you can't master it--unless I do a work in your heart-- a work that you're too sinful to even want me to do--so I have to do it for you." This is what God said: "You must master it"--Meaning the sin that crouched at Cain's door.
So whatever sin means, whatever the sinful nature is, it can't mean that Cain had to murder his brother because of his sinful nature. It can't mean that. It doesn't mean that. So what does it mean?
Read here for the answer and conclusion.
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