Movie chronicles, TV news and newspapers show frequently, how wars destroy the lives of entire nations, how people hurt each other, how they are at odds with each other. Not only in the wide world, not only between nations, but also in families, and even in your group of colleagues there are quarrels and misunderstandings. Furthermore, you find similar inclinations within yourself. You often go wrong, how would you like. Maybe you are asking yourself, why is this happening ? Many people ask the same.
The chosen people also wondered, why people sin. God answered the people in the books of Scripture.
St.. teaches us the mystery of sin
The answer to these questions is contained in the biblical account of Adam and Eve's sin. The Book of Genesis speaks of this vividly :
„…God gave man such an order : "You may eat any of the trees in this garden as you like, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat, for when you eat from it, you will surely die… »And the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals of the field, which God created. He said it to the woman : " Is it true, that God said : Do not eat fruit from all the trees of this garden ». The woman answered the serpent : «We can eat the fruits of the trees in this garden, only about the fruits of the tree, which is in the middle of the garden, God said : You must not eat from it, and even touch it, lest you die ». Then the serpent said to the woman : «You will not die for sure ! But God knows, that when you eat the fruit of this tree, your eyes will be opened and you will know good and evil like God »". Then the woman saw it, that this tree has fruit that is good to eat, that it is a delight to the eyes and that the fruit of this tree is amenable to knowledge. So she plucked the fruit from it, she tasted it and gave it to her husband, who was with her ; and he ate… But when the man and his wife heard the footsteps of God walking in the garden, when there was a gust of wind, they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. God called the man and asked him : " where are you ? Or maybe you ate from the tree, from which I forbade you to eat ? »The man replied : «Woman, that you put next to me, she gave me the fruit of that tree and I ate ». Then the Lord God spoke to the woman : «Why did you do it ?»The woman replied : «The snake deceived me and I ate it…»God spoke to the man : «Because you obeyed your wife and ate it from the tree, about which I gave you an order in words : You will not eat from it… you will hardly gain from her [the ground] food for all the days of your life. Thorn and thistle she will bear you… »Therefore the Lord God expelled him from the garden of Eden, to till the land, from which it was taken " (Gen. 2, 16-17 ; 3, >6. 8-13. 17-18. 23).
You can read the full description of the Bible in the Book of Genesis (Gen. 3, 1-24).
What is human sin ?
God explains to us in this description, what is sin. This description should not be taken literally. It is forbidden to pick fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, snake, who tempts the woman, picking the fruit, conversations of people appearing in the story, hiding people, and finally driving them out of paradise, are colorful pictures of this story. In it, God communicates to us the truth about human sin. God loves man. He gave him freedom. For the good of man, God gives him commandments. Obedience is a condition of human life in community and friendship with God. Man destroys this friendship by himself. She does not believe God and loses her trust in Him. The Book of Genesis presents this vividly. Satan misinterprets the words of God to man. She tells him, that God, through commandment, wants to limit his freedom and happiness. In this way, Satan is undermining man's trust in God.
Man's sin is presented in Scripture. as the breaking of fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad. When a man sins, he wants to be equal to God and decide about it himself, what is good, what's wrong. Man is free. When he sins, chooses not this, what God wants for his good, but it, what he wants. Who is sinning, does not trust God, he does not obey Him and does not love God.
Where does sin lead to ?
You already know it well, that God wants to be in community with man as friend to friend. Man himself broke up with God. It was he who departed from God. Fear crept between man and God, anxiety. Therefore, the Scriptures. speaks vividly, that people after sin "hid themselves from God among the trees of the garden". Breaking the communion with God and the loss of grace that sanctifies the Scriptures. depicts people being thrown out of paradise.
Sin also weakened mutual love among people. They had been together before, they were a community, they helped each other. The sin of the people has separated, put them at odds with each other. Genesis describes, how Adam blames Eve, and she against the serpent. God wants to tell us through that, that sin weakens, and even at times destroys unity and harmony among people.
God called man to cooperate in taking control of the world. Man was to turn the whole world towards God. Sin introduced a disconnect between man and the world. Again, the Bible tells us vividly : "The thorn and the thistle will be to you [Earth] gave birth. In hard work you will obtain food from her for yourself all the days of your life ".
In man, too, sin has caused disruption and anxiety. He violated the internal order in him. He brought suffering and death to man.
As a result of sin, man has lost the communion of life with God. He stopped living as a child of God. Sin caused the death of God's life in man. The death of man is an external and painful sign of sin. So sin brought death into the world.
People lost everything through sin, what God gave them as His children.
A call to conversion in the Church
We are all sinners. We feel for many sins. We read the biblical account of breaking communion with God in the great fasting. Then God, in the words of Scripture. he calls us to conversion and penance. The external expression of this penance is the sprinkling of ashes on their heads at the beginning of Lent.
How will I answer God ?
I am also a sinner. My sins separate me from God. At the beginning of the second millennium of Christianity in Poland, bishops recalled in a special pastoral letter about the disastrous consequences, caused by national sins and vices, especially drunkenness, discord, quarrels, lack of mutual love, waste of social property, inconsistency at work and others. These vices cause great harm to the nation and individuals. I will be watching, lest these faults take root in me. When asking for forgiveness of sins, you can address God with the words of the Psalm 50 : "Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness, with the greatness of your mercy, blot out my iniquity.
Wash me completely from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my iniquity, and my sin is always before me. It is only against you that I have sinned and done, what's wrong in front of you… Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew an invincible spirit in my breast.
Do not cast me away from your face and take away your holy spirit from me. Bring me joy in your salvation and strengthen me with a willing spirit… Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will proclaim your glory " (Ps 50, 1-6a. 12-14. 17).
■ Think :
1. How do we learn about the mystery of sin ?
2. How Scripture says. about man's sin ?
3. What the images in this story express ?
4. What God calls us to do in him ?
■ Remember:
21. What do the Scriptures of. teaches us in the story of man's sin ?
In this story, the Scriptures. he reveals to us the mystery of sin, he calls us to avoid sin, to conversion and penance.
22. What is sin ?
It is a sin, that man does not trust God, he does not love God and is disobedient to Him.
23. What are the effects of sin ?
Sin breaks or weakens communion with God, it weakens mutual love between people, it introduces a discrepancy between man and the world, and in man he violates inner peace.
■ Task :
Compare Abraham's attitude toward God with that of Adam as shown in the Bible account of sin.
Movie chronicles, TV news and newspapers show frequently, how wars destroy the lives of entire nations, how people hurt each other, how they are at odds with each other. Not only in the wide world, not only between nations, but also in families, and even in your group of colleagues there are quarrels and misunderstandings. Furthermore, you find similar inclinations within yourself. You often go wrong, how would you like. Maybe you are asking yourself, why is this happening ? Many people ask the same.
