To enjoy the blessings God wants to give us, we must deeply understand the way of life to avoid.
“Sin is the transgression of the law,” says 1 John 3:4. This important scripture teaches us where to look for a definition of sin: to the Ten Commandments. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7:7: “Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law.”
But this is only a start for understanding sin. We need to know not only the definition of sin, but also where sin starts and how it operates in our lives. We need to understand the root cause of sin in humanity. And we need to fully understand the consequences of sin.
Romans 7:14 says the law is “spiritual.” This means several things. The most important lesson this verse teaches us is that there are eternal consequences for disobedience to God’s spiritual law. Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death.” The penalty for sin unrepented of is eternaldeath! This fact should drive us to be sure we understand deeply the truth about sin.
But Romans 7:14 also teaches us that the truth about sin must be revealed by God. It is spiritual knowledge. God is willing to reveal this knowledge to anyone who will listen and obey.
Where Did Sin Begin?
Who committed the first sin? Was it mother Eve? No.
The first sin in the universe was committed by the great cherub Lucifer, who became Satan the devil. To understand the root cause of sin in humanity, we must look to Satan’s life and learn from his mistakes.
What caused Lucifer to sin? Through the Prophet Ezekiel, God says to Satan, “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity [lawlessness] was found in thee” (Ezekiel 28:14-15). God specially created Lucifer to be a great angel and trained him at the very throne of God to administer God’s government on Earth. (For more information about this important history, request a free copy of The Incredible Human Potential by Herbert W. Armstrong.)
Lucifer saw how God lived. He saw firsthand the fruits of His righteousness and character. He also had inside knowledge as to God’s plans for the universe. Ezekiel 28:12 describes Lucifer as a being who was “full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” God gave Lucifer everything he needed to be successful. But something went tragically wrong.
“Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee” (verse 15). Lucifer sinned! A great spiritual being, who had all the credentials to please God, rebelled against God’s law. Lucifer took on a rebellious nature and became Satan the devil. He became God’s number one adversary.
Verse 17 tells us why: “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.”
The root cause of Satan’s sin was his own vanity! Very pleased with all the gifts God created in him, Satan corrupted his wisdom. He began to trust in his own abilities to decide what was right or wrong. He began to feel that he was above God’s law. He began to feel that he was better than God—that he had a better way. Eventually, he decided to overthrow God.
“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14). Satan’s vanity led him to believe he was as good or better than God Himself.
What is the root cause of human sin? It is vanity. The Ten Commandments show us what sin is; vanity causes us to do it!
If we are going to overcome sin, we must know what sin is. But we must also understand whatcauses us to sin. Just like Satan, it is our own vanity that causes us to think that we can decide for ourselves what is right and wrong—that we are equal to or better than God! When we sin, it is because we think we know better than God.
First Human Sin Caused by Vanity
That is what caused Eve to sin. Read the first five verses of Genesis 3. If we look closely at this example, we see the root cause of her sin: Satan got to her through vanity. Satan made Eve doubt God’s words. He said that she could become a god; he appealed to her vanity.
God had explained to Adam and Eve that their purpose for being on Earth was to become members of the God Family. God explained that this process would take time. But Satan told Eve she could have it all immediately. She could have God-level power to decide right and wrong—instantly!
Eve succumbed to her vanity and, as verse 6 explains, used human reasoning to justify her sin.
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