When we think about sin, we often focus on the action–stealing a car, lying, committing adultery, or even murder. But those are the acts of sin, not its origin. The first sin begins in the heart–when we choose to go against God’s will and follow our own desires instead. Adam’s choice to eat the fruit was the act of sin, but the real sin happened earlier–when he chose his will over God’s. The same is true for us as men. When we knowingly step away from God’s will to follow our own, we’re not just making a bad choice–we’re trying to replace the Creator’s authority with our own.
Sin always starts with doubt–doubting God’s word, His plan, or His goodness. That doubt leads to a decision, and that decision gives birth to action. The decision to sin is where sin truly takes root. Doubt itself isn’t sin; Satan casts nets of doubt all through a man’s life. But when we knowingly choose to act against God, sin takes shape–and in that moment, we’re trying to be our own god instead of submitting to the one true God.
But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:14-15)
The first sin wasn’t an accident — it was a decision. In the garden, Adam and Eve didn’t just slip up; they made a conscious choice to go against what God said. They thought they could improve on His plan, work around His Word, and live by their own rules. That’s the heart of sin — a deliberate move to step out from under God’s authority and do life our own way. It started with one act of rebellion, but that same spirit runs through every one of us today. It’s not just breaking God’s rules — it’s breaking relationship with God Himself. When Jesus came, He didn’t just take on the bad things we’ve done. He took on the whole broken condition of mankind — the disease, not just the symptoms. The Bible says, “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us.” That means Jesus stepped into our mess completely. He carried the full weight of what separates us from God — every ounce of it — and by doing that, He opened the door for us to be made right again.
You can’t fix yourself or earn your way back to God. That’s not your job — that’s His. Jesus finished the work on the Cross. Redemption — that’s God’s part. But salvation — that’s your response. It’s your choice to receive what He already did and walk in it. In closing, I’m reminded of Oswald Chambers’ words from *My Utmost for His Highest*: “A man cannot redeem himself–redemption is the work of God, and is absolutely finished and complete. And its application to individual people is a matter of their own individual action or response to it.” That’s the bottom line — Christ did the heavy lifting. The question now is whether we’ll respond, surrender, and live like men who’ve been redeemed.
Have a great weekend,
Stephen L. Thomas, RTM