The root sin which underlies every other, according to Jesus, is disbelief
of what He has done for us in His life and death, disbelief that
He loves us and is on our side, disbelief that He is able to restore
to us everything that we have lost through sin. John
16:8,9 Disbelief spawns every other sin.
In light of the Biblical understanding of sin, it's not difficult to
see how sin threatens everything we could experience, or conceive of or
hope for, as truly good in our lives, and why the Bible would present sin
as public enemy number one.
(The Bible doesn't teach that every death or affliction on this earth
is a result of the afflicted person's sin. John
9:1-3 A tiny baby's death was not caused by his/her sin.
There is a "law of sin" operative in our fallen world that afflicts the
innocent as well as the guilty. Romans 7:23
While the operation of sin in our world results in death for all, and many
people contribute to their own death by things they do, the Bible's revelation
that sin results in death refers primarily to the ultimate loss of eternal
life. Romans 5:12; 6:23 For an explanation
of how sin originated and why God allows it to continue, see our study,
"Star Wars.")
When we sin, God doesn't move away from us so much as we move away from
Him. "Your iniquities have separated you from your God." Isaiah
59:2 Of all the consequences of sin, this one is perhaps the
most serious and tragic--it results in us avoiding, fleeing from
the only One who can save us.
