Genesis 4:6,7
Then Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.”
This is one of the most enlightening dialogues recorded in scripture. It is between YAHWEH and Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve. At this moment in the story, Cain is angry, very angry, because his offering to God was not accepted while his younger brother Abel’s had been accepted. To help Cain work through his anger, God taught Cain what he was up against and what he should do. God explained the character of sin, calling it a “crouching” beast (living and vicious) that was “at the door” (always waiting) and it had one desire… to rule your life! God also told Cain he had the power to rule over it. By ruling over sin, Cain would be “doing well”. God was offering Cain a choice.
Cain could listen to God, obey him and do well, or he could disregard God’s admonition and suffer the consequences. This was a moment of a single choice. Unfortunately, Cain made the wrong choice. He allowed his anger to erupt into murder and later sealed his own fate forever. Rather than rule over sin, Cain chose to embrace it and the crouching beast devoured Cain.
Sadly, too many people today also reject God’s wisdom and either ignore or embrace sin.
The twentieth century (1900-2000) was dubbed by some as “The Age of Hope”. Humanity made incredible advancements in transportation, architecture and medicine. Yet it was also the most violent century of recorded history. Millions were violently killed in wars, murders, and abortions. Where was the hope?
Now the twenty-first century is underway, and the wisdom of man continues to reject God’s wisdom and welcome the crouching sin. Our philosophers and educators promote the removal of all standards of truth and righteousness in favor of individual truth. (“You shall be like God”… ever heard that?). The fruit of which is transgenderism, pedophilia, and a complete denial of reason and logic on the basis that they are “tools of patriarchal dominance”. All the while God is crying out from Heaven, “Your problem is sin, and it is ruling over you!”
Fallen, sinful humans cannot fix their problems. God alone can fix them. In Genesis 3:15 God declared his solution to the sin problem. It would be a snake crushing seed we know as Jesus!
The apostle Paul made the argument regarding sin very succinctly in his letter to the Roman believers.
Romans 6:20
“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from obedience to righteousness.”
When individuals are enslaved by the crouching sin beast, they are free from any obligation to live righteously. But, doing so has consequences.
Romans 6:21
“So what fruit did you reap at that time from the things that you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death.”
We must recognize that living as a slave to sin will bring death, which is why we must strive to live a life of righteousness and obedience to God. We must remember that our actions and choices will determine the outcome, and we must be determined to follow God’s will and reap the rewards of our faith.
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but in union with Christ Jesus our Lord, the free gift of God is life in the age to come.”
The just payment for sin is death. But God offered a free gift instead of wages!”
Jesus is the answer to our victory over the sin beast. He destroyed the works of the devil (I John 3:8). He delivered us from death (Romans 5:6-11). He set us free from the bondage of sin (Romans 6:18). He redeemed us with his own blood (Ephesians 1:7). He is our hope (I Peter 1:3). So let us LIVE free from the sin beast and devote ourselves to walking in the wisdom of God.
II Corinthians 9:15
“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”
All My Love,
