What is the world’s most venomous snake?
It’s the inland taipan in Australia. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica it “delivers a veritable witch’s brew of toxins”.
The result of its bite is nothing compared to what happened when Adam took a bite of the fruit.
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”
Romans 5:12
Adam’s bite affected all of humanity—no one escapes the consequences of his act of disobedience. Adam’s seemingly small act of rebellion infected the world with the poison of sin, resulting in death for all.
There is no such thing as a harmless or minor sin.
The Fall itself demonstrates this. From a human perspective, eating a piece of forbidden fruit doesn’t seem serious. From God’s perspective, however, it was deadly. And his perspective is the correct one.
See Also: Where Did Sin Come From?
Other Scripture emphasizes the deadliness of all sin. For example, James 2:10 states:
“Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
“Offend” means to stumble. It emphasizes that you don’t have to think about or plan on sinning before The word “offend” means to stumble. It emphasizes that you don’t have to think about or plan on sinning before God punishes it.
What about accidents?
Even when you don’t intend to sin, when you sin “accidently”, you are guilty. Even if you stumble just one time! “Yet offend in one point”. God demands perfection. He rejects anybody who is flawed even in the slightest.
He doesn’t just reject them. He punishes them. He judges them as “guilty of all”. Picture God’s God doesn’t just reject the flawed. He punishes them. He judges them as “guilty of all.” Picture God’s commandments being like a balloon. It only takes one pinprick to destroy it. Neither does it matter what size the pin is. So with his commandments, one sin, regardless of its size, makes one guilty of breaking all the commandments.
It all began with Adam. “As by one man sin entered into the world’. The Fall was the world’s worst catastrophe.
This message is beyond sobering. But we must clearly see sin’s deadliness, so we also know the urgency of using the only antidote for it, Jesus Christ. Talking about him, Romans says: “by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).
Just as the Fall is the world’s worst catastrophe, so Jesus is the world’s best solution.
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