FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH!

Submitted by: Biff

FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH!
(Romans 6:23)
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single (i.e. 'pure'), thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matt.6:22-23)
"Darkness" stems from an "Evil Desire", and every evil desire to sin begins with Deception"...
#1. DECEPTION -
GENESIS 3:1...
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
"Hey Eve, why do you always listen to what God tells you? He's not the only one around here you know. Hey, I know something that you don't and have, something I just know that you're itching to have!"
Step one: That voice she brought in and touched was mocking God!
In the Garden we see how Eve allowed the serpent to deceive her by raising a question concerning what God had said concerning every tree. The serpent wanted her to know that he knew of One Tree that was very special and in need to be tasted of. And that, of course was the One that God had forbidden her to eat of. So he made it sound to her as if he knew something she didn't in order to turn her understanding away from what God had said.
DARKNESS: Anytime that we too allow ourselves to be led away from standing upon the final authority of God's voice; by heeding another voice, is when we too will have opened the wide door to deception and the ensuing darkness that follows!
LIGHT: If we will choose to walk in the fear of God then the eyes of our heart (i.e. "our spiritual understanding") will be opened and we will need none to teach us of the Spiritual Truth behind God's words. Then; rather than hearing different reports that will have us questioning what God said, we will instead be about abiding in what He alone said.
On the coat-tails of Deception comes "Doubt"...
#2. DOUBT -
GENESIS 3:4, 5...
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
"Hey Eve, nothing can happen to you! You'll become like one of us, "gods" knowing good and evil. So relax! You can't die! You were created in God's image! He just doesn't want you to know as much as He does. Don't listen to Him, just go for it!"
Step two: That Voice she brought in and touched further was calling God a liar!
Once the person is Deceived; they have opened themselves up to become more easily influenced by it, like a rounded-off stone that is about to begin its downhill journey, picking up speed as it goes, traveling farther and farther away from hearing God's voice .
So then once Eve started to listen to what the other voice said, she began to be led away by her lusts and into having Doubts about God via His word... "The serpent said that I will not die if I eat of it! He seems to know these things! If true then that would make God a liar! He knows that I would then be like Him, a god, if I eat of it, and my eyes would be open? Is this why He seeks to keep this knowledge away from me? Is it because He wants to keep the tree all to Himself, as the serpent declares?"
DARKNESS: Anytime that we too invite within us the wisdom of other voices and influences is when we begin to doubt the wisdom and influence of the voice of God!
LIGHT: The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom! (Prov.9:10)
Immediately following Doubt is "Desire"...
#3. DESIRE -
GENESIS 3:6A...
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise...
"Hey Eve, Look!" said the serpent, "Taste and see how pleasant and desirable it is to have the one thing (i.e. "sin") that God forbids you have. mmmmmmmmmm! Look!"
Step three: She now brought that voice inside of her next to her heart, intent on becoming wise!
So Eve; because of heeding the voice, did a complete reversal. She now saw how very desirable the tree that God forbade her to eat from was and that she now "wanted" it. Now it became the desire of her own heart that led the way to getting what she wanted.
Touching "Darkness" becomes easier and more inviting the farther we allow it to take us away from God! It allows one to foolishly burn both ends of the stick at the same time without thinking they're going to get burned for it, because to them, in God's eyes, they can do no wrong.
DARKNESS: Anytime we come to see that "sin" is pleasant to the eyes is when we have allowed ourselves to become deluded and in doubt concerning ALL of God's word.
LIGHT: We must not allow our lusts (whether they be sexual, health, wealth, security, etc.) to overpower and rule us, rather we must remain under the jurisdiction of God abiding in His word.
After Inward Premeditated Desire gets its way it always leads to the actual outward act of Disobedience...
#4. DISOBEDIENCE -
GENESIS 3:6B...
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
"Hey Eve. Didn't I tell you that it (i.e. "rebellion against God") is good? Delicious isn't it?! Do I know what I'm talking about or what? Mmmmmm. Don't be stingy, there's plenty more where that came from, so pass it around!"
Step four: So when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death!
Now there was no stopping her! The pride of life - the lust of the eyes - and the lust of the flesh were all at work in her, begging her to taste of the forbidden fruit!
She had allowed herself to be drawn away by the promises of hidden sweetness and immortality, and in believing herself to be like God through abiding in the serpents voice, she made herself, willed herself to taste the forbidden fruit for herself, and even swayed Adam with the serpent's "divine" revelation to eat (i.e. 'to disobey God') as well, clouding out God's command right out of their mind.
THE DARKNESS:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (James 1:14-15)
THE LIGHT:
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1-2)
Notice that once the act of disobedience is in full swing we begin to see other elements arising from within. The door has been opened and the results of sin come forth...
#4A. SHAME -
GENESIS 3:7...
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
(Note earlier in Genesis 2:25 that they were both naked and without any shame.)
#4B. FEAR -
GENESIS 3:8-10...
And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
(Note how well this fits in with Heb 10:26-27, and there being a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.)
#4C. BLAME -

GENESIS 3:11-13...
And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Note how Adam couldn't accept the blame for his sin: "Hey God, I couldn't help it, she deceived me!"
We can use all the excuses in the world to try and avoid the fullness of the revelation we have received. But God accepts no excuses! We know that whatever isn't of faith is sin (Rom.14:23), and we have no excuse... none whatsoever!
We are commanded to, GO AND SIN NO MORE! (John 5:14) And IF you have been "Born Again" then you have been empowered to do just that!) (Romans 6:6-7)
#5. DEATH -

GENESIS 3:22-24...
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Death is "Separation" from God! "For the wages of sin is death!" (Rom.6:23))
DARKNESS: For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (2 Peter 2:21)
LIGHT: And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. (2 Thes.3:4)
#6. DESTRUCTION -
- Will commence at the coming of the Lord -
II Th 1:7-9...
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Rev 20:14-15...
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.