How Sin Destroys Relationships

When Genesis Chapter Three strikes a relationship, all the bliss in Eden is lost. Genesis Chapter Three, in addition to

what I have said in an earlier post, speaks of a relationship strident with unfaithfulness, lies, deceit, hypocrisy, pain, anguish of heart, regret, strife, want and lack, barrenness (not just biological, but in every respect), sorrow, loss, divorce, death, etc. In addition, Genesis Chapter Three is inevitable in every relationship that has side-stepped God’s standards and has missed the mark. This is sin, as far as God is concerned.

Sin comes from the human heart and will. Sin is the thief. Sin is a weight. It speaks of the following:

¨  a defilement of a person’s spirit, soul and body as a result of rebellion against the will of God for one (which is always the better);

¨      transgression of or breaking God’s Word or command;

¨      trying to go faster than God;

¨      trying to go slower than God;

¨      taking a false step;

¨      lawlessness of an individual;

¨      trespassing, especially when one is not supposed to.

For Adam and Eve, the following was inevitable as a result of sin:

¨      For the first time, a barrier of shame disrupted the unity of man and woman.

¨      Every feeling of boldness and confidence before God disappeared.

¨      A barrier of real moral guilt came between them and God.

¨      They felt shame in God’s Presence.

¨      They became alienated from God.

¨      Bearing children, which God made easy, now became painful for the woman.

¨      God cursed the ground. The task given to man – to reproduce and use the earth for the glory of God – was made a difficult toil, and only with hard work is food, clothing and shelter provided.

¨      They were driven from the Garden of Eden.

¨      They were doomed to die.

¨      These consequences extended beyond them to their descendants – the entire human race.

So also, for every man or woman living in sin, or not following God’s Word, you can be sure of the following:

¨  There is room for unfaithfulness, since the Word of God, which should guide you, is absent.

¨      You become an enemy of God. The worst thing that can ever happen to any man is to be an enemy of God. The Bible tells us that friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4, King James Version).

¨  There is bound to be quarrelling and fighting every now and then.

¨      Your life and home becomes the devil’s playground; so you are prone and vulnerable to attacks in your health, finances, business and everything else you engage in.

¨      There is no way you can enjoy the life God has designed for every couple in Eden as it was in Genesis Chapter Two.

Sin destroys a hitherto wonderful relationship and/or marriage once given as much as a single foothold even for a second. Once, while speaking to some youths, God gave me a word for them: “If you give the devil an inch, he will take a mile; if you give him as much as a foothold, he would take over your entire life.”

Everyone is responsible for his or her own sin. Hosea 4:11 states clearly, “Whoredom and wine and new wine takes away the heart.” Many people want to add God and the benefits of Christianity to their lives without acknowledging their personal sin and guilt.

You cannot enjoy the benefits of the life in Eden when your life in that relationship does not reflect or glorify God. When you hurt your partner by cheating on him or her, then your life is not straight with God. Also, if your life is not straight with God, then there is no way you can have the Genesis Chapter Two kind of relationship.

However, if your life is straight with God, and your partner’s with you, what bliss you will enjoy in your relationship! It is a forever bliss, only found in Genesis Chapter Two, which is the pattern. The more therefore you come to know and love God, the more you will come to love and be devoted to your partner. Confession and repentance must come before receiving forgiveness, and enjoying the life that is Genesis Chapter Two.