The human race is in denial

The human race is in denial! Mankind refuses to accept the truth even though it is evident each and every day. What truth do people deny -- perhaps, more than any other? The truth recorded in Genesis 3, the curse brought upon all of creation because of sin!

Why do I say this? Because people keep denying it! Even though all is subject to death and decay and this world is more and more showing the scars of sin's curse, people deny it and act as though this world will somehow go on forever and that someday man will live forever -- or, at least, for much longer -- in this present world.

After Adam and Eve turned aside from walking in fellowship with the LORD God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and sinned against His commandment, God said to the woman: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you" (Gen. 3:16).

To Adam God said: "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Gen. 3:17-19).

People forget the pain and sorrow associated with child bearing. They imagine that having children will bring no sorrow or heartache, but ask a mother in the pains of labor. Or ask her when her heart is wounded by the actions or attitudes of her own children.

People would like to imagine a life of ease without hard work and suffering, but it just isn't so. Ask a farmer if his ground still produces thorns and thistles. And how well does it work out for us when we don't work hard for a living? Even if we plan for retirement and a time to do as we please, we often still have to work to pay the bills and life is filled with trouble as we grow older and our bodies become weaker.

And what about death and returning to the dust of the ground? Do you know anyone who is not subject to aging and finally death? Even if we think it will never happen to us, it does. We wake up one morning and find ourselves in an old and aging body and knowing that death is a lot closer than we once thought.

The world too is aging and decaying. It is not the world God originally created in Genesis 1 and 2, where all was good. It's not what it was before the flood or even in the days of Christ. I can even see the degradation and decay in the 60-plus years of my life. Evil continues to get worse, and everywhere we look, there is death and decay. More and more land becomes desert. Trees and forests die, and all degrades. Even though man has made great strides in battling disease, new diseases and plagues continually arise on the scene.

So, why do people deny the truth revealed in Genesis 3? Perhaps it's because they do not wish to face the truth revealed elsewhere in the Bible -- the truth regarding our own sinfulness and of God's coming judgment upon sinners. Who wishes to contemplate his or her own shortcomings and death and standing before the Creator and being judged according to His perfect standards? After all, if one little act of sin in the Garden of Eden brought about all the sin and evil in this world today, what will happen to us who have come so far short of living up to all that God's commandments require of us? Certainly, none of us could just be admitted into heaven, or a new heavens and earth, as we are or we would bring the same evil and curse upon it that we experience now in this world.

In spite of the fact that the young may think they can live forever and that so many look for ways to escape working for a living and to avoid growing older, it just ain't so. Genesis 3 continues to be true. We've inherited sin and its results. We have to work hard to earn a living, the world is under a curse and subject to futility, we suffer pain and heartache and we must all die and return to the dust from which our bodies are made.

I remind you of this truth that you might not continue in denial but accept the reality of life in this world -- things are messed up and far from perfect -- and I would have you accept the reality of life in this world that you might also consider the reality of another Biblical truth, the redemption and new life won for all by Jesus Christ. He came into this sin-cursed world and was obedient to God and without sin, and He suffered the just punishment for the sins of all and rose again that He might save us from the end result of sin and give us new life in a new and perfect heavens and earth which he will create.

Many continue in denial. They deny sin in themselves and sin in the world and look for a better world here and now. Some accept the truth that this world and each and every one of us are sin damaged and that this world is not getting any better. They realize this world is headed for judgment and eternal destruction. They place their faith and hope in God's promise of pardon and forgiveness for Jesus' sake, and they look for a new heavens and earth which He will create where there will be no more sin and death.

Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.