Overall Question: Specifically, how did sin enter this earth? What does sin do to a person or even an animal?

Memory Text: Romans 7:24 God’s Word to the Nations “What a miserable person I am! Who will rescue me from my dying body?”

Sunday – Rebellion in the Garden
Genesis 2:16-17 Holman “And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.””
Genesis 3:2 Holman “The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden.”
Genesis 3:6 Holman “Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”
Genesis 3:6 COMMENTARY BY ADAM CLARKE We see at once how transgression came; it was natural for them to desire to be increasingly wise. God had implanted this desire in their minds; but he showed them that this desire should be gratified in a certain way; that prudence and judgment should always regulate it; that they should carefully examine what God had opened to their view; and should not pry into what he chose to conceal. He alone who knows all things knows how much knowledge the soul needs to its perfection and increasing happiness, in what subjects this may be legitimately sought, and where the mind may make excursions and discoveries to its prejudice and ruin.
Immediate results of sin – Isaiah 59:2 “Rather, your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”
Genesis 3:23-24 NRSV “therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.”

Monday – Slaves of Sin
2 Peter 2:19 ESV “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.”
2 Peter 2:19 COMMENTARY BY WILLIAM BURKETT As when the conqueror brings the vanquished into captivity, he makes them slaves, and imposes on them vile and servile offices; in like manner, those lusts, by which sinners have been conquered and brought in bondage, they must needs be slaves unto. Is this liberty, to obey every lust as a petty slave?
Romans 6:16 ESV “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”
Situation of the human race under sin – Romans 3:9-18 NLT “Well then, are we Jews better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say, "No one is good—not even one. No one has real understanding; no one is seeking God. All have turned away from God; all have gone wrong. No one does good, not even one." "Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their speech is filled with lies." "The poison of a deadly snake drips from their lips." "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." "They are quick to commit murder. Wherever they go, destruction and misery follow them. They do not know what true peace is." "They have no fear of God to restrain them."”

Tuesday – Spiritual Death
Romans 8:6-7 KJ21 “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
Romans 8:7 COMMENTARY BY WILLIAM BURKETT By the carnal mind are meant the rational powers corrupted by our sensitive appetite, or a mind enslaved by sensual lust. Such a temper of mind is opposite to, yea, enmity against God and goodness…carnal persons are not better than enemies unto God: There is a perfect contrariety in their affections, inclinations, and actions, to the will of God. They are called haters of God: Not that they hate him as a Creator, but as a law giver; they hate his holiness, not his goodness.
Romans 3:10 KJ21 “As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;”
Jeremiah 17:9 KJ21 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
Ecclesiastes 9:3 NKJV “This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.”
Galatians 5:17 NKJV “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
Galatians 5:17 COMMENTARY JOHN WESLEY’S NOTES Nature desires what is quite contrary to the Spirit of God. But the Holy Spirit on his part opposes your evil nature. The flesh and the Spirit; there can be no agreement between them. That, being thus strengthened by the Spirit, ye may not fulfil the desire of the flesh, as otherwise ye would do.
Romans 1:21-25 NKJV “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man——and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
Matthew 15:19 CEV “Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others.”
Matthew 15:19 COMMENTARY BY JAMIESON, FAUSSET, AND BROWN murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies--detractions, whether directed against God or man; here the reference seems to be to the latter. Mark (Mr 7:22) adds, "covetousnesses"--or desires after more; "wickednesses"--here meaning, perhaps, malignities of various forms; "deceit, lasciviousness"--meaning, excess or enormity of any kind, though by later writers restricted to lewdness; "an evil eye"--meaning, all looks or glances of envy, jealousy, or ill will towards a neighbor; "pride, foolishness"--in the Old Testament sense of "folly"; that is, criminal senselessness, the folly of the heart. How appalling is this black catalogue!
Genesis 3:15 CEV “You and this woman will hate each other; your descendants and hers will always be enemies. One of hers will strike you on the head, and you will strike him on the heel."”

Wednesday – Physical and Eternal Death
Romans 5:10-21 CEV “Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life. And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us. Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die. Sin was in the world before the Law came. But no record of sin was kept, because there was no Law. Yet death still had power over all who lived from the time of Adam to the time of Moses. This happened, though not everyone disobeyed a direct command from God, as Adam did. In some ways Adam is like Christ who came later. But the gift that God was kind enough to give was very different from Adam’s sin. That one sin brought death to many others. Yet in an even greater way, Jesus Christ alone brought God’s gift of kindness to many people. There is a lot of difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gift. That one sin led to punishment. But God’s gift made it possible for us to be acceptable to him, even though we have sinned many times. Death ruled like a king because Adam had sinned. But that cannot compare with what Jesus Christ has done. God has been so kind to us, and he has accepted us because of Jesus. And so we will live and rule like kings. Everyone was going to be punished because Adam sinned. But because of the good thing that Christ has done, God accepts us and gives us the gift of life. Adam disobeyed God and caused many others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed him and will make many people acceptable to God. The Law came, so that the full power of sin could be seen. Yet where sin was powerful, God’s kindness was even more powerful. Sin ruled by means of death. But God’s kindness now rules, and God has accepted us because of Jesus Christ our Lord. This means that we will have eternal life.”
Romans 5:20 COMMENTARY BY MATTHEW HENRY The moral law showed that many thoughts, tempers, words, and actions, were sinful, thus transgressions were multiplied. Not making sin to abound the more, but discovering the sinfulness of it, even as the letting in a clearer light into a room, discovers the dust and filth which were there before, but were not seen.

Thursday – God’s Reaction to Human Sin
Sin = transgression of or not abiding by the Law of God
Genesis 3:8-13 ESV “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."”
Genesis 3:8 COMMENTARY BY ADAM CLARKE It is very likely that God used to converse with them in the garden, and that the usual time was the decline of the day in the evening breeze; and probably this was the time that our first parents employed in the more solemn acts of their religious worship, at which God was ever present. The time for this solemn worship is again come, and God is in his place; but Adam and Eve have sinned, and therefore, instead of being found in the place of worship, are hidden among the trees!
Ephesians 5:6 NKJV “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
Ephesians 5:6 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY ON ROMANS 1:18 The wrath of God. That is, the divine displeasure against sin, resulting ultimately in the abandonment of man to the judgment of death. The wrath of the infinite God must not be compared to human passion. God is love, and though He hates sin, He loves the sinner. However, God does not force His love upon those who are unwilling to receive His mercy. Thus, God’s wrath against sin is exercised in the withdrawal of His presence and life-giving power from those who choose to remain in sin and thus share in its inevitable consequences.
Consequences of Sin as Shown in the Fate of Jerusalem:
Ellen White, Great Controversy, pp. 28-29 – “The long-suffering of God toward Jerusalem only confirmed the Jews in their stubborn impenitence. In their hatred and cruelty toward the disciples of Jesus they rejected the last offer of mercy. Then God withdrew His protection from them and removed His restraining power from Satan and his angels, and the nation was left to the control of the leader she had chosen….Satan aroused the fiercest and most debased passions of the soul. Men did not reason; they were beyond reason--controlled by impulse and blind rage. They became satanic in their cruelty. In the family and in the nation, among the highest and the lowest classes alike, there was suspicion, envy, hatred, strife, rebellion, murder. There was no safety anywhere. Friends and kindred betrayed one another. Parents slew their children, and children their parents. The rulers of the people had no power to rule themselves. Uncontrolled passions made them tyrants…The leaders of the opposing factions at times united to plunder and torture their wretched victims, and again they fell upon each other’s forces and slaughtered without mercy. Even the sanctity of the temple could not restrain their horrible ferocity. The worshipers were stricken down before the altar, and the sanctuary was polluted with the bodies of the slain."