Whatever is not from faith is sin (Ro. 14:23). The Ten Commandments warns against the sins of adultery, stealing, and lying. Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things the Lord hates: 1) pride, 2) lying, 3) murder and anger, 4) deceit, 5) impulsive evil, 6) deception, and 7) discord or strife. The first man, Adam, sins when he eats of the forbidden fruit (Gen. 2:16-17). This one sin encumbers all seven things the Lord hates—1) pride led him to rebel against God, putting his will above his Creator’s command, 2) guilt resulted in lying when confronted by God, 3) Adam’s firstborn son, Cain, murdered his brother, 4) corruption ensued due to deception, 5) eagerness to succumb to the serpent’s deception caused him to yield to temptation, 6) he provided a false witness from a heart of shame, blaming Eve when questioned by God, and 7) his act sowed the ultimate discord and strife among brethren—himself and God. Fellowship with God was lost, Adam condemned, and the curse of death inflicted when God expelled him from the Garden.

In Adam’s fall we all fall. Every person that ever lived is a descendent of Adam, a truth borne out by our inherited propensity to disregard the commands of God. Each generation distances itself from the Garden of Eden, through religion, war, and technology. Because of Adam, we all die and death is the result of sin (Ro. 6:23). The condition of our heart determines our actions, thereby affecting our relationship with God and with others. We were created to glorify God; sin incapacitates us. The power of the blood of Jesus makes it possible for us to be reconciled to God, no matter what.

“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (I Jn. 3:4). Sin is like a seed planted in your heart that will grow and produce bitter fruit in your life and in the life of your children. When you place faith in the power of the blood of Jesus, you will begin to live the life you were created to live. This does not mean you will have great wealth or power. It does mean you will find peace and love as you glorify God. You, and everyone who has ever lived, apart from Jesus, has sinned. Only Jesus, by His death on the cross, can rescue you from eternity in the lake of fire. This is the day to consider how you will answer the question, “Would you be free from the burden of sin? There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood”?