Bible Study What is your only comfort in life and in death?

[JLB]

I've always believed that the Doctrine of Christ is what JESUS taught in His ministry.

IOW,,,,in Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus gives the Apostles instructions to go into all the world and preach what He taught them.

Wouldn't what Jesus taught the Apostles be the Doctrine of Christ?

Could anyone please correct me if I'm mistaken about this.

Yes. Absolutely.

What He taught to His Apostles to teach their disciples.

The doctrine of Christ is what we call the New Testament, or New Covenant.

He is the Mediator of the New Covenant, which why the Bible refers to it as the law of Christ.


Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2


It’s also called the Apostles Doctrne, as the Doctrine of Christ is what He gave to His Apostles to teach.


Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Acts 2:38-43




JLB

 

[JLB]

I do wish his name would stop being used to promote something he did not believe.

Amen.

 

[JLB]

So let us talk about the Doctrines of Christ ...

What is your only comfort in life and in death?

1. That I am not my own.
   • [1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV] 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
2. That I belong, both body and soul, in life and in death ...
   • [Romans 14:7-9 NIV] 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
3. ... to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.
   • [1 Corinthians 3:23 NIV] 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
   • [Titus 2:14 NIV] 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
4. Jesus Christ has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood.
   • [1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV] 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
   • [1 John 1:7-9 NIV] 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
   • [1 John 2:2 NIV] 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
5. Jesus Christ has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.
   • [John 8:34-36 NIV] 34 Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
   • [Hebrews 2:14-15 NIV] 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
   • [John 3:1-11 NIV] 1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him." 3 Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." 4 "How can someone be born when they are old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!" 5 Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." 9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. 10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.

(to be continued)

[Parahrase of original inspirational source whose name is withheld due to T.O.S. and moderator request.]

I appreciate the way you are using scripture to convey your message.


I hope we can discuss what the scriptures teach, in a peaceful way.



Thanks, JLB

 

[GodsGrace]

Yes. Absolutely.

What He taught to His Apostles to teach their disciples.

The doctrine of Christ is what we call the New Testament, or New Covenant.

He is the Mediator of the New Covenant, which why the Bible refers to it as the law of Christ.


Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2


It’s also called the Apostles Doctrne, as the Doctrine of Christ is what He gave to His Apostles to teach.


Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Acts 2:38-43




JLB

My NASB says "the Apostle's teaching"...
So I never noticed this before...about it being a doctrine (which means a teaching) but did not think it had a title.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[atpollard]

So following Christ is not a requirement of receiving eternal life?

Sorry, but I intend to offer only specific comments on the exegesis of specific verses in response. If you have a doctrine to present, it is YOUR responsibility to articulate it and support it with scripture. I am not on THIS TOPIC to debate anything.

 

[PeterJens]

• What is your only comfort in life and in death?
• What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?
• How do you come to know your misery?
• What does God’s law require of us?

Can you live up to all this perfectly?

1. No.

• [Romans 3:9-20 NIV] 9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." 13 "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." 14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know." 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes." 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
• [Romans 3:23 NIV] 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
• [1 John 1:8-10 NIV] 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

2. We have a natural tendency to hate God and my neighbor.

• [Genesis 6:5 NIV] 5 The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
• [Jeremiah 17:9 NIV] 9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
• [Romans 7:23-24 NIV] 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?
• [Romans 8:7 NIV] 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.
• [Ephesians 2:1-3 NIV] 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
• [Titus 3:3 NIV] 3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

[Parahrase of original inspirational source whose name is withheld.]

Can we live up to it perfectly?

Christians have a dilemma. Now it is not spoken about often, but it stands out when you begin to think a little deeper.
Where is the temple of God now?
In the hearts of the people of God, they are His Holy temple.

No believer can be born again without the in dwelling Holy Spirit.
No child who dies as a child of a believer can be regarded as Holy unless the believer themselves are Holy.

Jesus defined defilement quite specifically.

Matthew 15:18-20
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'

It is our thought life, what we dwell on, our motivations that lead to sinful behaviour in word and deed. We spend our lives condemning ourselves for our reactions, as if our reactions are our choice, rather our choice is what we do based on how we feel.

A simple chain. Someone makes a noise, it is annoying. They continue to make a noise, it gets to us. We would to pulverise the individual so they just "SHUT UP"

Being irritated is our reaction. Is this fair and reasonable? Are we over sensitive because we want attention, or need some peace and quiet? Can we take a different approach? The defilement comes as we let this build up to a reaction and an intention.

Paul says this.
we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Aim for perfection 2 Corinthians 13:11

OCD - There is a complexity in our thought life. Various disorders or desires, miss-handle random thoughts and start to make them authoritative. A problem becomes a statement of who we are, and then worry sets in, with continual oppressive thoughts occurring. It is why focusing sometimes on our chosen actions helps bring clarity to define who we are and why we behave as we do.

Reading this, following Jesus is believing perfection is possible and aiming for it, knowing it is very hard, and all we will ever know is reaching out, but we must never stop this reaching. God bless you

​

 

[atpollard]

A,
History of the church is not so simple as you make it out to be.

Here is a small article from Wikipedia on Pelagius:

Pelagius (c. AD 354 – 418) was a theologian who advocated free will and asceticism. He was accused by Augustine of Hippo and others of denying the need for divine aid in performing good works. They understood him to have said that the only grace necessary was the declaration of the law; humans were not wounded by Adam's sin and were perfectly able to fulfill the law without divine aid. Pelagius denied Augustine's theory of original sin. His adherents cited Deuteronomy 24:16 in support of their position. Pelagius was declared a heretic by the Council of Carthage (418). His interpretation of a doctrine of free will became known as Pelagianism.


And here is what is said further down in the article:

Recent analysis of his thinking suggests that it was, in fact, highly orthodox, following in the tradition established by the early fathers and in keeping with the teaching of the church in both the East and the West. ... From what we are able to piece together from the few sources available... it seems that the Celtic monk held to an orthodox view of the prevenience of God's grace, and did not assert that individuals could achieve salvation purely by their own efforts...[1]

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelagius


The ECFs believed in free will.
They believed that all men could be saved if this is what they desired.
The DID NOT believe that God chose the saved and the lost, but that man had a PART in his salvation,,,known as synergism today.

They considered Pelagius to be a heretic because he felt man could not sin of his own will and strength and we know this to be not true....the Holy Spirit must assist us in keeping us from sin. God IS necessary; we cannot walk on our own but the Paraclete was sent to us for this very reason...each of the Trinitarian Persons having their own task although all are God. One God.

The Reformers conveniently picked Augustine to emulate.
The problem is that Augustine had a totally different outlook on Original Sin which was NOT what the ECFs believed about it.
I take the ECFs to be till about 325AD at the Council of Nicea.
Augustine comes into view at about 400AD.

And if the reformers wanted to choose Augustine,,, why not teach what he actually believed instead of changing it to double predestination? And then we'd have to ask at which point of Augustine's life did he believe what --- he changed his mind on different subjects as he became older.

In any case, he believed in predestination, not double predestination. NONE of the ECFs believed what he taught. The church DID accept his doctrine on Original Sin which is why infants are baptized in the Catholic church...to which he belonged.

I do wish his name would stop being used to promote something he did not believe.

The Catholic Church is from the beginning....
why do you suppose the reformers knew more about what Jesus taught than those that come directly after Him?

This has never made sense to me.

If we want to learn from men...and I do...
then why not learn from those that were discipled by Peter or John or Paul??? Wouldn't THEY know better what Jesus taught?
(than someone born 1,500 YEARS after??)

I was just asking for clarification if this was a "free will" (synergism) only board and objecting to the characterization of Calvinism as NOT the teaching of Scripture. I do not post Calvinist interpretations of scripture on Catholic sites because that is inappropriate. If this site is for "Christians", the Particular Baptists are Christians and our interpretations of scripture are as valid as any other and should not be silenced while contrary interpretations flow so freely. If this is a "Non-Reformed Christian" site, then I will treat it as I do a Catholic site and keep my scripture interpretations to myself.

In either case, I will not debate anyone on THIS TOPIC.
Feel free to start a new topic if you want to debate something and I will be happy to respond.

 

[Boaz]

Verse 27 does not actually say that, it simply presents three statements of fact that are all true. You have added the “A causes B“ and ”C is a condition for D”.

Verse 27 states ...

• "My sheep hear My voice,
• and I know them,
• and they follow Me.
• [John 10:27 NKJV]

Two other translations even parse the sentence differently making it clearer that “My sheep hear my voice;” is separate from the related “I know them, and they follow me.”

[NIV] My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
[NLT] My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

However, I think the emphasis in the verse is on the contrast with the verse before it (not His sheep vs His sheep) since the whole chapter is one of contrasts. The Good Shepherd vs the hired hand, etc.

I read of no explicit condition for NOT being snatched out of God’s hand except the obvious one (you have to be in God’s hand in the first place).

Not to mention the other person chose to interpret the whole thing BACKWARDS . Guess it fit his intentions.

 

[Boaz]

How do you determine that a doctrine is indeed false?
Is any interpretation of scripture that differs from your own ... false?

Let us speak bluntly, I found it very offensive that the official MODERATION made a statement contrasting Calvinism with the Doctrines of Christ. The term for “free will” for the first thousand years of Christendom was “heresy”. Ask Pelagius.

I acknowledge that the “Free Will” Theology has become very popular and dominates most churches in the US (I have no idea about world wide statistics), but I object to the careful biblical study and doctrines supported by Augustine and the Reformation and Spurgeon and R.C. Sproul being dismissed as the teachings of men simply because some posters or moderators disagree with their biblical theology.

You may disagree to your hearts content, but I will not allow the faith of the Protestant Reformers and the Pilgrims to be silenced because YOU cannot see in scripture what they clearly saw.

The Heidelberg Catechism is probably the oldest Catechism for the Reformed faith and presents what “Calvinists” (like me) actually believe. If your intent was to actually ban Calvinism and Monergism to make Free Will and Synergism the official and exclusive position of this board, then issue a clear statement that this is an Arminian Only site.

See my thread Faith Bashing.

 

[Boaz]

So following Christ is not a requirement of receiving eternal life?

If Jesus Christ is our Lord, aren’t we supposed to obey Him, to follow His teachings and commandments, which are about loving God and loving our neighbor?




What happens to His sheep that stop following Him?




JLB

His sheep DON'T stop following Him. Says He will loose NONE of them.

 

[Boaz]

His sheep DON'T stop following Him. Says He will loose NONE of them.

Sorry. Almost walked into the tangle again. I am exiting the debate that threatens A's intentions.

 

[JLB]

His sheep DON'T stop following Him. Says He will loose NONE of them.

Ok please share the scriptures you have for this subject, and I will share mine.



JLB

 

[JLB]

Sorry. Almost walked into the tangle again. I am exiting the debate that threatens A's intentions.

What is “A’s” ?


JLB

 

[Boaz]

What is “A’s” ?


JLB

Atpollard

 

[Boaz]

Ok please share the scriptures you have for this subject, and I will share mine.



JLB

No. That is not what this thread is about. Also, before you start this argument you need to read my posting in Faith Bashing. Please. For all our sakes.

 

[GodsGrace]

I was just asking for clarification if this was a "free will" (synergism) only board and objecting to the characterization of Calvinism as NOT the teaching of Scripture. I do not post Calvinist interpretations of scripture on Catholic sites because that is inappropriate. If this site is for "Christians", the Particular Baptists are Christians and our interpretations of scripture are as valid as any other and should not be silenced while contrary interpretations flow so freely. If this is a "Non-Reformed Christian" site, then I will treat it as I do a Catholic site and keep my scripture interpretations to myself.

In either case, I will not debate anyone on THIS TOPIC.
Feel free to start a new topic if you want to debate something and I will be happy to respond.

A, I wasn't speaking to that.
YOU said "just ask Pelagius" --- I was responding to that.
(re free will)

How do you treat a Catholic site?
Augustine was Catholic.
Do you state on there that HE is the inventor of predestination?
And what exactly did Augustine teach?

We have nice conversations -- there's no problem here.

I'd like to say that even between "synergistic" "free will" Christians there are disagreements...so there's no difference really.

 

[for_his_glory]

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Why have so many allowed them self to be deceived from falling away from the truth which was taught by God in the beginning, John 1:1-4, giving Jesus what to speak and do while He was here on earth, John 12:49, 50 as we call these teachings the doctrines of Christ.

Jesus gave the angel what to speak to John in Revelations 2, 3 concerning His church as it's not Catholic or Protestant or any man's religion, but that of the true church of Christ on every continent in every nation with Christ being the head of the body, Colossians Chapter 1.

The true church of Christ was first established in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost where Jews from every nation were gathered outside of the upper room. Peter, after receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, stood up to preach to the crowed and after he was finished around 3000 souls were baptized in the Holy Spirit that day and God has been adding to His church daily, Acts Chapter 2. God's true church is not made by hand as we are the Temple of God that the Spirit of God dwells in, 1 Corinthians 3:16.

Ephesians 4: 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

 

[JLB]

No. That is not what this thread is about.

Ok suit yourself.

I take comfort in this life that Jesus is my Shepherd and I shall not want. He leads me in the paths of righteousness.

If I choose not to follow in the ways of righteousness then I certainly can become lost.

I have learned (the hard way) by experience, valuable lessons in this area of hearing and obeying His voice, so that I’m walking according to His Spirit, rather than walking according to my flesh and it’s sinful desires.

Avoiding the wrong type of people that I thought were my friends and the wrong places was a hard fought lesson, but I eventually learned.

Becoming lost the found again is an experience I won’t soon forget.


“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Luke 15:4-7


His sheep certainly do become lost, because they are not following Him.

• Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’

Notice that the shepherd had to go and find his sheep because it was not following him.


Do the lost need salvation?

• I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

His sheep who become lost are referred to as “sinners” in need of repentance.



JLB

 

[atpollard]

• What is your only comfort in life and in death?
• What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?
• How do you come to know your misery?
• What does God’s law require of us?
• Can you live up to all this perfectly?

Did God create people so wicked and perverse?

1. No, God created them good.

• [Genesis 1:31 NIV] 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.

2. God created them in his own image.

• [Genesis 1:26-27 NIV] 26 Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

3. God created them in true righteousness and holiness.

• [Ephesians 4:24 NIV] 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

4. God created them so that they might truly know God their creator.

• [Colossians 3:10 NIV] 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

5. God created them to love him with all their heart, and live with God in eternal happiness, to praise and glorify him.

• [Psalm 8:1-9 NIV] 1 For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David. LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. 2 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? 5 You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, 8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

 

[atpollard]

• What is your only comfort in life and in death?
• What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?
• How do you come to know your misery?
• What does God’s law require of us?
• Can you live up to all this perfectly?
• Did God create people so wicked and perverse?

Then where does this corrupt human nature come from?

1. The fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise.

• [Genesis 3:1-24 NIV] 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' " 4 "You will not certainly die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" 10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." 11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" 12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." 16 To the woman he said, "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." 17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat from it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." 20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. 21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

2. This fall has poisoned our nature.

• [Romans 5:12 NIV] 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned--
• [Romans 5:18-19 NIV] 18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

3. We are all conceived and born in a sinful condition.

• [Psalm 51:5 NIV] 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.