The human heart, as described in Jeremiah 17:9, is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, an incurable sickness beyond human comprehension. Even those who are converted struggle to recognize the depth of this corrupt nature within them. God, however, searches the heart and tests the mind, revealing the true state of each person according to their ways and the fruit of their actions. Sin, as an indwelling force, is not merely the visible act of transgression but a deeper, motivating influence akin to a spirit. In Romans 7, Paul confesses that even as a converted apostle, he remains carnal, with sin dwelling within him. This sin is an evil presence, a law warring against the mind, pulling him toward captivity under its influence. It is not the outward act alone but the internal force that motivates the act, constantly exerting pressure like gravity, influencing behavior even in those close to God. This indwelling sin is a product of contact with satan and the worldly systems he created, reflecting his mind through pride, envy, lust, and hatred, which generate visible sinful actions. As Jesus states in Matthew 15:19, out of the heart proceed evil thoughts and defiling behaviors, indicating that sin resides within before any outward expression occurs. It is a vast, contagious moral disease affecting all humanity, driving impulses that lead to missing the mark or straying from the path. Even in conversion, this battle persists. Galatians 5:17 highlights the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit, showing that the residue of the satan-damaged heart continues to exert influence. Yet, this internal struggle is evidence of conversion, as without it, one would simply yield to carnality. The tension, likened to the dance of the double camp in Song of Solomon 6:13, portrays the constant pull between God's Spirit and human nature within a single person. God does not expect sinless perfection, knowing that sin will occur, but calls for a close relationship with Him. Through repentance and seeking forgiveness, one can continue the fight against this indwelling force. The choice remains critical—whether to trust God by faith and align with Him or to collapse under the influence of human nature. God equips and empowers, ensuring the battle is not beyond ability, but He watches to see which side the will is set to follow.

Sin dwells in man, and the problem is the human heart, not Satan's authorship of our sins. Satan deceives and broadcasts his attitudes, and an outside spirit can influence the spirit in man, but it cannot force a man to act. James 1 says we sin when we are drawn away by our own desires, which give birth to sin. We sin because our hearts are not yet like God's heart, to consistently reject temptation and choose life. In Romans 7, Paul agonizes over his struggle with sin, and his conclusion is not that Satan is the real cause but that sin indwells him. He pins nothing on Satan; he recognizes his own state and places his faith in Christ's work and deliverance. Romans 5:12 says sin entered the world through one man, Adam, so God reckons human sin as originating with Adam, not Satan. Scripture knows no co-sinner and no divided guilt. Each man bears his own iniquity, as Leviticus 5:17 and Ezekiel 18 show, and true repentance requires full acknowledgment of that guilt, as in David's Psalm 51. Sinning through deception does not make the sin smaller. The danger is not that Satan will make us sin, but that we will choose to sin, and our faulty reasoning may be part of that choice.

Sin is an ever-present reality that a disciple of Christ must bear as a cross. The principle of sin resides in the heart as part of humanity's makeup. Conversion does not remove this principle of sin. The converted person knows that sin remains and must be fought and overcome until the Kingdom of God arrives. Evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies proceed out of the heart and defile a person. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Human nature is in reality a Satanic nature adapted to humanity through association with satan, his spirit, and an already infected community. This nature does not pass to each generation through natural birth processes. It passes through contact with satan, his demons, and the world in the same manner that Adam and Eve became infected. When Adam and Eve submitted to satan he became their god. The spirit that God placed in man is good and makes a human being. This spirit became evil when man's heart was fed by satan after submission to him. Every person remains responsible for his own sin. Adam did not make people sin.