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The Original Sin Question
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. Eve's sin therefore lacked the deliberate and presumptuous quality of Adam's act, arising instead from deception and weakness, so that Adam bore the greater responsibility and is named in Romans 5 as the one through whom sin entered the world. God did not create Adam and Eve with a sinful nature or compel them to transgress; He formed them with a spirit that could accept or reject alternatives, instructed them regarding the two trees, and lived with them in harmony until Satan appeared. When Eve and Adam chose to submit to the serpent, they accepted his mind and spirit, making him their god and thereby introducing the Satanic nature that has since spread through human association rather than through the natural birth process. This refutes the doctrine of original sin, which shifts blame to God, and establishes that every person remains personally responsible for sin while confirming that the evil now present in the world traces directly to the choice made by Eve and Adam when they yielded to the one who became the god of this age.
Sin Defined and Overcome
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe account of Eve's sin, alongside Adam's, is presented as the original sin recorded in Genesis, serving as the foundational illustration of what sin truly accomplishes: separation from God. In Genesis 2:15-17, God placed man in the garden of Eden with a clear command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, warning that doing so would bring death. When this command was transgressed, Genesis 3:22-24 records the consequence: God declared that the man had become like Us, to know good and evil, and, to prevent access to the tree of life, drove the man out of the garden, placing cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way back. This removal is identified as more than symbolic; it involved the actual, physical expulsion of Adam and Eve from God's immediate presence, demonstrating in the clearest possible terms what sin produces. This event is tied directly to the broader teaching that sin's primary and most devastating effect is not merely failure or missing a standard, but estrangement from God Himself. Death itself is described as the ultimate form of separation, and the physical removal of Adam and Eve from the garden was God's way of making the point unmistakable from the very beginning of Scripture. Sin never heals or improves a relationship, whether between people or between humanity and God; it invariably produces distance and separation. This principle, first illustrated through Eve and Adam's transgression in Eden, is shown to be consistent throughout the entire Bible, reinforced again in Isaiah 59:1-3, where iniquities are described as separating the people from God and hiding His face from them, and echoed once more in the closing warnings of Revelation 22:18-19. The garden narrative thus functions as the archetype for understanding sin's true nature and consequence. It is not treated as a minor or isolated event but as the pattern that reveals why sin is regarded with such seriousness throughout Scripture: it directly threatens the very purpose for which humanity was created—an enduring, harmonious relationship with God. Since God does not sin, and since sin always fractures relationship rather than sustaining it, the expulsion from Eden stands as the first and clearest demonstration that disobedience leads to loss of access to God's presence. This connects to the larger message that overcoming sin is essential precisely because sin's core danger lies in cutting a person off from the source of life and relationship with the Father and the Son, the very oneness for which mankind was originally created.
God's Simple Commands
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)God puts His commands in such clear terminology that no one can retort with 'yes, but....' We continue to sin because we do not really believe what He says.
Patterns of Resistance (Part One)
CGG Weekly by Joseph B. BaityIt is natural, as age increases, for a person to feel the end creeping up on him or her, and we begin asking how, when, where, and what is to be our end.
The Leaven of Double-Mindedness
CGG Weekly by Joshua MontgomeryChristians must deal with double-mindedness because the flesh and spirit contend for our hearts. We overcome it by being of one mind with Christ.
Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, Pride of Life
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeThe half-time show of the recent Superbowl exemplifies the lust of the flesh and the eyes, and the pride of life. Each choice we make changes our brains.
God Works in Marvelous Ways (Part Two)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod's mysteries have been in plain sight from the beginning of time, but carnality has obscured them from mankind.
Lamentations (Part Eight)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughAs we approach the coming self-examination prior to Passover, we can apply six significant lessons taught to ancient Israel through the book of Lamentations.
Responding to Catastrophe
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughHow are we going to react when the next disaster strikes our area? Are we going to gripe and complain? Are we going to sit and wait for somebody to help us?
Elements of Motivation (Part Six)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughEven though sin offers fleeting pleasure, we must learn to intensely hate sin, regarding this product of Satan as a destroyer of everything God loves.
Hebrews: Its Background (Part One)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Although God never intended the Old Covenant to endure eternally, the spiritual law (shared by both the old and new covenants) lasts forever.
Leadership and Covenants (Part Fifteen)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)The quality of leadership affects the morality and well-being of a nation, and the quality of family leadership trickles up to civic and governmental leadership.
God Works in Mysterious Ways (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughOur carnal nature's desire to satisfy an addictive self-centeredness can eventually overrule the Christian's loyalty to God and His commandments.
Hosea's Prophecy (Part Seven)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsNations, like individual people, die first in spirit and then physically. They seldom die cataclysmically, but in gradual, incremental stages.
God's Sense of Justice
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod is absolutely justified in what He decides regarding the judgment and punishment of us all. However, He is merciful and always rewards righteousness.
Frequencies
Sermon by Ryan McClureHuman bodies have frequencies and react to incoming frequencies. As we live in the Babylonian system, Satan's frequencies penetrate into our nervous systems.
The Law of Liberty
Sermonette by James BeaubelleProtestant theologians have created an artificial divide between mercy and law-keeping, asserting that 'the law of liberty' does away with God's Law.
Seeds of Anger
Sermonette by Joseph B. BaityGod obligates us to separate our anger from sin. Whether anger is active or passive, those who cannot control it will be cut off and consumed by their own anger.
Strengthening the Family
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod ordained marriage and the family for the physical and spiritual growth and nurturing of children. God's goal is a Family composed of mature spirit beings.