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II.
Sin; Its Origin, Results, and Remedy
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Chapter 7
:
The Origin of Evil
1. WITH whom did sin originate?
"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for
the devil sinneth
from the
beginning."
1 John 3:8.
NOTE.-Without the Bible, the question of the origin
of evil would remain unexplained.
2. From what time has the devil
been a murderer?
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the
lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer
from the beginning, and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him." John 8:44.
3. What is the devil's
relationship to lying?
"When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his
own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
Same verse.
4. Was Satan created sinful?
"Thou wast perfect in thy ways from
the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was
found in thee." Eze. 28:15.
NOTE.-This, and the statement in John 8:44 that he
"abode not in the truth," show that Satan was
once perfect, and in the truth. Peter
speaks of "the angels that sinned" (2 Peter
2:4); and Jude refers to "the angels which kept
not their first estate" (Jude 6); both of which
show that these angels were once in a state of
sinlessness and innocence.
5. What further statement of
Christ seems to lay the responsibility for the origin of
sin upon Satan and his angels?
"Then shall He say also unto them on the left
hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,
prepared for the devil and his angels." Matt.
25:41.
6. What led to Satan's sin,
rebellion, and downfall?
"Thine heart was lifted up because of thy
beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of
thy brightness." Eze. 28:17. "Thou hast said in
thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt
my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon
the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
north: . . . I will be like the Most High." Isa.
14:13,14.
NOTE.-In a word, pride and self-exaltation led to
Satan's downfall, and for these there is no
justification or adequate excuse. "Pride goeth,
before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a
fall." Prov. 16:18. Hence, while we may know of the
origin, cause, character, and results of evil, no
good or sufficient reason or excuse can be given for
it. To excuse it is to justify it; and the moment it
is justified it ceases to be sin. All sin is a
manifestation of selfishness in some form, and its
results are the opposite of those prompted by love.
The experiment of sin will result finally in its
utter abandonment and banishment forever, by all
created intelligences, throughout the entire
universe of God. Only those who foolishly and
persistently cling to sin will be destroyed with it.
The wicked will then "be as though they had not
been" (Obadiah 16), and the righteous shall " shine
as the brightness of the firmament," and " as the
stars forever and ever." Dan. 12:3. "Affliction
shall not rise up the second time." Nahum 1:9. See
reading in Chapter 109 "Origin, History, and Destiny
of Satan," of this book.
7. In contrast with the pride and
self-exaltation exhibited by Satan, what spirit did
Christ manifest?
"Who, being in the form of God, thought it
not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of
no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a
servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled
Himself, and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross." Phil. 2:6-8.
8. After man had sinned, how did
God show His love, and His willingness to forgive?
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life." John
3:16.
NOTE.-
Inasmuch as God, who is love, who delights in mercy,
and who changes not, offered pardon and granted a
period of probation to man when he sinned, it is but
reasonable to conclude that a like course was
pursued toward the heavenly intelligences who first
sinned, and that only those who persisted in sin,
and took their stand in open revolt and rebellion
against God and the government of heaven, were
finally cast out of heaven. Rev. 12:7-9.
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