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Without holiness no one will see the Lord
āHebrews 12:14 ESV, Written in a letter to Christian Hebrews circa 60 A.D
Starting from the first Book of the BibleāGenesis:
The Bible begins with how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit created the visible universe as we know it and everything within. Out of nothing, something was created from something āother.ā This āotherā we call God. This includes the creation of the first man, Adam, and the first woman, Eve. They had physical bodies that were created to exist for eternity, i.e. the bodies would not decay nor die. Different from all the other creatures on the earth, Adam and Eve were made in the image of God, having the capacity to think, plan, manage, create, etc.
Our first parents were placed in paradise here on earth (Edenāsomewhere in the Middle East), and every day, they lived in the presence of God. Among the fruit-bearing trees, there were two particular trees: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve were allowed to eat from any tree; however, God commanded them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Should they disobey Godās command, they would experience physical death, i.e. their bodies would no longer be eternal.
Among Godās creation were angels. They are eternal creatures; however, they do not have physical bodies like mankind. They are unseen spiritual beings that continue to exist in our physical world (although they appeared sometimes in the Bible, like to Abraham, Jacob, Joshua, Joseph, and Mary, to name a few times). One of the chief angels, Satan, rebelled against God. To this day, Satan, along with a host of other demonic angels, have been exiled to exist in this world.
Satan deceived our first parents into thinking that if they ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they could be like God. Satan flatly lied to them by saying that they would not die if they ate the forbidden fruit. The idea of being like God became extremely attractive to them, and so they ate. Instantly, they realized their guilt of breaking Godās command and became ashamed.
In futility, Adam and Eve tried to hide from God; but God knew exactly where they were and confronted them. Although they tried to pass the blame, our first parents knew that they disobeyed Godās command. God pronounced his judgment: from dust they were created, to dust they would return. No longer pure and blameless, i.e. holy, they could no longer live in Godās presence. Death and decay would now happen. Adam and Eve were exiled from the Garden of Eden and therefore no longer had access to the tree of life. Our first parents would continue to think, plan, manage, and create but not without pain, suffering, and the looming certainty of death and decay.
And so the human race began under these dire terms. Everyone born thereafter has the innate nature to be their own god, to decide for themselves what is good and evil. They do not trust nor obey nor rely on nor acknowledge God. God is not in the forefront of their thoughts. They have suppressed any truth about God and who he is. Instead of worshipping the Creator, they worship themselves and the creation. This is known as the fall of mankind, i.e. being born with a sinful nature. We sin because we are sinners; we are not sinners because we sin.
However, in their divine and eternal ...
