A Damaged Relationship

But all that changed when Adam and Eve disobeyed God.“But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden - except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die” (Genesis 2:16-17). They lost their innocence, righteousness, and ability to rule with God. In fact, the Bible says they entered spiritual “death” (they did not die physically right then, but they died spiritually to God and His eternal life).

To help understand what followed, it is helpful to explain the word 'Sin.'

1. Sin is described in the Bible as rebellion against God. Sin had its beginning with Satan. Not content with his position, he desired to be higher than God, and that was his downfall, the beginning of sin. Satan brought sin to the human race in the Garden of Eden, where he tempted Adam and Eve with the same enticement, “you shall be like God.” Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God passed down through all the generations of mankind, and we, Adam’s descendants, have inherited sin from him.
2. Sin(s) describes the outwork of original sin. It is what we do. Acts such as lying, stealing, etc, are referred to as sins.

In the next section of your notes, sin and separation are used interchangeably, and the meaning comes from the context.

Here is what took place immediately when Adam and Eve sinned:

They became separated from God – their nature changed as they obeyed Satan. All people subsequently inherited this separation (sinful nature) from Adam. “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, and so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” (Romans 5:12).

Because of this separation, three things happened:

1. We lost our “intimacy” with God and became the “enemy” of God.
2. We became unaware of God. Not only did our hearts become dead, but our minds became darkened and confused about God.
3. We became slaves of Satan. He took over and ruled mankind ruthlessly. Lust, pride, and rebellion rose up instead of love, humility, and obedience to God, “You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil - the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God” (Ephesians 2:2).

Satan went to work in every area of our lives – our hearts, minds, bodies, friendships, finances, and every other area of life.