Just a few questions back, we learned that God created our first parents holy and happy. And now, we’ve learned the result of their disastrous decision to doubt the words of God and feast on the forbidden fruit. This foolish choice brought the dreadful curse of sin into this world. Romans 5:12 tells us that “sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people…”

The moment our first father foolishly feasted on the forbidden fruit, something new entered our world. We call it “sin,” and it means to disobey the commands of our Creator. Like a deadly disease, sin soon started to spread. When Adam’s children were born, he quickly noticed that his baby boys were sinners just like their dear old dad. And his grandkids? They were sinners, too!

Because of Adam’s sin, every human baby enters into our world as a cute little command-breaking sinner! In fact, it starts even earlier than their birthday. Psalm 51:5 tells us, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Believe it or not, God’s Word tells us that human beings (including you and me) are even sinners inside our mama’s belly!

Every person on our planet is born in a “state of sin;” we are guilty of breaking God’s commands from our very first breath. We’re also born with a “sinful nature.” That means disobeying God’s commands is something that comes naturally to us. We don’t need our mom or dad to teach us how to sin. It’s a terrible talent we are born with. Everyone of us is really good at being bad!

As if that wasn’t awful enough, Adam’s sin also cursed the world we live in. God created a perfect planet for our first parents to enjoy. But after a single bite of forbidden fruit, all that changed. Thorns began to grow. Things began to decay and die. Because of sin’s curse, our once-perfect planet is now flooded with sickness, sorrow, pain, frustration, and, worst of all, death!