Genesis 4:7
“If you do well, will you not be accepted?
And if you do not do well,
sin is crouching at the door.
Its desire is contrary to you,
but you must rule over it.”
As we conclude, let’s look at one more, rather profound passage that takes us back to almost the beginning of time.
FACT: If anyone should have inherited the unconditional curse of “original sin,” it should have been Adam’s firstborn. But in spite of Cain being the first one on the list who should have been tainted, notice what God says to him about sin and his ability to govern it:
- “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” – Cain not only had the potential of doing well, it’s implied that he knew how to do so. Read the previous context.
- “sin is crouching at the door” – While the original sin of Adam and Eve certainly did have a radical impact on the context of God’s creation, it did not force others into the same condition. Notice where sin is positioned (“crouching at the door”). The rebellion of Eden is what put sin on the prowl.
- “Its desire is contrary to you” – The deteriorating conditions of this world are “contrary” to our Divine nature. Study Romans 2:14-16. At our core, we are good. We are not the inheritors of “original sin.”
- “you must rule over it” – If Adam’s firstborn was capable of resisting the predatory nature of sin, we certainly are capable of the same!
Conclusion: We did not inherit Adam’s “original sin,” we inherited God’s “original nature.” Celebrate your core goodness. Remember, you can rule over the world’s fallen context by being alert to the hunter who crouches at the door.