The Original Sin
Genesis tells us that God created the heavens and the earth. We can also learn that He created Adam, then Even. We know that they lived in Eden, a place that provided for all of their needs perfectly, and they lived safely with God, surrounded by his love. Many of us know that God’s only commandment was that they must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As we read, we learn that Eve and Adam did not resist, they sinned, and knew shame. God makes them leave the perfect home he created, and so humanity began it’s journey with sin.
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Psalm 51:5
Note: it’s probably not a coincidence the sermons at Wildwood Church are on a series about Genesis.
The Sin of Knowledge
I was scrolling through social media as I was waking up this morning. You and I both know that everyone has an opinion, and I usually agree, disagree or fall somewhere in between. The more ridiculous the social media post, the more responses they draw. Often, aren’t the responses more interesting than the original post?
Then I read something so ludicrous, so astounding, that I became memorized by the pure stupidity in the comment. How can people be so stupid? I found myself lamenting over a future full of fully incapable and stupid people. Then, I got sidetracked by a YouTube video telling me why McDonald’s icecream machines were always broken, and how that’s a conspiracy. That made me think about Science. Science is fact-based, and when practiced carefully, can find truths over a period of time. But today, amidst the COVID pandemic one thing I often here, and think I’ve agreed with too often is this one simple statement, which varies, but is simply: “It’s science, stupid”.
The Evolution of Science
I’m fully vaccinated, I believe in the science of vaccines. Moreover, I recently got my booster. Some people chose not to get a vaccine, and some chose not to get the booster. I got the vaccine because it’s science – a virus caused this pandemic. I did not get the shot for myself. First – I’m a father, son, husband, friend – and I care about those around me. This was a rare time in history that the choice I made could change the course of history – so I chose, for the protection of all I love, to get vaccinated.
Some of you haven’t chosen to get vaccinated. Some of you are concerned about the side effects – long and short term. Some are concerned over what they might really be putting in the vaccines. Some of you believe that COVID is a hoax, or a conspiracy. And people sometimes say to you “It’s science, stupid”. This is an expansion on “science doesn’t lie”.
Science has been wrong. Science has lied. Science has conspired. In this video, the second YouTube video I watch on McDonald’s this morning. It’s a small example of how our entire eating habits were changed by a scientist who used false information that changed how we eat and market food – leading to the creation of the chicken nugget. Moreover, we continue to eat things that are unhealthy built on a lie told half a century ago. “Science fact” begins it’s life as a theory. The old scientific method of study it – and sometimes, over the course of time, discover the theory was wrong. This has happened time and time again through the course of history. Once a thing has been studied enough, it’s proven science fact. But there are many examples of long-proven scientific fact that was just flat wrong. Science is a method of learning how to know.
The scientific method is an empirical method of acquiring knowledge
Wikipedia
Adam and Eve Like Chicken Nuggets, Too
The Serpent told Eve that God didn’t want her to eat from tree of knowledge of good and evil because then she would know what God knew.
The original sin was a sin of knowledge – our desire to know. Humans like you and I want to know so badly that we devote most of our life to knowing. We need to know, we must know, and we’ll continue to learn until we know the most we’re capable of knowing in our lifetimes. We went to school, we send our kids to school and colleges. We start careers, we take continuing education classes, go to conventions, read books and articles – all so that we can know more. We want to know more so that we can be better at our jobs and in our careers, to help people, to make the world a better place, and to make more money. We seek knowledge like a hungry wolf hyena hunts a dead carcass. A human’s appetite for knowledge is insatiable.
We are humans, born in the sin of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Seek and You Will Find
Social Media is fun and entertaining. It can be heartwarming and wonderful. There are pictures of our loved ones who we’re unable to see as often as we want, and look at those babies growing up! It can also leave us angry, bitter, sad, depressed and demoralized.
As I seek knowledge, because it is my sinful nature, I want to be cognizant of the God I serve. God gave us free will, so we have a choice about what we seek. We have a choice about what we seek from Social Media. Ultimately, I seek the heart of God. I pray for His wisdom in all my decisions, even and especially on the decisions I fail to pray about. If you are seeking the heart of God, then seek that too on Social Media.
I also seek knowledge to learn how to do my job better so that I can provide best for my family and give to my community. I seek to become a better person everyday – I think most of use do that. I want to encourage you to continue to seek knowledge, and to seek that knowledge with your eyes held up high on the prize that is God’s love.
This sinful world is lost, the real one and the virtual one. Seek God’s purpose, God’s love, God’s heart. This morning I scrolled through social media and was disappointed, watched a couple videos about McDonalds, then God spoke to me about knowledge and sin. Seek and you will find, too.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13