Did sin come from the law or from lawlessness?

Did sin come from the law or from lawlessness?
Many think that this is a strange question. "Who wouldn't know that sin come from lawlessness? If we do not have God's laws or disobey God's laws, we sin in the eyes of God. God's words have confirmed it:"

• Gen 2:16-17 KJV  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  (17)  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.  ...   3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
• 1Jn 3:4 KJV  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

I will tell them, Normal people, including Adam and Eve, will read God's command and interpret that we would sin if we do not do God's will or God's command. But when Satan comes, we could be confused to think otherwise. The fall of Adam and Eve is a very obvious example and lesson for us. They were confused to think that they can just disobey God's command even though initially they had known that departing from God's command was a serious sin which could lead to death.


Satan can confuse us like he confused Adam and Eve
Today, Satan will still come again to tempt the churches and confuse us like he confused Adam and Eve. Don't ask me, How can he succeed to tempt God's beloved or the believers who know God's words? I can only say that we should never underestimate him. He can confuse all of us even though we know clearly that it is a sin to disobey God's will and command.  How can he manage to do that ? It was always a mystery to us, including Paul who has prophesied that lawlessness will come into the churches or into the hearts of the believers again in the end time. I will tell those who argue that the churches or believers can never fall, Please look at Adam and Eve who were smarter and more perfect than us. They had received God command in a much clearer way, and yet they could still fall. This should give us enough warning.
Secondly, Please think, Why did the Bible prophesy or warn that lawlessness will come into the churches? Why didn't the Lord warn the people outside the churches? Of course, common sense. It's because Satan would not need to tempt those who have already fallen. It is meaningless for him to tempt anyone outside the churches again.

• 2Th 2:3-12 LITV  Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, because that Day will not come unless first comes the falling away, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,  (4)  the one opposing and exalting himself over everything being called God, or object of worship, so as for him "to sit in the temple of God" as God, setting forth himself, that he is God. Dan. 11:36; Eze. 28:2  (5)  Do you not remember that I told you these things, I yet being with you?  (6)  And now you know the thing holding back, for him to be revealed in his time.  (7)  For the mystery of lawlessness already is working, only he is holding back now, until it comes out of the midst.  (8)  And then "the Lawless One" will be revealed, "whom" "the Lord" "will consume" "by the spirit of His mouth," and will bring to nought by the brightness of His presence. Isa. 11:4  (9)  His coming is according to the working of Satan in all power and miraculous signs and lying wonders,  (10)  and in all deceit of unrighteousness in those being lost, because they did not receive the love of the truth in order for them to be saved.  (11)  And because of this, God will send to them a working of error, for them to believe the lie,  (12)  that all may be judged, those not believing the truth, but who have delighted in unrighteousness.
• 2Co 11:3-4 LITV  But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your thoughts should be corrupted from the purity which is due to Christ.  (4)  For if, indeed, the one coming proclaims another Jesus, whom we have not proclaimed, or if you receive another spirit which you have not received, or another gospel which you never accepted, you might well endure these.
   

Satan will tempt the churches again in the end time
However, recently I feared that the mystery of lawlessness has come. Many will ask, "On what basis?" I will say, On the basis that lawless philosophies and thinking has now become more rampant in the churches and it has been prophesied by Paul. Of course, lawless philosophies and thinking is not necessarily teaching which encourages people to sin and commit serious crimes. Lawless philosophies and thinking can be simply teaching which encourages people to depart from God's will and command. If we look around, we should have noticed that the teaching of many churches today encourages people to think of everything 'lawlessly' in the name of 'radical grace'. Although there are many things taught lawlessly by radical grace in the past, their lawlessness against God's will and command has always been very subtle and well hidden with occasional teaching of God's laws and commandments eg. with the teaching of Psalm 1, Psalm 34, and Deuteronomy 28. However, lately I heard that radical grace preachers have started to become more aggressive and lawless in their radical grace revolution. They preach that sin come from the law; not lawlessness !


 Satan can convince the churches to disobey God, like Adam disobeyed God
What does it mean when someone said that sin come from the law? It means that he could be challenging God's will and commandment or he will confuse the churches to think that they can depart from all God's commandments even though they had been warned to keep God commandments. Like Adam and Eve, they knew God's laws and commandments and yet they would depart from them. When they are deceived to think the sin come from the law; and not lawlessness, they would blame the law or indirectly blame God who gave them the law. It gave them legitimate ground to ignore, reject, and mock at God's laws, God's will, God's command, and God's sovereignty.. 

Hence, I am now helplessly seeing the churches following the steps of Adam and Eve who disobeyed God's command even though they had known that departing from God's command was lawlessness which could lead to death. Jesus warned us that teaching others to depart from God's will and command means rebellion and unpardonable sin too as it can lead to eternal separation from Him even though they may keep confessing His name:

• Mat 7:15-24 KJV  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  (16)  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  (17)  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  (18)  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  (19)  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  (20)  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.  (21)  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  (22)  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  (23)  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.  (24)  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

How did radical grace preachers preach that sin came from the law?
Many will ask, "Can there be anyone in their right mind preaching that sin came from the law; and not from lawlessness?" I say, Yes, I have heard it clearly and loudly from some radical grace preachers. Normal people, including Adam and Eve, will read God's command and interpret that we would sin if we do not do God's will or God's command. But they said, "Sin came from the law because sin come from the tree. As long as Adam and Eve did not eat from the tree, they would not sin. But the moment they ate from the tree, sin went into their lives. It means that the tree cause sin to come into the world; not lawlessness. Why do I say that the tree is the main culprit? It's because the tree is called the knowledge of good and evil. Please think, How do we know between right and wrong or between good and evil? Isn't it the law? Hence, the tree is a type of the law. If any man today takes in the law, he will know what is good and evil; but he will also fall like Adam and Eve too. From the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve knew sin. Similarly, from the law, we know sin too. So, the moral of the story is, Never take the law ! Sin comes from the law; not lawlessness. The churches have got it all wrong. They tell us that we must repent to keep all the laws of God. But my Jesus tells us that we take grace for true repentance. We don't repent to keep the law; otherwise, we keep sin in our lives, But we repent to receive grace."
I will tell them, Yes, that's very logical; but very lawless too. Normal people would never think like you. Yes, your thinking may earn the claps and approvals of all those who are afraid to think of the law of God, but it is not from God.

Please think, If sin can come from the law, then God, the giver of the law would be the giver of sin too. Are you saying that God is a sin giver? Of course, no, God would never give sin. Sin would never come from God. Sin came from men because men chose lawlessness and departed from God's law. There was no sin in the tree or in the fruit of the tree. But sin came when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Hence, sin would still come if they did not eat from the tree. Sin would still come if they chose to listen to the snake and eat something else or do something else to rebel against God's will or command. Similarly, sin would still come today if we do the same thing too. Sin would not stop coming into the world today just because men have stopped eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If today we (after becoming righteous like Adam and Eve before their fall) were to listen to the snake again and mock against God or God's words, sin would still come. 

• Gal 6:5-7 KJV  For every man shall bear his own burden.  (6)  Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.  (7)  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

I will ask them, Please think again, If sin comes from the law, can we call the law holy? No. But why did Paul said that the law is holy? It would show that sin does not come from the law; sin comes from the sinners:

• Rom 7:11-18 KJV  For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.  (12)  Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.  (13)  Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.  (14)  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.  (15)  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I... (18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

Paul would never suggest that we should forget about the law of God
Paul said that sin came from him because he was carnal. But the law of God and the law of sin together would still torment him. What's the solution? Did he suggest that we should therefore reject and ignore God's laws so that we will feel less condemned? Certainly not. Please read on:

• Rom 7:25 KJV  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.  Rom 8:1-8 KJV  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  (2)  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  (3)  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  (4)  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  (5)  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  (6)  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  (7)  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  (8)  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Paul shows us that there are two laws:

• one is holy, just, and good (Rom 7:12). It is spiritual (Rom 7:14). It is of the Spirit (Rom 8:2). It is not of the carnal mind (Rom 8:7)  - It is the law of God
• the other is the law of sin, the law of the flesh, or the law from the carnal mind.

Hence, when there is a fight between the law of God and the law of sin in his life, Paul would suggest his solution:

• he would serve the law of God with his mind. It means thinking of God's laws instead of departing from God's laws or ignoring God's laws (Rom 7:25)
• he would walk after the Spirit. It means that he would listen to the law of God who is the Spirit (Rom 8:2)
• he would subject himself to the law of God or obey the law of God and please God (Rom 8:7-8)  

          

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