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The First Sin (By Olufemi Olugbemi)

I woke up this morning wondering which is the first sin committed by man. This thought ran through my mind for over an hour before coming up with a list of leading sins: Deceit, Doubt, Fear, Lie, Addiction, Gossip, Covetousness and Greed.

In defining sin, it is important to separate the outcome or manifestation of sin such as sex, adultery and even murder from our daily transgressions.

As Christians, we tend to define sin according to the dictates of our environment, that is, according to our society, cultural values, lineage, level of education, exposure and our church doctrines as promulgated by religious leaders who set their own ten commandments in their respective churches. Do you ever wonder why church rules are never the same?

Consequently, as mortals, we choose what we would like to consider as sin and discard the rest as collaterals and therefore acceptable. How else could you explain serving two masters? Two masters does not merely state serving God and the Devil, it goes further than that, it means praying, fasting and going to church regularly, yet, the same lips and heart used to pray and praise God would, at the flip of the coin, be used to curse, betray and consult spiritualist, herbalist and other mediums for interventions to harm others and for prosperity. It also means holding very important day positions in the Church of God and at night attending cult meetings; practicing sorcery, witchcraft and serving God and it means enchantment of other person’s property while you have yours.

How do we go on to explain this bipolar relationship with God? Our bipolar personality has in recent times been transformed into a polycentric condition with multiple nerve centers of toxic emotions, when instead of love, we hate each other with such burning passion that if converted to serving God and humanity would make us better humans.

Back to the subject matter, what exactly is the first sin, where did we get it wrong and why can’t we live our lives in peace and harmony. There are more questions than I could find answers to. According to the bible, the first sin was committed in the Garden of Eden. The story is very well told but scholars are still at variance on what is the first sin. Is the first sin listening to the devil or is it in eating the forbidden fruit or is it in Eve feeding the fruit to the husband? Would the quest for love, money, power and control be considered as our first sin?

A sample of opinions from friends and colleagues was not definitive either. Opinions, perception and knowledge of first sin are varied. Even among religious scholars, we found different interpretations. To some betrayal of trust is not just an enemy; it is their first sin. To others, it is the lie, the deceit, and the endorsement of very bad behavior that is contrary to the doctrines of the bible.

In understanding the first sin, we would move away from the mentality that we are doing nothing wrong but doing the right thing and redeem ourselves.

Faith, Hope and Love are all essentials to overcoming sins, but love stands out as the greatest of them all. The bible tells us to love our neighbours as our selves. Anything that we do in our relationship with self, family, friends and others should center on God. In our places of work, play, (inner social circles) abode and worship we need to serve God faithfully

The first sin to my mind is in not serving God with a single-minded devotion and in truth!