Sin may have entered the world in a subtle rebellion, but once it got rolling it gained tremendous speed and became a giant, unstoppable monster. When it finally reaches the point in history which Mark describes in chapter 15 of his gospel, sin is as terrible and ugly as it gets. 

Sin is like a snowball rolling down a hill. I admit that’s a bit of an odd comparison, but I think it gets the point across well. Sin is never content to remain small, and if it is allowed the space and time it will gain momentum and eventually morph into a giant ball of evil. The farther down the hill sin rolls, the harder it is to stop, and when it finally reaches the bottom we can’t quite believe what it has transformed itself into.

When Adam and Eve committed the first sin, it seemed innocent enough. Eating fruit is after-all a morally neutral activity. It’s not like they thrust their fists up at heaven and ran off in a rebellious rage to find freer pastures where they could eat from any tree they chose. No, they were deceived by the smooth talking serpent and took a bite from a delicious fruit. A forbidden fruit it is true, but fruit nonetheless.

But sin is sin. And as innocent as eating fruit sounds, betrayal and mistrust lay behind the act. Eve twisted God’s word, Adam was neglectful, and then both did the one thing God had told them not to do. Instead of trusting in the goodness of God, they decided that perhaps God was holding back some good from them. And so sin entered God’s good world.

Sin may have entered the world in a subtle rebellion, but once it got rolling it gained tremendous speed and became a giant, unstoppable monster. When it finally reaches the point in history which Mark describes in chapter 15 of his gospel, sin is as terrible and ugly as it gets.

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