We live in a time where it is difficult to distinguish professing Christians from unbelievers. This begs the question, what should a Normal Christian Life looks like?

To gain insight into this matter, it is essential to go right back to Genesis 1-3. It narrates the creation of all things, including mankind, and it was all good in God's eyes. God blessed the humans, telling them to have many children, and they should fill the earth and take control of it. God gave them power to rule over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small.  Adam was tasked to name them all and to work the soil and take care of the garden. 

At this point there existed no sin and death in this world. There seems to have been an intimate and cordial relationship between God and man. This relationship relied on Adam's obedience. He was on probation.

It is distinctly stated that In the middle of the garden, were two trees, the tree of life and the tree that gives knowledge about good and evil. God commanded Adam:

“Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2:16-17 – ESV) 

However, temptation was not far-off.  The snake engaged with Eve. Adam, who was with Eve, did not exert authority over the snake. This resulted in the tragedy, described in Genesis 3:6, "Eve took of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate" (ESV). In that moment, due to Adam's sin of disobedience, sin commenced in the human race.

Adam's disobedience had far reaching consequences. From that moment onwards Adam was a sinner. Their eyes were opened and they saw things differently. They became conscious that they were naked, and seemingly became ashamed, and covered themselves with fig leaves.

Their disobedience caused a brake in their relationship with God. Knowing they were naked, they were afraid of God. They were hiding amongst the trees, when God came to visit them that afternoon. Their consciences were condemning them.

God called Adam, wanting to know where he was. Adam's response was not one of accountability. He blamed Eve for what happened. Eve blamed the snake, and the snake had no one else to blame.

This however, did not deterred God from acting decisively against Adam, Eve and the snake. The whole ordeal ended in Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. This was to prevent them from eating of the tree of life, and live for ever.

This incident affected every descendant of Adam and Eve. "All people were made sinners as the result of the disobedience of one man [Adam]" (Rom. 5:19 – ESV). "Sin came into the world through one man [Adam], and his sin brought death with it. As a result, death has spread to the whole human race because everyone has sinned" (Rom. 5:12 – ESV).

Death was of two kinds, physical and spiritual. When death entered the race, it went throughout the race. The reason death effected every one of Adam's decedents, Paul says, is "because everyone has sinned" (Rom. 5:12 – ESV).

Everyone has sinned at a specific moment in time in the past. Adam is looked upon as the federal head or representative of the human race. When he sinned, all of humanity sinned in him.

The Bible does not explain how the effects of the fall and the sin nature passes down through all of humanity, but alludes to the fact that it does.

Every offspring of Adam is a sinner from birth, having a sinful nature from conception. David acknowledged, "I have been evil from the day I was born; from the time I was conceived, I have been sinful" (Ps. 51:5 – ESV). Psalm 58:3 confirms, "The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies" (ESV).

The result of Adam's sin is not only inherited sinfulness, but also inherited guilt. "One sin condemned all people" (Rom. 5:18 – ESV). Condemned is to judge humanity as defiantly guilty and thus subject to punishment.

Separating man’s will from God’s will alienated man from God and enslaved him to Satan. He is now subject to physical and moral corruption. In Eph. 2:1-3 Paul gives a grim description of the condition of sinners. They are "dead in the trespasses and sins." They are "following the course of this world." They are "following the prince of the power of the air." "The spirit [of the prince of the power of the air] is at work in the people who disobey God." They live in the passions of their flesh, "carrying out the desires of the body and the mind." They are "by nature destined to suffer God's anger."

The heart of man became the birthplace of all sinful thoughts, words and actions (Matthew 15:19).

Man no longer bears the glory of his moral likeness to God, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23 – ESV).

It is therefore, clear that a professing Christian cannot bear the fruits which constitutes a sinner. By their fruits you will know them (Luke 6:43-45). In the studies that will follow, we will discuss how a sinner becomes a Christian, and what the normal Christian life should look like.

BIBLE VERSIONS

English Standard Version (ESV).