The Greatest Problem of Mankind

Every disaster begins somewhere. A raging fire begins with just a single spark, and a mighty flood starts with a drop of rain. In the same way, the greatest disaster in human history, which is sin began with a single act of disobedience to God in the Garden of Eden.

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What commenced as a moment of temptation became a wave of destruction that has touched every life on this planet ever since. To understand why the world is filled with suffering, pain, and death, we must return to the very beginning where sin entered the world and spread to all mankind.

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Paul in his letter to the church in Rome declared, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” - Romans 5:12 (NKJV). Sin didn’t begin with us, but it lives in us, works through us, and destroys everything it touches. In this second lesson of the Greatest Problem of Mankind, we will explore how Sin began and spread across the world.

 

   1. ​​Disobedience in Eden

God, the creator of the entire universe and everything therein, created mankind in His own image according to Genesis 1:26-27. Moses wrote that “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” - Genesis 1:28 (NKJV). The LORD God placed mankind in the Garden of Eden full of the glory of God. It was a place full of perfect peace, joy and fellowship with God. Mankind was connected to God, and the world was a perfect world. Then God gave a simple command to mankind that “…Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but 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.” - Genesis 2:16-17 (NKJV).

 

This is the law God gave to mankind to keep. However, into this Garden came the serpent (Satan) who questioned God’s word and deceived Eve with a lie by saying “…Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”-Genesis 3:1-5 (NKJV). The serpent lied to Eve by negating the statement of God and creating doubt in her mind. Eve saw that the fruit was pleasant to the eyes and desirable to make one wise (Genesis 3:6). She took and ate, and Adam ate with her. That one act of disobedience changed everything. They lost their innocence, were driven from the garden, and death entered the world. “Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, “You shall not eat of it”: Cursed is the ground for your sake… In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.’” - Genesis 3:17, 19 (NKJV). This was the beginning of sin in the world that has led to several consequences. (We shall look at the consequences of sin in a later lesson).

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    2. The Nature of Temptation

Satan tempted mankind, and mankind sinned by yielding to the temptation. This temptation the devil used to cause man to sin followed a pattern that still exists today.

John declared in “For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world.” - 1 John 2:16 (NKJV). The devil used these three things to tempt mankind. “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” - Genesis 3:6 (NKJV). These three things are illustrated in this verse.

• The lust of the flesh — Eve saw that the tree was good for food (desire for pleasure).

• The lust of the eyes — She saw that it was pleasant to the eyes (desire for what looks good).

• The pride of life — She desired to be wise, like God (desire for power and pride).

 

Satan’s strategy hasn’t changed. He still twists God’s word, creates doubts in our minds, appeals to desire, and tempts us to believe we can decide right and wrong for ourselves. The moment we yield to these we sin against our God.

 

   3. The Spread of Sin

Sin did not stop with Adam and Eve — it spread rapidly through their descendants.
By Genesis 4, their son Cain had murdered his brother Abel out of jealousy and pride. “8Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him…10 So the Lord said, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.’” - Genesis 4:8,10 (NKJV).

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By Genesis 6, sin had filled the entire earth: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” - Genesis 6:5 (NKJV).

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From that point onward, Scripture shows the devastating reach of sin — nations corrupted, families broken, and hearts hardened. The Psalmist expressed that “There is none who does good, No, not one.” - Psalm 14:3 (NKJV).

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Beloved, Sin is like a disease passed from one heart to another. We are not born guilty of Adam’s sin, but we inherit a world under its curse. A world that constantly pulls us toward rebellion against God.

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   4. Personal Accountability For Sin

Though sin began with Adam, every person bears personal responsibility for his or her own actions. Sin is never inherited as some people teach. The Bible teaches that everyone is accountable to their own sins. “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” - Ezekiel 18:20 (NKJV).

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We are not judged for Adam’s sin, but for our own sins. Each one of us chooses whether to follow God or reject Him. The tragedy is that all of us eventually make the same choice Adam and Eve did, and thus we sin and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23).

 

   5. The Results of Sin’s Spread

Because sin entered the world, we now live in a fallen creation. A world that is disconnected from God.

• Suffering exists because of sin (Romans 8:20–22).

• Death reigns over all humanity (Hebrews 9:27).

• Separation from God is the universal condition of mankind because of sin (Ephesians 2:1–3).

 

Every problem we see — hatred, greed, lust, fear, war, and sorrow flows from the fountain of sin. But even in the beginning, God promised hope. In Genesis 3:15, He spoke of the coming of a Savior: “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” - Genesis 3:15 (NKJV). This was the first promise of Christ — the One who would crush the serpent and conquer sin.

 

Conclusion and Reflection

As we have learned in this lesson, sin started in the Garden of Eden when Mankind disobeyed the law of God. Sin spread from that time and it is still our greatest problem today. But the good news is that God promised to send His Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. As we conclude this lesson, please reflect on the following questions.

1. What caused Adam and Eve to sin, and how does that same pattern appear in your life?

2. Why do you think God allowed humans to have the choice to disobey Him?

3. How has sin spread throughout the world today — in societies, homes, and hearts?

4. What hope do we find in Genesis 3:15, even after sin entered the world?