Dissatisfied

There is a lot of discussion about the cause of sin. Why do we have this sin problem? Why can't we stop? Some point to the world -- "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world." (1 John 2:16). Okay, but is that the root? Others latch onto that last one -- pride. And I've generally agreed for most of my life. Recently, however, I've come to another conclusion. I think that the root is dissatisfaction.

Look at the first sin. What did Eve fall for? Satan told her that God was holding out on her. "The serpent said to the woman, 'You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'" (Gen 3:4-5) The serpent argued that God was holding back on her, that there were better things available than what He offered. And she went for it. I think that's all of us. I think that's the root cause. We believe that God is holding out on us. Oh, we might not voice it. We may not even recognize it. But I think that's at the core of our problem.

Think about it. In the Garden, God walked with them in the evening -- the immediate presence of God surrounded by all of God's supply. To this day we consider the concept of "the Garden of Eden" as a metaphor for paradise. Idyllic living. Not enough. And so it went with every sin in the Bible. God promised Abraham an heir, but he couldn't wait, and the Middle East conflict 4,000 years later is still the result. God made Moses a leader to free His people, led him explicitly, spoke with him face to face, one of the absolutely closest Man-to-an-God relationships recorded in Scripture. But when he was told to speak to the rock, Moses considered it insufficient and struck the rock. Moses never entered the land of promise because of it. Over and over and over sin arose because God's promises and presence were not sufficient. Dissatisfaction.

I believe that if we would actually be satisfied with God's relationship and gifts and care for us, we would stop sinning. If we embraced Christ as enough, we'd have no need to look elsewhere for satisfaction. If we truly believed, "The LORD is my portion," (Lam 3:24), we would desire nothing more. And I think it is abundantly clear that all that Christ is and gives is more than enough. We're just too often too blind to see.