Forgiveness

Adam and Eve had wronged God but were they forgiven? No, because they were never truly sorry even though they were ashamed.  When they realized God was present in the Garden of Eden, they hid themselves [1] rather than stepping out to face God, admit their mistake and ask for pardon.  Had they been sorry and pleaded [2] for forgiveness, they would still be in the Garden of Eden, and so would their descendants.

Since they were never remorseful, they were banished to earth, a garden much like the original Eden except that it has pests and pestilences, and one in which they would experience pain, suffering and death because of their Sin, the immutable human gene that is invisible but taints virtually all thoughts, words and actions.

Today, the vast majority of descendants of Adam and Eve are just like their first parents.  They sin but so not think of it as such.  They have no remorse for having wronged God and find no need to be forgiven. And like their first brother Cain, they feel sorry for themselves and envy others for their unique gifts.

Envy, arguably, is the Original Sin.  Envy is defined as "a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another's advantages, success, possessions, etc." [3]  The Serpent aroused in Eve and Adam envy and desire, and from that, their son, Cain, derived rage.  In a fit of anger, Cain killed Abel. [4]  The descendants of Cain are on every continent and found in every conceivable race.  They do not care for God because they are like their forefather Cain who did not care for God either.  In their hearts, forgiveness is absent but vengeance abound.  Often they are political and hypocritical, and they are everywhere, in all walks of life.

When the walk of life ends, these unforgiving souls will have to answer to their Maker's questions: "Why are you hiding? Where is your brother?  What have to done to him?"  If they do not at once step up to admit their wrongs and seek forgiveness, they will have an eternity in Hell to answer those questions.



[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3%3A6-8&version=NIV
[2] As an aside, the reader may find this article and the comments on the use of  "pled" versus "pleaded" humorous: http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/is_it_pleaded_or_pled
[3] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/envy
[4] Did Cain kill Abel for the one simple reason that God favored Abel's sacrifice over Cain's?  Or were there other reasons that led to the first murder?  I speculate that there must have been and the favoring of Abel's sacrifice over Cain's was the "last straw."  When that happened, Cain could no longer contain his fury.  Other reasons that caused Cain to despise Abel so much could be that Abel was more attractive than Cain, that Abel was talented in many more ways than Cain, that Abel was more loved by Adam and Eve and that Cain was so aroused by Abel's good looks and physique that he wanted to sodomize Abel but Abel refused Cain's repeated advances.  Because Abel pleased God in every way, God accepted his sacrifice but rejected Cain's.  This was the first time Cain realized how "ugly" a person he was inside, so he killed Abel, thinking that without Abel around, he would be "king" in the family and in God's eyes, that he would no longer be the loser with his competition dead and gone, but Cain was never a loser.  He had different talents and was loved and valued in different ways.  However, by killing Abel, Cain became the loser.  The loser lived on and his offspring multiplied.