Root of all Evil

[alienx7587]

Hi all,

So, for some reason this came into my head recently and I'd like to hear what your opinions are.

God created us as pure beings in His image, yet Adam and Eve were deceived therefore we are born bearing an innate sinfulness. Because of this paradox, after we are born again in Christ and establish and maintain a relationship with Him, we have what is called free will. Our sins have been washed away, but we choose whether we want to give in to the temptation of sin or not. But what about before the fall of man? Where exactly did evil come from?

Many scholars believe (and the scriptures imply) that the archangel Lucifer fell (not literally) because of his conceit (1 Tim. 3:6-7). That is to say, Satan believed that he was greater than God. This being said, would it suffice to conclude that the root of all evil is envy?

Discuss.

 

[JohnChrysostom]

Interesting post. I would say that the root of all evil is ambition, worldly ambition - aka lust or desire. St Peter the Apostle says that the corruption that is in the world is because of lust (tranlated in the NKJV as "desire").
2Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

This wordly ambition is basically to make oneself into God.

But i've heard from a Christian (Dorotheos of Gaza) from the 7th century that there are 3 roots of evil: Ambition, Love of Pleasure and Avarice.

 

[shirley]

i think in the matirialistic world we live in money and greed are the root of all evil including temptation it said in the bible1 corith 10;13no temptation has seized youexcept what is common to man and god is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear but whenyou are tempted, he will also provide a way out sothat you can stand under it also when we fall into temptaion we should turn to god we should ask for stength to overcome that evil of temptation it isnt easy in this world of i got to have it now thats selfish thinking

 

[serpentslayer]

Hi all,

So, for some reason this came into my head recently and I'd like to hear what your opinions are.

God created us as pure beings in His image, yet Adam and Eve were deceived therefore we are born bearing an innate sinfulness. Because of this paradox, after we are born again in Christ and establish and maintain a relationship with Him, we have what is called free will. Our sins have been washed away, but we choose whether we want to give in to the temptation of sin or not. But what about before the fall of man? Where exactly did evil come from?

Many scholars believe (and the scriptures imply) that the archangel Lucifer fell (not literally) because of his conceit (1 Tim. 3:6-7). That is to say, Satan believed that he was greater than God. This being said, would it suffice to conclude that the root of all evil is envy?

Discuss.

It is written that the love of money (valuable things) is the root of all evil; therefore, even the sin
which began in the Garden of Eden was grounded in lust. As such. let me tell you teh way i interpret
the scriptures.

Adam started sin because he lied to Eve when telling her the Commandment. He was told not to
eat from the forbidden tree, but he told Eve they could not touch it either. He told her this lie because
he lusted after the forbidden fruit, beleiving it would make him like GOD, but he wanted her to be the
first one to eat it in case it really would lead to death. The lie made it possible to trick her because all
he had to do was be the first to touch the fruit (which would not cause death), which he did in her
presence, which made it seem like he was risking death, then tell her she really could eat it also.
Her quote to the serpent (who was Adam, not a snake, which is myth), is the proof she was already decieved because the devil (Adam ) told the first lie (JN 8:44). Did not Adam stand by and watch Eve pick and eat the forbidden fruit without saying anything to her or try to stop her.

Of course, this implies that all mankind is the children of the devil (Adam), except Jesus, because
God is HIS Daddy. Which is why Mary had to be a Virgin (no serpent seed in the Savior).

 

[Laodicea]

Hi all,

So, for some reason this came into my head recently and I'd like to hear what your opinions are.

God created us as pure beings in His image, yet Adam and Eve were deceived therefore we are born bearing an innate sinfulness. Because of this paradox, after we are born again in Christ and establish and maintain a relationship with Him, we have what is called free will. Our sins have been washed away, but we choose whether we want to give in to the temptation of sin or not. But what about before the fall of man? Where exactly did evil come from?

Many scholars believe (and the scriptures imply) that the archangel Lucifer fell (not literally) because of his conceit (1 Tim. 3:6-7). That is to say, Satan believed that he was greater than God. This being said, would it suffice to conclude that the root of all evil is envy?

Discuss.

The Bible says the love of money is the root of all evil which breaks the 10th commandment Satan's problem was this:-
Isaiah 14:13-14
(13) For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
(14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Again this is breaking the 10th commandment he desired to have God's power instead of being content with what he had. The same could be said of Adam & Eve Satan deceived Eve into thinking there was more to the tree of knowledge of good and evil, that God was holding something back and then she gave in to the temptation of desiring to have.

 

[mpaper345]

The love of money would be the root of all evil dealing with people because that is what the world values as worth of a person,and it is also people exalting themselves above other people,in which Jesus said you cannot serve two masters God and mammon,putting emphasis on money as being a master over people because of their love of money.

The antichrist who is a man claiming to be God will have power over all the treasures of the world,and the prince of Tyrus who is told as being in the garden of Eden and the anointed cherub but lifted himself up as God had very much riches.

Money is the way people exalt themselves above other people and lift themselves up as something special because it is a physical world and they use physical things to exalt themselves.

Jesus called money a master of people who love money,because it exalts people over other people which is arrogance,where no other sin does that.

 

[babyboyblue]

Hi all,

So, for some reason this came into my head recently and I'd like to hear what your opinions are.

God created us as pure beings in His image, yet Adam and Eve were deceived therefore we are born bearing an innate sinfulness. Because of this paradox, after we are born again in Christ and establish and maintain a relationship with Him, we have what is called free will.

We have free will from the day we're born. It's not given to us after being born again. Everyone has a choice to obey or disobey.

Our sins have been washed away, but we choose whether we want to give in to the temptation of sin or not. But what about before the fall of man? Where exactly did evil come from?

Ezekiel 28:15 speaking of Lucifer
15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Many scholars believe (and the scriptures imply) that the archangel Lucifer fell (not literally) because of his conceit (1 Tim. 3:6-7). That is to say, Satan believed that he was greater than God. This being said, would it suffice to conclude that the root of all evil is envy?

Discuss.

Lucifer was never an Archangel. There's only one Archangel and that's Michael. The Holy Scriptures are clear that Root of all evil is the love of money.To take it a step further, Money = power. The most "powerful" men in the world are those that are wealthy. It was Lucifer's desire to be all powerful, to be higher than the Most High.

 

[Crossfire]

Hi all,

So, for some reason this came into my head recently and I'd like to hear what your opinions are.

God created us as pure beings in His image, yet Adam and Eve were deceived therefore we are born bearing an innate sinfulness. Because of this paradox, after we are born again in Christ and establish and maintain a relationship with Him, we have what is called free will. Our sins have been washed away, but we choose whether we want to give in to the temptation of sin or not. But what about before the fall of man? Where exactly did evil come from?

Many scholars believe (and the scriptures imply) that the archangel Lucifer fell (not literally) because of his conceit (1 Tim. 3:6-7). That is to say, Satan believed that he was greater than God. This being said, would it suffice to conclude that the root of all evil is envy?

Discuss.

My opinion is a simple one and that is the root of all sin is selfishness. Satan fell because he wanted to exalt himself before God. Eve fell when the serpent promised that the fruit of the forbidden tree would make her God like. Adam fell because he did not want to live life without Eve despite knowing what the penalty for sin was. I could go with numerous biblical examples.

God, on the other hand, is selfless and promises to hold nothing back from those who embrace selflessness (ie. Christ-likeness). Christ Himself is also selfless for he did not count equality with God something to exalted but rather He humbled himself and became a man giving his life so that mankind could be redeemed. The Holy Spirit is also selfless seeing as He never boasts of Himself but leads all into deeper knowledge and relationship with God. I also give numerous biblical examples of this as well.

Whenever we place more importance on perserving self and / or selfish desires & pursuits than on loving God and loving others then it's a guarentee that sin will soon follow.

 

[jimsun]

I suppose it had to come. - Having come to know &. love this site & all the folk on it.
The one post I would dearly love to get my teeth into & enjoy meaningful dialogue with everyone contributing to the script & subject.
However there is but one item I would use to illustrate & illuminate a number of salient points of the subject's title, mentioned by some already & how everything else goes hand in glove with that item.
Unfortunately, within my work role, I am bound by a Statutory Declaration of Secrecy & cannot go beyond this point.
So. - Sorry everyone, but this is as far as I can go with this.
God Bless;
J.

 

[JohnChrysostom]

The love of money would be the root of all evil dealing with people because that is what the world values as worth of a person,and it is also people exalting themselves above other people,in which Jesus said you cannot serve two masters God and mammon,putting emphasis on money as being a master over people because of their love of money.

The antichrist who is a man claiming to be God will have power over all the treasures of the world,and the prince of Tyrus who is told as being in the garden of Eden and the anointed cherub but lifted himself up as God had very much riches.

Money is the way people exalt themselves above other people and lift themselves up as something special because it is a physical world and they use physical things to exalt themselves.

Jesus called money a master of people who love money,because it exalts people over other people which is arrogance,where no other sin does that.

The love of money is A root of all evil but not THE root of all evil, the KJV translators did not translate it right.
The real translation is this: 1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. ESV

There's a big difference between "A Root" and "The Root", it just depends on if you believe in the KJV translation or the majority of the others (NKJV ESV, ect.)

 

[cronjecj]

It is written that the love of money (valuable things) is the root of all evil; therefore, even the sin
which began in the Garden of Eden was grounded in lust. As such. let me tell you teh way i interpret
the scriptures.

Adam started sin because he lied to Eve when telling her the Commandment. He was told not to
eat from the forbidden tree, but he told Eve they could not touch it either. He told her this lie because
he lusted after the forbidden fruit, beleiving it would make him like GOD, but he wanted her to be the
first one to eat it in case it really would lead to death. The lie made it possible to trick her because all
he had to do was be the first to touch the fruit (which would not cause death), which he did in her
presence, which made it seem like he was risking death, then tell her she really could eat it also.
Her quote to the serpent (who was Adam, not a snake, which is myth), is the proof she was already decieved because the devil (Adam ) told the first lie (JN 8:44). Did not Adam stand by and watch Eve pick and eat the forbidden fruit without saying anything to her or try to stop her.

Of course, this implies that all mankind is the children of the devil (Adam), except Jesus, because
God is HIS Daddy. Which is why Mary had to be a Virgin (no serpent seed in the Savior).

Just curious though, how did you relate Adam to be the devil?

 

[CrimsonFlames]

Just curious though, how did you relate Adam to be the devil?

21st century gnosticism *sigh*

 

[alienx7587]

Thanks for the replies, all.

Adam started sin because he lied to Eve when telling her the Commandment. He was told not to
eat from the forbidden tree, but he told Eve they could not touch it either.

Interesting, please cite a reference for this.

We have free will from the day we're born. It's not given to us after being born again. Everyone has a choice to obey or disobey.

Excellent point, I meant to say "...even still, we have what is called free will...". I agree, we have free will from the beginning.

The love of money is A root of all evil but not THE root of all evil, the KJV translators did not translate it right.
The real translation is this: 1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. ESV

There's a big difference between "A Root" and "The Root", it just depends on if you believe in the KJV translation or the majority of the others (NKJV ESV, ect.)

Yes, this is pertinent to the theory. I rely on the NIV translation.

 

[MackenzieSweets]

Hi all,

So, for some reason this came into my head recently and I'd like to hear what your opinions are.

God created us as pure beings in His image, yet Adam and Eve were deceived therefore we are born bearing an innate sinfulness. Because of this paradox, after we are born again in Christ and establish and maintain a relationship with Him, we have what is called free will. Our sins have been washed away, but we choose whether we want to give in to the temptation of sin or not. But what about before the fall of man? Where exactly did evil come from?

Many scholars believe (and the scriptures imply) that the archangel Lucifer fell (not literally) because of his conceit (1 Tim. 3:6-7). That is to say, Satan believed that he was greater than God. This being said, would it suffice to conclude that the root of all evil is envy?

Discuss.

I've wondered about this before. I didn't think it out all the way like you have, but im really fascinated by this idea. If sin was born after eating the fruit of the tree, was lucifer sinning by being conceited and envious of God? Maybe sin was just then born to MAN, and that it had already been born to the immortal beings?
I don't know much theology but its easy to let my mind wonder on about this from what i do know.

 

[Catlynn]

Wouldn't all of these roots fall under the "selfishness" category? Then wouldn't the root of all evil be selfishness? Which would make sense since God is love and love is absolutely the opposite of selfish. I'll have to come back with some scriptural references but that's my basic thought on the subject.

 

[Crossfire]

Wouldn't all of these roots fall under the "selfishness" category? Then wouldn't the root of all evil be selfishness? Which would make sense since God is love and love is absolutely the opposite of selfish. I'll have to come back with some scriptural references but that's my basic thought on the subject.

I couldn't agree more!

 

[Shilo]

The root of evil is not following the 1st and 10th commanment.

If we honor God as God we do what he has said.

If we Covet anything that is not ours it can lead to not loving our neighbour as ourselves, then comes adultrey,stealing , bear false witness, and sometimes people even kill over it.

 

[Catlynn]

My opinion is a simple one and that is the root of all sin is selfishness. Satan fell because he wanted to exalt himself before God. Eve fell when the serpent promised that the fruit of the forbidden tree would make her God like. Adam fell because he did not want to live life without Eve despite knowing what the penalty for sin was. I could go with numerous biblical examples.

God, on the other hand, is selfless and promises to hold nothing back from those who embrace selflessness (ie. Christ-likeness). Christ Himself is also selfless for he did not count equality with God something to exalted but rather He humbled himself and became a man giving his life so that mankind could be redeemed. The Holy Spirit is also selfless seeing as He never boasts of Himself but leads all into deeper knowledge and relationship with God. I also give numerous biblical examples of this as well.

Whenever we place more importance on perserving self and / or selfish desires & pursuits than on loving God and loving others then it's a guarentee that sin will soon follow.

I couldn't agree more!

haha I totally didn't read your previous post before making my own. So really, I agree with YOU!

 

[alienx7587]

I've wondered about this before. I didn't think it out all the way like you have, but im really fascinated by this idea. If sin was born after eating the fruit of the tree, was lucifer sinning by being conceited and envious of God? Maybe sin was just then born to MAN, and that it had already been born to the immortal beings?
I don't know much theology but its easy to let my mind wonder on about this from what i do know.

I think I agree with what your saying as far as when the serpent tricked Adam & Eve that's when sin entered the mortal world. We should keep in mind though, that God shares the same dislike of sin equally regardless of who commits it or how it comes about. That is to say, God does not compartmentalize acts of sin like we humans do.

Wouldn't all of these roots fall under the "selfishness" category? Then wouldn't the root of all evil be selfishness? Which would make sense since God is love and love is absolutely the opposite of selfish. I'll have to come back with some scriptural references but that's my basic thought on the subject.

I thought about this, and I think selfishness is a type of envy. Why? Because even if we are selfish we still want something for ourselves. Think about it, why do we usually want something? Because someone else has it, or we feel self-righteous enough to think we deserve it!

The root of evil is not following the 1st and 10th commanment.

If we honor God as God we do what he has said.

If we Covet anything that is not ours it can lead to not loving our neighbour as ourselves, then comes adultrey,stealing , bear false witness, and sometimes people even kill over it.

The OP is talking about the origin of sin, before Moses was given the commandments.

 

[Shilo]

The OP is talking about the origin of sin, before Moses was given the commandments.[/quote]

If Adam and Eve honored GOD as god they would not have coveted something that was not theirs. They would have obeyed him and not done what satan was telling them. They gave in to the lust to have more then what god had given them.lust of the eyes flesh, and pride of life.

Satan did not honor God as god he coveted Gods place. He wanted worship like god. he wanted what his eyes could see God had. he lusted after the power and glory. there you have it lust of the eyes and pride of life. Satan is Spirit so no lust of the flesh.

Pride comes before the fall.