The Original Sin

It is very important for all Christians to realize that the first sin (the original sin) in the universe was not murder, nor sexual immorality, but pride. It was pride that produced rebellion. God is the Author of all blessings. God created Lucifer and He gave him power, authority, beauty and wisdom - all were gifts from God. Yet Lucifer's wrong attitude turned them into instruments for his own destruction. All these things happened to Lucifer long before Adam came into the scene.

Lucifer had occupied a position of unique honour in heaven. What God said to him and about him was recorded in Ezekeil 28:12-15. Lucifer was perfect in beauty, but he was a created being. Pride motivated him to challenge God and to claim a place of equality with God. Apparently Lucifer had authority over a company of angels, and he had succeeded in alienating some of those under him from their loyalty to God. In response, God cast Lucifer and his partners in rebellion from His presence. But, Lucifer continued his rebellion by setting up a kingdom of his own in opposition to God's Kingdom.

Jesus said, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?" (Luke 11:17,18 NKJV). In the context of these and other verses Jesus revealed that Satan has a kingdom of his own.

Isaiah analysed the motive behind Lucifer's rebellion. He had an ambition to be equal with God. Read Isaiah 14:12-15 and you will notice that Lucifer made five successive declarations prefaced by the phrase I will. He said, "I will ascend into heaven ... I will exalt my throne ... I will sit on the mount of the congregation ... I will ascend above the heights of the clouds". Finally came the climax, "I will be like (or equal to) the Most High, like God Himself". Lucifer's self-promoting ambition was the cause of his fall.

Contrast between Jesus and Lucifer

Notice that Scripture confronts us with a deliberate contrast between Lucifer and Jesus.

Paul depicted the self-humbling of Jesus:

"Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of not reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in apperance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:6,7,8).

There are actually 7 downward steps taked by Jesus to humble Himself:

1. He made Himself of no reputation.

2. He took upon Himself the form of a servant.

3. He was made in the likeness of man.

4. He was found in fashion (appearance) as a man.

5. He humbled Himself.

6. He became obedient unto death.

7. He became obedient to the death of a crimainal on the cross.

Lucifer was not in the form of God; he was a created being. He had no right to be equal with God. Yet he grasped at equality with God, and when he reached up, he slipped and fell. On the other hand, Jesus was divine by eternal nature and enjoyed equality with God. He did not need to grasp at it, but rather, He humbled Himself.

It is interesting to note that when Jesus humbled Himelf God exalted Him in 7 upward steps in the next few verses.

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9,10,11).

Here we have the 7 upward steps of the exaltation of Jesus:

1. God has highly exalted Him.

2. God has given Him a name that is above every name.

3. At the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bow.

4. "Of those in heaven".

5. "Of those on earth".

6. "Of those under the earth".

7. Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

The above principle of self-humbling was taught by Jesus to the Pharisees:

"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11).

The principle of "The way up is down" is declared all through Scripture. For example, Solomon declared:

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18).

"Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honor is humility" (Proberbs 18:12).

The apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Philippi:

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:3,4,5, emphasis added).

The two motivations that Paul rules out are self-centred ambition and conceit.