The Origin of Sin, Part 2

I believe people must understand in Genesis 1:1 that God was not the beginning, but rather He started the beginning. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8) He is Omnipotent (unlimited power), Omnipresent (He’s everywhere). His love and benevolence toward us are beyond the understanding of our finite minds. He chose us BEFORE the foundation of the world. One day, we will step out of time into eternity. I expounded Genesis 1:1 to show us that the full counsel of God is eternal. I talked about Jesus as Savior to all who receive and place their trust in Him, as in John 1:12. I like to replace the word “believe” in the New Testament with the word trust, or faith. True faith is entrusting ourselves to Jesus, whereas believe means something completely different in the English language. The main difference is that we can believe in a person without trusting them. Take a thief, for example. We believe thieves exist, but we wouldn’t place our trust in one. Faith requires that we trust, commit ourselves, and be persuaded by the one we believe in. Hopefully, this is always Jesus our Messiah. I love what Isaiah 48:16,17 says.

“ Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me. Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.”

In those two verses, God shows us He has not been silent from the beginning. He has given us His word (The Bible), but the first sentence is “Come unto me and hear this.” What a wonderful invitation to come unto the Almighty GOD and hear what He has declared. His promise of “here am I” and His Spirit (Holy Spirit) has sent me. But who is sent? The Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. (Our Redeemer Lives) and He guides us with His teachings (discipleship), and He promises to lead us in that way. God takes delight in those who hear His word. He orders our steps, and they are profitable to us.

If we want to know God, please pick up the Bible and learn of Him. (Matthew 11:29) Please read to see Jesus. I spent many years reading the Bible to know the Bible, but failed to understand that the word of God is given to us to know Jesus. I was knowledgeable, I guess, but I wasn’t committed to doing His will. Psalms 4:7 and Hebrews 10:7 tell us that the volume of the book is of Jesus. To do thy will, O my God. If we want to follow Jesus, we must do the will of our Heavenly Father. Learn line upon line, precept upon precept; it takes time to learn. Pray and ask for God’s help. In John 15:26, Jesus promises us that He will give us the Spirit of truth (Holy Spirit) who proceeds from the Father, and the Holy Spirit will be to us a comforter that bears witness of Jesus. When we pray to learn of Him, we are in fact praying for His will for us. He will lead and guide us, but many times patience is required.

God Bless!

As I completed my study on Babylon, which I will share, I noticed a noticeable pattern throughout the Bible. Babylon is not modern-day Iraq. Babylon is a 1.5-hour drive south of Baghdad, Iraq. 60 miles. The pattern in the Bible starts in Genesis before the time of Abram, but it’s hard to see unless we look for it. The land of Ur is approximately 5000 years old before Christ. God calls Abram out of Ur 2100 years before Christ. I asked, What was going on in that region for the 2900 years before God called Abram. The answers are fascinating, but we see Satan already at work as the prince and power of the air. He is our adversary, but he is not God. Satan is a created angel. Let’s take a biblical look at him.

We often think of the adversary attacking us is the devil (Satan). Ephesians tells us to be empowered by the strength of the Lord in the power of His might, and to put on God’s armour that we may stand against the methods of the devil. It’s God’s armour and Paul commands us to wear it. Putting it on is a start, but not a complete step; we must walk in the armour of God. It is His armour that keeps us upright when we are in battle. The devil is not God; he is not all-powerful, and he is not omnipresent. We don’t know how many angels God created. When Satan is cast (future event) out of heaven in Revelation 12:4, a third of the stars fall, but this is not an indication that they are fallen angels. Stars are stars, and the word is used consistently in the NT as stars. Jude mentions fallen angels (plural) in verse 5.

Contact

Reach out with questions or prayer requests

Email

alan@pastoralancounts.com

© 2026 Alan Counts Ministries. All rights reserved.