Here's The Problem

I am firm in my belief that "eating of the fruit" of the forbidden tree wasn't the sin which caused death. Eating is a mere mechanical function and it's not what goes in the mouth which causes the problem:

Matthew 15:11 "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man."

So it is not what goes in the mouth that matters (forbidden fruit), but what comes out of the mouth. The mouth is a mere opening, but within it's cavity resides many things. The tongue is the colleague of the mouth because the tongue can't annunciate without assistance from the mouth. Look at the ventriloquist. Regardless how hard he tries, the mouth still moves to some degree and with the mouth closed little sound can come forth. Therefore the mouth is the gateway for the tongue.

The tongue is not the villain. It can be used to praise God (Luke 1:64) or it can be used as a weapon to sow deceit (Romans 3:13). So don't blame the tongue! It's merely the enunciator. 

What about the voice box? No help there. It merely vibrates with the aspirations from the lungs. And the lungs are innocent too! They are mere airbags comparable to the force which plays the bagpipe!

What is it that comes out of the mouth which defiles so? It's the thoughts of the organism. From the righteous mind comes right thoughts spoken in truth. From vile minds come deceit spoken to deceive and to dishonor.

Therefore the sin of Adam and Eve was not putting the fruit of "The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil" into their mouths, it was what was spilling forth from their mouths as the juices of the fruit flowed. There mouth was full of good fruit, and God had much fruit. Those bites mattered little to God!

Mingled with the juice was a lie. "Surely we will not die!" the mind told the mouth to say. But God said they would die! Adam and Eve dishonored God. Eating of the fruit, which turned out to be pleasurable, wasn't the problem. It was that they did what was right in their own eyes regardless of what God had commanded! Their problem was not the sin, but the disobedience. They dishonored God because honor was not in their hearts. Pride resided there. They would be as gods!

The solution to man's problem is Jesus. He died that all men have the hope of salvation if they so choose. The problem is not that men still sin, but that they will not submit to the will of God. They love their own flesh so much that to submit to God is the roadblock to eternal life!

What I'm saying is that you don't HAVE to quit sinning to be born again, but if you are born again, you'll want to please God by VOLUNTARILY quiting the sinning! If you see a Christian sin, that sin is a measure of how much they honor God.

Never think that you must first clean up your act to be born again. That can't be done! Come to him as you are and he will do the cleaning. It makes your job so much easier!