Denial

I like Doug Heffernan's expression on The King of Queens: "De Nile is more than a river." Indeed sinners swim in denial. Of course, a big part of denial is blame. Look at the first blamers:

Genesis 3:13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

I keep coming back to the beginning for a reason: "there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Why search the Bible for what can be found in the beginning?

God asked the woman what she had done. The woman essentially said, I ate but it wasn't my fault. By blaming, she wasn't denying the transgression but responsibility for it. God saw that she was ashamed, and wanted her to admit her transgression. Just like the drug addict who must admit that there is a problem, sinners, if they seek forgiveness must as well!

Right before God confronted Eve, he corresponded with Adam:

Genesis 3:11 ...Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Eve only mimicked Adam. He placed blame and she followed suit, another reason Adam had the greater sin.  Both Adam and Eve admitted, " I did eat," but then failed to take responsibility. Neither denied the sin but refused to accept responsibility for their sin. God was upset. It was not the sin for which God was upset but denial of responsibility. Acceptance of that, as I said before, is a pre-requisite for forgiveness. Usually, a sinner's prayer starts with this: Lord, I'm sorry that I sinned against you," not "I sinned but don't blame me!"

Jesus said on the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do," (Luke 23:34), about those who were crucifying him. When Adam and Eve sinned, neither did they know what they did. They knew it was wrong of course but minimized  the penalty (power of God) for doing wrong. God does not say things in vanity - to hear Himself talk, as they say. God says things because he means them! If the sins were not important to refrain from, God would never have enumerated them!

Mark 12:24 And Jesus answering (the Sadducees) said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

"The scriptures" are what we now refer to as The Old Testament. What is said therein, Jesus implied, is that they err because they do not know scriptures - the Law. Scriptures are what the Word said before He was made flesh. Adam and Eve knew what the Word said but they failed to "know the power of God."

Adam knew the law: do not eat. Eve understood that although she added her own twist: or touch. Adam understood the Law but Eve was confused... or was she? Sacred writings indicate that they entered into temptation, and brought sin on themselves by even standing under the tree! Eve knew how she sinned! Adam did as well, and neither denied it. However, they minimized their sin because they did not know "the power of God". Eve ate, and didn't seem to die, so Adam ate as well. They had no understanding of death because it had never happened before!

Physical death was unheard of. Even none of the animals had yet to die. Adam's and Eve's bodies were not of human flesh but glorified bodies. We don't know their substance but do know that the covering was the soul. It contained God's Spirit, and their will was God's will since they were in harmony.

It is believed that after the fall, flesh was put on them for their new environment. That rings true because in Glory, our flesh is something else. It is put off because in Heaven, the flesh, contaminated by the world, will not be needed. Glorified bodies in Paradise will be just as the created bodies in the Garden, created with Glory and by Glory.

Thus, Adam and Eve, not knowing physical death nor spiritual death, "knew not the power of God". It was: so we die; so what? Now people know what physical death is but fail to understand nor accept the concept of spiritual death - the death that matters most!

Adam and Eve did not deny sinning. They did minimize it by endeavoring to cover their own sins with fig leaves. It was much more serious than that. An animal had to die and blood shed to cover that "trivial" sin. The sin wasn't even eating of the fruit; it was the unwillingness to God. Even with small "trivial" sins, mankind's will is contrary to God's will. The Law isn't for testing our ability to keep the rules, but our willingness to obey God or not. That's why the Law was on stone and eternal: to test our willingness to do what God desires us to do.

I mentioned before that scripture forbids tattoos. I made some angry. However, God commanded that for a reason. It was to test whether men and women were willing to please God or the world since tattoos and cuttings were what the pagans do. I never realized myself the importance of not marking the flesh until I learned that in the days of Noah, righteous people were led astray by their desire to do the things the world does. Decorating the flesh is certainly "of the flesh", and I see why it is so appalling to God! Rather than "circumcising the flesh", those who tattoo, adorn it!

Those with tattoos are getting angry with me. They forget it's not my will but God's will that the flesh remain pure. I'm merely the sinful messenger who erred in doing that myself. Mine did not "take". That was by the grace of God but I am guilty of that sin anyway because it was a sin of the will.  I could pick on many other sins as well, and am guilty of most of them myself!

Those tattooed, pierced, decorated with cosmetics to the extreme, liars, thieves, haters, irreverent, and whatever, either do one of two things: (1) trivialize their sin, or (2) deny their sin. Some even trivialize sin so much that they deny it's importance. I'm not the judge. Your sins are no business of mine unless they are causing you to go to hell. Then, your sins become my business! Let's look at the purpose of scripture:

2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness...

Reproof and correction are pointing out "errs" as was written in Mark 12:24 above. Of course, if one reads the Word, they don't need anyone else to correct them. However, like the eunuch who sought out Philips advise, he asked, how would I know unless one explains it to me? (Acts 8:31). When I was young, I didn't even consider: is tattooing wrong? I just did it because I wasn't in the Word. (Keep in mind that tattooing is just an example because it's easy to dismiss. However, any sin is grievous to God. Tattoos are just what is in vogue at the present as they were in the days of Noah; therefore, they come to mind).

There is another type of denial as well: that I didn't sin. It's true that some people are acclimated to sin or never learned what it is. The Law was written so that we are without excuse (Romans 1:20), and God knowing that few read, said "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead..."

Because we are in the image of God we have a conscience. People deny God but when they look at the creation, that is foolishness. The worst denial is when one denies the existence or power of God. By failing to credit His Power to Create, evolutionists deny His Power to Save. 

Satan deceives everyone by many ways: He denies God, denies God's Power, denies God's will, denies that sins are sins, trivializes sins, camouflages sin as alright, trivializes God, denies reward, denies punishment, and denies his own existence to fool doubters. 

Those in denial are under the law of Sin, and swim in the waters infested by demons. Only Holy Water, mingled with God's own blood, will make sinners bright enough to admit we're all sinners and need salvation.