The Root of All Sin — Zac Poonen

The Root of Sin and the Pursuit of Genuine Holiness

The reason why you want to look at this is to see the origin of sin. And if you don't understand this, you will not understand the origin of holiness. Because if the root of sin is not destroyed, you just destroy a fruit and you think you are holy.

You know, just like you can have a lot of sores on your body and keep putting ointment and clear it up. Then a doctor says, I want to give you an antibiotic that hits the root of the sickness inside. So, when we take the antibiotic tablets, then these things disappear.

And sin is like that. You can deal with all the superficial sins and think it's all gone. And it's because most believers haven't understood the root of sin that so many people who hear a message of holiness never become holy.

Because the root is still there. I have seen many believers who have sat in CFC churches for 20 -30 years. In our churches, in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bangalore, everywhere, they still have not understood what genuine holiness is.

They have accepted Christ, but the root of sin is so obviously in them. I can see it very clearly. Many others may not be able to see it because they are carnal. If I can see it, can you imagine how much more God can see it?

So, if any of you are really interested in finding out genuine holiness, understand this message. Especially you children. Here, the head of the angels is called in Ezekiel 28 .14, the anointed cherub who covers.

He was like a guard in the holy mountain of God. This is long before Adam. And verse 13, he was in Eden, the garden of God. So, the first person who was in Eden was not Adam, it was this angel Lucifer.

Verse 12, he was perfect in wisdom, perfect in beauty. And he was also involved with a lot of musical instruments. And that's part of Satan's ability. And here we read that one day he sinned, verse 16, then he was cast out.

And what was the sin? This is what we need to see. Verse 17, your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. And I cast you to the ground. Your heart was lifted up. That was the root cause of sin. So, sin is not primarily adultery or murder or hatred.

That is all the fruit. You go to the root. The root is inside the heart there is pride. And my brothers and sisters, if you don't get rid of that in your heart, you will never be truly holy. What was he proud of?

His beauty, his wisdom, his position, his abilities. You can be proud of your beauty. You can admire yourself in the mirror. You can be proud of your cleverness, look down on others who are not so clever.

You can be proud that you come first in the class. You can be proud that your children come first in the class. You can be proud of what you have accomplished in life. You can be proud of your Bible knowledge.

You can be proud of your preaching ability. You can be proud that you are an elder in a church. You can be proud of the house you live in. You can look down on other people who you think are not as spiritual as you are.

And if you have any of these qualities, all the holiness that you think you have is a deception. Because you are not hitting the root. You are cutting off the fruit with scissors. And so nobody sees the fruit and they think you are holy.

But the root is still there. And that root is what causes conflicts between you and your wife and you and your husband at home. Because she has got the root and you have got the root. So I want to show you the way to genuine holiness if you are interested in hitting that root.

Lucifer's Pride and the Hidden Origin of Sin

The other passage I want you to look at is Isaiah 14. Now you can be pretty sure the devil doesn't want you to hear this message. Because he doesn't like everybody to know how he sinned. Because he wants to conceal it from you so that he can keep you sinning.

And at the same time make you think you are holy. So we see pride in whatever ability one has is the root cause of how sin came into this universe. Because not outwardly. A man can look very humble on the outside and can be full of pride inside.

You know the Pharisees had been infected with this poison of Satan. Jesus said there was a Pharisee who prayed in the temple like this. I thank you God that I pray three times a day and fast and tithe and all that.

And he probably thought also other things that I am living a very good life. And especially I am not like that publican over there who is a sinner. And that publican he wouldn't even lift up his head to God.

He said God be merciful to me a sinner. But the Pharisee didn't feel he was a sinner because he had done a lot of religious activities. Anyone who thinks he is holy because he does a lot of religious activities is deceiving himself.

You know because you pray everyday, read the bible everyday, never miss a meeting, give some money for God's work. And you have given up other churches and come to a good church. None of these things make you holy.

These are all religious activities. Holiness is inside. It's pride in the heart. And the second thing I want you to see is in Isaiah 14 which also describes the fall of the devil. In Isaiah 14 we read about him, it says in verse 12,.

In verse 12 we read, O star of the morning, son of the dawn, how have you fallen from heaven? Why? Because you said in your heart I will ascend to heaven, I will raise up my throne above the stars of God.

Again just like pride was in the heart, here also it's in the heart that Lucifer said something. Sin never began with some external action or word. Sin began in this universe with something hidden in the heart.

It's just like cancer. Cancer will begin with something outside on your skin. It's inside, you see it much later on the skin. Cancer doesn't begin with something outside on the skin. You see it much later on the skin.

People have had cancer for 6 months and don't even know it till they take a scan. Most sicknesses, the symptom comes much later. It starts from the root of some germ inside or bacteria. It starts from the root of some germ inside or bacteria.

So here we see he said in his heart I will ascend. So this is the second thing we see. Which comes from pride. I want to exalt myself over other people. He was already the head of the angels. He wanted to go up.

Listen to this. If you have a desire to show yourself as better than other believers in the church, that is the spirit of Satan. If you do things and say things to show yourself as superior to others, that is the spirit of the devil right inside you.

If you do things and say things to show yourself as superior to others, that is the spirit of the devil right inside you. If you speak evil of others in order to show that you are better than them, that is the spirit of Satan again.

Because you are trying to ascend above that other person. That is how the devil became the devil. And this became so much that he even wanted to go above God. Verse 14, I will make myself like the most high.

This is how the devil was. This was pride. And wanting to go up above everything else. And to be like God. See, this desire to be like God is something which Satan has put into many human beings. He said here, verse 14, I will make myself like God.

Distorting God's Word and Seeking God Directly

Do you know what he told Eve in the Garden of Eden? When he saw that she was attracted to that fruit, what did he say to her? She said very clearly, God has told us not to eat from this. Otherwise you will die.

See, God's word is our protection against sin. It is good for all of you young people to realize that. God had given a word to Adam and Eve. That word would keep them from sin. What was the word? The Lord told him that he was not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Chapter 2, verse 17. Read carefully. Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you must not eat. If you eat, you will surely die. When you compare that with what God said, with how Eve quoted the word of God.

You see how many people quote the word of God today, misquoting the word of God. See what God said in 2 .17, you shall not eat of it. You shall surely die, just think of those two statements. Okay, how did Eve quote it?

God said, chapter 2, verse 3, this is what Eve said. This is what God has said. You shall not eat it or touch it. God never said anything about touching it. This is the first way in which people misquote the word of God.

They add something which God has not said. This is how the Pharisees added something to the word of God. And what they added were the traditions of men. So if you add something to the word of God, you are doing what Eve did, that's how you fall into sin.

The second thing is, God said you will surely die. God said, on the day you eat, you will surely die. But how does Eve say, you should not die. It's not that you will surely die. God has said that you should not die.

They lack the strength of the word of God. So, sometimes you know, many people are not very careful about how they quote God's word. They treat God's word so casually. And that is the way to sin. That is why it's very important, if you quote God's word, quote it exactly, otherwise don't quote it.

Otherwise say, this is my opinion. I'm not saying it must be the exact words. Because there are so many translations of the Bible. Exact words can be different in different translations. But I'm talking about the meaning.

You will surely die, that strength must not be reduced. And you must not add saying, you shall not touch it, which God never said. And what did Satan tell her? But what did the snake tell her? Here and there, when some people try to change God's word in a small way, Satan is happy.

Now he has a grip on that person. God's word has been modified and changed everywhere. Or they don't quote it. Have you ever gone to a Pentecostal church where they teach that if everyone speaks in a tongue, you're mad?

Have you ever gone to a Pentecostal meeting and if everyone speaks in a tongue, you're mad? They won't quote that verse. Or have you gone to a brethren assembly where they'll quote, do not forbid to speak in tongues?

Or if you speak in a tongue, there must be an interpretation always. No one will quote that. These are many words that many believers easily ignore. If you ask the people sitting in these assemblies, do you have these words in your Bible or not?

There are. They'll say, it's in the Bible, it's in the Bible, but here we are experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit. How does the Holy Spirit work against the Bible that is written by the Holy Spirit?

Where do you think the origin of sin is? Slightly changing the word of God, that's all, not in a big way. And what did the devil say to Eve? If you eat this fruit, verse 5, you will be like God. That's what he himself wanted to be.

And he told Eve, you will be like God. Oh, that's great, then I can eat it. Do you think there are people on earth who behave like God? Do you think there are people on earth who behave like God? We read in Hebrews 8, in the New Covenant, in verse 11, The 14th verse of Hebrews 8, The 14th verse of Hebrews 8, Oh, sorry, the 11th verse, They shall not teach everyone his fellow citizens, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know Me from the least to the greatest.

They shall not teach everyone his fellow citizens, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know Me from the least to the greatest. They may ask, then why are you teaching here? I am not teaching you to know God, I am teaching you the word of God.

God has made those who teach the word of God to teach people the word of God. But when it comes to knowing the Lord personally, But everyone knows God personally. From the least to the greatest. In the Old Testament, it was not like that.

Only the prophet knew the Lord. Not only he had the Holy Spirit. Even the king had to go to the prophet to find out what God wanted him to do. But in the New Covenant, you don't have to go to anybody else to find out what God wants you to do.

Christ has appointed teachers to teach the doctrines and the scriptures. Knowing the Lord, you must know yourself through the Holy Spirit. Not through any prophet. That is Old Covenant. All shall know Me, even the least believer means the one who was born again today.

He doesn't have to go to a prophet. So when a prophet or a pastor tells you, I will find the will of God for you. He is acting like God to you. That's what the devil told Eve, you will be like God. And there are many pastors and preachers and prophets, so called prophets, who behave like God today.

And there are foolish believers who go to them and treat them like God. There are many foolish believers who go to them and treat them like God. What should I do? Which job should I take? Tell me. Do you do that?

Do you treat any person like God? Any prophet? Any pastor? If you are such a person, let me tell you in the name of Jesus, you are an idol worshipper. You are no different from a person who bows down in front of a stone or an idol.

God, what are you telling me? What should I do? You are bowing your head in front of a human being. Why don't you go to God directly? When it says, all shall know me, they shall not teach every man his neighbor, saying, know the Lord.

Go to a man to understand the scriptures, that is okay. Christ has appointed teachers, that's why we have question and answer sessions. But knowing the Lord is different. Think of a family, God is like a father.

We are his children. That little two-year-old can have direct access to his father, just like the twenty-year-old son. The father doesn't tell the two-year-old to come through his twenty-year-old when asking him something.

But the twenty-year-old can teach the two-year-old many things about history and geography and mathematics and science, yes. And so there are many teachers who can teach you things from God's word.

But knowing the father, that one-year-old and the twenty-year-old are equal. And you must know that, that you can know God personally. That's why he has given you the Holy Spirit. Don't let anyone else become a God for you.

Why do you think all the Pentecostal pastors are mad at me and angry at me? Because I stop people from worshipping them. I show them, that's not your God, go straight to God, you don't have to go through that person.

You see, the Roman Catholics say you have to go through Mary to Christ. Pentecostal says through that prophet. No, but if I have to choose, I'll choose Mary and Mary at least is a holy lady, I don't know what this pastor is like.

But I don't have to go through Mary or a pastor or anybody, you don't have to come through me. You don't have to go to a prophet or a pastor, you can go straight to God, says the word of God. I have more than one person who has written to me, we have a child, Brother Zach, can you tell us what to name the child?

So I ask them, how can I name your child? I'm not God, you find out yourself. I can give you a suggestion of 20 names from the Bible. If you don't know, you can select from there. There are many things, we can ask somebody to pray for us.

We can ask for advice. Many people come to me, Brother Zach, what do you think I should do in this particular situation? The advice of godly people is always very useful. So I'll tell you what I tell them.

I say, this is what I would do if I were in your situation. But you may not have the maturity I have, so you can't do that perhaps. Maybe I'm in 10th standard, you're in 3rd standard, you can't live at my level.

So don't get discouraged if you can't do it at my level, you do it at your level, God will accept it. And secondly, this is my advice that I think you should go forward. This is what I think you should do.

But I want you to go home. Think about what I say. And don't do it. Until you have sought God. And you hear God Himself saying to your spirit, do that. And if you don't have that freedom from God, don't follow my advice.

I will not get offended. If somebody gets offended because somebody else did not follow his advice and that person is acting like God, I'm not offended if somebody doesn't follow my advice because I always tell them, seek God.

I always encourage people to seek God. I'm not offended if they don't follow my advice. If you don't follow me, if you make a mess of your life, and you come back to me, I will never tell you, I told you so.

Never, never, never. I never tell people that. It's okay, never mind, we all make mistakes. Let's try and rectify the situation now. This is how any man of God will advise you. Anybody who controls you and tells you, you must do it like this, stay a hundred miles away from him.

Don't go anywhere near him. This is how the devil makes people to behave like God. See, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, says about the Antichrist. He takes his seat in the temple, verse 4, displaying himself as God.

2 Thessalonians 2 verse 4. So, this is ultimately, it's all the same spirit of the devil. To sit in a church as a pastor and show he's God, or sit in a temple and show he's God. God is the only one who has the right to be above us.

Rebellion Against Authority in the Home and Church

In our personal life. As I said, the devil said, I will ascend, make my throne above the throne of God. That was, what did we learn from that? The root of sin. God is an authority above the head of the angels.

And he says, I'll go above that authority. Rebellion against authority, that is the root of sin. It's all basically the same thing. Pride, acting like God, rebellion against authority, it's all basically the same thing.

So, remember, there's no adultery or murder here, at the beginning of the universe. These are the sins we think are great today. But, what are the sins at the beginning? Pride, acting like God, rebellion against authority.

That is why, the law commanded, teach children only one thing. Honor your father and mother. So that it can go well with you. And you will live long on the earth. In Ephesians 6, that is repeated in the new covenant.

Chapter 6, verse 1. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with the promise. Because the promise is, it will go well with you and you will live long on the earth.

So, what is the first thing that we need to teach a little child? Honor your father and mother. And here it is referred to as obedience to the parents. And that means to honor those who are older in age.

You see, in Leviticus chapter 19, there are many ways in which we can show our fear of God. And here is one way. Verse 32. You shall rise up before a grey-headed person, and honor the aged person, and thus you will show your fear of God, I am the Lord.

So, how did God teach the Israelites to fear Him? Many ways. One is, respect an older person. So, we must teach our children to respect those who are older. Obedience. When should you start to teach your children obedience?

One year old. If it is later than one, it is too late. I have seen that. I have forgotten how it was with my own children 40 years ago. But I believed it then also. But now I see it in my grandchildren.

And I am reminded again. One of my grandchildren was going to a staircase to climb up, one year old. And his father said no. It was a girl, she can't speak. And his father said no. One year old. It understood no.

So, it didn't go. The next day, I saw that child going near the staircase. The same staircase. And looking back to see if anybody is watching. I learned that day. One year you have to teach obedience.

Are you doing that to your children? There were two things I emphasized very strongly with my four sons. Obedience and respect to parents. Never tell a lie. Those are the things I emphasized. Other things were not important.

What marks they got in school, if they worked hard, marks were not important for me. Can you hear me? Okay, good. So, if they broke something in the house, not so important. That will only test whether I love material things or not.

Only disobedience and disrespect to parents and telling lies. That's all. And if ever they spoke disrespectfully to anybody, I would say, go and apologize. I find so many young people growing up today who have no respect for older people.

And the fault is with their parents. I've seen young people growing up in the church who have no respect for the elders. The fault is with the parents. The parents have not taught them to respect older people.

It's the spirit of rebellion against authority. I've often told the story of that four-year-old boy. He was standing up there and the father said, sit down. He wouldn't sit. Sit down. So the father took a stick.

He sat down. And he told his daddy, inside I'm still standing up. Now the question is, how can you make that inside boy sit down? That is where parents need wisdom. That's why we need to pray much before God as parents.

If you have brought up a child who has learned to obey his parents and to respectfully speak always to older people and never to tell a lie, you've done a first class job even if they got second class and not first class in their college.

I can tell you it will go well with your children. They will grow up to be servants of God. It will go well with them. So, if you really love your children you must do what will help it to go well with them.

So, if you really love your children you must do what will help it to go well with them. Because what is in that child is the spirit of rebellion that devil had. The devil said, I'll go above God. And this little child says, I'm going to go above my parents.

I'm going to deceive my parents. Don't tolerate that. Don't allow them to make fun of their teachers in school. Every school there are students who make fun of the teachers. We have to teach our children, don't join with those other students who make fun of the teachers.

I used to tell my children, how do you think Jesus went to school? How did he behave? Jesus went to school, how do you think he behaved in school? He didn't go to school. That's the way you must behave also.

How did he behave with his teachers? How did he behave with other children? It's very difficult for us to believe that Jesus was like us. That's why we unconsciously slip up. He was 100 like us. He grew up like us.

He drank milk from his mother just like little babies do. He had to learn to speak and learn to read and write. He had to go to school. In all these situations, he never sinned. There was zero rebellion in him.

And this is what we have to teach our children. Rebellion at home first. Rebellion against authority. Rebellion against authority in the schools. Then rebellion in the colleges. And then rebellion in the factories, in the trade unions.

And then rebellion against the government in the country. This spirit of rebellion is all over the world. And rebellion in the church against the elders. And it is always instigated by Satan. This is the root of sin.

Satan's Rebellion and the Lucifer Ministry

And Satan does not do this alone. We read in Revelation chapter 12 About Satan is like a great red dragon pictured here. Verse 3. And it says his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.

See, the stars are like a snake. In the book of Job, the angels are called the stars of heaven. So, what I understand from this verse is that Satan, when he rebelled, he gathered one third of all the angels and they joined in his rebellion.

So, just imagine what happened at the beginning of the universe. Here the devil sees this spirit of rebellion and pride coming up in Lucifer. And God in his great wisdom does not cast him down immediately.

He waits. He waits till the devil goes around talking to some of the other angels. You know, the devil goes to the other angels. And he says, what do you think about this submitting to God? You have to do everything he says.

So, some angels say, that's good for us. I'm very happy to do that. So, he says, it's no use. Let me go to somebody else. And another angel says, yeah, I also agree with you. God is too much of a dictator here.

And like that, he collects one third of the angels. So, why didn't God throw the devil out immediately? That's the wisdom of God. He wanted him to round up all the rebellious angels and they can all go out together.

So, once they were all rounded up, then they were thrown out and all those angels became the demons who possess people now. So, I call this the Lucifer ministry. You see this in politics. One fellow will go to the opposite party and see if there are any rebels there and try to round them all up.

It happens all the time in our country. Then they overthrow the government. These are called rebel MPs. But one man goes around like this. It can happen in a church. Where one person who is very disturbed with the elders or who is corrected in some way he goes around visiting different homes.

And when I hear that, I say what God said. Let him go house to house. Let him round up all the one third of the people. Or more. And let them all go. That is how God cleansed the heavens. And that is how God cleanses the church today.

So, I am never disturbed when some brother fulfills a Lucifer ministry in the church. I say praise the Lord. I will encourage it. Go ahead, don't disturb him till he finishes his ministry. Because we don't want one weed left in this garden.

Humility and Authority in Marriage and Christian Leadership

So, this is how sin began. Pride. Whatever type of pride. Spiritual pride. Intellectual pride. Or any type of pride. Wanting to be like God. Wanting to run other people's lives. See, even in a home sometimes a husband can behave like God.

The Bible says husband and wife are joint heirs of the grace of life. The Bible says husband and wife are joint heirs of the grace of life. That means they are equal. Sit on equal thrones. Even though one is the head.

But he is not God. Because above both of them is God. So, if a man acts like God towards his wife that is the same sin of Lucifer. He is a human head. He is not God. That is why I say if a wife does not want to come to the same church her husband is going to I say give her freedom.

Let her go where she likes. Don't drag her. You are not God. Love her. Let her go. If she wants to go to the Catholic church let her go to the Catholic church. She doesn't want to come to the assembly here.

Love her. Be good to her. And win her by your Christ like nature. Don't give up your headship as a husband. But headship doesn't mean you have to drag her to the church. It means that you are the head in the home.

So, we must never behave like God towards anybody. So, even when God gives you an authority as a husband or father or elder you must remember that there is a boundary God has drawn for us. I am not an elder to all the Christians in India.

No, they don't have to listen to me. Our churches are less than 1 of India's Christians. So, if you are a Christian, you are less than 1 of them. I am an elder only to those who recognize me as an elder.

So, I understand my boundary. I want to lead only them. So, I don't want to control others and give everybody advice. I tell older sisters sometimes, don't go around giving advice to all the young sisters.

If you are a mother, by all means advise your daughters. Otherwise, be such a godly older sister that the young girls will come to you and ask for advice. So, this spirit of rebellion is going to increase in the world.

And we have to fight it in the home. That's why children must be taught to obey. And to respect their parents. And if you are a god fearing wife, you will submit to your husband. It says in 1 Peter 3, even if he is disobedient to the word, you can win him without speaking a word.

By your wisdom. Have you heard of that god fearing sister who married a believer but was not so serious believer? See, that sister was a god fearing sister. So, the first day after marriage, I want to take you to the cinema.

I don't go to cinema, she said. No, I am your husband, you have to come with me. So, she went. Sat in the cinema. For three hours with her eyes closed. For three hours with her eyes closed. Whenever she saw something exciting, her husband would touch her.

She is not looking. Every time, when they came home, he said to her, So boring, I will never take you to a cinema again. What wisdom! Instead of creating a fight, God will always show you the way of wisdom in dealing with your husband or wife or children.

Or or children even to deal with your parents without fighting with them. That is a way of wisdom. God has got an answer to every problem. So, if you hit the root of sin in your life, if you touch the root of sin, what does that mean in practical terms?

Lord, I will never rebel against authority. I will always submit to the elders in my church. If I disagree with them, I will share with them. If I feel it is impossible to continue there, I will love them and go and join some other church.

That is the right way to do it. But what have we seen in Kerala? So many people with the spirit of rebellion saying, Oh, I am going to go away and you fellows are a cult. I have no objection to people leaving our church.

But why leave in this way, in the spirit of Lucifer? Why not leave peacefully? Brother, I disagree with you. I say, fine brother, there are other churches to go to. But you don't have to go to an elder and say you are a pope.

I am not going to listen to you. Oh, you are a dictator. This is a cult. I will tell you something. People who do like that, it will never go well with them. Not because they left CFC, but the way they left it.

God will never support a spirit of rebellion. Even if I behave like that, God will not support me. I have left many churches. First of all, I left the orthodox church. Then I was with the brethren. Then, because they were not preaching baptism of the Holy Spirit and all, I left the brethren.

But everywhere I left peacefully. I did not create a fight. Then I was with the boxing assemblies. I left that. Then I was with the Baptist church. I left that. Somebody, when they heard this, they said, you are a very unstable person.

You are always leaving one church and going to another. I said, all my life I was like that. I was in first standard. I left it and went to second standard. Then I left that and went to third standard.

Then I left that and went to fourth standard. The rock steady people stayed in first standard all their life. I was not like that. If I found something better, I always went there. Don't you select the best school for your children and the best hospital for your treatment?