The Life You Never Knew

Devotional

Day 1: God Made Mankind Upright, But We Chose Many Schemes

The world’s brokenness flows not from God’s design but from humanity’s rebellion. Adam and Eve were created with goodness woven into their nature, their instincts aligned with God’s truth. But their choice to grasp autonomy fractured creation. Like Solomon, we see evil’s persistence: brilliant minds devise atrocities, families fracture, and power corrupts. The problem isn’t God’s failure—it’s our schemes. Hope begins when we stop blaming heaven and start confronting the rebellion in our own hearts. [07:14]

“God made mankind upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”
(Ecclesiastes 7:29, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you subtly blamed God for brokenness in your life or world? How does recognizing humanity’s active rebellion shift your perspective?

Day 2: Babylonian Myths Lie; God’s Truth Liberates

Ancient myths claimed gods planted lies in human hearts. Scripture flips this: God made us upright, but we chose corruption. Blaming God for evil is a pagan instinct, not a biblical one. Every time we shake our fists at heaven over suffering, we echo Babylon’s falsehoods. Truth frees us to grieve sin’s horror while clinging to the God who entered our mess. His goodness remains untouched by our schemes. [19:21]

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.”
(James 1:13–14, ESV)

Reflection: What current event or personal struggle tempts you to doubt God’s goodness? How might His unchanging character anchor you?

Day 3: One Exposed Sin Reveals a Confederacy

Pride and covetousness aren’t isolated flaws—they’re foot soldiers in sin’s army. Like spotting one fish before seeing the whole school, convicting grace exposes sin’s interconnectedness. The rich young ruler left sorrowful when Jesus revealed his greed, unaware this one sin pointed to a heart enslaved. Confessing our lack of uprightness isn’t defeat—it’s the path to clinging to Christ’s perfection. [31:13]

“If it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’”
(Romans 7:7, ESV)

Reflection: What one sin have you minimized as “isolated”? How might it connect to deeper patterns of self-rule?

Day 4: Christ’s Uprightness Covers Our Schemes

Adam’s righteousness was natural but fragile; Christ’s is divine and unshakable. He lived the life we couldn’t—loving God perfectly, resisting every scheme—then gave His uprightness to rebels. At the Table, we’re not applauded for moral effort but clothed in alien righteousness. The same power that sustained Jesus in the wilderness offers to rebuild our bent instincts daily. [38:54]

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV)

Reflection: How would approaching God today change if you fully believed His righteousness—not yours—secures His welcome?

Day 5: Eden’s Echo in a World of Schemes

Starving children and stolen aid scream that this isn’t Eden. Yet Genesis 1:31 declares creation’s original goodness—a reality still glimpsed in love, justice, and beauty. Our grief over evil proves we know deep down: this brokenness isn’t normal. Every ache for reconciliation points to the day Christ will restore all things. Until then, we labor against schemes, fueled by Eden’s memory and New Creation’s hope. [01:52]

“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.”
(Genesis 1:31, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you see echoes of Eden’s goodness today? How can you join God in cultivating them amid brokenness?

Sermon Summary

Solomon’s conclusion in Ecclesiastes 7:29 gives the inside story of human life: “God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.” The world’s agony, whether starvation exploited by evil men, terrorism, broken families, or the daily wreckage of sin, demands an explanation. Human wealth, education, political systems, and brilliance cannot explain away evil, because evil rises from every social class and every kind of society.

Adam stands at the beginning of the contrast. God made Adam upright, right and good in himself, with a natural bent toward loving God and loving his neighbor. The law of God was not first written on tablets of stone, but written on Adam’s heart. Adam was a law to himself. What was good came naturally to him, and fellowship with God was not a duty to force but the instinct of his life.

Adam’s uprightness, however, was natural but changeable. God made Adam free, not a robot, and real freedom carried real choice and real consequence. Adam and Eve chose against the inclination of their created hearts, and paradise was lost. The fractured family of Cain and Abel shows how quickly the fall worked itself out: fellowship with God was broken, human relationships were shattered, and the whole history of human misery flowed from that first rebellion.

The contrast with pagan mythology is sharp. Babylonian myths place the blame for human wickedness on the gods, but Scripture declares that the one true God is good, the source of truth, and altogether righteous. God did not burden Adam with sin. Men went in search of many schemes. The blame lies with humanity, and therefore hope cannot finally lie in humanity. Hope must lie with God.

Sin should therefore deepen hatred for sin rather than fuel accusation against God. A genuine Christian does not claim to be upright, but confesses how far from uprightness the heart really is. One sin seen clearly can expose the whole confederacy of sin, just as one fish seen in shallow water helps the eye see many more. Pride and covetousness reveal how fallen hearts are wired toward self-love.

Christ alone remains upright. Adam was made upright but fell; Jesus Christ lived the only perfect human life and gave that righteousness as a gift to sinners. Christ is the righteousness that cannot be worked up, earned, or developed over years of effort. Faith stands before the Father as a justified sinner, reconciled through the Son, dressed in His righteousness alone.

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Key Takeaways

1. Stop blaming God for evil [17:15] God made Adam upright, and God is not the source of lies or sin. Human rebellion, not divine malice, explains the twisted state of the world. Evil should lead the heart to hate sin, long for Christ, and trust the goodness of God even amid unanswered questions. [17:15]
2. Confess how far from uprightness [27:25] Christian faith does not rest on the claim that a person is morally superior. Christian faith begins where self-deception ends, before the reality that righteousness is desperately needed and cannot be self-produced. The person who sees no sin sees no need for Christ. [27:25]
3. One sin reveals a confederacy [30:22] A real conviction of one present sin trains the eye to recognize the deeper patterns of the heart. Pride, envy, covetousness, and self-love do not usually operate alone. Honest confession opens the way for a fuller grasp of Christ’s mercy and cleansing. [30:22]
4. Christ is the upright one [38:00] Adam’s righteousness was lost, but Christ’s righteousness cannot fail. Jesus lived the perfect life that no fallen child of Adam has ever lived, then offered Himself for the sins of others. Faith receives His righteousness as a gift and stands before God in Him. [38:00]
5. Stand on Christ’s righteousness alone [39:26] Religious effort cannot become a righteousness fit for the last day. Christ offers Himself to sinners who come in repentance and faith, draping His righteousness around them. The justified sinner comes to the Father with humility, gratitude, and confidence that all good is in Christ.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:15] - The Inside Story Series
[01:34] - Why Is the World as It Is?
[05:07] - Ecclesiastes 7:29
[07:14] - God Made Adam Upright
[12:54] - Upright, Yet Changeable
[15:08] - The Fall and the Fractured World
[16:58] - Stop Blaming God
[27:10] - Confessing Sin Before Christ
[30:22] - The Confederacy of Sin
[38:00] - Hope in the Upright One
[40:11] - Dressed in Christ’s Righteousness

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ecclesiastes 7:29 — “See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.” [06:52]

Genesis 1:27 — “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” [09:01]

Romans 3:10 — “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one;’” [27:25]

Observation questions

What two contrasting statements does Ecclesiastes 7:29 make about what God did and what mankind did?
According to the description of Adam’s original uprightness, what came naturally to him in his relationship with God and with other people? [08:20]
What examples of human evil and brokenness are raised at the beginning, and why do wealth, education, intelligence, and political systems fail to explain them fully? [03:40]
What happened to human relationships and fellowship with God soon after Adam and Eve’s fall, as seen in the first family? [15:46]

Interpretation questions

Ecclesiastes says that God made mankind upright, while people sought many schemes. How does this explain why the blame for sin cannot finally be placed on God? [23:28]
Adam was created upright, yet his righteousness was changeable. What does this show about human freedom, real choice, and the consequences of sin? [13:42]
Romans 3:10 says that no one is righteous. Why is admitting personal sin necessary for someone to understand his or her need for Christ? [28:20]
Christ alone lived a perfect human life and gives His righteousness to sinners by faith. How does this differ from trying to build a righteousness through religious effort or moral improvement? [39:04]

Application questions

When evil, suffering, or disappointment enters your life, are you more likely to bring honest questions to God in faith or to begin blaming Him? What would it look like to trust that God is good while still grieving and asking hard questions? [24:05]
Think of a recent example of evil in the world, conflict in your family, or frustration in your own life. How could that situation move you toward a deeper hatred of sin and a greater longing for Christ rather than toward bitterness? [25:14]
Can you identify one present sin that you need to confess honestly—perhaps pride, envy, covetousness, anger, self-protection, or self-love? What other attitudes or actions may be connected to it? [33:30]
Where do you see self-love showing up most clearly in your ordinary life—in your time, money, work, relationships, opinions, or desire to be noticed? [34:53]
When you compare yourself with other people, what do you tend to covet: their abilities, success, possessions, family, opportunities, or ministry? How can confession and gratitude help reshape that response? [36:02]
In what ways are you tempted to base your standing before God on your effort, service, or moral record? How would your daily confidence change if you consciously rested in Christ’s righteousness alone? [39:40]

Sermon Clips

Pride was the first sin and it is in us all. Adam was created upright. He was wired with the love of God and the love of neighbor. But after sin, after the fall, the wiring was changed. And friends, by nature, we are wired to love of self. And even when you are converted to Jesus Christ, you'll find yourself fighting against that stuff all of your life, as I do, too. [00:34:39]

Which is why the New Testament says that Jesus Christ is our righteousness. After years of living the Christian life, I have not been able to develop a righteousness with which I could stand before God. And neither have you. No one ever has. Christ is our righteousness. We look to him for what we do not have and cannot work up within ourselves. [00:39:04]

The Babylonian myths say the blame lies with the gods and therefore any hope has to lie with us. The Bible says the blame lies with us and therefore any hope has to lie with God. [00:23:28]

Having had all these generations arising from the human race, the one comes to the human race and he is the son of God and he takes our flesh and he lives this perfect life, perfect life, the only perfect human life that has ever been lived and then he lays it down as a sacrifice for the sins of others. He offers this righteousness before God the Father as a gift that can then be transferred to those who are in him. [00:38:34]

Stop blaming God for what's wrong with the world. God did not burden Adam with sin. God made him upright. Adam was the one who used his freedom to forfeit his righteousness. [00:17:20]

Time you see some great outbreak of evil in the world or some effect of fallenness within your own life, you will want to use that to strengthen your own hatred of sin and to say, "Oh, what a wretched thing this is. Oh, how far we have come from the uprightness with which God created Adam. Oh, how much we need Jesus Christ who is our only hope. And oh, how much I see that the root of this very thing that is so destructive in the world out there, the root of it is within me." [00:25:14]

People who are redeemed by Jesus Christ love God and they trust him. They have many unanswered questions and we have many doubts many times. But it is not the habit of the heart of a believing person to blame God for the problems of my life and to blame God for the evils of the world. Christians know that the blame lies with sin and sin does not lie in God. There is no sin in him. it lies in us. [00:24:05]

Once you see one, you're on the path to discovering that there are in fact a whole confederacy of sins in your life. many sins in the believing heart working together, feeding off each other, playing as it were as a team, a confederacy, bringing each other into play. We don't see that easily. [00:31:50]

And Adam joined her in this wretched choice, and all the blessings of paradise were lost. Outside of the garden, Adam experienced frustration in his work every day. Eve experienced pain in bearing her children. The kids were born outside paradise. Paradise was the life that they had never known. And paradise is the life that you and I never knew either. And it cannot be created in this world. It cannot. It cannot. It cannot. [00:15:13]

And the answer to that of course is that God made man upright but he also made him free. And for Adam that meant that well freedom always means that there is another choice. And for Adam that meant that while he was made with this natural bent this natural inclination towards what is good and what is right. He was not nonetheless a robot. [00:13:42]

And so we need in our own hearts to be cultivating a spirit that reflects the truth that we believe that we are those who come to the table of Christ because we are in desperate need of a righteousness that we can never attain and can only receive from him. [00:28:54]

That the mark of a genuine Christian is that this is a person who knows and confesses that he or she is not righteous. And this is the very reason why we need Jesus Christ. [00:28:20]

This only I have found. God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes. Great verse to get into your memory, into your mind, and into your heart. This only I have found. God made mankind upright but men have gone in search of many schemes. [00:06:52]

What that means is very simply that Adam was right and good in himself. That is how God made him. Doing what was good, doing what was right just came naturally to Adam. It was his instinct. He had a bent towards what was good and what was right. [00:08:13]

And the book of Ecclesiastes comes out of that experience. He tells us what he found. And it summary is this that the more he pursued money and sex and power, the emptier his life became. [00:05:51]

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