Genesis 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Think of sin for a moment. Do not define it. Do not example it. Place it in context to its sentence structure.

Is sin a noun, verb, adjective or adverb? Oddly enough the first use of the word sin is as a noun. Even if you read other versions for clarity, most replace his with it, which is still a noun. Deal with him or deal with it, there seems to be little difference since we now have to deal with sin as a noun and not a verb.

The distinction of a noun verse a verb is subtle and takes a little consideration. Looking to the last sentence of Genesis 4:7 there is a connection between self and sin. Sin desires us. As a verb sin would be spent, as a noun it can follow us. We shall have rule over sin, meaning that sin answers to us, not we it. The issue of rule is subject, a noun is a subject, but consider that a ruler cannot shed a subject and must deal with it always.

While studying this subject I search Cain as this was a conversation between God and Cain. Did you ever notice that God’s word does not give an ending period of Cain’s life? Not only Cain but none of his descendant have been given a life span. There seems to be no end to sin. Well not until Daniel talks about it in a prophecy about Jesus Christ.

Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.