The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
I have a feeling most people do not understand that the tree of knowledge was not just the “knowledge of evil.” It was the “tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil.
I believe most people think that Adam and Eve only knew “good.” I Believe they did not even know what “good” was. So the question is,(humanly speaking), if they did not know what good and evil or another way to say it: right or wrong was, what did they know? The answer is “they only knew what proceeded from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4;4. They only knew the Word of God. God does not operate on the idea of what is right and wrong. That is how humans think. These are human terms that came from the fall at the Garden of Eden.” God ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. God only knows and speaks what has eternal wisdom. His ways are the only ways to prosper and to succeed in life. Our ways are based on what we think is right and wrong or good and evil, and they are tainted and designed to fail. Our ways and thoughts are always tainted with self-will and the sin nature.
The tree of eternal life
Genesis 3:22: The Lord God said, “Since man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live forever.”
Why did God have to remove Adam and Eve from the Garden? It was not because he was punishing them. He was saving them. Saving them from what? If they ate from the Tree of Life, they would have lived forever in this sinful state. Can you imagine living in this dying bodies for all eternity? Having cancer or being crippled and never have any hope of escaping this fate. Image getting old and then even older and never able to end the aging process. It would be a fate worse than death.
But God did not end the story there. There was another plan and another tree, the” Tree of Life.” It was the cross of Jesus. A place were we can go and have all theses sins from the tree of knowledge of good and evil removed. A place where God will never remember your sins any more.
Hebrews 8:12; For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And their sins will I remember no more.
Hebrews 10:17; then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.
When we come to the cross of Jesus, Jesus adopts us into His family. Not on the basis of how good we are. He will offer life to us and that life is eternal. Never having to die, as the world knows it, but to live forever with Jesus Christ, That life starts here and now and is forever.
After most people have receive Jesus, they return to the “tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Instead of staying with Jesus at the “Tree of Life,” They return to living their lives not based on what the Word of God says about them. Instead they return to living life by trying to be good and not do evil. They attempt to live by man-made laws and traditions. People believe that if they only live well enough, God will love them more and they will be accepted even more. They do not realize that it was ALL done at the cross. At the Cross is where we have the Love of God. We find His acceptance on what Jesus did, not on what we do or don’t do. All we will ever need is at the Tree of Life, that is, the Cross of Eternal life with Jesus Christ. We need to operate and direct our life based on the Word of God and quit trying to live on our understanding of the right and wrong standards. Next week I will conclude with the “Dangers of Living your life at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Written by Dennis Stauffer
Edited by Gary Green (Omega House)
DENNIS STAUFFER INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES IS AVAILABLE TO TEACH OR PREACH AT YOUR CHURCH OR BIBLE STUDY FROM ANY TEACHING FROM OUR BLOGS. EMAIL ME OR FEEL FREE TO CALL @719-373-2427 dinostauffer@yahoo.com
