Tree of the knowledge of good and evil
“And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:16-17.NIV)
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Ps. 119:11) “Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it.” (Prov. 8:33).
The most obvious source of godly wisdom is the Bible. You cannot think of a question or life circumstance about which God’s Word is silent. His principles for right character, conduct, and conversation apply to every situation and decision confronting human being. Godly wisdom is the capacity to see things from the Lord’s viewpoint and respond according to scriptural principles. You can’t instantly download that ability, but you can acquire it gradually over time. Knowledge is information, which comes from learning biblical principles; Understanding is the capacity to comprehend that knowledge and wisdom has to do with applying them. The Lord cautions us to keep His Word in our heart and in our heads so that we will heed His instructions;
God created man and placed him with perfect order in a garden to enjoy perfect peace, joy and happiness. Genesis chapter one is a very simple narrative of the creation of the world; the heavens and the earth, the plants and animals, and finally man. Simple, yet majestic in its beauty and profound in its depth when we come to Chapter 2 we find a kind of recapitulation of the main event of Chapter 1, i.e., the creation of man. Here we are given much greater detail of the story of God's making of man. The basic message of Genesis 2:16-17 is that God alone knows what is good for humanity and God alone knows what is not good for us. To enjoy the “good” we have to trust God and obey him. If we disobey, we will have to decide for ourselves what is good and what isn’t good. That’s what the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents: ethical awareness. It’s a reference to all moral knowledge: the ability to create a system of ethics and to make moral judgments.
The tree of the knowledge of good & evil mentioned in scripture only in this verse, largely because its effects have become widespread. But the tree of life reappears again in the book of Revelation. In Genesis 2:16-17, the Lord gave a command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But Eve began to listen to another voice and did not hold firmly to her Creator's words. All that Satan had to do was plant a single doubt about God's integrity and offer Eve one appealing advantage of doing things her own way—and she fell for it. He mentioned wisdom, but using her own reasoning, Eve added two more benefits to the temptation: the fruit is good for food and a delight to the eyes.
The schemes of the Enemy have not changed. He still whispers lies and twists truth to convince us. In every temptation, there is a deception about the character and motive of God, plus an attractive promise of a better way. As the serpent beguiled Eve, Bible says “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3) The mind is corrupted when the affections are alienated from the proper object, and when the soul is filled with unholy plans, and purposes, and desires. The world is filled with voices that vie for our attention and influence our thoughts and actions. Throughout the day, consider the messages that are sent your way through the media and people. Consciously begin to compare them to what Scripture says about God and His ways. Remembering what God says in the Bible is our safeguard against deception and temptation. Follow Christ's example: be ready with truth in your mind and on your tongue whenever temptation strikes. “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matt. 4:4).
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; (Genesis 3:6-7)."
The knowledge of good and evil represents wisdom and discernment to figure out what is good, that is what promotes life, and bad, what hinders life. Men and women with a biblical worldview understand that unless we know everything, we only know things relatively; unless we know comprehensively, we can’t know anything absolutely. The only one who does know all, who transcends time and space, and who truly knows what is good and bad for life is God. The tree represents knowledge and power that is appropriate only to God. We, as limited human beings, are dependent on revelation from the only one who truly knows good and evil. We read in Proverbs 30: 3-5 “I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know! Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”
The Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, seems to have had the power to convey immortality to man, and as such is used in Scripture as a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he "abolished death and brought life & immortality to light through the gospel,” first Corinthians 15:22 and 26 says “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” But what is this "tree of the knowledge of good and evil"? &why did God forbid Adam to partake of this fruit? In Genesis 3:5 Satan misuses the truth, in order to draw women on until she become the victims, of his lie. Serpent said to the woman “You will not certainly die,” “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”That suggests a clue as to what this fruit was and what it did.
God knows evil, not by experience because he cannot experience evil, but he knows it by relating it to himself. That which is consistent & in line with his character and his nature is good; that which is inconsistent and out of line with himself is evil. That is how God knows good and evil. He relates it to himself. God is the only one who can properly do that. God is the only being in the entire universe that has the right to relate all things to Himself. When a creature (man) tries it, he gets into trouble. The creatures of God's universe are made to discover the difference between good &evil by relating all to the Being of God, not to themselves. When man ate of the fruit he began to relate everything to himself. Yet, as a creature, he has no real ability to sustain this kind of relationship and thus he is constantly Interrupt an unbalanced element into life.
When man began to think of himself as the center of the universe, he tried became like God. But it was all a lie. Man is not the center of the universe, and he cannot be. But as we trace the course of human history we can see that this is the seductive lie that the Satan has whispered into the ears of men ever since: "You are the center of life. This is your world, everything relates to you. What you like is right; what you don't like is wrong. You are the center of things." You can find this idea predominant and alive throughout the philosophies of men. That is the curse that fell upon man when he ate of the fruit in the Garden of Eden. They disobeyed God, as a consequence they were at once stricken with guilt and they hid themselves with shame. Guilt and fear replaced the peace and happiness they knew. Here was the beginning of a troubled world- and a troubled mind.
Like Adam and Eve, when you are out of tune with God, fears and anxieties crowd into your life. When you focus your attention on the uncertainties of life, on a changing, decaying world, your security and confidence are shaken. Your peace is disturbed. Sin has separated man from God. “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6).” “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). Guilt, fear, irritation, resentment, selfishness, and other hostile impulses plague man wherever he goes. They bring weariness and mental exhaustion. The love of self was at the root of the first disobedience of man. It continues to be the one of the first basic evil inclinations that takes you down the path of despair and heartache. The longer you travel the path of self-centeredness, the more troubled you become.
In a sense Adam mind was twisted, and related all things to himself. But when man does this he introduces a tainted element into life, into creation. That is why everything is always going off in wrong directions. But the glory of the gospel is that when men are redeemed, through faith in Jesus Christ, they resume once again a balanced life, and everything relates once again to God. God now becomes the center of things. The purpose of Jesus is here, to put God back into the center of his world and relate everything in our life and in the lives of others to him and not to us.
Jesus said in John 15:4-5 “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Just like Adam and Eve, each of us has rejected the tree of life. God created us and consecrated us to his service, but we have rejected it. Through Christ we have hope. Through the grace the Father gives us through the Son’s sacrifice we have a renewed hope of once again living in God’s garden, worshipping and obeying him as he intended for us and through his Spirit we are able to prepare for that hope here in this life. We find it in his Word, and in communion with Him Again, let us wrap ourselves in his grace and prepare for heaven by devoting ourselves to the tree of life. God created you. Not only that, he loves you so much that he wants you to know him now and spend eternity with him. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."Jesus came so that each of us could know and understand God in a personal way. Jesus alone can bring meaning and purpose to life.
Jesus said “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
Jesus prayed “FATHER, this is eternal life that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." "There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" - than the name of JESUS. This is what the gospel message is all about. Have you crowned Jesus Christ Lord of his empire, where he belongs, and invited him with gladness to sit upon the throne of your heart and rule there? There is coming a day when every knee shall bow, and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Then the destruction, desolation, and despair of the Garden of Eden will be reversed, and men shall once again acknowledge the centrality of God in life. Then the world shall be filled with glory and righteousness. Everything shall be what God intended it to be.
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18)." The message of the cross, Jesus Christ dying to take away the sins of the world, is foolishness to those who are pursuing wisdom, knowledge and understanding apart from God. But, what they and many others do not understand is that the death of Jesus Christ was God's attempt to restore Himself to the very people who are trying to figure Him out without Him. As was stated earlier, when Adam and Eve sinned God removed His life. However, God wanted to restore His life, the source of all wisdom, knowledge and understanding, to mankind.
When Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, died on the cross, He paved the way for God to restore that life to all mankind because He took away the very sins that caused Him to remove His life back in the Garden. Now, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God can offer His life as a free gift to all who believe. Now, for those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior they have the life of God restored to them like it was prior to the fall. Therefore, we now have the ability to discern God's truth because He will teach us His truth through His indwelling Spirit. Unless you have God indwelling you, the best you can do is increase your knowledge, but you will lack any understanding of what you know because you do not have the wisdom that only comes from God. Remember, ""No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" — but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-10)." If you want wisdom, knowledge and understanding you must have the Spirit of God indwelling you. And you can only have the Spirit of God indwelling you through being born again of the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Bible says “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2. And Romans 5: 1 and 5 says “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”.
The more we know the truth; more powerful we are to change our world. There is no excuse for not being the best possible. Now is the time to change our life, regain the power we have given away because we are waiting for someone else to fix things for us, and get what we know we deserve. So what are we waiting for? “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10.)
The Eternal Wisdom defines "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil" (Proverbs 8:13) in Exodus 18:21 states that those who fear God hate covetousness. Job is said to have feared God and turned from evil (Job 1:1, 8). Proverbs 3:7 warns us to "fear the Lord and turn away from evil". If we hate evil we will turn away from it (Proverbs 16:6, Job 28:28). That he may learn to fear the Lord his God by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes" (Deuteronomy 17:19) Abraham, our father in faith, proved that he feared God by obeying his command to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:12). Moses told the children of Israel to "Fear the Lord...to walk in all His ways and love Him" (Dt 10:12, 20). Centuries later, the Prophet Samuel counseled the Israelites to "fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart" (I Samuel 12:24). Isaiah 50:10 makes another clear association between the fear of God with obedience and trust in Him, as do Psalm 86:11; 112:1; 128:1 and Ecclesiastes 12:13. Jesus says, "If you love Me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Obedience should spring from our love for God. That is a much better motive than fear of punishment. Love is freely given and does things out of a desire to delight God. It is unselfish, gives all the glory to Our Lord, and seeks no other reward but pleasing Him (although God's justice will always reward such obedience – (Matthew 6:4, 18).
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this are the duty of all mankind.”(Ecclesiastes 12:13)
How can we triumph over the chaos, guilt, fear, alienation, death and eternal punishment? What are the consequences of sin and why do people need forgiveness? How these problems can be solved by forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ according to the gospel, resulting in joy, hope, salvation, and eternal life. Bible says “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior, but through Jesus' death we can be reconciled “(made friends again). (Colossians 1:21-23) For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. (Titus 2:11) “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. (Acts 13:38) By His mercy, God offers forgiveness to all men. To receive it, we must meet God's conditions. The choice is up to each of us. Man is different from the animals. We were made with unique characteristics that God possesses. God is God of purpose and He created man for a purpose.
Life is meaningless unless we discover and fulfill that purpose. Therefore the greatest discovery in life is destiny. Destiny is source of purpose. Each of us can fulfill the purpose for which God created us, but first we must diligently seek Him. According to Jesus (Matthew 6:33) the real goal and priority of life is to seek God's kingdom and be right before Him. But corrupt nature leads man to misconception, confusion and wrong conclusion. Thus men seek after wrong things. Study King Solomon, he experienced the pinnacle of enjoyment in every aspect of life; wealth, pleasure, and fame. Did it satisfy? No, It was all "vanity and vexation of spirit". (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11) Then he learned the real purpose of life: "Fear God and keep His commands" (12:13). Every one of us needs our burden of sin & guilt removed, but there is no way to accomplish that except through Jesus (Acts 4:12).
And the Bible is the only book that can tell us how to receive God's forgiveness. Surely this book deserves our attention. God is also concerned about the wrongs we do. In His eyes, we have all sinned (Rom. 3:23). For our sins, we deserve to be punished. Friends, Sin Alienates Us from God. Forgiveness Restores Our Relationship to God.
The strongest principle of life and Blessings lies in our choice. Our life is the sum result of all the choices we make, both consciously and unconsciously. If we can control the process of choosing, we can take control of all aspects of our life. We can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of our life. So Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable. “If you don’t make a decision then time will make it for you and time will always side against you!” – Billy Graham
Sin Makes Us Feel Worthless and Defeated. Forgiveness Restores Our Sense of Worth. Sin Gives a Burden of Guilt. Forgiveness Restores Our Innocence. Sin causes Fear, Grief, and Hopelessness. Forgiveness Gives peace, Joy and Hope. Sin Is a Barrier Between Loved Ones. Forgiveness Reunites Loved Ones. Sin Leads to Punishment. Forgiveness Leads to Eternal Life. God cares about us so much that He sent His own Son to earth to seek and save lost men. Jesus Died in Our Place. Romans 5:6-9 - Sinful men deserved to be punished, but because He loves us, God sent His Son to suffer so we could escape punishment. Jesus paid this price for all men (Heb 2:9).Salvation is God’s gift to man. But, no one can receive God’s forgiveness and salvation unless and until one personally receives this forgiveness through repentance and faith in Jesus. If one refuses to accept the gift of God’s Salvation, it is painful, for God, and the person who refuses the Eternal Gift will be condemned.” Except you repent, you will all likewise perish (Luke. 13:3,5).
“For God so loved the world that He gave his only son (Jesus), that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”(John.3: 16). For your salvation, there is one God and one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all men. (1Tim.2:5-6). Jesus said, “You will know the Truth, and the Truth will make you Free.” He also said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” knowing the Lord Jesus is freedom and Everlasting life. The Death and resurrection of Christ gives us the gift of “Eternal Life” with real joy, peace and happiness. The new life in Jesus, frees us from the devastating hold and effects of sin, guilt and death (Rom. 8:1). The resurrection power provides us the Power and Grace to live a truly Everlasting life.
First, we must understand that we are separated from God. The chasm dividing us is both wide and deep. We inherited a fatal defect at birth. As a result, we have lived our lives independently from him. The Bible emphasizes this stark reality: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). If we can’t come to grips with the fact that sin separates us from God, we’ll never come home spiritually, for there is no need for a savior.
Next, we need to be very clear in understanding who Jesus is and what he has done for us, in order that we might confidently place our faith in him. He bridged the chasm separating us from God. In the apostle John’s words: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Jesus’ death and resurrection on our behalf satisfied God’s requirement – complete provision for our sin. This Jesus and he alone, is qualified to be the remedy for my sin and yours.
Jesus was not just a good man, a great teacher, an inspired prophet. He came to earth as the Son of God. He was born to a virgin. He led a sinless life. He died. He was buried. He rose again on the third day. He ascended into heaven where he became both Lord and Christ.
Personal repentance is vital in the transformation process. Repentance literally means “a change of mind.” It is to say to the Father, “I want to turn toward you and away from the life I’ve lived independently from you. I am sorry for who I’ve been and what I have done and I want to permanently change. I receive your forgiveness for my sins.”
Many at this point experience a remarkable “washing” from a lifetime’s accumulation of all that can degrade a person’s soul and spirit. Whether or not we sense God’s forgiveness, if we repent, we can be very certain that we’re forgiven. Our confidence is based on God’s promise to us, not how we feel.
We come into a personal relationship with the Lord when we make life’s greatest decision – the turning point referred to earlier. It is to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the One who died for our sins, who was buried and was raised from the dead – and to receive him as our Savior and Lord. When we believe in this way, we become God’s children. This is emphatically promised in John’s gospel: “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
Would you like to receive Jesus Christ as your savior? If you would, you can pray a prayer like this: “Jesus, I need you. I repent for the life I’ve lived apart from you. Thank you for dying on the cross to take the penalty for my sins. I believe you are God’s Son and I now receive you as my Lord and Savior. I commit my life to follow you.”
God Bless you
+Bishop Lalachan M A
