There were many trees in the Garden of Eden. In the midst of the garden were two trees. The first one was the Tree of Life. Adam and Eve were to enjoy the food from that tree. The tree that Adam and Eve were never meant to eat from was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There is a difference between "life" and "the knowledge of good and evil."
Adam and Eve ate from the wrong tree, and that day they "died" spiritually (not physically), as God had promised. And they were booted out of the Garden, away from the Tree of Life. The tree of life had been a truly free source of sustenance and enjoyment, but in ignoring it, and opting instead for the knowledge of good and evil (Eve saw that it was "a tree desirable to make one wise"), death came.
In Christ we've been restored (spiritually) to the Tree of Life. Why then, in living this Life in Christ, do we keep going back to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil! And it's not simply the tree of the knowledge of evil. It's the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The knowledge of good and evil is what brought death. We need LIFE. Life isn't found is right vs. wrong, or good vs. evil. Real life is only found in Jesus Himself (in God alone). It's true that as Christians we were "created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Eph 2:10). It's also true that as Christians we are called to put "evil" behind us and practice what is good. But... the source of all this, once we're in Christ, is not the knowledge of good and evil. The source of all this is the Life of Christ in us. We are His workmanship (it's His work in us). He works in us when we "glory (boast) in our weakness"(2 Cor. 12:9) as opposed to glorying in and depending upon our knowledge of good and evil. By embracing the wrong tree we deceive ourselves into thinking we're walking in wisdom when we're really walking by the very thing that killed Adam and Eve!
furthermore some now say we get in Christ what the first adam had, that we are restored to, not so, for the first adam[God's son] was made a living soul, but the second a quicking spirit. we have in Christ,much more, also the first adam ruled the earth ,now in Christ we have all power in heaven and in earth, for that is what Jesus accoplished for His brothers.what's more the new creation does not sin so by faith we live in newness of life and God will reveal to us were we do not live in Him so we can allow the work of the word of His rightousness to come alive in our hearts and mind, so as to be transformed by the renewing of our mind in Christ Jesus we realy have passed from death to life
ReplyDeleteExcellent, Peter... very true and encouraging!
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