A friend asked a really good question
recently: Why the heck was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the
middle of the Garden in the first place if it was evil? Wasn’t the Garden
perfect?
He got me thinking! (I
love it when that happens!)
Knowledge of good and evil is a fine thing. But it’s a lousy
way to live my life. It’s a poor choice for First Place in my life.
I suspect that AFTER Adam & Eve had eaten of the tree of
life (like they were supposed to), they would have understood how to use the
tree of knowledge of good & evil properly. That knowledge, when rooted in
Life, would be useful.
I look at that whole scene as a choice for How I’m Going To
Live Life. Am I going to choose to feed on stuff that brings life? Or am I
going to choose to feed on the rules: right & wrong, good and evil,
obedience & disobedience. Which principle is the foundation for my life.
Any time I build my life on knowledge, I’m in trouble. Paul
said “Knowledge puffs up.” He didn’t say, “Knowledge of sin puffs up” or “Knowledge
of popular movies puffs up.” It’s knowledge itself – if that’s the foundation
for my world, I’m in trouble.
Worse, if I build my life on judging what’s good and what’s
evil, I’m in greater trouble. There’ll be a day for that, and we do play a
(minor) part in it, but that’s a hideous foundation for my life.
On the other hand, if I’m building my life on bringing life –
to myself, to people around me – then knowing what’s right & wrong has its
place. In that situation, the knowledge of good and evil can be used to bring
life.
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