Skip to main content

The Tree of Life

We read about two significant trees in the Genesis description of the environmental splendor of Eden [Genesis 2: 8-17]. One is called “the tree of life” and the other is “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. In the first instance of how knowledge could determine the distance between God and man, God’s instruction to Adam and Eve included a prohibition from touching or eating fruits from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. The instruction was in the form of a very strong and clear imperative - DON’T TOUCH! DON’T EAT! What followed was Satan’s first score in getting man to disobey the word of God in one process of distortion and guided deception. In one twinkle of disobedience and clear violation of God’s prohibition, Eve picked the fruit from the forbidden tree and somehow convinced Adam to do the same. And in a moment of justice, the first spiritual distance between God and man was established. The first line of spiritual demarcation between God and man was drawn, at least until the coming of the Christ [Genesis 3: 15].

There are two types of knowledge when we view life in terms of our proximity to God or distance from Him. There is the body of knowledge that brings one to God and keeps one there [Romans 5]. This type of knowledge is spiritual and reconciliatory in nature [1 Corinthians 12: 8]. And there is also that body of knowledge that separates and keeps one away from God. That type of knowledge is worldly and alienating. The knowledge of salvation and righteousness brings one to God and keeps one there. The knowledge of evil alienates from God and keeps one away from Him [1 Corinthians 15: 34]. And our closeness or distance from God could be a matter of the type of knowledge that we choose to pursue. Knowledge is either moving one closer to God or moving one gradually away from God. For example, a man without the knowledge of Jesus Christ is far from God rather than close to Him. And you are closer to God when you know Christ than when you don’t.

Zachariah, speaking and prophesying about the significance of his son, John, said of him, “...And you, child will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the LORD to prepare His ways; To give to his people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins...” [Luke 1: 76-77]. The knowledge of salvation is the only knowledge that brings one closer to God and keeps one in His presence. We need to exercise great caution and wisdom in our pursuit of knowledge. Some have allowed human knowledge to put a distance between them and God. Such people used to believe in God but do not believe any more [Hebrews 11: 6]. Knowledge could be misapplied as to become sin just as a man could also be misguided to become sinful. And that is when knowledge alienates from God rather than reconciles to him. What one knows could also depend on the tree the person chooses to eat from. And that is figuratively rather than literally of course.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

THE MIRROR OF TRUE TRANSFORMATION

      We are used to looking at life l as if we are looking in the mirror. What we often see in the mirror is not reality but rather a reflection of it. The mirror does not reflect the true self, but only reflects what it sees. And when you do not like what you see then you begin to distort your reflected self. Then the reflection gradually becomes a distortion of your true self.         The above phenomenon is known as self-delusion. Self-delusion does not bring true transformation. It actually takes you farther away from it. It is hard to achieve true transformation if you are living in the state of self-delusion.         It should become clearer why the makeup and cosmetic surgery industry is a multi billion dollar industry and still climbing.  You do not have to look at it too hard to notice that many of our popularized celebrity cosmetic transformations still have situations in their lives that leave them untransformed....

The Greatest Gain

Discontentment is an emotional disease that takes away one’s joy and peace. Paul told Timothy, “But Godliness with contentment is great gain” [1 Timothy 6: 6]. The Hebrew writer instructs, “…be content with such things as you have” [Hebrews 13: 5]. Contentment has little to do with not getting what you want, but everything to do with wanting what you already have. It has been said that, “contentment makes a poor man rich, yet discontentment makes a rich man poor.” The poor man said to the rich man, “I am richer than you are.” And “Why is that,” asked the rich man? “Because I have everything I want and you don’t.” It just might be that the poorest person in the world is the one who has plenty of money and material goods without contentment. Sometimes we want things we do not need, yet need things we do not want. Two tear drops met along the river of life. One tear drop said to the other, “Where did you come from?” “I am the tear drop of a girl who loved a man and lost him,” replied the ...

HILLTOP MANSION

What is a chateausque-styled mansion built between 1889 and 1895, nestled on 175,000 square feet, 8,000 acres estate in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, and featuring 250 rooms and considered the largest privately - home in the United States? It is none other than George Washington Vanderbilt's home, the Biltmore. The Biltmore Estate is worth unimaginably between $1.2 and $1.35 billion dollars. This includes the value of the mansion, which is worth between $200 and $350 million dollars, and the 125,000 acres of land that comprise the rest of the estate, which are worth around $1 billion dollars. The current global economic crisis is one that has provided common people with a glimpse into the world of finance and economics, especially with the fact that the value of homes and properties is somehow tied into the dynamics of the economy of a nation. One lesson that many of us have learned from the current economic crisis is that somehow the value of real estat...