Knowledge

The resolve to heighten our knowledge is something we are all driven to do from our first breath. It is inbred into our makeups; it is part of who we are. A new born child soon learns what his mother’s teat is for and before long they know exactly where to go when hunger kicks in. And so life progresses and we all inquire after knowledge to equip us to better our existence.

What I find a rather interesting thought this morning is that the forbidden fruit placed in the Garden of Eden was all about the Knowledge of Good and Evil! The rest of God’s persona was never withheld from Adam. In fact God even allowed Adam to name all the beasts of His creation. Why was it held from their understanding, is the tenacious question.

I have a few pressing thoughts that drive home with a loud voice but before I unpack them I must first receive confirmation from the Word of God that they are in line with God’s voice and not my own imaginations. The Bible must confirm them before I can say with any certainty that they are accurate.

It is obvious that they were not ready to receive that knowledge at that time in their lives, for if they were, God would have allowed them access to it. Why were they not ready? When we consider the sons of God (the angels) who were created and who lived within the presence of God; they, just like Adam and Eve, saw God in all His glory and yet one third of the angels were banished from heaven for admiring Satan’s beauty over God’s goodness and for choosing evil over good. I suppose it may just have been a similar concern that God had with mankind, not allowing them to understand the difference so that they did not end up like the fallen angels, banished from God’s presence.

Why do evil people act on evil deeds? They actually believe it is more pleasurable to be evil than good. It becomes a way of life, but where we make the mistake is that we too believe that we are better than others on our own merits, when in fact we are by nature all drawn to sin because of the fall. No matter who you are, you are tainted by sin and have a skewed perception of what is good and evil.  Like the Lord Jesus taught, you may be faithful to your partner in practice but in thought ponder all types of indulgences, the conclusion, you are then guilty of adultery (God’s standard of what is good and not mans understanding of what he thinks is acceptable). That is the kernel of it all! There are no exceptions! Can I prove this? Yes! “As it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." (Romans 3:10-12)   

This knowledge that we now have, a skewed perception on what is good and what is evil (I speak as a man with a carnal mind-set and not with the mind of Christ) leaves mankind by default cleaving to that which is evil, even if they don’t know it! Which outside of Christ’s rescue, they are oblivious to their dilemma. You have been blinded by sin!

Let us go back into history to establish some important principles…

Prior to the flood God looked down upon mankind from the heavens and was appalled with what they had become and I must remind you that because of Eve’s noncompliance to God’s instruction in the Garden of Eden mankind had now ended up here and under the influence of the serpent (Satan), she short circuited God’s plan for mankind’s awareness of the true understanding of what is good and what is evil. They were not ready to receive the tuition about “good and evil” but she hankered after it regardless. Here is how the Bible records the state of mankind prior to the flood; “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them."” (Genesis 6:5-7) – Humanity had fallen very far from where it had all started no differently to the fallen angels that had been banished from heaven under Satan. And because of the state of mans heart (“his heart was continually evil”) God destroyed the known world by a great flood, except the few that found grace in the eyes of God, Noah and his family with the animal rescued in the Ark prior to His judgement.     

Therefore the law teaches us to apply ourselves to certain criteria and if we abide by Gods law we remain guiltless before Him. It is only when we break one of His laws that we stand condemned. This was the reason for the introduction of the Ten Commandments; it was to teach us what was required from us if we wanted a right relationship with God. God being merciful then introduced sacrifices to cover sins and once a breach happened in a person’s life; a sacrifice was required to cover that particular sin. God had singled out the Jews as His people and these laws then applied to them and this agreement is known as the “first covenant”. Which proved the point that it was impossible to overcome evil by our actions, the law was a tutor to teach us that we needed to find rescue. It was only after that had been established that God introduced a better covenant, the second, which abolished the first in and through the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)   

But in order for the second covenant to stand God needed to live as a man and overcome sin n the flesh. Which He did! Praise the name of Jesus now and forever more! – “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:28)

In other words the first covenant was something that needed to be continually repeated. A man sinned and then made a sacrifice unto God seeking out His forgiveness for that particular sin and so on. It was a repetitive requirement. That covenant has now been abolished because of Christ’s obedience. We have now entered into the era of the second covenant which is on offer for all of mankind and not only the Jew. Here is the proof; “But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.” (Hebrews 8:6-7)   

    

And yet I will remind you, that God as the director, was never caught off guard, as it was all part of His scripted manuscripts, which He penned prior to the creation of the worlds.  Which will eventually arrive at a conclusion, with all of God’s people living and praising Him with the true knowledge of good and evil and from there on in only ever choosing that which is good. The inhabitants within the New Jerusalem (the new habitat for God’s elect) will now be in a position to differentiate between good and evil as God sees it. Good triumphing over evil! Praise God now and forever more, Amen!

This then will be the end for the pursuit of the knowledge of good and evil. There will be a final separation of all that is good and evil; “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."” (Revelation 21:3-17)

In conclusion none of us in ourselves can claim to be good people; this type of reasoning is a twisted understanding of what is true before God’s eyes. But God has not left us to our own destruction and has made a way of escape for the “whosoever”; turn to the Lord Jesus Christ repenting of all your ‘dead works’ (trying to score points with God by what you do and have done) and call out to Him asking Him to forgive and save you from the eminent judgement that is on the horizon known as the Great White Throne Judgement. You must be covered by the Second Covenant if you are to escape the judgement for your sins. Hang onto the First Covenant and you will be judged by it and with a single breach to it, you will be found wanting, with hell as your final destination.

Signing off

Tyrone