For too long now many of us have had the wrong diet.
Ok, this isn’t a nutrition blog, so what am I talking about?
Let’s start here: Gen 2:9 “And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life [was] also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” You see, there were two particular trees in the Garden of Eden, and all of them were pleasant to look at.
So what’s the problem? Gen 2:16, Gen 2:17 “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;”but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Don’t eat the tree. Why? You’ll die. But if good and evil fruit are on the same tree, why wouldn’t God tell Adam to just stay away from the bad fruit? Why not just let Adam eat the good fruit from the tree?
I’m going to show you.
Let’s take a look at a few commandments you know the Law that Moses came off Mt. Sinai with:
Thou shalt not kill = good. Murder = evil
Thou shalt not commit adultery = good adultery = evil
Thou shalt not steal = good Thief = evil
We would all say the Law is good. Yes, but the opposite of good is evil, and they belong on the same tree remember? God told Adam, “For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” In the New Testament,the Law is described this way:
Act 15:10 a yoke no one could bear
2Cr 3:7 ministry of death
Hbr 8:13 obsolete
Gal 3:12 the Law is not of faith
Hbr 7:19 the law made nothing perfect
Rom 3:20 the Law is the knowledge of sin
Look at that, all this time we thought the Law was good, but is was also the knowledge of Sin (evil). So if the Law represents the tree of knowledge of good and evil, where is the tree of life? Look to the cross and find Jesus, He is the way, the truth and the Life, if you will, the Tree of Life. After we find Jesus and receive salvation by grace through faith, we have a tendency to return to the wrong tree hoping to please God. With a good heart and good intentions, all we do is end up finding sin and feeling condemned.
So without the Law, how do we live as a Christian? Gal 3:11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God [is] evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.'” The same way you received your salvation and righteousness is the same way you live from: The steady diet of the Tree of Life. Eph 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God.”
Grace and Peace unto you,
Chad
Chad Hutchinson 