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- Aug 9, 2012
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As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I’ve found the worth of it all is in coming to the knowledge and understanding (got to have both) of God’s holiness, which to me has some to do with revealing His love for us. Though He knows most will not choose to desire it, His love and justification in all things is revealed in the fact that He must yet present what life is to all, which will stand as a witness against the unbelieving.
It’s my belief that seeing God’s holiness is learned first through the contrasting knowledge of good and evil. All inherently possess the general knowledge of what is right and wrong, as Adam understood from God’s command not to partake of the forbidden “tree” (Gen 2:16, 17). But the knowledge of right and wrong requires a more complete understanding, which is by way of contrasting good and evil; and good and evil is understood by contrasting God’s holiness with what is unholy, and this is where the understanding is learned.
If the two progenitors of mankind only knew right from wrong without the contrast of good and evil there would never be the most blessed knowledge of God’s holiness, as in knowing that evil is wrong and holiness is good. Therefore to me, it’s worth the entire universe, to be brought into this life with the opportunity to choose to know and love God by enduring the difficulty in possessing a sin nature—in order that I can know His love via His holiness.
The issue isn’t the presence of “the tree of knowledge of good and evil,” but the reason for its presence, which is to be willing to accept, that for me to know God’s holiness I must endure the sin nature, which nature of course God knew would be part of man’s essence; and my love to Him is not in wondering why the sin nature but understanding the worth of knowing Him and His holiness and love for me—because of the sin nature. Therefore, enduring “the old man” (sin nature) in accordance with the Word of God is my means of manifesting love to Him, which provides me with constant encouragement about Him!
It’s my belief that seeing God’s holiness is learned first through the contrasting knowledge of good and evil. All inherently possess the general knowledge of what is right and wrong, as Adam understood from God’s command not to partake of the forbidden “tree” (Gen 2:16, 17). But the knowledge of right and wrong requires a more complete understanding, which is by way of contrasting good and evil; and good and evil is understood by contrasting God’s holiness with what is unholy, and this is where the understanding is learned.
If the two progenitors of mankind only knew right from wrong without the contrast of good and evil there would never be the most blessed knowledge of God’s holiness, as in knowing that evil is wrong and holiness is good. Therefore to me, it’s worth the entire universe, to be brought into this life with the opportunity to choose to know and love God by enduring the difficulty in possessing a sin nature—in order that I can know His love via His holiness.
The issue isn’t the presence of “the tree of knowledge of good and evil,” but the reason for its presence, which is to be willing to accept, that for me to know God’s holiness I must endure the sin nature, which nature of course God knew would be part of man’s essence; and my love to Him is not in wondering why the sin nature but understanding the worth of knowing Him and His holiness and love for me—because of the sin nature. Therefore, enduring “the old man” (sin nature) in accordance with the Word of God is my means of manifesting love to Him, which provides me with constant encouragement about Him!
