The tree of the knowledge of good and evil... A good thing?

[rockytopva]

And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. - Genesis 2:9

I can picture the garden of Eden with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil standing up there on a hill like a modern university. In which, having eaten of, the mind would be expanded to the spiritual extremes.

It is my conviction that there are three spiritual extremes…

Spiritual light – Love, warmth, faith, hope, charity joy, goodness, peace…
Spiritual darkness – Hate, cold, fear, depression, sorrow, greed, evil, war…
The Flesh – Ego, perverted sex, filth, witchcraft, anger, strife, divisions, mysticism…

I have heard that the flesh and the devil are so akin that it is hard to discern between the two of them. There is a path I believe to perfect spiritual light, or Caritas (Latin for pure love)... Things that cannot be taught for virtue is not knowledge!

1. Hope - All things begin with a hope
2. Faith - Motivation is a child of faith and hope
3. Charis - Grace - A powerful neighbor of caritas
4. Dynamos - Greek for virtue and motivation
5. Eucharisteo - Much grace... Gratitude
6. Charisomai - Well favored - A lucky kind of feeling
7. Euchrestos - Greek for profitable
8. Chairo - Greek for cheer - "Cheerio mate!"
9. Chara - Greek for joy
10. Chrestotes - An 'Aunt Bee' kind of Goodness
11. Charisma - Heavenly Graciousness
12. Chrisma - Heavenly Anointing - The Holy Grail!

I say! I felt that spiritual anointing early on as a Christian. I wish I could have kept it alive. The spiritual anointing is something we have to daily attend to. The Holy Spirit’s precious Chrisma is available to the good heart, but it can be a million miles from you if you veer off course. If I could go back in life I would have done more to keep the Chrisma flowing in my life.
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Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. - 1 Corinthians 2:13

When the Lord created earth and the man it was not his will to force us to a life of good and evil. It had to be our choice. We live in a world in which we must decide paths and discern whether or not they are leading to spiritual light, darkness, or the flesh.

So... Is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil a good thing? What makes every novel good is the contrast between good and evil. In the JRR Tolkien books we have Hobbits who would start out in light, journey through darkness, and then return to a greater light. A good thing? How interesting would the books have been if there were only things pertaining to spiritual light

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The seven churches...
1. The Ephesian Age – Apostolic – Leaving the first love… “All they which are in Asia be turned away from me…” – II Timothy 1:15
2. The Smyrnaean Age – Martyrs – Persecutions ten days… Foxes Book of Martyrs describes ten Roman persecutions.
3. The Pergamean Age – Orthodox – A pyrgos is a fortified structure – Needed for the dark ages.
4. The Thyatirean Age – Catholic – The Spirit of Jezebel is to persecute, control, and to dominate. This spirit can invade any church!
5. The Sardisean Age – Protestant – A sardius is a gem, elegant yet hard and rigid. Doctrine in the head, little in the heart.
6. The Philadelphian Age – Methodist – To obtain sanctification was to do so with love.
7. The Laodicean Age – Charismatic – Rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing? From hot ---> lukewarm ---> cold?

There are also seven churches. Neighbors if you will. Sisters if you will. Sometimes waring and feuding with one another. Before making a decision we must weigh out the good, bad, and uglies. This also pertains to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

 

[Suhar]

I can picture the garden of Eden with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil standing up there on a hill like a modern university. In which, having eaten of, the mind would be expanded to the spiritual extremes.

Is it not exactly what Satan said to Eve? "You will be like God".

Also, I think kids now days know that they are naked when not dressed for quite a while before they go to modern university.

 

[aspen]

the tree was good, but A&E's choice to misuse it was bad. They learned nothing/destroyed their intimate relationship with God/gained a tendency to be selfish.

The tree provided nothing - it wasnt a magic tree.

 

[rockytopva]

I still not have voted in the poll...

1. For us who have chosen wisely the tree of knowledge of good and evil is a good thing.
2. For those who have not chosen wisely the tree of knowledge of good and evil is not a good thing.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. - John 3:19

So that is a tough one. If one soul was lost to an eternity in hell the tree of knowledge was a bad deal. But to we who have chosen Christ it is life eternal.

 

[This Vale Of Tears]

We shouldn't look to undo what's been done, for good came out of it as well as evil. How many people are alive today because their mother had a one night stand with a guy that she never saw again? How many are alive because their mother was raped? If everyone followed God's laws, some people would never exist. I might not be alive if White immigrants hadn't forcefully settled the continent and subdued the American Indians forever. My father or grandfather might had died in some stupid, pointless war with a neighboring tribe before ever having children, as so many young braves did.

The point is, the things in the past we think of as evil aren't necessarily so, for even evil brings about the will of God and is harnessed to serve his purposes. When we start unraveling the past, the change that happens might not be the change we hoped for.

 

[clark thompson]

The Tree of Knowledge gave us the ability to choose to love God instead of just having us without freewill loving Him, we can also because of the fall see how much God loved us, the shape of love is not a heart but a cross.

 

[aspen]

clark, God would never tell us not to do something and then secretly hope we do it anyway, and then punish us for doing it. i treat my dogs better than that. you are describing an abusive parent not a loving God.

 

[This Vale Of Tears]

It didn't seem like Clark was saying that, Aspen. In fact, what he said doesn't even come close to what you're describing.

 

[IanLC]

The tree in itself was not bad. There issue at hand though was God's command to Adam and Eve not to eat of the fruit of the tree! Disobedience was the true fruit that caused man to fall!

 

[FHII]

If God made it, it was good. It just wasn't meant for Adam and Eve.

Then again, if it wasn't there, Jesus' (slain before the foundation of the world) death wouldn't have been necessary.

 

[aspen]

Jesus was not slain before the foundations of the Earth.

 

[IanLC]

Jesus was not slain before the foundations of the Earth.

"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.' Revelation 13:8

 

[This Vale Of Tears]

Amazing how willingly some people are at displaying their unfamiliarity with Scripture. In fact, the transcendent effect of Christ's crucifixion upon all history, past, present, and future, is a central Catholic doctrine.

 

[KingJ]

");
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil... A good thing?

Free will = good.
I have been wondering. Was eating of the tree the only way they could be damned?

 

[Enquirer]

The Tree of Knowledge gave us the ability to choose to love God instead of just having us without freewill loving Him, we can also because of the fall see how much God loved us, the shape of love is not a heart but a cross.

clark, God would never tell us not to do something and then secretly hope we do it anyway, and then punish us for doing it. i treat my dogs better than that. you are describing an abusive parent not a loving God.

Well said Aspen ... Clark I like your sentiment, but saying that we would never know how to love God or know the depth of his love for us,
were it not for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is wrong.

Free will did not come after the Fall, Adam and Eve had it beforehand, that's why they could make a choice and love God by their obedience.
Besides, God is love and it would shine through in his character when dealing with us.

I don't have to put my hand on a hot plate of the stove to know it burns, in the same token we did not have to eat of the Tree to know the love
God has for us or eat of it and then show God how much we love him - from our free will afterwards - by choosing him.

What kind of God would set us up to go to the greater depths of love and then beat us for doing it ?
That is bad parenting and abuse.
God is good and his methods are good ... He said don't eat and don't means exactly that, because it would turn out bad for us, not good.

Question ... Do you think it was good for Jesus to suffer on the Cross, do you not think it would have been better if He never had to go at all ?

 

[This Vale Of Tears]

Am I the only one here that noticed Aspen distorted Clark's comment into God "secretly hoping" Adam would disobey him? There's nothing well said about Aspen's comment. There's nothing well said at all when somebody distorts the truth.

 

[Thunderkat]

If Adam and Eve hadn't eaten the fruit sooner or later somebody would have. I look back and think about all the bad things I did as a kid and sometimes just am amazed I am still alive. What kid gets a goldfish bowl and fills them with scorpions just to play with them? We were all condemned by the actions of two but saved by the actions of one. Thank you Jesus!

I think the tree was placed there just to test us. God knows what is in us already, as test lets us know what is in us.

 

[Chuckt]

Without eating from the tree, Eve might have said, "Adam, do you love me?" and Adam would have said, "Who else?"
Without having free will, they might not have known what love was.

 

[Enquirer]

Am I the only one here that noticed Aspen distorted Clark's comment into God "secretly hoping" Adam would disobey him? There's nothing well said about Aspen's comment. There's nothing well said at all when somebody distorts the truth.

In itself, there is nothing wrong with Aspen's statement, because God is not into the tempting game ... God does not play "bait car" and then
condemn you when you get into the vehicle ... that is well said.
God does not teach us in that way.

@ Chuckt ... Hah I had to laugh at your first statement, "who else" ... well that is until someone decides to mention the name of Lilith.
Jewish folklore says that she was the first woman God created who turned Adam down because he wanted sex in the missionary position,
because she refused to be subservient to him.
So he then created Eve who was subservient.

That's why I stick to the Word ... too much crazy stuff out there.

 

[aspen]

Good is like heat - it is a force. Evil relies on Good to exist because it is broken or less than Good. Just like cold relies on heat - cold is the absence of heat. We did not have to know what "less than love" is to know what love is.

Saying that we have to know evil to know Good is like saying you have to know satan to know God.