Perfecting the will of man

[Fervent]

The question of why the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" would be in the garden at all is one I have had posed to me several times. This question seems simple at first blush, yet it leads to some interesting issues. Why would God create the opportunity for sin, knowing that men would succumb to it? Why not simply create man perfect, incapable of sin? It would appear to me that there are 2 ends being played out throughout creation. First, evil is being removed from man's will. Since God is not the author of sin, it must have its origin in our person.

Yet when our first parents sinned, they had no conception of sin. Death was a meaningless consequence. God told them it would happen, but since there was no death prior they had no understanding of what it meant. So God would have been unjust if such a severe penalty stood without the consciousness of guilt, with no possible way of overturning it. The punishment fits the crime as sin is worthy of death, but the accused were incompetent.

Enter the law, which informed us about what sin truly is and the severity of death. Men learned the difference between doing right and doing wrong, and that actions are followed by consequences. We became aware of death and our own guilt before God.

And so the way of the cross was prepared, as the law which revealed God's character was so twisted by men's sin that they would put God Himself to death thinking that they were doing what it entailed. Rather than seeing that the law revealed their guilt, men believed that the law made them righteous. They used it to minister death at every turn, mercilously carrying out sentences for infractions. And when this death was turned against Christ, it could not contain Him because there was no guilt in Him. The law had been fulfilled, revealing righteousness before men and giving a pathway for the life of Christ to be given to men.

In this, the justice of death is established. Our wills are now aware of the connection between action and consequence, the severity of sin, and yet have room to err and not be condemned. Through death, the will of man is being perfected so that we may one day have life and be able to discern the boundaries of the will of God choosing to live within it rather than having it thrust upon us. In this way, God's discipline and wrath are full expressions of His love.

 

[SkyWriting]

The question of why the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" would be in the garden at all is one I have had posed to me several times.

Would you want people to only be trainable, like dogs? Say what?

 

[Fervent]

Would you want people to only be trainable, like dogs? Say what?

Not at all. It seems God intended us to have knowledge of good and evil all along, but with knowledge comes the need to discern for ourselves. But God could not create evil, we had to do that. Turns out we're pretty good at it.