Genesis 3:8-13
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil: Faith in Fear
In whom do you place your faith? Allow me to ask the question another way: Who do you trust to deliver you from evil? Again, the same question may be asked this way; Who is Lord of your life?
The cornerstone of Biblical faith is belief. In the Apostles Creed we profess that we believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Belief is transformed into faith when we are challenged with the temptation to judge neighbor, or self, good or evil. Faith, therefore, always calls Disciples to repentance. Disciples see Good and Evil, but by faith they trust Jesus Christ to be judge and redeemer of the person who ate of the fruit of the tree God commanded us not to eat.
Within the Law of Moses we find stories of great Faith. In Genesis 12:1-4 God gives us an outline of faith. “Now the Lord said to Abram, “God from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and all of the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Notice that people who place their faith in the Lord always bless their neighbor. Condemnation, the curse, belongs to the Lord, alone!
Read Genesis 3:14-19. Pay very close attention to God’s ways. See who and what God curses. What you see may well surprise you. As a matter of fact, what you see and hear may contradict everything you have been taught at the story we call The Fall of Humanity.
God cursed the serpent and the soil, not Adam or Eve. Adam and Eve were told they would experience pain. The pain of child birth. The pain of maintaining relationships in marriage and family. The pain of harvesting crops, or as we call it the pain of, “making ends meet.”
See the chart at the top of the page. Notice that Good and Evil are made Holy by Jesus Christ through God’s redeeming work on the Cross.
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil: Faith in Fear
In whom do you place your faith? Allow me to ask the question another way: Who do you trust to deliver you from evil? Again, the same question may be asked this way; Who is Lord of your life?
The cornerstone of Biblical faith is belief. In the Apostles Creed we profess that we believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Belief is transformed into faith when we are challenged with the temptation to judge neighbor, or self, good or evil. Faith, therefore, always calls Disciples to repentance. Disciples see Good and Evil, but by faith they trust Jesus Christ to be judge and redeemer of the person who ate of the fruit of the tree God commanded us not to eat.
Within the Law of Moses we find stories of great Faith. In Genesis 12:1-4 God gives us an outline of faith. “Now the Lord said to Abram, “God from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and all of the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Notice that people who place their faith in the Lord always bless their neighbor. Condemnation, the curse, belongs to the Lord, alone!
Read Genesis 3:14-19. Pay very close attention to God’s ways. See who and what God curses. What you see may well surprise you. As a matter of fact, what you see and hear may contradict everything you have been taught at the story we call The Fall of Humanity.
God cursed the serpent and the soil, not Adam or Eve. Adam and Eve were told they would experience pain. The pain of child birth. The pain of maintaining relationships in marriage and family. The pain of harvesting crops, or as we call it the pain of, “making ends meet.”
See the chart at the top of the page. Notice that Good and Evil are made Holy by Jesus Christ through God’s redeeming work on the Cross.
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