IN THE BEGINNING — Good, Evil, and Man
Can I trust God?
This is not an unreasonable question.
In fact, wouldn’t it be a little foolish to not ask the question?
In leaving the choice to live with Him or apart from Him to us, God knows that we need information to base our choice upon. It’s a pretty big decision; the issue of trust flows from our most basic needs as human beings.
To meet this need, God has given us His Word, the Bible.
Its purpose is to reveal His essential nature, so that we can make an informed, reasonable, intelligent choice in deciding whether or not to pay him any heed, in deciding whether or not to trust Him.
God gave us our hearts, our intellects, our free will.
He expects us to use them – He will not compel our choice.
So, what does His Word reveal about Him? Can we trust this guy?
The very first words of the Bible read: In the beginning, God created…
The creation account ends with: …it was very Good.
And then humankind is given a choice:
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die…
”Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 2:16-17 and 3:1-5
As human beings, we share in a need and search for Truth. It is significant, then, that Satan's first utterance in Scripture is a series of lies. The goal of his lies is always the same -- to separate us from a good and loving God.
The lie in this particular passage is that we can be like God (3:5)... this is an important one, because it touches on a desire of every human heart -- that of being #1, the sole and supreme authority over our own lives. There is a name for this lie and its effects (yes, you could say "sin") -- call it The Great Rebellion. This phrase speaks volumes about our estrangement from God, about how many of us live out our lives, and the challenge in front of us if we are to reconnect with God (1).
The whole Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil thing (2:16-17) is itself interesting. Some have looked at this story and said, "See how arbitrary and spiteful your God is? Kind of like hiding a brick under a hat, waiting for you to come by and kick it (ouch!) and then jumping out from behind a bush shouting Gotcha!" A few things must be pointed out here.
First, if it is true that God is sovereign (2), it would be ok for him to make a rule or two, right? Second, this was not some kind of arbitrary test for humankind to pass or fail; God already knew what the outcome would be. He had given the man other (and earlier) commands that could have been disobeyed, so the idea of disobedience is not unique to this particular story (3). Third, our disobedience did not bring evil into the world – it already existed at this point, as the serpent had already entered the garden. Finally, and most interestingly, we should consider the possibility that this command was (as many of his commands are) an instruction meant for our benefit. In considering this scene, one must wonder if the main point here was less a “test” of man’s obedience and more a matter of operating instructions – to steer clear, completely, of evil, for our safety.
How is not eating (taking in to ourselves) from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, not even exposing ourselves to the idea of evil, to our benefit?
Simple... God knew we couldn't handle it.
And it's true, we have not collectively handled the evil in our world very well;
many would say we have added to it, pushing our world further out of alignment with God.
In this command, this instruction to not eat of this tree, God was counseling us:
"Don't go there... you will lose that battle... worst of all, it will separate you from me
(which will be the withering and death of your soul...) -- and I don't want that!"
So Satan's first lie was that we can be God.
The second was that it is God who is the liar, and arbitrary, jealous, and spiteful to boot – when actually the bit with the tree was evidence of his love and care for us.
Of course, Satan hasn't stopped with the lies. Here are a couple of whoppers --
Satan's most widespread and destructive lies, told for the purpose of separating us from God:
- That evil and suffering come from God. We are so accustomed to this lie, it doesn't even strike us as ridiculous anymore, to blame God for evil. It's exactly the opposite of what one would instinctively and reasonably assume to be the case... that good comes from God, and evil from Satan. This lie is awful because its effect is to keep so many fine, tender-hearted people from believing that God is good.
- That God doesn't really love us individually, that we can't trust him with our personal needs and desires. This is the worst lie of all -- it plays on, knits together, and escalates all the other insecurities that Satan has introduced into this world: God has no particular regard for us, will not intervene in our lives, and considers our being and his to be unconnected… that our destiny is to live our lives apart from Him. This is the most dangerous and tragic lie imaginable…
Forewarned is Forearmed!
**************
To combat these lies and their effects, to reconnect us with our Loving Father,
he sends his son Jesus (“the exact representation of His being” Hebrews 1:3) into our world.
….Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me…. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Rev 3:20, John 1:12
Okay, I might want to become a child of God; I like the sounds of that.
What exactly is required?(4) What does it mean to “open the door”, to “receive” and to “believe in his name”?
Several thoughts come to mind. First, “open the door”: Acknowledge possibility or interest? To turn towards? Attend to (vs ignore)? Maybe to pray one's interest or questions or doubts? Invite in? Maybe to engage in conversations with those who've been on this path for a while? Maybe going to the Gospels to learn about and from him, and just be with him?
Next, the word "receive”, which could reasonably imply something given, as in from outside of oneself, so to receive means simply to accept, as in a gift. To receive could also mean to accept a visit from, to invite one in, to welcome.
.
Finally, “believed in his name” would seem to imply an intellectual assent or agreement, a placing of faith in, perhaps even something along the lines of signing on, aligning oneself with, or even relying upon….
Receiving Jesus and believing in his name, we "become children of God." Really?
That's a promising thought!(5) But why are we not children of God from the get-go? One answer is Sin – we’ve opted out, each preferring our own kingship, wanting to be #1 in our universe. Another is to say that becoming part of His household requires our consent, an intentional choice. God the Father, who gave us a free will when he created us, will not kidnap us; He will not compel our choice. Indeed, it is truly our choice.
Children of God… his family, of his household, under his authority and care and provision and protection and nurture…. what an awesome thought!
The choice is ours. Why would I not want to be of God’s family, his household?
The phrase Children of God names for us our true home, our true identity, our true destiny.
- Our true home: heaven, where God lives – and evil can’t.
- Our true identity: sons and daughters of the Living God.
- Our true destiny: eternal life, that is, life with God, now and forever.
And so, it is most fitting that we call him “Father”...
If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy,
the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.C.S. Lewis
End Notes:
In The Beginning
(1) Or, as in the story of the Prodigal Son, return home… (Luke 11:15-32)
(2) Sovereign, from Merriam-Webster: supreme, unlimited, independent authority
(3) Genesis 1:28-29, 2:15…
(4) What does it mean to “receive” Jesus? I don’t think the standard evangelical answer is correct -- in demanding a turnkey confession of Christ as "Lord and Savior," we have jumped way ahead…. perhaps ahead of what Christ himself intended. Consider Revelations 3:20 – ….Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. "Opens the door" is a long way from full-blown confession! Often, Evangelicals ask too much of seekers, and themselves, with an approach that is less than respectful and other-centered, making understandably tenuous first steps both inaccessible and unrealistic. Instead, just open the door…
(5) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16