The trees of Life and Death

I was studying Genesis chapter 2 in order to teach elementary age children about God's creation of Adam and Eve, and I became captivated by the trees at the center of the garden (verse 9).  The first is "the Tree of Life", and the second is "the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil."  Theologians love to argue about God's reason for either tree being there.  The tree of Life seems almost an afterthought, and God does not seem to draw attention to it at all until He takes away man's access to it.

I don't know why I never saw this before, but it seems to me that God was presenting Adam with a choice.  Not just the choice to eat or not eat of the forbidden tree -- rather, WHICH tree would he choose?  of the tree of Knowledge, God said, "you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Gen 2:17  This tree could thus be called the tree of Death, making the choice between the tree of Life and the tree of Death.

We know the results of eating of the tree of Death because that's what Adam did, but what if he had chosen differently?  What if, instead of falling to temptation, he ate of the tree of life?  At a guess, the tree of Knowledge/Death would have been taken away and humanity would have had a very different history -- one without sin, one walked with God.

Looked at this way, other scriptures stand out as connected to this original choice.  Deuteronomy 30:15-20 for example also sets before the Israelites (and, I believe, the reader) to choose "Life, blessing, and prosperity"; or "Death and destruction".  As obvious as the choice would seem, we humans tend to choose the latter.

Ever since Jesus gave His life on the cross and rose again, each man and woman has that same choice:  Life (through Christ) or Death (through man and the world).  Unfortunately, because Adam chose Death, our natural tendency is to do the same.  God must change our hearts and give us a new nature to choose Life.

Why then did God not make the choice clear?  Why did He call it the "Tree of Knowledge" etc.?  I think if He had called it the tree of Death and not attached any apparent value to it, Adam would not have had a real choice.  For example, if I plant a tree that has poisonous fruit that smell and taste terrible (or at least are unappealing), then I tell my children not to eat of it, they are unlikely to be tempted by it.  However, if the tree's fruit seem to have some benefit and look and even smell good, then when I tell my children not to eat it they must choose:  obey their father and trust his good will or disobey and find out for themselves.  Adam decided to disobey, and we have all found out for ourselves what good and evil are, and what death feels like.

And what of the serpent?  Why did God allow him into the garden?  His only goal seemed to be to lead man astray.  Again, I think he was a part of the test.  As the tempter, trying to draw man away from God, he was (is?) something of a counterbalance to God.  In the end, there is only one way to eternal joy, but God, desiring our love, gave Adam the choice of whether to give it.

Healing

September 22, 2018 was my and my wife's 17th anniversary.  The next day was a Sunday, and I went to church where the preacher taught how husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the church.  I had heard the message many times, but I tried to pay attention anyway.  Almost as an aside, he said that we should each draw a circle around ourselves and work on everybody inside the circle.  At that moment, I felt God lean over and whisper, "everything and everyone outside your circle are your circumstances."

Suddenly, everything and everyone outside my own skin had a new name.  Circumstances.  I have worked for many years to deal with my circumstances with serenity, wisdom and strength, taking life as it comes and accepting the bad and good from God's hand.  But some things and people I did not see that way, such as my kids and especially my wife.  I had always considered them to be in my "circle", a part of me, so to speak.  In a moment, I found myself on the other side of a solid line from her feelings ... especially the anger that had always terrified me.  To be fair, everyone's anger terrified me, as did the possibility of anger or judgment.  That fear was a constant in my life, and I had come to accept it as part of who I am.

After the sermon, I sought out the pastor and shook his hand, thanking him for the timely illustration, and explaining how God had revealed that truth to me at a new level.  He was surprised, but gratified.

Over the following week, I began to realize that this revelation was pivotal and had greater ramifications than I had imagined.  Sunday night, my wife and I had a fight, and instead of shutting down as I was wont to do, I lashed back at her in anger.  I said some mean things and hurt her feelings -- at the time, that was my goal.  The next day, I cooled off and decided I should apologize for my actions and try to make amends.  I bought a "fall" bouquet from a florist and brought it to her. I knew she might well reject it, but she accepted the flowers and the apology.

I realized over the next few weeks that I was feeling a range of normal emotions, including disappointment, irritation, joy, gladness, and frustration, but one thing was missing:  constant and crippling anxiety, especially regarding my wife's emotions.  This anxiety and fear carried in its wake deep frustration and bitterness, against which I had struggled for many years.  But now I felt ... calm.  She is outside the circle, along with all the negative emotions and judgments (real or perceived).  I don't have to let them in when they knock because ... I finally know that they don't live here.  In fact, my circle has become my safe space:  I can let the good in and reject entrance to the harmful.  I feel like a man who grew a new skin after living without skin for many years, fearing the pain of unprotected nerves brushing against another.

At the moment God spoke to me, it was as if the anxiety, fear, and insecurity that had been log-jammed in my heart were suddenly broken up and flowed away, as He tapped just the right log at just the right place.  I have cried out to God, "Lord thank you!  But why did you wait so long to heal me?"  He has not answered, but I know He has His reasons, and I am just thankful that I am healed.

And now a confession: if, before my healing, you had asked me to describe my wife in a word, I would have said "unstable."  However, in the weeks since my healing we have had disagreements and other incidents that would have "set her off", but they did not.  I have come to the painful realization that I had a massive blind spot in my treatment of my wife: I was a major destabilizing factor for her (I do not understand this yet).  She has noticed a significant difference in my behavior, and she feels safer around me, more able to confide in me than she was before.

I grieve for the years stacked upon years wrecked by my dysfunction.  I sorrow for the people I have thus hurt, including an ex-wife who finally couldn't stand me and a second wife who held on anyway.  I do not like that man I was, which is one thing he and I have in common.  Now I praise God that "I am no longer a slave to fear; I am a child of God." (as sung by Jonathan and Melissa Hesler), and I pray fervently that He never allow me to go back.

But though I may grieve the past, my hope for the future is incomparably brighter than before.  In fact, I have received the answer to my tearful cry, "God, where is my joy?"  I HAVE FOUND IT.

Judgment

I still love my country.  Even though she cast aside all the things her parents taught her, ran off to Hollywood to become a porn star, cursed God with upraised fist, and even killed her own children.  I want the best for her: that she be strong, wealthy and beautiful.  

For many years a crescendo of voices has warned her that she can't get away with her increasingly hedonistic lifestyle forever.  They have warned her she will lose her wealth, strength, and beauty; now they warn her she is in danger of unmitigated judgment.  

However, I see now that judgment is not (just) in her future. It has come.  She has lived a very sheltered life; she has fought wars and they were always far away.  At home she slept in safety.  But now that shelter has been removed. She has been given over to those who hate her and would see her brought down to ruin.  We saw this starkly on 9/11, when those who call her the "Great Satan" slipped through her defenses to destroy the symbols of her majesty.  God allowed this to humble her, so that she would come to her senses and run back to His arms.  but she refused to be brought low and rebuilt in defiance.

But her enemies are not just from distant lands.  They are also from within, and it is increasingly clear that, because of her stubbornness, God has allowed those who hate her to rule over her. 

Over time we have learned that some of our highest leaders were taught by the likes of Bill Ayers, who personifies the "America deserves to fall" school of thought.  These people have solidified their hold on our nation's leadership, using crises to consolidate power and (most recently) bring harm, as evidenced by their responses to ISIS and Ebola.

But how on earth could those who hate America come to control her?  Because God could not get her attention or humble her, He blinded her, allowing her to believe obvious lies as they drew her into their snares.  She has been drugged by promises and sweet words and even now cannot believe her leaders would really mean to harm her.

America is now ripe for the "fundamental transformation" promised to her.  But that transformation is not to greater glory, which she had and traded away; it is to destruction and shame.  And when America falls, to where will we run for safety and prosperity?  She has become the lynchpin of the world, and the fortunes of all nations have become intertwined with hers.

When "the system" of America collapses, the world will not stand back and cluck their tongues, they will fall also.  "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more" Rev. 18:11.  The suffering will be great and it will be worldwide.

And it will not be limited to economic prosperity.  As that lynchpin is sheared off, the "gate" of her mighty military will no longer hold back the evil political powers of this world.  Iran, North Korea, Russia, China, and others will know that no one will stop them from whatever they decide to do.  Now, they test her and even defy her in small ways.  Then, they will ignore her ... or worse.

But even in the midst of judgment, God always offers hope.  As the prophet wrote, "'Even now,' declares the LORD, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.'  Rend your heart and not your garments.  Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity." Joel 2:12-13.

The answer to all this -- the only way to avoid calamity and judgment -- is not changing politicians.  It is repentance and revival: "Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast.  Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.  Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar.  Let them say, 'Spare your people, O LORD.  Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations.  Why should they say among the peoples, "Where is their God?"'  Then the LORD will be jealous for His land and take pity on His people." Joel 2:16-18

The warning and the promise were to a nation whom God loves but who were under judgment.  This is no less true now, for us, than it was then and for Israel.

Glory

I enjoy giving my kids nice things.  To see their faces light up warms my
heart, and to see them living well by my provision gives me satisfaction
and joy.  However, if my child takes something from me without asking, I
am not happy, and if he or she were to steal, for example, cash from my
wallet to buy a toy or a hamburger, I would be very unhappy.

The Bible talks in similar terms about God's glory.  On the one hand, he
says "I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to
another..." Isa 42:8.  If we attempt to keep for ourselves the glory that
belongs to God, we dishonor Him and He is righteously angry.  However, if
we yield ourselves to Him and give Him glory for all the wonderful things
he has done, Peter says we "also will share in the glory to be revealed" 1
Peter 5:1 and we "will receive the crown of glory that will never fade
away." 1 Peter 5:4

We humans have, since the Fall, by nature been prone to stealing from God
what is His, especially glory.  However, if we humble ourselves before Him
He will exalt us (Matt 23:12).

As our Lord said, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father,
whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me." John 8:54  Yet I
think this is true for His servants as well.  Glory we take for ourselves
amounts to nothing in the end.  The glory He gives us as participants in
His own glory ... means everything.

Predestination

Dr. R.C. Sproul recently preached on the topic of predestination, a subject that has always been unpleasant to me, and to most people I think. I've always considered the concept of predestination to be at odds with man's free will (which is extremely important to each of us!),so that one cannot have both. But man's will is attached to his fallen nature, and therefore how could we choose God by our own will? We are a "slave to sin", (Romans 6:15). Only by His will can we be set free of that slavery. And as He sets us free we are able to respond in the affirmative to His invitation.

And it's not analogous to a drowning man to whom God throws a life-saving rope, but rather a dead man, already drowned (in the Fall). Dead men do not have the strength or desire to receive aid, but must be brought back to life first (Ephesians 2:5).

Add to that the fact that His choice to save someone has nothing to do with that person's inherent value or good deeds, past or future. Rather, it is according to "His good pleasure" (Ephesians 1), and it is good because He is good; not arbitrary or capricious or evil as man is wont to be. Otherwise we could not hope in Him.

This is a very difficult concept, because it demonstrates that He truly is the "author and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2), and we can do naught but receive it (and that only by His grace) and give Him glory.

Dr. Sproul also explained that what is grace for us is justice for Christ, for He died for our sins with the promise that He would receive the purified Church as His bride, and each of us individually as His "brothers". The analogies aren't perfect because what's truly going on in the spiritual realm is complex and in many ways alien to our understanding.

One important note: it has been argued that predestination negates the usefulness of evangelism, but the fact is that God has commanded us to preach the gospel because He has chosen to save His elect through the preaching and evangelism of men. And He specifically does not tell us either who will be or who is made alive. We are like the wheat and tares in His parable (Matt 13:24-30); not to be separated until the Judgment. Therefore we do play a role, even though He must do most of it for us.

As you can see, my mind was changed, though it is still a very difficult concept for me. But if we are to worship a holy and infinite God, we can't be afraid of facing and accepting ideas that are beyond our understanding.

Religious "tolerance" and Christianity

Okay, now I'm out of good poems (well I hope you thought they were good, otherwise nevermind); I'll add more if I write any, but since I haven't done so in several years, I'm not holding my breath. Instead you will get my take on what, I believe are important discussions about the Christian faith. Like this one...


People of other religions (or none) often talk of the need for "religious tolerance", and they usually point to Christians as a great hindrance to this goal. But why are many Christians vehemently opposed to tolerance of all religions?

I think the answer has to do with belief versus Truth. Most world religions depend on the belief of people: they present a set of precepts and followers can take them or leave them, or mix and match, and it doesn't really matter too much. In such cases, it really is easy to be tolerant of others' beliefs and to agree that all religions are equal.

Yet if all religions are equal as they claim, then all religions are false, the wishful imaginings of an ephemeral species, alone in a doomed universe. Because various religions teach various things about gods, god, or no-god. And even with the Universalist's claim that each religion is a window to some aspect of God's revealed personality, we are left with a god who contradicts himself, is confused, easily manipulated, and no god at all. Which, again, stinks of wishful thinking.

However, Christianity stands out (Islam and Judaism also, but they are beyond the scope of this discussion) because Christianity is about ultimate Truth that governs the universe outside and the heart and mind inside man. While liberal Christians will protest, our faith is based on the authority of the Bible as God's word, but it is also grounded in history. This historical foundation is critical, because if those men who wrote down the Scriptures never really lived, or if Jesus really did not say those things He is quoted as saying, Christianity has no claim to ultimate Truth and is truly equal to all other religions.

But if those men really did live, and if Jesus really did say those things, then our faith is grounded in history and not just made-up legends. And if this is the case, we must deal with Jesus very seriously, because He said some extremely provocative things, such as "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) So if we are to take Him at His word, then we must acknowledge that no other "way" can lead to God, and therefore no other religion can hold the Truth.

Liberal Christians like to gloss over such uncomfortable statements, but in doing so they do Him a terrible disservice, one that I do not believe will be overlooked.

** For an exhaustive discussion of the objective truth of Jesus and his apostles, I recommend Josh McDowell's book, The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict. It's a huge tome because there's a lot to cover, but an invaluable resource.

Commonly misunderstood fundamentals of orthodox Christianity

I was planning to write on the most widely held *incorrect* beliefs about Christianity, but I don't like to "reinvent the wheel", so a little research was in order first, which turned up this web page. I have not yet read other pages in the site, and this page references those extensively, but the theology is sound, and the teaching is clear.

Misconceptions include:
* We get to heaven based on how good we are here on earth.
* Once we become a Christian, being saved by God’s gift of grace, it does not matter what we do.
* The New Testament was written long after the events took place and are thus subject to legends being inserted into the text.
* The God of the Bible is immoral.

I recommend this page for anyone, believer or non-believer. Test yourself on these points. If you disagree with the author, pray to God and search the Bible. It is there so that we do not have to depend exclusively on other men's word.