Where is it that we get our knowledge, and especially that of good and evil?
“9And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” – Genesis 2:9 (ESV)
God created all, even the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve had it really good as they lived and worked the garden. They had all they needed and everything was good and all they did was good and in the glory of God. There was no evil per se as they lived. They knew God and did all for Him and carried out His tasks for them. Until, that fateful day of going against the one rule God had been very explicit about; no eating from that tree. Once the tree was eaten from Adam and Eve knew right from wrong, good from evil, and so began the cover up.
A newborn child knows no evil, only the good and love that comes. The child learns through experiences and whereas they are responsible for their actions as being good, evil, right, or wrong, they also are given some latitude as they are ignorant to the validity of their actions. The unfortunate thing is that the child, unlike Adam and Eve, learns good and evil through those experiences. Thanks to Adam and Eve, we now know what is right and what is wrong.
It is my duty to take what I know about good, evil, right, and wrong and work toward the good and right. Since I know, I am accountable and responsible. I am not given latitude based on ignorance. I am now responsible to work daily, every hour, minute, and second to do the will of God and be good and right.
Since I am man, hard as I try, I will not always be good and right. Even though I may not be conscious of all of my actions and missteps, I will make mistakes. This is where the knowledge of good and evil come into play. It is my duty, since I know, to repent for where I have failed. I may not know of my specific failures, but I have and for that I have to repent. This is not a once a year or when I think of it type of repentance. I know of evil and wrong, know that I have in some way acted that way and for that I must not let it fester with God and repent daily for my transgressions.
God only wants good from me, but He also knows that I am man and therefore has made the provision for my redemption. I know of good and evil, right and wrong and thanks to God’s gift of salvation, I am redeemed.
When you look at your actions today, are you always aware of all of them and their impact to others? Are you conscious of your knowledge of good and evil? What if you were to approach the day armed with that knowledge and did all you could to remain good and right, and then at the end of the day, repented for those area where you missed the mark?
Trevor's Thoughts 