Knowing Good and Evil
Right now, in much of Christianity, there is a fundamental flaw that is practiced everyday which is destroying Christians. In fact, I would say that this is the single most destructive force in religion besides sin. So, what is it? I will tell you,.
It is living by the knowledge of good.
It is written,
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
Genesis 2:17
God commanded Adam and Eve not to partake of the knowledge of what?
GOOD and EVIL.
Both types of knowledge were forbidden. Why, because God knew it would bring about death to those who ate it. Therefore, from scripture, we learn through the Holy Spirit that the knowledge of good as well as the knowledge of evil will kill you.
Mankind was created to be one with God. We were never intended to live independent of our Father or conduct our lives through our natural minds and intellects. Unfortunately, Adam broke that “oneness” and it was not fully restored until the last adam, Jesus Christ, lived. Christ lived a sinless life through revelation and that is why Jesus said to Satan,
“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4
Many people insert “Scriptures” for proceed out of the mouth God. However, scripture is just a small portion of what proceeds out of the mouth of God. Noah built an entire ark and saved the world without a Bible. Abraham, the father of our faith, obey God and it counted to him as righteous, without owning a Bible. Moses, delivered the children of Israel without a Bible or quoting one scripture. How did these men of faith know the will of God without a Bible? They did mighty exploits in God simply through listening to every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God. What did these man have in common? They lived by revelation borne of relationship with the Revelation Giver! God spoke these words to Moses,
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea”
Exodus 14:15
What is the knowledge of good?
God says,
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Proverbs 14:12
You conscience is the knowledge of good and Evil
The result of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was that Adam and Eve received a conscience. No longer did they live by direct revelation from God but now they determine, through their consciences, what was right and wrong. This is why Adam and Even covered their nakedness. God said,
“And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?”
Genesis 3:9-11
Instead of letting God decide whether or not they needed to be covered, Adam and Eve, through their consciences, determined that they needed to hide what their Father created.
Don’t be wise in your own eyes
It is knowledge that seems right to the natural man’s mind. It is The type of knowledge that makes men wise in their own eyes. Universities are citadels to this type of forbidden fruit. That is why so many young Christian believers lose their faith when they seek a higher education. The knowledge of good…and hear me on this…is man’s reasoning in the absence of a direct relationship with their heavenly Father.
The problem with many theologians is an intellectual reading of the scriptures without the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is men full of intellectual pride demanding that everyone else follow their systematic knowledge of good laid out in countless doctrines that deny God’s sovereignty. The knowledge of good refuses to let you hug a crying woman when her brother has passed away because you would be alone with her and she is not your wife. The knowledge of good makes you shun someone because they have fallen into sin and your pastor says that bad company corrupts good morals. The knowledge of good is anything that we figure out based upon what seems right to us.
What is knowledge through revelation?
Revelation is knowledge given By God through whatever means He prefers. He can give us revelation through many different ways. Here is a partial list.
First and foremost, through His son Jesus Christ and then,
2. An audible voice
3. A voice inside your mind
4. A feeling in your heart or stomach
5. Through scripture: either personally or hearing it read
6. Through circumstances you encounter or people tell you about
7. Through other people speaking to you: saved or sometimes unsaved
8. Through an angel(s), dreams. visions, movies, songs, billboards, An Ass (a donkey), an odd line, phrase, or sentence of a book, a burning bush, a pillar of fire and smoke, tongues and interpretation of tongues, prophets, the gift of prophecy, the gift of discernment, through the gift of the world of knowledge.
Only God is good
Jesus said,
“And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.”
Mark 10:18
The only way we can know good, being not good ourselves, is through listening to the voice of the one who is good: God. We are to live by the only knowledge that God ever wanted man to have, i.e. the knowledge of His nature that He gives us through revelation. This is the only way that God designed us to function and any other knowledge, whether we think it is good or evil, brings death.
Spirit Led vs Doctrine led
A friend of mine, when asked about her statement of faith said, “I am Spirit led, not doctrine led.” “Wow,” I thought, “that about sums it up.” That is one of the most powerful statements I have heard in a long, long time. Doctrine is only relevant if it is given by the Holy Spirit at the time that it is needed. Where theologians have gone wrong is that they endeavor to encapsulate, systematize, and crystallize their knowledge of good. They seek to “set in stone” what the scriptures mean according to how they understand good through their natural minds. This has brought and continues to bring death to those who become steeped in man’s theology about the scriptures. We were never meant to know good and evil. We were created by God to live only by revelation. It is when we ceased to live by revelation that Adam and Eve died both spiritually and eventually physically.
Go on a knowledge diet
In conclusion, through the knowledge of “good” people can get so bound up in what they believe that they cannot obey the Spirit of the One they believe in! I counsel you to stop eating death and to start partaking of the Spirit of Life. Put down what you think and start listening to the God who will tell us what to think, what to believe, and how to behave. The knowledge of good kills the spirit and will ultimately damn many people who think they are God’s chosen to eternal torment because they did not do the will of their Father.
I had not really seen that before, i know i have leaned towards wanting to learn the ‘Truth’, or ‘Right Knowledge’ instead of just going with the flow of God, and invariably its left me frustrated and more confused than ever. It is a good thing to realise that this is the case though, that is advancement in itself.
Has me think on the ‘teaching is feeding’. It is important where ya get your food from. Like don’t eat stale food i’m thinking. Which then led me onto how what was once fresh and nourishment before, has actually become poisonous almost because your not advancing in your relationship/walk/journey with God.
I have said before I think that I don’t believe the bible should have ended at the last full stop, end of Revelation, we should have 2000 years of Gods Word to be gleaming over instead of it being hidden away for people to treasure seek out. But then if you didn’t treasure seek, you wouldn’t have the adventure of finding it.
I much prefer personal relationship with God now, than just bible knowledge. Period.
If it was a choice between the two, I would choose relationship with God, and get rid of the bible if I had to. Because I serve God not a book.
Dear Kingdomsheir,
I just love to be in the flow of God’s revelation. Understanding comes so easy and clearly. I remember, before I was spirit filled, that even reading the Bible was difficult. Now, things just fit together and make sense, not through my intellect, but simply by listening to what He reveals.
When I read what other people say who are waking in the Spirit it feeds me. I find it naturally interesting and revelatory. I hear my Father’s voice. Can you imagine the explosion of revelation and understanding in God’s word if hundreds of people got together and truly allowed God to flow to them and through them? No wonder the Manchild puts the Devil in the ground for a 1000 years. I can’t wait!
God bless,
Michael