Why Did God Forbid the Knowledge Of Good?
Because The Knowledge of Good Kills God’s People Just As Effectively As The Knowledge Of Evil
There was a time when the doctrines of purgatory, indulgences, icon worship, Mary worship and many other teachings of the Catholic church were settled doctrine. In fact, in many instances, standing against these venerated dogmas put one at risk of death through torture. Men of the cloth condemned people to the stake for simply disagreeing with what they believed in. Can you imagine condemning someone to death for something you thought was heresy, but later found out to be God’s truth?
God says,
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 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.”
Gen 2:16,17
In the beginning, when all things were perfect, God denied mankind the knowledge of good and evil. It makes sense that God forbade the knowledge of evil, but why did He restrict our access to the knowledge of good?
Man cannot live by knowledge and please God
The reason that God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the forbidden fruit is that we can’t handle any knowledge by ourselves. When we start to decide what is right and wrong, we err. Instead of living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of YHWH, our own choices lead us in the ways of death. Eve’s decision to partake of the forbidden fruit ultimately killed everyone on earth, except eight people.
Many Christian believers also live their lives, not by faith in God’s voice, but by their understanding of His scripture. Like fearful children, they cower in the corner of this world fearing what might happen. Doctrinal boogiemen lurk at every corner, in every closet, under every bed, just waiting to snatch their eternal soul. Many “believers” live by the knowledge of good because they fear to trust the voice of their Father.
How can we claim to know God, yet fear to trust His voice?
The mere fact that many are so hesitant to trust the voice of God reveals they don’t personally know Him. Moreover, how can they claim to trust God when they mistrust His voice? It’s like without the scriptures to make them live righteously, they can barely keep the lid on sin that lurks inside them. However, where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. When we are led by His Spirit, He will not lead us into sin.
In short, the knowledge of good is killing people both spiritually and physically. When we distrust His voice we act like orphans. Everything becomes a “must do” instead of an “I want to”. Moreover, we tend to judge others by our own struggles, looking down our noses at those who possess freedoms we deny ourselves. Naturally, if they do the things we believe keep us from sinning, surely they will fail.
You cannot walk in the Spirit and live by the knowledge of good at the same time
You cannot walk in the Spirit and simultaneously cling to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The two are mutually exclusive. If you walk by knowledge, you cannot walk in the Spirit. If you walk in the Spirit, you cannot walk by knowledge. It is as simple as that.
In conclusion, the very thing that many believe will save them from sin is, in fact, condemning them for eternity. No man, wise in his own eyes, will make heaven his home. Only those who live by revelation, like Peter, will stand in that day of judgment.
Finally God says,
“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Revelation 21:17,18
Here is a truth,
I remember that God sent me as a prophet to a certain city. God performed signs through me and the whole area was moved by the Spirit of God. One person fell down at my feet, grabbed my ankles and declared “I will not let you go until you bless me!”. To say the least, that type of thing did not sit well with me. However, I realized that what God was doing through me was the closest most had every been to God and so just ignored the more demonstrative among them.
However, once God established me as a prophet in the eyes of the people, YHWH told them what He reall sent me to say. This is the message I said,
“repent of the hardness of your hearts towards the Branch Dividians and ask for their forgiveness.”
Being as I was in WACO Texas, that message did not go down very well. Overnight, I went from a prophet sent of God to a terrible person. Those who begged me to speak at their churches, now gave me a wide birth.
I believe that if Waco would have repented of their failure to protest what the Government did to the Branch Davidians, the Oklahoma bombing might never have happened.
The point I am making is this: do not welcome someone who God sends only to reject them when they say or do something you don’t agree with.
Sincerely,
Michael
Interesting. . . reminds me of John 7, when Jesus stood up halfway through the Feast of Tabernacles and began to teach in the temple courts. The Jews were amazed and said, “How did this man get such learning without having studied?” (John 7:15).
The Jews seemed to believe that no one could have learning or understanding without having studied; without having knowledge that seemed to come from the original tree in the garden – good or evil. But Jesus didn’t receive his understanding and learning that way. He walked the way God intended Adam and Eve to walk:
“Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me.'” (John 7:16). He only did what He saw His Father do and only said what He heard His Father say. It was His intimacy with the Father and Him knowing His Father’s voice that gave Him the insight and understanding that He had.
And interestingly, the way a person could tell that what Jesus said came from God was by them choosing to do God’s will. (John 7:16) Those who chose to do God’s will knew that what Jesus spoke was from God, not those who had “studied”. I think this is a good encouragement and caution for the Body of Christ, too.
Good insight – thanks for sharing!
Big hugs
Dear CL,
Insightful comment! This the crux of the issue isn’t it. People don’t trust God’s voice like Jesus did, therefore they tend to only go by what other people rather than trust what God says to them personally. Revelation that God gave to someone else, hundreds of years ago, becomes their standard.
Great comment!
Big hugs and lots of love,
Michael
Dear Connections,
Here is something that is very important for every Christian to know: if you reject God’s revelation you automatically embrace darkness. There is a misconception among believers that they can say no to God and remain where there are. This is simply not so. If God comes to you and you refuse to accept what His Spirit is saying to you, you must, of necessity, accept a darkening of your mind.
The great falling away is not a conscious acceptance of falsehood, but rather a conscious rejection of God. Those who fight against God’s love must accept hate in its place. Therefore, if Christ comes to you in the guise of your brethren and you chose to reject Him in them, you will be driven by the demons you have accepted to persecute them.
I cannot tell you how important what I have just told is. Time is running out and those who have oil will trim their lamps at midnight and those who don’t are left behind in a world without God.
Sincerely,
Michael King