When I used to read that verse, I automatically thought “O.K., there is a good tree and a bad tree. All I have to do is choose the good tree. Simple.” So, I could represent the trees like this:
Actually, it is not that simple. Let’s look at those trees a little closer. The name of the “bad” tree is The tree of knowledge…<Stop there. Think about that.> ...of good and evil. In other words, there is a way of living that is apart from God’s way (tree of life). You have a choice. You can live from your own knowledge deciding what is good and evil. The tree of knowledge of good and evil represents us using our own strength, understanding, and resources to manage our life. Using our own resources to manage life is called “living in the flesh.” It is living apart from God’s way, which means apart from Truth, apart from Love and apart from His Power.
What happens when we live from our own strength? The Bible has a lot to say about us using our own strength:
Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. ~Psalm 146:3
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help
And rely on horses,
And trust in chariots because they are many
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord! ~Isaiah 31:1-3
All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls off,
But the word of the Lord endures forever. ~1 Peter 1:24-25
Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord. ~Jeremiah 17:5
Flesh is our problem. It hinders God’s purpose for us. There is a good-looking flesh and a bad-looking flesh, but both of them lead to failure.
We are all born predisposed to live in the flesh. We have to learn how to live from the Tree of Life. And even if you had Christian parents, you will still need to receive His Spirit personally, and learn to live from His Life. Remember me saying “Because Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, all of their progeny have that defective spirit. God offers to replace that defective spirit with His Spirit.” Christian parents can’t give their new regenerated spirit to their children. The Bible teaches us in John 3:6--
If flesh is our problem, where does Satan come in? Isn’t he the cause of us believing lies? Satan is actually NOT the problem. If we are living from God’s power and remaining in the Truth, Satan will have no power over us. Apart from God, we are vulnerable to Satan’s lies. We are also vulnerable to our own lusts. And lusts are not necessarily ugly.
I can act loving, but I won’t be loving because I won’t be living from the power of the one who is love. Remember this from the last post:
Lies from my enemy:
“If you only did this, things would go well with you.”
“If you only did that, things would go well with you. “
“If you only did more for your kids”
“If you only did more for your husband”
“If you only did more to earn more money,”
“If…”
“Try harder! Do more! You’re not good enough!”
I can use all of my strength to try to meet the needs of my family, but without God’s power it profits me nothing! I end up in bondage, unhappy and depressed. And my family receives no lasting benefit.
So, let’s look at those two trees again. Here is a more accurate representation:
The tree of knowledge is divided in half because there is a good-looking side and a bad-looking side. I hope to show you in upcoming posts how both sides lead to bondage and failure. I know that doesn’t sound appealing, but we are so predisposed to live from the flesh that it is only after a complete understanding of the insufficiency of self-sufficiency that we are willing to surrender to God. When we get to that point, it is awe-inspiring. Death of self-sufficiency, and New Life in Christ. He turns our mourning into dancing!
Prayer: Father, I see that there are two ways of living. But it is not a good way and a bad way. It is a dependence on self or a dependence on the Spirit. I pray that you would continue to reveal this truth to me.
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