The Knowledge of Good and Evil

"Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" (Genesis 3:22 NAS95)

Through their sin, Adam and Eve came to know good and evil by experience.   In contrast, God knew good and evil through his infinite wisdom.  In other words, while man knew sin by means of transgression, God knew it by means of transcendence.   He could see the thing called evil without being steeped in it.  God does not know evil by practice.  But He does understand and know its effects and consequences.  And, through the incarnation, Jesus would enter into our experience... bearing the effects of sin, but refusing to sin:

"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15 NAS95)

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21 NAS95)

Christ didn't know sin through practice.  He knew it through punishment.  He experienced the effects of sin that we might experience the effects of His righteousness.  He traded outcomes with us.  O Glory to God.

All this is to say...  Man knows evil by experience, God knows it by wisdom.  By a wisdom which takes our place.  By a wisdom which walks the painful path to Golgatha.  And a wisdom which cries out from the cross, "Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing."  

Prayer:  O thank You Jesus for showing us that wisdom is a deeper, fuller, and purer knowledge than our own transgressional experience of sin.  Thank You for graciously offering your wisdom today to everyone who asks:

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5 NAS95)   

This is not a cheap wisdom Lord.  It cost you your very life.  But it comes free to the asker.  You entered into our experience that we might receive the free gift of Your wisdom.  You became sin for us that we might not have to sin.  That we might not have to learn by experience, but that we could know and understand through the way of wisdom.  Through the way of the cross.  At calvary, You made it possible to learn through Your death, rather than us having to experience the second death.  You made it possible for us to die with You by faith, rather than dying apart from You for eternity.  O thank You Jesus.  Thank You for the way of wisdom.  Thank You for delivering us from the knowledge of personal experience, and bringing us into the knowledge of Your experience for us.  

May we accept Your knowledge of good and evil Jesus.  A knowledge which knows but does not partake.  A knowledge which is transcendent to evil.  Which sees what it is, but does not enter into it.  Yes Lord, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

And in so doing, may we see and understand your promise:

"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly." (Psalms 84:11 NAS95)

Yes Lord.  May we see through Your sacrifice the error of all the devil's lies.  May we understand that You have never withheld wisdom from us.  Rather, from the very beginning, You were seeking to spare us the painful knowledge of an experience filled with evil, wickedness, shame, guilt, murder, slander, theft, adultery, and every other vice.

No, You are not a God who withholds goodness.  Instead, You seek to bless us beyond belief.  And in case we would ever doubt, You gave us Your One and only Son on Calvary's cross.  

And to Him we pray, "Now lead us on dear Jesus, in the way of wisdom!"

My Way Out

"He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Ephesians 1:23 NAS95S)

Observation: Christ is the head over all things "to the church" or "for the good of the church." But who is the church?

Church is from the Greek word Ekklesia, which means congregation or assembly. This word ekklesia is a conjunction of Greek work ex, meaning from or out of and the Greek word kaleo, meaning to call, summon, or invite. So the church is the assembly of called out ones; those who have accepted the invitation to move from death to life through the good news of Christ's life, death, resurrection, and reign on high.

We are a people of the exodus... We follow in the footsteps of Jesus... As He met on the mount of transfiguration with Moses and Elijah He spoke with them about His departure (see Luke 9:31). The word departure is translated from the Greek word exodus which is conjunction of the words ex meaning out, and odos meaning way. Jesus was speaking of the way out; the glorious way. The way of the cross. The way of the tomb. The way of resurrection. The way out was a way through. Our God takes us out of trouble by delivering us through trouble. He is the God who goes with us. He meets us in our hour of need. He meets us in the deepest darkness and most besetting sin. He meets us where we feel weakest. He is our exodus... our way out.

Both Moses and Elijah are representative of those who experience the way out... Moses of those who experience the way out of the grave and Elijah of those who experience the way out of gravity. It's interesting that grave and gravity appear to have the same root. Both hold us down. And, Jesus came to defy both grave and gravity. He is the risen one. He rose from the grave and rose into heaven with His disciples gazing upward. He is the one and only superman... And one day, through him, we shall take to flight... Immortal... Rising up to meet him in the clouds. O the glory of His great escape; the grandeur of the Exodus... Jesus, He is the way. The way out. The way up. The way that defies both grave and gravity.

Yes, the wonder of it all! For even before exiting death, He exited glory. He left heaven; departing from splendor of the stars that we might enter into assembly of the saints. Leaving His Father to come to earth; coming for His bride. Coming to court the called out ones. To win us over. To extend the offer of engagement... Yes the mystery of this plan is contained in the ancient marital injunction:

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24 NAS95S)

The command to leave and cleave is also a foreshadowing of salvation. Christ left heaven to cleave to us. He left his Father to come for His bride. And as Adam slept that a rib might be taken for the creation of His bride, Jesus experienced death that the water and blood might bring forth His glorious bride the church. Yes his exit meant our entrance; His exile our fellowship. He was cut off that we might be grafted in. He was severed from the fellowship of the Father that we might saved. Hallelujah.

Prayer: Lord Jesus what a privilege to be Your church; to be called out of apathy and into passion; out of despair and into delight; out of death and into life. O thank You for leaving heaven. Thank You for teaching us the power of the exodus. Thank You for being our Exodus; our way out. Lord deliver me today. Deliver me from sin and selfishness. Deliver me from doubt. Take me out of mistrust and teach me to trust in the all sufficient sacrifice of Your shed blood. Teach me to trust in You Jesus... My beloved. My way out!