“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

             -Romans 5:8

If you want to be amazed, then stop and think for a few moments on the incredible love of God. Few things are as unbelievable, and yet even fewer things more real. Though the Scriptures tell us He was “despised and rejected of men” (Isaiah 53:3), He nevertheless endured the cross on our behalf  that we might be reconciled to God through His blood and enjoy everlasting life with Him (Hebrews 2:17; John 17:2, 3). He demonstrated the greatest kind of love one can possess despite our obvious inability to ever earn grace or forgiveness, and promises that many more blessings will follow to those who put their trust in Him.

What makes this kind of love so amazing? The simple fact that we don’t deserve it. As humans, we are all members of a fallen race (Romans 5:12-14) and the thought that an infinite, holy, and eternal God would even take the time to notice – let alone die for – us should baffle our minds completely. We have nothing to offer Him that He doesn’t already possess, because, as Matthew 5:48 so plainly states, He is perfect. We don’t complete Him, but are in desperate need of His grace and mercy to complete us (Colossians 2:10).

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”

                         -I John 4:9

On this Good Friday, when people around the world are commemorating Christ’s death on the cross, let each of us be reminded of the amazing and undeserved love that was demonstrated by God the Son on that day some 2,000 years ago. He did what no one else could do and what few others would do: He died for us (Romans 5:7). God, in all of His power and glory, stooped to our level so that we could be raised up to His (Ephesians 2:6). That, my friend, is amazing love.

 

 

“Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”

             -Hebrews 2:17

Last night I lay in bed meditating on this passage of Scripture and, just as I was about to fall asleep, an amazing thought occurred to me: we serve a God Who is both mercifully faithful and faithfully merciful. It is because of His mercy that He loves us, and yet because of His love that we are shown mercy. Though none of us could ever deserve forgiveness, the price for our redemption has been fully paid by Jesus Christ, our High Priest, and all we must do is repent and believe the Gospel in order to obtain it (Luke 13:3; Romans 10:9).

Though critics of our faith often say they won’t believe in God until He comes down from heaven and appears to them physically, they fail to realize that, for 33 years, that’s exactly what He did. The Word was made flesh, we beheld His glory, and then crucified it (John 1:5, 14). It’s never been about us lacking good reason to believe, but rather that people often reject the evidence God has already given and then blame Him for their own doubts. Like the Jews who wanted a sign of Christ’s deity after they’d just watched Him miraculously feed 5,000 people (John 6:30), it’s foolish of us to look any further than the cross in our search for God’s love. 

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

           -Romans 5:8

Unlike the brand of love we see at work in today’s world, love in its purest form cannot be expressed in words; it can only be proven by our actions. This is the type of love that filled the heart of our Heavenly Father, moving Him to demonstrate His undying affection for us by dying a sinner’s death on a cross at the hands of those He created. Such a love could never begin to be understood if all we had was the verbal promise of its existence. Of course some would probably still believe in it, but could we ever truly comprehend it? Now that we have such clear evidence that it does indeed exist, we are finally able to“comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)

 

 

 

 

“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

             -Malachi 3:6

When I look back over the course of my 17 years on this earth, I realize there have been very few things in my life that have remained constant. People I thought I could count on have wavered, and things I assumed would always be there were taken away. In some of those cases the hurt came as a result of being done wrong by a friend or family member, and at other times it was really my own fault for building my hopes on an unsteady foundation and putting faith in something that couldn’t possibly meet my expectations. At any rate, I’ve learned from experience that Jesus Christ is the only One Who never changes, and that any foundation other than Him truly is sinking sand (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

              -Hebrews 13:8

In spite of our ever-changing surroundings, God uses those things to give us a clearer picture of His own steadfastness. Scriptures like these give us the assurance that, if God answered our prayers yesterday, then He will answer them again today. They give us hope that the very God of peace (1 Thessalonians 5:23) Who brought us through yesterday’s heartaches will bring us through today’s trials, and that if He was a miracle-worker 2,000 years ago then He most certainly is today. Even when humanity’s perception of Him changes, the Lord remains “…the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.” As James wrote in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

“I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for He is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall be even unto the end.”

            -Daniel 6:26

Whatever you are going through today – whether the mountain is under your feet or in front of your face – be reminded that God is the only One truly worthy of our full faith and devotion. People will let you down and circumstances will disappoint you, but God remains faithful from everlasting to everlasting. His truth endureth to all generations (Psalm 103:17; Psalm 100:5).

 

In Isaiah 64:6 we are reminded that, “…we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf.”  Those are powerful words and should completely obliterate any pride that might otherwise take root in our lives, and yet oftentimes we forget the significance of what this verse is telling us. It is only when we come to the humbling realization that our own righteousness is as a filthy rag in contrast to God’s that the words of David in Psalm 8:4 can really take on their full meaning: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?”

“Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

              -Isaiah 6:5

Most people consider themselves to be decent and moral individuals, and, judging by the world’s standards, perhaps they are. If we compare ourselves to men like Adolf Hitler or even the neighbor across the street, it’s easy to feel proud of our accomplishments and perceived morality; yet when we examine ourselves in the light of God’s absolute holiness, we can do nothing less than echo Isaiah’s words, “Woe is me! For I am undone…for mine eyes have the seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

              -Isaiah 1:18

Not only is God holy; He is eternally holy. He has always been and will forever be without fault. Those without Christ, on the other hand, “…grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.” (Isaiah 59:10) Even those with Christ are nothing more than members of a fallen race, made to “sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” through grace and grace alone (Ephesians 2:6, 8), so that no flesh should glory in His presence (1 Corinthians 1:28, 29). It’s not that we’re innocent; we’re simply forgiven. Let us never be so deceived to believe that it’s the other way around.

 

When God does something, He does it right. When He created the universe, He didn’t just throw a few planets into space and hope that everything turned out alright, but instead took great care in ensuring that everything came together in perfect order. Even when He created me and you, He made certain that everything was just the way He wanted it. No job was left undone.

You see, God is a perfectionist (Matthew 5:48), and perfection is therefore His standard. Even Earth itself was created in perfect condition. I would imagine that prior to the fall of mankind, flowers were always in bloom, birds were always singing, and Adam and Eve always smiling. God’s standard of perfection was met in every aspect of Creation, and nothing ever went wrong. But we all know that this didn’t last, and mankind eventually became what it is today: greedy, selfish, and hateful.

Nevertheless, God’s standard remains the same. Perfection has always been His standard, and will continue to be. This means that He isn’t satisfied with lukewarm Christian’s, or half-hearted saints. He wants full devotion and absolute dedication so that He can complete the work He has begun in you, carrying it out to completion (Philippians 1:6). He wants to perfect each of us(Matthew 5:48)!

When serving God, don’t hold anything back. When He returns, He is coming back for a people “…not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” (Ephesians 5:27) His standard of perfection will be fully met, and if we hold back we’re going to miss out.

As a final thought, let us remember the words of Christ in Matthew 24:42-44

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

 

I often think about how blessed I am to know, and have a relationship with, the one true God. Countless millions blindly worship false gods that they believe will one day grant them eternal life, not realizing the truth of John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life..."

We don't serve a God we created; we serve a God that created us. We don't have a God that we deserve; but we have a God that loves us anyway. Without a doubt, He is the one true God.  

"There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God."

                                                        -I Samuel 2:2 

Last Monday I had the opportunity to sing this song at a homeschool gathering. Even though I've sung it countless times, the words still ring true in my life and I hope that you'll enjoy it.




V.1.
I don't have a God I can put on a stand,
Or a God I hold in the palm of my hand;
I have a God that's holding me.
I don't have a God that I can create
In the place I live with the money I make;
I have a God that made everything.

Pre-chorus
So I don't need a temporary man-made deity,
When I've got the real thing, I've got the real thing.

Chorus
He's the Lord of all the earth,
The maker of all things;
He alone is the one true God.
Kingdoms rise and fall,
But even through it all,
He remains the one true God.

V.2.
I don't have a thing that I got on my own;
I don't have a care that I carry alone,
But I have a God that's carrying me.
I don't have sin that He didn't forgive,
And I don't have a heart that is worthy of His;
But I have a God that still loves me.

Pre-chorus
So I don't need a temporary man-made deity,
When I've got the real thing, I've got the real thing.




Note: I do not own the copyrights to this song. Please obtain permission from the rightful owner before use.

The process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, or of a bird migrating thousands of miles somehow knowing that it's going in the right direction, should cause each one of us to say with the Psalmist, "This is the LORD's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes." (Psalm 118:23)

We serve an awesome God. The things that we stand in awe of, He created by the word of His mouth. Truly, He is a God of wonders.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.".

                        -Psalm 19:1-3

"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there."

                            -Psalm 139:7-8 

Just like His omniscience, God's omnipresence is something that can cause either fear or peace depending on who you are. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they tried to hide from His presence, not realizing that doing so is as impossible as a fish hiding from water. The presence of the Lord cannot be hid from or avoided; He is everywhere.

No matter where we are or what we go through in life, God is there. Just like the sun is always shining, even when we can't see it, God is always there, even when we can't feel Him. I think the song by Third Day says it best:

Like the rain that falls to the earth below
Watering the seed to grow
So it is with Your precious word, O Lord
It won't return until I know that


You're everywhere
You're everywhere


Like the wind that blows no one really knows
From where it comes or where it goes
So it is with your Holy Spirit, Lord
Falling down on us to show that


(You're everywhere) Like the rain that's falling
(You're everywhere) Like the wind that's blowing
(You're everywhere) Like the sun upon my face
I feel the warmth in Your embrace
You are everywhere


My Lord, now I truly know
That I could never go from Your presence
My God, You are everywhere
From the lowest depths to the heavens
You're always there*

*You're Everywhere - Third Day
  Copyright 2000 New Spring Publishing, Inc.

"Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."

                            Genesis 18:14 

In view of our own weaknesses and shortcomings, it is somewhat difficult to imagine a God Who's power is limitless. Even in the current age of mind-boggling technological advancements, we still have to flip a switch in order to turn on the light, turn on the faucet to fill a glass full of water, and tend a garden to make plants grow. God, on the other hand, simply spoke the words and created light. His very command was enough to make the seas, the forests and plants, not to mention all the other objects of creation. As humans, we feel as if we have accomplished something great if we can get our dog to listen to what we say, let alone creation itself!

"Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them."

                            -Luke 4:40

The healings that Jesus performed while on this earth are one of the greatest Biblical examples of His omnipotence that we have. Not once will we find a verse that says a certain person's illness was too severe to be healed, or that Christ was unable to meet that individual's physical need. He healed "all manner of sickness" (Matthew 4:23).

I've often wondered how Luke, who was a physician, must have felt after talking with those who had been healed by the hand of Jesus. Perhaps some of these same people had visited his own office at one time seeking medical treatment, only to be told there was none available. Could it be that Luke was at Lazarus' bedside when he died, using his years of accumulated knowledge in an attempt to save his life, only to see his best efforts fail? And then four days later, a man named Jesus comes by and reverses death itself! What a humbling experience to know that what was too difficult for him, Christ was able to do effortlessly!


Like Luke, we are anything but omnipotent. But how wonderful it is to know that, though we may be incapable of doing a lot of things, our heavenly Father possesses power beyond our wildest imagination! Nothing is too hard for Him.

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."

                            -Hebrews 13:8 

Few of God's attributes are of more comfort to us than His immutability. He has never, and will never, change. This means that the same promises He made thousands of years ago are just as applicable to us today as they were the day they were spoken. We have no reason to worry that He may "change His mind", because God's mind is not subject to change concerning those things.

"For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."

                            -Malachi 3:6

Times may change, people may change, but our God will never change. If He was faithful yesterday, He will be faithful today; and if He is faithful today, He will also be faithful tomorrow. Unlike many of us, His faithfulness is not affected by varying circumstances. If it's written in the Bible, we can stand on it though all hell assail us.

For all eternity past, God has remained the same. Why would we expect Him to change now?

"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"

                            -Numbers 23:19

"I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee."

                            -Job 42:2 

For many people, the omniscience of God is a scary thing. They tremble at the idea of their every thought being known to their Creator because, in most cases, those thoughts are wicked and immoral. Instead of finding their delight in the law of the Lord (Psalm 1:2), they are like those in the day of Noah who thought upon only evil things continually (Genesis 6:5). Those people have every reason to be afraid, for one day they will give an account to God for their actions as well as their thoughts. And while God's omniscience may cause the unsaved to be fearful, the Christian can take comfort in knowing his/her God knows all things.

"Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."

                            -Matthew 6:8 

The Lord knows all of our needs even before we ask Him to meet them. Because of this, He is able to answer our prayers before we even speak (Isaiah 65:24)! Not only that, but He knows all of our secret fears and weaknesses, and thus can strengthen us in those areas before we even realize we are in need of help. Truly, the omniscience of our heavenly Father is a consolation, not something to be afraid of.

Though God's immeasurable knowledge ought to motivate each of us to purify our hearts (not just our conduct), it should also give us an increased sense of joy and peace to know that there is no problem He cannot solve, no answer He cannot supply, and no hurt He cannot understand. Nothing is too hard for Him and, when the storms of life come our way, we can take comfort in the fact that, though we may not understand it all, He does.

"His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.
Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God."

                            -John 16:29-30 

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True..."

                            -Revelation 19:11

My Bible reading this week has found me in Genesis 37-50: the story of Joseph. Ironically, my post on God's faithfulness falls right in the middle of my study of a man who experienced this faithfulness like few others ever have.

At age 17 it looked as if all was going well.  He was frequently receiving visions from God, and his father loved him more than any of his brothers. Obviously this made Jacob's other sons very jealous, and in turn they sold him to a band of Ishmaelites who then proceeded to sell him to the Egyptians. One minute all is going well, the next he is being sold from person to person like a piece of merchandise.

Once established in Egypt,  he once again had a very good and prosperous life. But this also was short-lived and he was thrown in jail due to the lies of a deceitful woman. Yet even through this, "the LORD was with Joseph" (Gen. 39:21), and "that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper", despite his uncertain future and circumstances (Gen. 39:23)(see also Psalm 1:3). After a time in prison, the Lord delivered him and made him one of the most powerful officials in all the land of Egypt, and eventually reunited him and his family.

My point behind all of this is that Joseph experienced his fair share of hardships. He knew what it was like to stand on a mountaintop, but he also knew what it was like to look up at one from the lowest of valleys. Yet through all of these things, the Lord never left his side. In fact,  chapter 39 says four times that God was with him. When he was loved and when he was hated, he was never abandoned by his heavenly Father.

God will never leave us and He will never forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). When the sun is shining, but also when the rain is pouring, He is there. We may not always feel Him, but we can always trust Him.

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

                        -I John 4:8 

Because many people misinterpret this verse and forget that our God is also a God of justice, I have devoted a number of posts to clarifying that misconception. However, it is just as dangerous to pay so much attention to His justice that we forget about His love. There must be a balance between the two, and so that is why today I want us to carefully consider the love of God and what it means to be the objects of that love.

"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."

                            -Jeremiah 31:3

The love of God is no ordinary love. It is an extraordinary love that cannot be dispelled by death, life, angels, principalities, powers, things present, things to come, height, depth, or any other creature (see Romans 8:38-39). It is an "everlasting love" that moved the Father to send "His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) It is a love that cannot be explained, described, or even understood; for those who have been made to receive it have done nothing at all that would make them worthy of such a great and invaluable treasure.

It is evident from such verses as II Peter 3:9 that God loves all humanity and has a desire for each of us to receive salvation through His Son. But there is a special love, known only to believers, that we are instructed to walk in (Jude 21). This love is not based on good works, but upon the fact that we have been adopted into the family of God as His sons and daughters (Romans 8:15). Just as an earthly father has a unique love toward his children and is always seeking their well-being, our Father in heaven watches over us and makes certain that all things work out for our benefit (Romans 8:28).

No doubt, if it were not for His love, God would be neither merciful, gracious, or compassionate. In light of this truth, love is surely one of the most important attributes of God.

Now that the Fruit of the Spirit series has come to a close, I am going to begin a new series about a few of the attributes of God. I will cover the obvious (omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence...), as well as the not-so-obvious. My hope is that, by examining the greatness of God Himself, we will each gain a refreshed sense of humility and admiration toward our Heavenly Father.

Please comment and list one or two attributes of God that you would like to see me blog about, and perhaps I'll post about it in the near future!

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

                            -Hebrews 11:6 

Faith is one of those things that I think we all have a little bit of. We have faith that the sun is going to rise in the morning, that summer will come after spring, and that life in general will continue to move on as usual. However, when it comes to having faith in God, many of us falter. Despite the fact that He has proven Himself to be more faithful than the sunrise, many  people invariably doubt His Word and His character.

"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

                            -Romans 12:3

We have all been given "a measure of faith", but it is up to us in deciding where to place that faith. We can place it in God, the only One Who will never fail us, or we can place it in the things of this world - only to be disappointed countless times over. As I like to say, it is not the amount of our faith, but the object of our faith, that determines whether or not it is strong. Better is a little faith in God than an abundance of faith in uncertain riches and temporal pleasures.

I'm confident that if we would all have more faith in God, we would see more sick people healed (yes, He still does that!), more lost loved ones saved, and more miracles of every sort. But when God looks down and sees doubt, why would He then proceed to bless us knowing that we didn't even believe He could do it in the first place? Faith precedes every great miracle.

"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

                            -James 1:6

Just read Hebrews 11 (aka "The Faith Chapter") and you will see that every every great hero of the Bible had faith. If we want to be remembered as a good soldier of the Cross, then this fruit of the Spirit must be brought forth abundantly in our lives.

By Request:

In a world where God is often pictured as nothing more than a big candyman Who goes around handing out blessings all the time, it is no wonder that many individuals struggle to understand how He could "send people to hell." But, as has often been said, God doesn't really send anybody to hell; they go there by choice. Matthew 25:41 says that hell was created for "the devil and his angels." This means it was not originally intended for mankind. However, because the human race took part in Satan's rebellion against God, the unsaved must also take part in Satan's punishment: hell.

Another common misconception deals with the very nature of God Himself. That misconception is that God is love...and nothing else. People love to quote I John 4:8, but seemingly forget such passages as Job 8:3: "Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?" Before I posted this blog entry, I did a google search for bumper stickers that say "God is Love." As you probably guessed, I had no trouble finding any. Now I am not at all against displaying the Word of God on your vehicle, but I have never in my life seen a bumper sticker that says, "God is just." The closest thing I could find was one that said, "God is Just Pretend." Sad, I know.  

The final reason hell is often misunderstood is because humanity has grossly underestimated the seriousness of sin. Instead of recognizing that sin is, at its root, rebellion against God, people try to belittle it by saying things like, "Oh, it was just a white lie.", or "God wouldn't send me to hell for stealing just one thing." But the fact is, even the "smallest" of sins are very serious in God's eyes; so serious, in fact, that He sent His Son to  pay the price for them with His own life! If God would not compromise His justice for the sake of His own Son's life, then why should we expect Him to treat us any differently? 







Hell is not a place where anybody truly wants to go. But there is good news! You don't have to! If you have not yet been saved from sin and from hell through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, then please click here to find out how you can be redeemed!

BY REQUEST:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

                            -I John 1:9 

While this particular passage of Scripture is generally cited as a promise of forgiveness to Christians who have fallen in their walk with the Lord, it also clarifies for us that God can indeed forgive and still remain just. In a world where God's forgiveness is often described as "the canceling of a debt that was owed", it is no wonder that many people wonder at how rapists, murderers, kidnappers, etc., can be simply pardoned and be viewed by the Lord as if they never sinned  at all. Is that justice? No. And that is why God doesn't work that way. The fact is, forgiveness is not the canceling of a debt, but the payment of a debt.

When Christ died on the cross, He bore the punishment for the sins of all humanity as if He had actually committed them, though He himself was in fact sinless (II Corinthians 5:21). Say, for example, you were convicted of a crime in court of law and were fined by the judge a total of $2 million. Unable to pay your debt, you knew that prison surely awaited. But, as you were being dragged to your cell, a man rushed into the court room and handed the judge a check for the amount that was owed and said, "This is for him."  The judge could then release you, and still be perfectly just in doing so.

That is what Christ did for those who are saved. By accepting His offer of salvation,  we are justified in the sight of God (Titus 3:7). Our only outstanding debt is a debt of unceasing praise and, when God sees us, that is the only debt He sees. He doesn't see our sins; He sees the blood.

"When He sees me, He sees the blood of the Lamb,
He sees me as worthy and not as I am.
He views me in garments as white as the snow,
For worthy is the Lamb and He washed me this I know"*

NOTE: Don't forget to vote on the poll to your left and pick what you want Part 3 of this series to be about!


*When He Sees Me - The McKameys

I was thinking to myself this morning that it would be cool to have a series of posts about controversial issues in the Bible. So, every Saturday throughout the entire month of April, I'm going to be publishing a new post along those lines. Since I'm just starting today, I have chosen the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil as today's topic. However, the rest of the posts in this series will be topics chosen by the readers of this blog! So send me your comments, emails, or vote on the poll (to your right) and give me your input!

"And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
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."

                            -Genesis 2:9, 16-17

I have heard the question asked time and time again of why God placed the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. Was God tempting man? No, for "...God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:" (James 1:13) The fact is, God has instituted a "whosoever will" program (Revelation 22:17), and He does not force anybody into serving Him. Think about it. If there was no Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, then man would have had no option but to serve God.

One of the ways that we are "created in the image [i.e. likeness] of God" (Genesis 1:26), is that we have a freewill just as He does. Had God created man with no choice but to serve Him, then man would have been little more than a drone, serving God because He had to. That's not love, is it? No, and that's not what God wanted either, because He desires that we love Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind (Mark 12:30).

The Lord wants us to serve Him out of our own freewill, not out of obligation. It's a choice that nobody, not even God, is going to make for us; we've got to decide for ourselves.

"He loveth righteousness and judgment [i.e. justice]: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD."

                            -Psalm 33:5 

The culture in which we live tends to forget that our God is a just god. Yes, He is gracious, merciful, and kind; but in the end, He will always remain just. I John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Because the Lord is holy, sin must be punished. That is why Jesus died on the cross: to take that punishment. Thus, even in forgiving our sins, His justice is not compromised.

People often talk about how "their god would never send anybody to hell." However, we must remember that hell was not originally created for mankind; it was made for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Since humanity took part in the devil's rebellion, it must also take part in his punishment. Those who don't believe their god would send anybody to hell are, in a way, guilty of idolatry, for such a god does not exist. He is a figment of their imagination. Instead of worshiping the one true God, they are worshiping a god they have created in their mind.

We must never stray from the Word's teaching on God's justice. If we ever find ourselves minimizing the consequences of sin ("Oh...it's not that bad."), then that is a good indication that we have done just that.