God reverses the sentence of death by the first man with the communing of this sentence into life by the second man as stated, “By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one will many be made Righteous: - Rm. 5:19. God resets His plan from the Garden with His Word in it as stated, “Between your seed and her Seed” - Gen. 3:15. Another way to say this is; “Between those of unrighteousness and those of Righteousness. The unrighteous from the father of sin and the Righteous from the Father of life. Ever since God said this to satan in front of Adam and Eve; satan has through the centuries attempted to kill a single person or eliminate generations of “her seed”. Yet, the obvious mystery of this word would eventually be revealed in prophecy and the virgin’s birth. For women do not have seed. But just as in the Garden, the manifestation of the first man was by God’s Spirit which would be repeated in the conception of Jesus. From the fall, Adam and Eve essentially lived unfruitful and did not multiply as God commanded them once they ate the forbidden fruit. Jesus continued where they stopped, demonstrating fruit and growth (multiplication) in His life. Jesus accomplished this not only by His free will in obedience but by establishing the required tenets that Adam and Eve failed to have including a right relationship with God. These tenets include:
Reverence - What is it and how is it done? Here’s the kind of reverence God is looking for as stated, “Come boldly before the Throne of Grace” - Heb. 4:16. This sounds like a contradiction for we often think to reverence is to be in subjugation to a higher authority. This is what the world teaches and expects but God who is the foundation of all things before Him; expects reverence as His Word indicates to be a Father and us; His children. One of equity and not fear. A Godly reverence is embodied in how we approach Him in body, mind, and spirit with our aptitudes, attitudes, and actions. As a simple example; in everything; we point to Him as the source of our life including wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Hence, the presence of the tree of knowledge in the Garden and the acceptance by Jesus’ Blood; that our body, mind, and spirit is God’s temple as stated, “You are the Temple of God” - 1 Cor. 3:16. The reverence of God puts us in the place to receive not only because of belief in a God but by our Faith in the God of the past, present and future. By purposefully seeking His Kingdom; we are seeking Him which can only be done with His definition of reverence and with unadulterated submission, we are able to demonstrate the next corresponding tenet of respect.
Repentance - No; there is no eternal record of it and God does not hold it against us as stated, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He (God) removed our transgressions from us” - Ps. 103:12. That’s good news! That God will not use our sins to judge us because Salvation is a gift. The bad news is many still allow past sins to weaken their resolve and command to become the Righteousness of God. The definition of sin is the umbrella of our disobedience to God’s will and not just based on the breaking of the Ten Commandments or the covenant laws. Jesus tells us that sin is not only an outward but an inward offense to the will of God. Yet, despite all of His works; the Body often sins and hence why repentance is an essential mindset to allow God to remove from His “face” any record of these sins as stated, “If we confess our sins, He is Faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” - 1 Jn. 1;9. Without conscious and heartfelt repentance; we cannot be Righteous before God. No religious ceremony
required just a humble heart and disposition to state the sin before God and receive by Faith, His forgiveness. Sin is a hindrance to the flow of God’s Grace and without repentance, there can be no real redemption by the Blood of Jesus.
Redemption - We need it for on our own we will ultimately become lost to and in our own carnal bodies, mind and even in the spirit. Redemption is not to be confused with being given another chance as if to say; sooner or later God will punish us for past offensives if we don’t get things correct and in their proper order. Redemption essentially wipes the slate clean but it is not a free pass into disobedience. The act of receiving redemption is the first step in taking responsibility for our actions with the intent of using God’s
Grace to become closer to the mark of being the Righteousness of God. It is not meant to be a merry go round with every few days we ask for redemption from our sins. This would be like a child who does not mature in thinking and action and ultimately puts us in a place of stagnation in all aspects of the Christian life. By Jesus’ Blood, we have been redeemed from the power of darkness but only if we take and use the authority of this in the work of Righteousness for God. With the acceptance of the redemption and with the proper attitude and spirit; it opens us up to God’s will for it indicates we are not taking Him for granted in all that He declares to be our heritage as children of His Kingdom.
All men whether the first, second or last has all these tenets available to them only if we recognize, appreciate and understand God’s purpose for mankind. These tenets are indicators of God’s character and His Kingdom’s domain. They open for us His unconditional love as well as every Power, Principle, and Throne for His Glory to be revealed. And no matter the chains of tradition, culture or religion; they are not held hostage or retarded by them. They are for our benefit. We are commanders of our destinies and should not be confused with being the charters of it. Just as a ship’s captain controls his destination but can be thrown off course by the sea waves which really charter his course; so are we in the Body. The captain, therefore, as we should be; ought to be alert, weary and pro-active to keep his destination or as stated, “Carried about by every wind of doctrine, trickery, and deceit” - Eph. 4:14; including, “Ask in Faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed” - Jm. 1:6. We, the Body have been told by the Word what is our destination but if we do not remain in reverence, respect, Righteousness; including being repentant and stay in redemption; we open ourselves to unfaithfulness and all the darkness that comes with it. For it is by Faith do we practice these tenets especially without sight and is what pleases God lest any man should boast.
Flush it Out - Created in the image; reflection of God.
All these aspects of the Kingdom were available to those in the Garden and as to us. For as stated, “My Word does not return to Me void” - Is. 55:11. God cannot establish a tenet of His Kingdom and just randomly negate it because He is upset with His children. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow which gives us the confidence that the God of Israel is the true God and creator of the Heavens and this Earth. A God worthy of His Throne! His credibility is not in question but ours. Jesus endorsed this credibility and paved the way for us to put things in the proper alignment of God, the Word, family including mankind and the church. For every Kingdom must operate with checks and balances to ensure it is sustained, especially for eternity. No matter how grievous Jesus’ Blood sacrifice; it is of no value if we are not repentant of our sins and those of our fathers.
Spiritual Awakening
By our free will of choosing God’s Word; puts us into His protective custody because now He has to perform His Word as stated, “I watch over my word to perform it” - Jer. 1:12. God gave the Truth to Adam and Eve regarding eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge so if they had addressed satan with His Word; then God would perform to prove His statement of this tree. This we did not see because of the wrong decision by Adam and Eve but was demonstrated with Jesus in the wilderness as stated from His temptations, “It is written”! This also happens when by Faith; Christians of the Body declares what is written in the Bible for their Righteous welfare and as Jesus stated, “does not doubt in his heart, but will believe that those things which he says will come to pass; he will have whatsoever he wills” - Mk. 11:23. Free will is for Faith in God so that we reverence His Kingdom and Glory!
The two trees represent God and Jesus respectively. When God said not to eat of the tree of knowledge, He is making an allegory for man, of satan’s attempts to take away His Kingdom in Heaven as stated, “I (Lucifer) will make myself like the Most High (God)” - Is. 14:14. This is the height of pride to want to covet what one cannot have but only by the taking, stealing and subverting the law. To “eat” is to consume, absorb and making it a part of your own system which cannot be replaced, reproduced or replicated. It is the heart of a thief; it is the heart of satan! Essentially, God is telling them not to be or have the spirit of satan. He warned them! Failing to heed God’s warning resulted in separation which is really death as God stated to them. This prevented or denied them from the other tree; which is the tree of life. I’d like to think that both trees were side by side just as God is never apart from the Word; Jesus. So rather than listening to the spirit of satan; both Adam and Eve could have turned to the tree of life; receiving the Truth that would have kept them free from darkness. God placing both trees in the midst of the Garden becomes the metaphor of what was to come. It is the first
representation of the tabernacle that His images would need to be fruitful and multiply; for their benefit and the Glory of God. These two Holy trees should have served as the place to show respect to the God of creation and the Father of their image.
Righteousness - Without this; everything else we accomplish is unfulfilled. For this is what was lost in the Garden and re-established at the Cross. This is the race that Paul alludes to and that we must at all cost of the world; run to finish strong. Salvation is a gift and Grace is also and is provided as we stumble occasionally along the track to the finish line whether before or when Jesus returns. It is the requirement that puts us in the place to hear God’s admiration of, “Well done good and Faithful servant” - Matt. 25:21. To be Righteous is to be as Jesus was here on the Earth. To have His Spirit of not only obedience but authority. Something Adam never got to for failure of the first requirement. This means our own perspective of things is replaced with God’s. This is what distinguishes the good from the Righteous. There are many good Christians but many fall short of Righteousness as Paul states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God” - Rm. 3:23; and Jesus expounds on not doing just what is expected - Lk. 6:32-34. Here Paul is explaining our justification to become Righteous which essentially has nothing to do with anything we can establish whether the law, sacrifice or deeds. The Righteousness as defined by God is the Faith in and of God as stated, “Lest anyone should boast” - Eph. 2:9. For Righteousness is linked to Grace not by outward demonstrations as with the body but by the inward parts of the heart, soul, and spirit as stated, “God sees the heart” - 1 Sam. 16:7. Here God is placing David to be king over Israel and stated of him, “A man after My heart, who will do (as I would)” - Acts 13:22. Another way to say this is, “after My Righteousness”. Jesus as a man fulfilled His destiny because of the Righteousness of God in and through Him. He crossed His finish line into Glory.
God knew exactly what He was doing because He did not want slaves but sons and daughters who by free will would choose Him over self-reliance and disobedience to His system of living. Some have said; God purposefully wanted Adam to sin and this is why He placed the tree of knowledge in the Garden. That’s a worldly deity mindset and another lie insidiously planted by satan to
confuse and discredit God’s character. That character is to win with integrity and justice; concepts the enemy nor other faiths neither comprehend nor understand. Why create a man to simply abuse your creation for pleasure? And if God was so mischievous, why did God take the time to prepare the first man and woman for a life outside Eden including as stated, “ the Lord God made coats of
skins, and clothed them” - Gen. 3:21. Surely; God is good! The Truth is the Garden’s creation would not be complete without a source of standards for its upkeep and growth. Just like any home garden. This care would have been under Adam’s and Eve’s. This really speaks to the Body’s growth and maturity; where everything on this Earth goes through a process of maturing to ultimately prolong life. The life of the body, mind, and spirit.
God placed two trees in the Garden to teach man the standards He set for His Earthly Kingdom. The tree of knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. Some have said that the former tree is representative of the man choosing his own direction and denying any influence from God. Thereby alluding to the reason that man was given a choice between charting his own course as
opposed to God’s by choosing the tree of life. This is wrong thinking as stated, “Do not eat of the tree of knowledge” - Gen. 2:7. Can’t be clearer than that. Some may say, but this contradicts God’s gift of free will? This is wrong thinking again. We often use our lower thinking that has resulted from the fall to understand God’s thinking which is higher than ours. The only thinking any
born-again person ought to have is the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that comes from God’s Spirit as stated, “He (God) will give the counselor (Holy Spirit), that the world cannot receive (so that you will not be orphans)” - Jn. 14:16-18. To not be orphans is to constantly have guidance from the Father by His Holy Spirit.
If God is perfect then His images are! When has God told us we are unworthy of Him and that we should grovel at His feet for fear of His wrath so that He receives sadistic pleasure from our inflictions? Yet, many who have accepted Christ are still in subjugation to their self-held beliefs that are more in tune to the deities of the world that demands fear and prostration for unrealized benefits except for more of the same abasements that aim to destroy any image in us of the one true God. When Adam disobeyed God and plunged the future of mankind into darkness and chaos; He did not strike Adam down but with eternal prudence declared what they should expect including the unavoidable war between man and satan as stated, “He (The man) shall bruise its (satan) head and it shall bite his heel” - Gen. 3:15.
The free will God has given us is not for personal choice but for Faith in Him. This is so because by the Spirit we are guided not to think like the world which can never understand God’s higher thinking. When Eve and Adam by free will ate of the tree of knowledge they ignored the Spirit of God which denied the measure of Faith that was built in them to trust God as stated; “All have been given the measure of Faith” - Rm. 12:13; which would include the first man and woman. They were already told by God not to eat of this tree because it would result in their death. They broke or transgressed the Law of Life! That
by Faith is God pleased and having Faith in God; would all hindrances be removed. What hindrance? The hindrance of unfaithfulness that satan embodies.
With Righteousness comes Truth and that was embodied in the tree of life and in Jesus. How else would Adam and Eve be able to and have a sustaining ministry as stated, “Be fruit and multiply” - Gen. 1:28. To have dominion over all life on the Earth especially the spirit of satan. The Garden was established to be that Sanctuary that held all knowledge and truth for not only identity but for the purpose on everything outside of it. In the wilderness of the world. Created in the image of God speaks to our identity not for dissension but for ascension into the Kingdom’s authority; which only an heir can grow into and demonstrate. And without the Righteousness that only comes from Jesus; our efforts are futile and wasted in attempting to please God. An obvious pre-condition for life not only in the Garden but also across the Earth. God did not deny Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of life just like the other trees in Garden. For without Jesus there can be no Righteousness in God.
Respect - True respect for God reveals our reverence for Him and once again does not include the fear of being threatened by a more powerful force than our own. Both are not necessarily synonymous. Because to only have respect for His power out of a religious mindset that He can impact your life is to have a slave’s mentality and not that of an heir; which is what God, the Father wants. God wants to share His Glory as a father would with his children. We can’t just take from Him without giving Him His due; and not as a slave to his master but as an innocent child would to their father as stated, “unless you become (act) as a child (not childish) you cannot enter the Kingdom of God” - Matt. 18:3. A child displays humility towards someone they know loves them unconditionally. They have no other mindset because they have not been corrupted by the world’s way of thinking and acting. This is where Adam and Eve failed because rather than place God and His Word in a Righteous perspective; they listened to satan; who effectively was a stranger to them. The definition of God’s type of respect is to maintain the order of His Kingdom and our role in it. Respect is active as listening and doing His will is. God is the ultimate authority in our lives not by subversion but by the free will given to us. Respect cannot be pretended for such deceit will eventually be revealed in our dispositions in the application of God’s laws, commands, and declarations. But most of all; God sees the heart! To respect God is to love Him even though we may not agree with His judgments but are in submission to them. This is why without honest respect we fail to attain what is our ultimate goal and that is as stated, “To become the Righteousness of God in Him” - 2 Cor. 5:21.
Jul. 05 2018.
Rated R !