Life Matters

a. The Tree of Knowledge

In Chapter 2 we looked at 3 different life source models showing that most people in the world have adopted an inherent life source model of one variation or another. Just to recap, we will show the three models again:

Model 1 Man has an inherent life source (the divine) that originates within himself. MAN IS DIVINE

Model 2 Man is given a life source by God (the divine) that he possesses within himself. MAN IS IMMORTAL

Model 3 Man receives life through a relationship with God (the divine) outside of himself. MAN IS MORTAL

In this chapter we will examine the origins of independent life source models from a Biblical perspective. You will remember that in Chapter 3 we identified Model 3 as reflecting what the Bible teaches and also the model most favourable to building a strong relational system, because only in this model are relationships truly vital. Every person is completely dependent upon the one source point of life that can only be obtained through a relationship. Now let’s pick up the story in the Bible where the inherent life source models came from. You will remember in our last chapter that God told Adam not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Gen 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

We might ask the question, why did God allow such a tree to exist in the beautiful and perfect garden? Why did God allow a symbol of death to exist and be in reach of Adam and Eve? Remembering that God is love, (1 John 4:7,8) the only way for love to exist is to provide opportunity to choose against God. If Adam and Eve had no opportunity to choose against God, then they could not really experience love. Because love is an active choice of the will to be loyal and true to the one we claim to love. The Tree of Knowledge was a symbol of choice.

In obedience to the commandment “you will not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil,” Adam and Eve were acting out their willing submission to the life flowing forth from the throne of God; (Rev 22:1) they were maintaining their relationship to Him. To choose to eat from the tree was to no longer submit to God, break the relationship and in breaking the relationship, the life would stop flowing and they would die – cease to exist. The whole process was quite simple.

b. The Serpent’s Origins

As we turn from Chapter 2 of Genesis to Chapter 3, we find a series of tragic events occur that plunge the world into sin and death.

Gen 3:1-6 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

The story introduces a serpent who apparently has the gift of speech. Secondly, we have Eve standing in front of the forbidden tree alone. It would be nice to have a bit more of the story line of how these two things occurred, but the Bible does not tell us. Who is this serpent? The Bible tells us clearly in the book of Revelation.

Rev 12:9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world;

The serpent of old is the devil or Satan and he is a deceiver. So Satan somehow manages to impersonate or pretend to be a serpent and is speaking to Eve. Another question we must ask is where did Satan come from? If God created all things then did God create Satan? These are important questions that need to be answered if we want to get to the bottom of where inherent life source models came from.

Ezek 28:14-15,17 "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you… 17 Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor”

Isa 14:12-14 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'

Satan, formerly called Lucifer was the anointed cherub who stood on the holy Mountain of God. He was the most senior angel in heaven. He stood next to God in heaven. The Bible says that “you were perfect in your ways from the days you were created”. So God created Lucifer perfect. But then it says that iniquity or sin/evil was found in him. What was this iniquity found in Lucifer?

We are told that Lucifer’s heart was lifted up because of his beauty and splendor. It is important to remember that in God’s Kingdom, only He has the power to give life; every other intelligent being can only have this life through a submissive relationship to God. Lucifer had the clear example of God’s Son of how we should relate to the Father. The Son of God did not boast about His abilities, glory and splendor, He trusted implicitly in His Father and rested in His love and blessing and executed His commands faithfully.

John 5:30 I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

John 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

Matt 26:39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

c. The Rejection of Wisdom

But Lucifer corrupted his wisdom for the sake of his splendor. The truth is that the role of the Son of God as a divine submissive agent is the true wisdom of God. The Bible even tells us this:

1Cor 1:24 Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The power of God comes to us in following the example of the Son of God and this is wisdom. Proverbs puts it this way:

Prov 9:10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Fear, means to submit to, respect, take seriously. A true knowledge of Christ’s submission to the Father is true understanding and brings life. In refusing to follow the example of the Son of God, Lucifer was rejecting the wisdom of God; in turning away from Christ, he was cutting himself off from the only means of knowing how to connect to the source of life. In this sense Christ is the real Tree of Life of which the one planted in Eden was only a symbol. But Lucifer did not want to follow the divine example of God’s Son; he chose to eat from the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.” He wanted to have the same role as the Father. The Father did not submit to anyone, He was under no one’s authority, He was in complete control and this is what Lucifer wanted. This aspiration was blasphemy and indeed would open the universe to the knowledge of evil.

In aspiring to be like God, he lost sight of the fact that everything he had, came from God. He also forgot that in refusing to submit to the life source, he was rejecting his only means of finding value. As we stated in Chapter 4, “The glory of children is their father.” The Father through Christ had created Lucifer and therefore he was a son of God by creation. Lucifer had forgotten this very important principle:

Jer 9:23-24 Thus says the Lord: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the Lord.

Lucifer sought to find glory in his splendor rather than in knowing God and being under His blessing. In the rejection of Christ and His example, Lucifer forgot that all things come ultimately from the Father. He began to believe that the things he had received were actually things he possessed in himself. Here are the seeds of the knowledge of evil.

d. Why Was Satan Allowed to Live?

One question that must be asked is: If all life comes from God and Lucifer rejected the means of obtaining that life, why didn’t he die? Why didn’t he cease to exist immediately? Firstly, since Lucifer was created by God, he was one of His created son’s. God was longsuffering with Lucifer as he wrestled with whether he would fully reject God’s authority or not. As the Bible teaches:

2Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Secondly, if Lucifer suddenly perished without his ideas being allowed to develop, doubts could remain in the hearts of the other angels as to whether Lucifer was right. Lucifer challenged the system of God’s governance; he challenged His law and questioned why they needed God’s Son as an authority over the angels. Lucifer reasoned that they were intelligent enough to guide themselves without needing the example of the divine submissive agent to lead them. We see evidence of this undermining of the role of God’s Son in the following Bible passages:

John 5:23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him

Phil 2:5-6 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.

1John 2:23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

As we have stated, Lucifer did not want to accept the authority of God’s Son. He did not want to honour Him as he honoured the Father and he refused to see Him as equal. During this questioning time in Lucifer’s mind, he convinced one third of the angels that he was right and that he had a better idea for how to govern the universe.

Rev 12:3-4 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.

We are told here that the dragon or serpent drew a third of the stars of heaven. Stars are an expression of God’s children and the stars were from heaven, meaning the angels.

Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Lucifer had to be given time to develop his ideas so that the universe could determine which system was best. It was the only way for intelligent minds to deal with the propositions that Lucifer was making. Many times we could wish that we would just accept what God says and leave it at that, but as we all know, in nearly every case we have to learn for ourselves the truth or falsehood of something.

So God allowed Lucifer to develop his ideas to the point where Lucifer felt he could take control of the universe. His intent was to destroy the Son of God, because He was the only true example of divine submission to the life source of the Father. If he could remove Christ, he could remove the Father’s authority base and collapse the whole system. How do we know that Lucifer, now Satan wanted to destroy Christ? When Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, He made this revealing statement:

Joh 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

From the very beginning, Satan had thoughts of murder for Christ. The Pharisee’s desire to kill Jesus was simply an echo of what Satan had wanted all along. Back in the beginning none of the angels really knew what was in Lucifer’s heart, but when God allowed His Son to come to this earth and die, Satan’s desires were fully revealed. So the war began.

Rev 12:7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,

The name Michael means “One who is like God;” it is another name for the Son of God.[1] As we stated earlier in Phil 2:6, Christ was in the form of God or “One who is like God” – “yet thought it not robbery to be equal with God”.

Since Satan pressed the issue and wanted to take control, he had to be removed from heaven.

Rev 12:8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.

In that war every angel had to choose which side they would follow. As we stated one third followed Satan. He must have been pretty convincing to take that many angels with him.

e. The Creation of Mankind Provides Answers for the Angels

While all this was taking place, God pressed ahead with His plan to create the Earth. Satan had raised questions about the position of His Son and so God designed a unique and very special creation that would help to explain the relationship between Himself and His Son. After creating all the environment, fish, bird life and animals, God said to His Son:

Gen 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

The husband and wife relationship was an image of the Father and Son relationship and would help answer questions that Satan had raised. Paul states this when he says:

Rom 1:19,20 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, [mankind] for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

Paul clearly states, that the attributes of the Godhead can be seen in the creation and the place that is most obvious is the place where God said “Let us make man in Our image”. As we stated earlier, Eve is our key earthly example of submission to a designated life source. Her role was a vital expression of what God’s Son is to the Father. It was also an important lesson for the angels in heaven.

1Cor 11:7-10 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. 10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

The submissive role of Eve to her husband was a vital piece of evidence in the war against Satan and his kingdom principles. As long as Adam and especially Eve existed, she would prove a continual reminder to the universe of the principle of submission to the life source. Satan had to get to her somehow.

It appears that God allowed Satan to come to earth, but he could only find access to Adam and Eve from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. By allowing this, God could not be accused of withholding from Adam and Eve the opportunity to choose to follow him, but it also was an added opportunity for Adam and Eve to show their loyalty to God and remain submitted to Him. As long as they avoided that tree, there would be no issue.

f. Humanity Embraces the Inherent Life Source System

So now we return to this tragic series of events that introduced an alternative life system model. We remember that Satan was lifted up because of his beauty and splendor, so his view of life was that it was inherent; it originates within yourself. Notice how Satan presents this concept to Eve:

Gen 3:1-6 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Satan moves directly to the issue that involves the power to choose – The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. He then questions “did God really say you can’t eat from this tree?” This brought the expected response that to eat from the tree would break the relationship with God and therefore death would occur. This is exactly what Satan wanted her to say to allow him the opportunity to introduce his life source model of inherent power. He says “you will not surely die”. This statement is the origin of the inherent life source system. Satan states clearly that you don’t need to be in a close relationship with God to keep living. He then craftily links entrance into this new system with eating the fruit from the tree.

The fact is that to believe that you would not surely die means you would have to believe you were a god; for to believe that you possess your own life source is to admit divinity at some level.

The eating from the tree was to seal this belief and to cause Eve to transfer into the new kingdom. The new belief needed to be sealed with action and sadly Eve took that action. The Bible indicated that Eve was deceived or beguiled into taking this action:

2Cor 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Eve did not realize that in taking the fruit and believing she had an internal life source, she not only severed her intimate relationship with God but now carried the seeds of a rejection of her husband’s headship. Eve had received everything she was via her husband, but this new belief via the serpent would radically alter her relationship to Adam. Instead of being a representation of Christ’s submission to His Father, she would now reflect Satan’s rebellion to the heavenly Father. Satan felt he had now eliminated the submissive principle that reflected God’s kingdom on earth.

If Eve could now be an agent to convince or persuade Adam, then the designated human life source would be infected with this inherent life source model which denies the role of Christ to the Father and this would make certain that every descendent of Adam would be born with that mindset.

Of course Adam immediately grasped the situation and understood its implications. By taking the fruit and eating it, Adam willfully rejected the authority of God and now polluted the human life flow; ensuring that every human being would be infected with Satan’s belief that life is inherent and we need not depend on anyone. This is the substance of what Paul means when he says:

Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.

The human race had now lost its vital principles of submission to the life source flowing from God. We will examine a little later how God deals with this tragedy but in the next chapter we will examine how the value system changed and how it affected the human race.