2nihon

2. The ‘Good’ Tree vs. The ‘Life’ Tree

Obligation, duty, honor, indebtedness, guilt, compassion, etc…all of these things can be powerful motivating forces for good deeds. Governments use them to compel their citizens to serve. Charities, philanthropic organizations, and rock stars also use them to raise funds and accomplish needed projects for the material betterment of humanity. While we hear a lot about humanity’s penchant for evil, humanity is also capable of accomplishing good projects. Being a ‘Christian’ is not a requirement for doing good humanitarian things. There is a reason for this.

In the garden of Eden, the tree that most of us seem to be aware of is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. While we are aware that the knowledge of evil comes from this tree, knowledge of *good* also comes from this same tree. Through Adam, all of humanity has received from the tree of knowledge. This is why every society has its share of civic & humanitarian organizations that do good projects.

Mankind’s religious system is no different as it also employs obligation, duty, honor, indebtedness, guilt, compassion, etc…to motivate people to do good. As a matter of fact, this is the premise behind most sermons and conferences in the evangelical religious system.

While this may be quite effective in mobilizing and motivating people, this approach does not come from the other tree in the garden that most ignore…the tree of *Life*.

While the tree of knowledge produces motivation & ambition in mankind to ‘do’ and ‘accomplish’, the tree of life produces ‘life’ in our inner man. Without going into much detail, the tree of life in the garden of Eden was simply a shadow of Jesus Christ. When Jesus came on the scene, He did not come to bring more ‘knowledge of good’, rather, He came to bring life!

Let me be clear about this…the fruit of the tree of life is the manifestation of God’s life (Jesus Christ) among a group of people. Christ’s life is manifested through love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, etc…(Gal. 5:22-23)

It is a profound mistake to assume that good works (money raised, humanitarian projects accomplished, social causes addressed, etc…) are themselves a manifestation of God’s life. Good works may flow from God’s life, but those things itself are not God’s life. The world’s system (rooted in the tree of knowledge of good & evil) are able to accomplish those things without God’s life.

Religious events and conferences rooted in the ‘tree of knowledge’ may produce good works, but they are not able to produce internal life that sustains life. It is only that which comes from the ‘tree of life’ (Christ’s life) that produces life and sustains life in daily reality.

If you’re a Christian and you’re boring, I rebuke you!