In the very beginning, Adam and Eve accepted the lie of all lies and committed the sin of all sins. The choice of trusting in self instead of God brought death, i.e., separation from the love and life of God. God only gave man one rule, and breaking that rule ended in death. So what was the rule? Well, in effect, it was “don’t touch the rules.”

Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

What exactly was the knowledge of good and evil? In the Scripture above, the Hebrew word for knowledge is “da‘at” -it means to have knowledge, perception, skill, discernment, understanding, and wisdom. The Hebrew word for “good” is “tob,” which speaks of everything good, moral, beautiful, the best, and happy! The Hebrew word for evil is “ra‘” which denotes everything evil, harmful, and hurtful.  Therefore, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil embodied the good things we should do and the evil things we should not do. Sound like the 10 Commandments and the law – thou shalt and thou shalt not?

It was, in fact, the law, the very law later given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Adam and Eve received the law, though not in its written form. Once they partook of the do-it-yourself tree (the knowledge of good and evil – the law), the consciences of Adam and Eve were forever damaged and opened the proverbial panda door of the demise of all humanity! Adam and Eve received the DIY prescription to feel right about themselves (righteous) outside of God. Did it make them feel right about themselves? NO! It produced the opposite! They stepped into an inferior identity. They saw themselves as failures and felt ashamed and, therefore, afraid.

Think about it, have you been trapped in the lie of an inferior identity? Have you been partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Are you trying to feel good about yourself based on your performance? The most essential rule God ever gave to humanity was, in layman’s terms, don’t touch the laws!

What motivates you to love being you? What is the foundation of your well-being? Are you trusting in your ability to be good enough to feel right about yourself (righteous), or are you living in your original perfect identity found in Christ?

Those who receive the blood of Jesus as full payment for their sin step into the glorious life of knowing that they are righteous in God’s sight and deeply loved. So, the question is, have you received the blood of Jesus as full payment for all your mistakes, failures, and sin? Have you stepped into the real you – your perfect standing before God? Do you know that because of the blood of Jesus, God considers you perfect, his offspring, and his heir?

What God believes about them are those who begin to live a life that looks like him. The undeserved favor and empowerment of God, (grace) is what causes a person to have a Christlike life. Without a doubt, the most hideous and dangerous sin of all time is the sin of…

Trying to Be Right without God