Knowledge Of Good and Evil

Adam was the first man created in the image of God. He was placed in Eden as the gardener; he was to tend and care for it. Because God saw it fit, He created a human companion from Adam’s ribs to be his helper. Adam called her woman because she was taken out of man (Adam).

God placed two fruit trees in the garden. One bestowed eternal life, the other the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2 v 9).

Adam and Eve (the woman) were forbidden from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As Adam must already have been aware of a distinction between right and wrong. God used the tree as an ethical test. Induced by the serpent, Eve persuaded Adam to eat the fruit which God had forbidden him and the couple were banished from the garden.

Adam means mankind (Romans 5 v 12). Adam by sinning set in motion a chain reaction of sin and its consequence, death. This is why every human being has the seed of sin living in him (Roman 7 v 17). Adam’s sin affects all human beings.

Human beings are descendants of Adam and Eve. The human race has a history and a beginning and the history from the beginning is marked by sin. The Bible says all mankind is now included in the guilt and condemnation of Adam (Romans 5 v 18-19). We commit sin because we are born sinners. “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me”. We are born sinners because we inherited sinful nature from Adam and Eve, the parents of all mankind.

Many people think that if we don’t commit or do some things we know as sin are not sinners. But who does not commit sin? What child ever has to be taught to tell lies? The truth is that all people are born sinners. We are inclined to sin from time to time. “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7 v 20).

Some people say that they are good. However, they forget that we inherited the knowledge of good and evil from Adam and Eve, so no matter how good you are, you are still a sinful person (evil).

God wants every man to accept Jesus so as to become good and righteous. “For Christ died once for our sins, the righteous one for the unrighteous, to bring us to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in Spirit”(1 Peter 3 v 18). God is looking for people who desire to be righteous, that is, people who are morally good and just. It is only through Jesus Christ you can be good and righteous in the sight of God.

But if you don’t accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you will always be evil in your good because you can’t ever be totally good without Christ. There will always be evil in you and you will always be evil no matter how much you try to be good. Because of that evil (sin), you will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Our goodness is not equal to and not same as God’s righteousness. Certainly, living good is not wrong. It should be what each of us strives to do, but there is evil in man (Romans 7 v 17). In the Bible, there was a man named Cornelius. He was good but was still evil (sinful) like every other man. Because of his goodness God wanted him to make heaven. God sent an angel to tell Cornelius to send for Peter the apostle to tell him how he would be righteous through Jesus Christ.

Peter preached to Cornelius about God’s offer of salvation and righteousness through Jesus Christ. Cornelius and his household accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Because of that God gave them the Holy Spirit and they became good and righteous in the sight of God (Acts 10).

Many religions that are considered great do not have solution to sin and that is why their adherents are still evil no matter how much good they know and want to do. Cornelius was religious and could be described as good, but he was still bad therefore he was made righteous by God through the Holy Spirit. In fact, salvation is not based upon individual good deeds alone. All who reject God’s offer of Salvation and His righteousness will be confronted with His judgment – they will spend eternity in hell which is the lake of burning sulphur (Revelation 20 v 10).Those who reject God’s offer of Salvation will not satisfy God’s standard for Salvation, no matter what they do.