Forget Good and Evil: Choose Life!

"And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2: 9)

What did God place in the midst of the Garden? The Tree of Life, who is a picture of our Lord Jesus:

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)

and

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14: 6)

Unfortunately, the tendency for Eve, and for all of us, is to focus on rules instead of the Ruler:

"And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

"But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." (Genesis 3: 2-3)

What a minute. . .God placed the Tree of Life in the midst of the Garden, not the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

God even set out the choice very clearly for the Israelites:

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:" (Deuteronomy 30: 19)

Notice how God did not advise the Israelites to choose "good", but rather to choose "life".

God does not want us to focus on the Law, the knowledge of Good and Evil:

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3: 20)

and then

"The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law." (1 Corinthians 15: 56)

Instead, He wants us to focus on His Son, who has given us Himself as our life (Colossians 3: 4):

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

"For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." (Colossians 3: 1-3)

He freely gives us all things, from the Kingdom of God (Luke 12: 32) to the gifts of righteousness and grace (Romans 5: 17).

Focus on His righteousness, which we have received in Him (2 Corinthians 5: 21), and right and wrong, good and evil, will be made manifest to you without any trouble (Hebrews 5: 12-13)