“The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Genesis 2:9 (NIV)

The knowledge of good and evil appears to many believers today as a subject of ancient history, dating back to the time of Adam and Eve. It refers to the famous tree which fruit should not be eaten. It was unfortunately done, why then give it more attention. Many of us consider that the knowledge of good and evil describes an image that is too virtual and too distant for the present generation.

And yet the tree of knowledge of good and evil has never been as real and influential as it is today. It is one of the most tenacious sources of temptation in our lives. It rivals with the will and authority of God in our daily lives.

The knowledge of good and evil refers to this awareness of what is good or bad. It is shaped by our traditions, our experiences and what society tries, through education and various channels, to portray us as positive or negative, beneficial or detrimental. This moral conscience tries to guide us constantly in our various choices.

The trap of knowing good and evil is that it drives us to depend on ourselves rather than the perfect will of God. This knowledge places us in a position of sovereignty over our own lives, while it is subject to remarkable instability itself. You will observe that what was good in our eyes yesterday may be much less today. What looks bad here can be painted white elsewhere and vice-versa.

As a believer, let us follow the pattern of Christ that was led by the divine Spirit rather than his sense of good and evil. It was through this spirit that he could heal a sick man on the Sabbath, apply saliva to the eyes of a blind man to restore his sight and publicly exonerate the adulterous woman that the crowd was about to stone on the foundation of “good” at that time.

A prayer for this week

Father, deliver us from ourselves and our sense of good and evil, to deepen our dependence on you by exclusive obedience to the Holy Spirit. Amen