Greetings Friends! The story of the two trees of the Garden of Eden carries vital living recipient principles given to humanity at the creation of Adam. God gave Adam and Eve the two trees to show humanity the way live in freedom, as opposed to living in bondage. These are the two pathways of life – the way of freedom or the way of bondage, which our Creator has set before humans at the initial creation of humanity.
However, more often than not, humanity at times complicates God’s simple instruction by adding many ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ and making His teaching of no effect. The Scripture has warned us about ‘not adding to’ nor ‘taking away from’ what God has commanded. In Deuteronomy 4:2, God says, “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it” (also, Rev.22;18-19).
In the Garden of Eden, there was the “Tree of Life” with its fruit, which leads to life and blessings – or freedom. The second tree, the “Tree of Good and Evil” with its fruit, leads to a life of sin and death – or bondage. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans, “For the wages of sin is death,” but he adds, “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom.6:23). So, the promise of the first “Tree of Life” carries with it, eternal life for humanity…if we make the right choice of following Jesus. (John 3:16-17)
God is Spirit and His one main objective is to look towards our spiritual welfare first before all else. So, when Adam ate from the “Tree of Good and Evil” humanity inherited death from his first act of disobedience in Eden. So, what did Adam gave us spiritually? Death! Or eternal bondage. The Scriptures tells us, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor.15:22). Here, Paul takes us back to Eden and making refence to the two trees, “as in Adam all humanity is given the death sentence spiritually,” …“even so in Christ humanity is given new life in Christ.”
Many years later, God reminded Israel about this wonderful “second chance” opportunity for humanity, despite Adam’s decision to clothe mankind with the death sentence. (Rom.6:23) Yes, God our Loving Father is giving humanity through His Son, Jesus, a “second chance” at life, in fact “eternal life” as He promised through John, “For God so Loved the world that he gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Listen to what Scriptues tell us, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” Deut.30:19). Yes, what is heaven, and what is earth to God today? Answer, “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where is the house you will build for Me?” (Isa.66:1-2). He wagered His heavenly kingdom/domain and His earthly footstool, in other words God’s entire existence as the Tri-Personal God. (Matt.28:27-30).
So, God has His hands outstretched and saying, “Choose Life!” And “Life” means life everlasting. (Rom.6:23; John 3:16). Today, for all humanity, this “second chance” at true life is no different, God is calling out to us to “Choose His Son” and choose eternal life. (John 3:16-17).
Please share a prayer with me as we pray to God our Loving Father in heaven, Prayer: “Almighty God, Father of all humanity, forgive me of all my sins, and the death it has brought us, for forsaking Your precious Love. I receive Your Son, Jesus, as my personal Savior, and the “second chance” at life through Him. In Your incalculable grace, thank You for recuing me and my loved ones, and all humanity, from the enemy’s fearful and destructive waters, and bringing us home into the life-giving waters of your Ocean of Love.
“Grant Your promised celestial life in Your Son through Your Holy Spirit, and open my eyes to the wondrous gifts You have conferred upon me and all believers as we embark into the “second chance” You have blessed us with, and we may serve one another in Your Love. May Your Love guide and protect me and my loved ones always, and bring us all into Your beloved and divine Kingdom. I will praise and thank You always, Amen.”
Prayer is A Solemn One-On-One Spiritual Love Dialogue Between a Person and God the Father
The “Tree of Life” Symbol of the New Life We have In Christ (2 Cor.5:17)
Welcome to the celestial life of Love in God’s holy, eternal Family. (1 Tim.6:19) Then keep in touch with God’s Word for you by reading and studying your Bible, and visiting this blog and website and look at various subjects that may be relevant for your situation – go to: http://bulamanriver.net. You can email me with your questions at the address shown below.
Blessing: Until we meet again in my next post, may the blessings of the God who ceaselessly expresses Himself in His dependable Triune Love, be with you always. May the Spirit enliven your spirit and make all things concerning you possible as you live the “Triune Life” of God. Be strong in the Lord’s joy.
In Love, farewell for now!
Kiang, (Your Servant in Christ)
*Triune Life: “Triune Life” speaks of the process of theosis or deification of humanity. What is theosis or deification? “It refers to apotheosis, meaning “making divine.” Theosis or deification is a transformative process whose aim is likeness to or union with God (as taught by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Church).” (Wikipedia.org) The belief in the process of ‘deification’ is understood in accordance with Jesus’ teaching, when He said, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods” ’? If He called them ‘gods,’ to whom the Word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside (cannot be broken)” (John 10:34-35; Psa.82:6). (You can read about the Triune Life at: http://bulamanriver.net/9199, and other posts)
“The Empty Tomb” – Persuasive Imagery of Jesus’ Own Resurrection to Immortality and the Promised Deification of Humanity in Christ Who Directly Reflects “God’s Image” (Col.1:15; Rom.8:29; Gen.1:27; John 11:25)
Adam was solitary and incomplete until God made Eve. He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone (solitary). I will make a helper suitable for him” (Gen.2:18, italics mine). So, God gave Adam a family to raise composed of a father, mother, and offspring, to reflect Himself in His plural Being. The Bible states that the Church’s or humanity’s destiny is to marry Christ, the second Person of the Triune Godhead, in the new age to come which will be an everlasting divine relationship. (2 Cor.11:2; Eph.5:23-27, 32; Rev.19:7) The Bible is abundantly clear about God’s nature and declaration of Himself in His relational Triune Being from the past, the present, and the future. God has never lived as a solitary Being, but a Tri-Personal Being.
It’s noteworthy to understand that Eve was not created an individual creation from the dust of the earth as was Adam. She was not created apart from Adam as an individualized separate human being, instead, she was taken out from Adam’s side to show she was biologically one and indivisibly part of Adam, like God is in His Tri-Personal Being of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Eve was not detached (solitary) from Adam, but intrinsically inseparable from Adam’s innermost humanity, as God is in His divine triunity. When Adam saw Eve, he said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man” (Gen.2:21-23) God created humanity to reflect Himself in His unified Tri-Personal Being (Trinity).
Rublev’s Icon of The Trinity (Wiki Commons)
Each one of us was created as an indivisible relational human being incubated and given birth from Adam’s mold as one species, for God created humanity to reflect the eternal likeness in His triunity. We are born for relationships with the divine triune Love as our guiding principle. All this show that humans were created to be indivisibly one to reflect God’s Tri-Personal image of Oneness (Trinity), not solitary separateness. When God sent Jesus His eternal Son, He became human in order to unify humanity spiritually to the Triune Being of God through Christ once for all time. Hence, when the prophet Isaiah proclaimed Jesus’ coming, He was given the prophetic name, Immanuel. (Isa.7:14) The name means “God with us” (Matt.1:23). Humanity is ‘organically’ one with the Triune God through Christ, just as humanity is one with Adam who was created in God’s image and likeness. (Gen.1:26-27)
Most religions believe God as some solitary being. The true God is not solitary by any means, He is the one Triunity in His Tri-Personal Being. God consist of three Persons in One divine triune Godhead. (Matt.28:18-20) They exist in One “homoousion” meaning consisting in one substance, or “consubstantiality.” The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist in One hypostatic union, One substance, like Eve was biologically part of and never physically separate, but of one substance from Adam, for she came out of Adam. Likewise, humanity is made of one spiritual substance with the triune God through Jesus Christ who took our humanity upon Himself and joined it to the divine triune existence forever.
The three-dimensional Triune Life/Love is opposed to living the one-dimensional solitary life of the fallen humanity inherited from Satan through Adam’s rebellion. For additional information about the Triune Life: http://bulamanriver.net/?p=8036. Also at: http://bulamanriver.net/9092.
***Bulamanriver: is the metaphor describing the union of man with the Love of the Triune God flowing in humans, making possible the “Triune Life” – the source of the miraculous life in man. To read the different facets of the life of the Bulamanriver, you may obtain a copy of my book, “Bula” Man-River, from Amazon.com; xulonpress.com, barnesandnoble.com, and other online book stores. All proceeds will go towards furthering the work of Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world
“Bulamanriver” Book Cover
***Mission Statement: Read the Triune Love Mission, Vision, and Value statements at: http://bulamanriver.net/8664
*The “Love-Fruits of the Holy Spirit:” *the fruit of patience, *the fruit of kindness, *the fruit of contentedness, *the fruit of modesty (unboastful), *the fruit of humility, *the fruit of honor, *the fruit of unselfishness, *the fruit of calmness and dignity, *the fruit of forgiveness and compassion, *the fruit of delighting in good and shunning evil, *the fruit of tolerance, *the fruit of responsibility, *the fruit of enduring hope, *the fruit of steadfast perseverance, *the fruit of joy, *the fruit of peace, *the fruit of goodness, *the fruit of faith, *the fruit of gentleness, *the fruit of self-control, *the fruit of zeal and spiritual fervor, *the fruit of friendship, *the fruit of sharing and generosity, *the fruit of prayerfulness, *the fruit of hospitality, etc. (1 Cor.13; also Gal. 5:22-23; Rom. 12:9-21). These attributes may seem ordinary and mundane, but when empowered and propelled in the Spirit’s power, they are transformed into divine elements of transformation.
These Love-fruits speaks volumes and gives us a peek into the different tones of God’s Love. They are not rules to live by as if they are legalistic requirements to follow. They tell us how God in His Tri-Personal Being in the Father, Son, and Spirit, have lived in One unified shared Love-experience from eternity as God, and desires to share His “Triune Life” with believers. They reveal the holy emotions of the Tri-Personal Being of God. These are not human emotions, they reveal the divine passion and desire of how God lives “naturally” in an intuitive and spontaneous fashion amongst Them.
All scriptures are taken from the NIV Version 2011, unless stated otherwise. Note: All information is copy-write material. Any information obtained from this website that is used for publication should be acknowledged by citing the website address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship. For general guidelines regarding web citations see The Guide for Citing Electronic Information. Thank you.