In the book of Genesis, verse twenty-two of the third chapter states, “And the Lord said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:”
Adam and Eve attempted to set themselves up as God’s equal and determine their standards. Both human beings became to some range independent of God and began to distinguish between good and evil. The following two verses briefly declare both Adam and Eve could no longer stay in the Garden of Eden and live elsewhere, and God put a guard to protect this area.
Today in society, many people have created their standards of good and evil. Independently, making decisions in life without confiding in God to determine right or wrong for ourselves. Mistakenly, unable to realize the consequences behind the choices we make. However, on the other hand, the old saying goes, ‘we learn by our mistakes.’ The results for some of our errors could set us back instead of continuing where we left off. Still, the circumstances could be fatal, painful, and overall frustrating. Each individual is responsible for our actions and decisions made in this life. However, some of us blame God for what has happened instead of pointing the finger at ourselves.
God made it clear what He would do after the wrongdoing of Adam and Eve. Should it be okay for a child to disobey after caring to tell them the rules and decide not to follow them? The difference is God warned Adam and Eve before the situation occurred. God knows everything and figures one or both will fall into temptation. However, Adam and Eve did not call upon God for help. They both continue to listen to the persuasive voice, not realizing it was a trap. The serpent enticed Eve before getting Adam. They know good and evil but do not perceive they would find themselves in this situation.
People today, young and old, personally find themselves in situations they did not expect. Some individuals do not give a second thought and go right ahead and decide on the spot without taking a moment to analyze and ask the question? Am I making the right choice at this time? Am I doing the right thing? Some will go to other sources like close friends, family, or other relatives they believe they could trust. Yet, very few go to God, the maker of the universe, to help in the decision, especially if it is life-changing. Another fault with human beings is not being patient but doing certain things right now. Even though they know in their heart, it is best to wait.
The most popular way of life is living between good and evil. There are certain things people will uphold in terms of living godly such as going to church to visit, helping the poor, and showing respect to others. However, these people want to do ungodly things like social clubs, drink, and become filthy rich. That is why God said in the middle verse twenty-two of chapter three, “……and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat,…” God could not allow someone to receive the blessings of God and live in sin. Many people desire to live their life regardless of family standards, the law, and even God’s standards. Some individuals want to pick and choose how they want to live, and no one should interfere with that. However, If something suddenly goes wrong, some will seek help, while others will show pride and bear it all alone.
To know good and evil is to know there is a God and a devil. The knowledge does not warrant us to live in between right and wrong. Either we choose to live according to the ways of God or not. There is no such thing as taking matters into your own hands like salt and pepper, each of them mixed into each other will contaminate. Sin is the contaminate. There is an old saying, “Cross at the green and not in between.”