No greater love

Knowing is not always ability. Knowing what needs to be done, knowing how it is to be done, knowing why it should be done, knowing when and where it is to be done, none of these is a guarantee that it will be done.

“but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”(Genesis 2:17)

Adam and Eve have known God as God, not as good but as God. There never was any need, any burden to them to distinguish between good and evil.

The burden of being able differentiate between the two is immense and no human being can maintain the proper balance. Schools try to help, laws try to help, even the church seeks to help with maintaining the balance. But everyone fails for the very fact they hold themselves of being able to do something that they cannot do.

People don’t judge what they do anymore, but what they’re getting out of it. And that motive makes everything attractive for as long as we’re getting something from it. Yet, as soon as we look back at how we got it we cannot conclude whether it was evil or good since we all differ in opinion. This uncertainty makes way for an almost neverending depression of our spirit, with our minds having no solid footing while always seeking for the answer.

Christ died to illustrate the ending of this neverending quest of seeking to know what is good and what is evil. Because when will we ever know that we have learned enough good to do and enough evil to avoid? When will such a day be if not the day that we learn from the gospel that what matters is no longer our knowledge of good and evil but our knowledge of the love of God for us? Better yet, God’s knowledge of us.(Galatians 4:9)

Death, distrust in God, came by the knowledge of good and evil. Eternal life came by the knowledge of the love of God shown to us by God through Christ dying and being resurrected. Dying to no longer hold us accountable for our knowledge of good and evil, being resurrected to show us that the former knowledge of good and evil has no standing before the love of God.

Yes, not even our sins could ever stop God from loving us. Not even when we had stopped loving God by our knowledge of good and evil could ever stop God from loving us. That’s why we celebrate above all the love of God and God who came in Christ to reveal to us the knowledge of the tree of life, the knowledge of his love for us. That’s why we celebrate the Holy Spirit who keeps alive for all eternity such beautiful knowledge in our hearts and minds so that we finally rest and stop judging.

“Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:16)

“Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.” (1 John 3:1)

As Christ, our Lord and Savior and Brother and God and Friend, once said
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)