Knowledge of Good and Evil - THE LAW - SIN - DEATH
By Tuese Ahkiong
And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL.
Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”
Romans 3:20
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since THROUGH THE LAW COMES KNOWLEDGE OF SIN.
**The Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil can be equated to The Law. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is an Ancient Near Eastern worldview word picture description of Law. The Law gives knowledge of SIN.
Romans 7:7-9
7 What then shall we say? That THE LAW is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for THE LAW, I would not have KNOWN SIN. For I would not HAVE KNOWN what it is to covet if THE LAW had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For APART FROM THE LAW, sin lies dead. 9 I WAS ONCE ALIVE APART FROM THE LAW, but WHEN THE COMMANDMENT CAME, SIN CAME ALIVE AND I DIED.
**v7 THE LAW brings knowledge of sin.
*v8 APART FROM LAW sin has no power.
*v9 Paul is personifying Adam in the garden in YHWH's presence, before Adam disobeyed and chose law over grace. Adam was alive "sinning" apart from the law/commandment. Sin came alive when the commandment was given. Adam/ Paul die when sin was made alive by the giving of THE LAW.
Paul is identifying himself with the collective body of Adam, which was alive in the garden, in YHWH's presence, BEFORE Adam disobeyed YHWH's face to face command not to consume from the law, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Once Adam disobeyed and consumed from the law, he gained knowledge of his sin, and his eyes were opened and he knew he was naked.
Sin was made alive by Adam consuming from the law. The law was there in the garden the whole time, but Adam hadn't consumed from it.
Romans 5:12-14
12 Therefore, just as SIN CAME INTO THE WORLD THROUGH ONE MAN, and DEATH THROUGH SIN, and so DEATH SPREAD TO ALL MEN BECAUSE ALL SINNED— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but SIN IS NOT COUNTED WHERE THERE IS NO LAW.14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, EVEN OVER THOSE WHOSE SINNING WAS NOT LIKE THE TRANSGRESSION OF ADAM, who was a type of the one who was to come.
**Sin came into the covenant world via Adam, The Federal head transgressing The Law. Spiritual/ Covenantal Death came through sin. Death spread to all covenant people through their transgression.
**v13 Sin was in the world before the covenant law was given to Adam. + Adam was not the first human being. He was the first covenant man. Before YHWH called Adam out of darkness and void, Adam was a pagan sinning. Adam’s sin was not counted/imputed/charged against him because there was no law of YHWH given.
**v14 Spiritual covenantal death reigned from Adam to Moses.
**There were those whose sin was not like Adam’s transgression. + How does Adam’s transgression differ?
Adam did not die at the giving of The Law but at the choosing of THE LAW to directly disobey YHWH face to face.
Romans 5:18 So then as through ONE TRANSGRESSION THERE RESULTED CONDEMNATION TO ALL MEN, even so through ONE ACT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS THERE RESULTED JUSTIFICATION OF LIFE TO ALL MEN.
**What was the one transgression?
Who were/are the “ALL MEN” condemned?
**What was the one act of righteousness?
Who were/are the “ALL MEN” blessed with justification of life?
**Are Christians universalist? Nope.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as BY A MAN CAME DEATH, BY A MAN HAS COME ALSO THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD. 22 For as IN ADAM ALL DIE, so also IN CHRIST SHALL ALL BE MADE ALIVE. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming THOSE WHO BELONG TO CHRIST.
**v21 Adam was the first covenant man by which covenantal death came to the covenant people.
Christ is the man that brings resurrection from the dead or death that Adam brought to the covenant people.
*v22 In Adam, all the covenant people die.
In Christ, all the covenant people who belong to Christ are made alive.
**Scripture does NOT teach universalism.
I SHALL RANSOM THEM FROM THE POWER OF SHEOL; I SHALL REDEEM THEM FROM DEATH. O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56 THE STING OF DEATH IS SIN, and THE POWER OF SIN isTHE LAW.
***This is a fulfillment of Hosea 13:14.
V56 Death’s sting comes from SIN.
Sin is empowered to KILL when the commandment or law of YHWH was transgressed by the covenant people.
**see my article on "The Resurrection was only for Old Covenant Israel" because they were the only ones who died covenantally before YHWH, and they were the only ones that needed to be redeemed and raised from THE DEAD aka BORN AGAIN.
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