The Tree of Life

This post was originally part of the posting in “A Mail from Jacky” posted on 1st August 2008. As I still received revelation concerning the Tree of Life, I felt led to take this potion out from that post and post as a separate title.

The message preached by Pastor Joshua Lee on the 13th July 2008 was a heart revolutionizing message as it touches on Christian's approach on their conducts in everyday life. So we start with the question whether we are drawing our source from the Tree of Life or The tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil?

As for me, I don’t think I ever put a thought on this subject even though I have been a Christian for almost nine years; and because of this ignorant, even though I know I have been enlightened by grace, here and there, I still find myself bound by my own weaknesses.

I realize that as long as you dwell in the grace of God, the grace of God and His faithfulness will bring you deeper into His truth because you just cannot be stagnant but grow in grace. You are just like flowing in His river. I also realize that this is part of the process of growing in grace. Significantly, a Christian needs to be established in grace before this kind of message can take any effect because a truth is built on a truth. If you are legalistic, the focus is on your effort and thus, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is your source. Grace is contradicted to the legalism’s approach, so as the Tree of The knowledge of Good and Evil.

A legalism is earth bound and is restricted by the conduct of doing right or wrong, of which, the root is eating from the Tree of The knowledge of Good and Evil. If Christianity is to do good and avoid doing wrong, then Christianity is the same as any other religions. Every Christian knows that Christianity is not a religion but relationship with Jesus, and in spite of that knowledge, Christian still follow the worldly system or religious way of doing right and avoid doing wrong.

What is Christianity then? Will the real Christianity, please stand up! Christianity is depending on Jesus instead of human effort and Christianity is about eating from the Tree of Life. Jesus said He came to give life and life more abundantly! Praise God, if Jesus did not call me out from the legalistic environment I was in, I will never have the revelation on the importance of eating from the Tree of Life. I will still be living my Christian life religiously, continue to be taught with the earthly way of how to do right and how to avoid doing wrong (of which, we could not, of course..). Or even continue to make Jesus as my example, so that I can be a better man….

Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the words of Christ. If preaching is not based on the grace of God, then there will be no faith to rise up to that level to approach the Tree of Life. Ignorantly, legalists have preached Christian away from the grace of God and make them fallen away from His grace by their justification of good works.

The following passage from the Book of Hebrews caught my attention for quit a long time already and only now I begin to understand what this passage means.

Hebrews 5: 11 ~14: We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil!

The passage continue with, “Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on the hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so."

If only we can read these passages ourselves without the interference of the legalistic preachers, it is so clear that the teaching on the foundation of repentance from acts is the elementary teachings. It is not about learning to do good or bad, it is to distinguish good from evil. Learning to do good or avoid evil cannot make us distinguish good from evil. We need to be established in grace so as to have the ability to distinguish good from evil. The good and evil here means whether the teaching of God's word is filtered through the cross or not.

The purpose of the forgiveness of sin from God is not for us to start a new sinless life ourselves but to make us have the confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus so that we can draw from the Tree of Life. Through the cross, we have already been reconciled; we have already been made righteous and we are already one with Him in Christ. So let us move on to enter with boldness!

These passages bring out another issue; i.e. the knowledge of righteousness is not milk but solid food. Therefore, the knowledge of righteousness is for the mature not for the infant. We can only be established with the teaching about righteousness through His grace. We have to settle the issue of sin once and for all that we are made righteous by His grace through faith. This righteousness is about His righteousness not our righteousness. Our righteousness is described as filthy rags by the Bible. When we understand what His righteousness is, we will know that teaching on the foundation of repentance from acts is elementary. It’s finished! Or else, we will continue to drink our milk.

Therefore, humble ourselves knowing that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. The proud in God's eye are those who depend on themselves and the humble are those who draw from Him. Knowing also that grace is with the truth. If we think that grace is not with the truth, then we will never find our way to the Tree of Life.

Humble yourself before God not before legalism. Start to believe that Jesus loves you and He had done everything on the cross just for you. If you guard this little faith in you, you will know His grace and you will be set free.

The purpose of His forgiveness is not for you to start your new sinless life yourself; His forgiveness is for you to have the boldness to enter into His grace.