From the numerous movies we have watched while growing up, we are sold the narrative that if we stay good long enough, we will surely win. This has now become the template many of us live our lives. ‘If I spend my life doing good things (doing the opposite of evil), then I win in the end’.
However, a great example that quenches this lie can be found in Genesis 3:1-7. Although the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden was forbidden by God, Eve saw that it wasn’t rotten, it was edible, and it was good for food. For this reason, she chose to eat the fruit. We quickly learn from Eve’s mistake that; it is God who defines what is good and evil. Therefore, we require God’s insight to discern what He has defined as good and to choose that option.
Although Eve saw the fruit as good for food, God didn’t see the fruit in this same way. However, like Eve, due to our desire for immediate fleshly satisfaction, we are quick to allow the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16) to be the key factors in our decision-making process. However, in many cases this does not align with God’s will for our lives. Thus, we must be careful with the lens we look through to judge what is good. Our senses need to be sharpened daily to discern what is the good, acceptable and perfect option in God’s sight rather than our own.
Like Eve, we often struggle to be submissive to God’s will for us as our definition of good seems much more pleasing. In the end, Eve’s poor decision making led to catastrophic consequences in Genesis 3:16.
By God’s grace and through the death of Jesus Christ we are not required to be good to receive salvation, we are loved not because of our righteousness but by His grace (Ephesians 2:4-5). Having said that, when we do become born again, we must aim to become like Christ, holy and blameless.
God is what is good and when we begin to use this truth as our daily lens, we will begin to see change.
