Have you ever thought about why Genesis 2-3 happened the way that it did? Adam and Eve in a perfect garden… but why include some mysterious tree or a talking serpent for that matter? To refresh your memory, here is Genesis 2:15-17…

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;¹⁷ 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.”

And we know what happens next in chapter 3. The serpent tempts both Adam and Eve and distorts God’s word, ultimately leading to the first sin of disobeying God.

I recall a conversation several years ago with a non-Christian who was familiar with several bible stories. He pointed out that perhaps a better thing for God to do would have been to leave out the forbidden fruit in the first place! Why would God allow this possibility for sin and failure? Couldn’t there have been no tree (or serpent!) in the first place?

These are obviously complicated sorts of questions. We don’t exactly know the mind of God, but we can think in broad terms about the deeper meaning of the story of Adam and Eve. So what can this biblical episode teach us about freedom and human nature?

True love can only exist when someone has the freedom to accept or reject that love. To put it bluntly, you cannot hold a gun to someone’s head and demand “love me!” from him or her. If someone were to say “yes” in the situation, it is quite clear he or she was forced to do so, either out of fear or manipulation. You cannot make people love you. It has to be a free choice.

So love only exists when you have freedom to choose otherwise. With that in mind, the presence of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil a lot makes sense in the Garden Eden…

Because God essentially gave Adam and Eve a choice.

If they were to choose to obey God by not eating of the fruit, they would have enjoyed the wonders and pleasures of Eden. And on the other hand, if they were to to disobey God, there would be consequences. God provided that option in order for love to exist. Adam and Eve were not robots. Neither were they forced into doing anything. They knew God’s will, but still had to make the decision on whether to follow it or not.

God offers us that same freedom, too. God gives us the choice of whether to follow Christ or not. We have that freedom to decide for ourselves. Fortunately, God has given us grace to make that decision–think of all the evidence of God’s grace in your own life, as well as witnessing the “signature” of God throughout creation!

But the choice still remains… will you follow God? Or will you go the other direction?

Paul in 1 Corinthians 6 talked about how we have the freedom to do whatever we want. Everything is permissible, but at the same time, we need to realize that not everything is edifying or beneficial for that matter. We discussed yesterday how this relates to our entire life as Christians–both our physical body and the decisions we make on a daily basis. And as we reflect on the MLK holiday today, we need to remember that being a Christian means we apply the love of God to every part of our life. We don’t just pray or worship on Sundays alone. We also extend the same love and equality God showed us to all people, regardless of skin color or nationality.

God gives us the freedom to decide what to do, and hopefully with that freedom, we will choose Jesus.

You’ve probably heard of the various kinds of arguments for God’s existence. People throughout church history have crafted these kinds of theological and philosophical justifications for belief in God. Here are some of the various arguments…

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Cosmological Argument

1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
2. The universe began to exist.

Therefore, the universe had a cause.

3. If the universe had a cause, then an uncaused entity apart from the universe created it.

Therefore, that cause is God.

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Conscience Argument

1. Either our sense of right and wrong is from God, animal instinct, or abstract ideals.
2. Our conscience is not an animal instinct or an abstract ideal.

Therefore, our conscience comes from God.

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Perception Argument

1. It is common sense to trust our sensory perception unless we have reason to believe otherwise (i.e. intoxication, hallucination, other cases of impairment).
2. Many people have sensory perception of God.

Therefore, we have evidence to believe that God exists.

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Arguments like these can be very helpful for some people, particularly those who are more analytically-minded–perhaps you or someone you know really enjoys picking apart the details and facts of the world around us! Our relationship with God is no different. We can indeed use our mind to glorify God and even witness to other people about God’s existence and purpose for our lives.

But one thing to keep in mind with Christianity is that God is not some abstract idea. Instead, God is deeply personal. Think about that for a moment…

God calls you to follow him. God wants to have an encounter with you. Jesus wants to know your personally and for you to feel the love of God. Christianity is meaningful in many ways because of the transformation or conversion experiences Christ offers us.

We don’t primarily learn about God through textbooks or even human reasoning. There isn’t a test or a philosophical “proof” that reveals God’s ultimate nature to us. Instead, we have experiences of God. God is personal in that he wants you to experience his grace and love in your heart.

Likewise, the wisdom God offers us is closely connected to knowing God in a personal sort of way. Jesus’ commands to serve one another may not make sense according to the world’s standards. Instead, commands of Christ make sense because when we experience the love of God, our heart is changed and we see the deeper truth of the cross.

As you reflect on the sermon this week about Godly wisdom, remember that God wants you to experience him. It may be difficult to believe the sorts of things the bible teaches us–on Sunday we highlighted how “blessed are the poor,” “serve one another rather than being served,” and “God loves you unconditionally” go against human wisdom and logic. But the more you fall in love with Christ, the clearer these teachings become. They might not make sense according to the world around us, but when we have experiences of God, they become clearer and truer than anything we could ever imagine.

I hope you all had a great New Year holiday! To recap our December sermon series, here is what each thing or character from the nativity scene can teach us for faith today. As you can see, this common Christmas tradition has a lot of deeper meaning…

1. Joseph

Follow the example of Jospeh. Even when God’s calling goes against common sense or makes you uncomfortable. You have to remember to actually listen to God. He might be leading you to do something that seems out of the ordinary, like he did with Joseph committing himself to serving Mary.

And the second thing Joseph teaches us has to do with fatherhood. Joseph loved Jesus like his own child. He trained him up and taught him. He didn’t abandon him. Instead of sending Mary and Jesus away, he stuck around. We need a lot more fathers like Joseph in our world today–fathers who follow the example of God, our heavenly parent and father.

2. Mary

Mary teaches us that God is calling each one of us to abandon the rat race of life, of worshipping power, and wishing we had all the shallow pleasures we often cling to. God calls us to encounter him in humility. God sends the rich away empty. For the prideful don’t feel like they need salvation in the first place.

And Mary teaches us that God is calling you specifically. God has a plan for you. He’s  speaking your name. Are you going to answer when you hear that voice? Will you say “yes” to God, just like Mary did?

3. A Simple Manger

God uses everyday things for his salvation plan. Mangers weren’t some glamorous objects like we think of them today. They were literally feeding troughs used for animals. Yet God used this common thing to give us the newborn Jesus Christ. God is working through all things to redeem and make things new.

4. Shepherds

The shepherds were the kinds of people who were patiently waiting for a savior. The bible itself is filled with stories about faithful waiting–waiting for God’s salvation to come to fruition. In the birth narratives, some of the the shepherds might have even given up hope. But they ultimately listened to the message of the angels that the Messiah had finally come. The shepherds teach us that waiting on God’s promises is worth it. Pay attention to the world around you, or else you might miss a message from God!

5. The Three Wisemen

These magi saw that God is at work all over the world. Even though they arguably had no connection to Judaism or the Old Testament, they still experienced God’s revelation. God’s revelation isn’t limited to places of worship like churches. God is working to reveal Godself to all peoples. So when you encounter people who aren’t Christian or who might be lukewarm in their faith, point out those areas of God’s love they’ve experienced but haven’t realized it. God is protecting, guiding, and loving them before they even realize it.