Man and the Two Trees—Ch.12

Man and the Two Trees

Gen 2:9—Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

I.    Man neutral between the Two Trees

A.   To understand God’s plan we must be really clear about the trees and what they represent.

B.   The tree of life signifies God Himself in Christ as our life—Isa. 11:1; S.S. 2:3; John 15:1; 11:25

C.  The tree of knowledge of good and evil represents nothing else than Satan, the source of death— Hebrews 2:14

D. Man was created by God in innocence, standing on the ground between the two trees.

II.   Man corrupted by the tree of death

  1. The significance of Adam taking the fruit of the tree of knowledge is that he received Satan into himself.
  2. Satan corrupted man’s body, causing it to become the flesh (Romans 7:17), the body of sin (6:6), and the body of this death (7:24).

III.   Man released from the tree of death

  1. By “sending His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin” (8:3), God trapped Satan in sinful man, as a mouse takes the bait in a trap.

Heb. 2:14b— through death He destroyed him who has the might of death, that is, the devil

  1. The cross is the only weapon for us to overcome Satan

IV.   Man resurrected by the tree of life

  1. We died with Christ (Rom 6:8), and were resurrected with Him, making us alive.

Eph. 2:5,6— And made us alive together with Christ… and raised us up together with Him

  1. By incarnation God came into man, and by resurrection man with God became one.
  2. Whenever our flesh is away from the cross, we will find that Satan is alive again.
  3. This is why we must live in the spirit all the time and apply the cross to the flesh.
  4. The ultimate issue of the two trees is in Revelation:
    1. the tree of life consummates in the new Jerusalem
    2. the tree of knowledge good and evil ends in the lake of fire.
  5. The normal Christian life does not consist of doing good by our flesh, but of allowing the life of Christ in our spirit to live through us.

Spoken February 24, 2014


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