Why did God make the tree?

In the book of Genesis we read the following:
Genesis 2:8-17

8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

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 of it you will surely die."

Why did God, if He expected Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit from the tree, did He put it there in the first place? This is a question sceptics and believers have asked since time began. The answer, however is not a hard concept. God put the tree in the garden to give mankind freedom of choice. God made us to love, but He also made us to love him back. But, what kind of love could we have for God if we had no other choice? True love requires a choice. Without the freedom of choice true love is rendered void. The type of love God requries is the type of love we all want, the love that loves Him when we don't have to. If there were no tree in the garden Adam and Eve would have had no choice but to love God. And that is not true love.

The Desires of your heart

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

This is a very misunderstood and misused verse. But what exactly does it mean? If you were to ask a prosperity preacher what it means he'd probably tell you that God has an Escalade and a big house out there just for you. That of course is not what it means. It's much deeper than that. If you delight yourself in the LORD what will the desires of your heart be? They will be things pertaining to the LORD. Things pleasing to him. Your pleasure will be in him and he will give you the things your heart desires. Things such as, but not limited to, getting closer to him. Knowing him more intimately, Godly wisdom, etc.
But, If you delight yourself in the Lord, repent of your sins and surrender to Jesus as Lord he will give you the most important thing your heart (with the help of the Holy Spirit) desires. Eternal Salvation! And that is much more valuable than an Escalade!

Sin means man has to die.

Since time began the big question has been asked. If God loves us why do people die? Does a loving God want mankind to suffer and die? Before sin man didn't suffer and die. There was no death. The truth is death is the very way God shows us his love and mercy.
In the book of Genesis God had this to say after man had first sinned:

Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."

Why was it so important that Adam must not be allowed to eat from the tree of life and live forever? Does God not want Man to live forever? We know that's not true at all. A very well known verse, a verse even non-believers usually know by heart says otherwise.

John 3:16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

So why was it so important that man must not be allowed to eat this fruit that would cause him to live forever? Was it to punish man? Maybe partially, but not completely. There are other very important reasons! The first reason is that if man could not die then Jesus could not have died on the cross. God is not only a God of love but of justice. If Christ could not have died to take the penalty for the sins of man then man would have lived eternally in a state of sin that could never be justly penalized. This is something a just God could never allow. The second reason is that God does want us to live forever, but God does not want us depending on a piece of fruit to give us eternal life. Rather than have us live eternally in sin apart from Him, He wants us to live eternally in a relationship with Him and to depend on Him for our eternal life. What a truely lowley state we'd be in. Imagine the world as it is today with all it's problems. Now imagine it could never end. No one would ever die. Men like Hitler and Nero would still be alive today. Sure they would not be murderous, but still just as evil.
Instead God has allowed death to enter in to the world. And one day, those who enter in to eternal life by His plan will live in a world where there is once again no death. And it will be a world free of sin and evil.
So it was because of His grace and mercy God allowed death to exist, not in spite of it. And if you repent of your sins and ask Jesus to be your Lord and savior you will have eternal life HIS way.

The laws of science point to a creator

The laws of science point to a creator.
Law #1 of Thermodynamics states that matter and energy can not be created nor destroyed.
Law #2 basically states that all matter and energy runs down. It wears out. It increases in Entropy and becomes useless.

Because of Law #2 we can logically assume the universe had a beginning. If it did not all matter and energy in the universe would have ran down eons ago and there would be nothing but useless energy and matter floating around the cosmos.

So, the Universe MUST have had a beginning, That which had a beginning requires a cause, but matter and energy can not be created.
Therefore the cause of the universe must have been able to defy the laws of Thermodynamics and create matter and energy.
Since we have never observed anything in the universe which can naturally create matter and energy the only logical conclusion would be that a deity powerful enough to call forth matter and energy from nothing exists and created the universe.

God himself requires no origin because he is not a physical being. Not being composed of matter he requires no beginning. Only that which has a beginning requires a cause. He has always existed. No matter what you believe something or someone has to have always existed. It is illogical based on the 2nd law of Thermodynamics to believe that the universe has always existed.

This argument is based on scientific fact. While you may find those who sit around trying to come up with ways something can come from nothing with no help from God you'll always find that their ideas are just that, Ideas. They can not be backed up with fact.

Science in the bible

There is reference to a medical condition in the bible what would have gone unnoticed for the past 2000 years because until now it was not possible to know about it.
Read Mark 8:22-26
This passage tells of Jesus healing a blind man. When he first heals the blind man he says he can't see very clearly. That people look like trees walking. Now until modern times that didn't mean much. But, because of modern medical science we can infact repair the human eye and cure blindness. People who have never seen in their lives will have a condition known as Agnosia. This condition exists because the pathways in the brain have not grown to accommodate vision. Their brains have never "learned" to see.
When Jesus first healed this blind man he very briefly suffered from Agnosia. Then Jesus healed his Agnosia and the man could see clearly. It would have been impossible for Mark to have known about Agnosia when he wrote this account because 2000 years ago blindness could not be cured by medical science. The full meaning of this passage is only clear in modern times. This suggests that the bible is true.

Abortion

Due to the graphic nature of the following images I've placed them in links.
Click the images at your own risk.
It's come to my attention lately that the Democrats in DC have been trying hard lately to make partial birth abortion legal. Well what are the facts we know about abortion?

At 24 days the baby's heart starts to beat.
At 6-7 Weeks brain waves are detected.
At 21 Weeks the child can live outside the womb, although it requires intensive care.

Etc. Etc.

If the Liberal left were to have their way a child in the womb could be put to death at any stage as long as the child has not yet exited the womb alive. Personally I find that barbaric.

This is what an aborted child looks like at 9 weeks. Mind you the baby's heart was beating and it had brain waves.
(Image) Aborted baby at 9 weeks

However, what the liberals want now is to reverse the ban on partial birth, or late trimester abortions. There are two major methods of performing this act. The first, which was developed during the Nazi's durring World War II, involves injecting the uterus with salt water poisoning the child. It's interesting to note that during this procedure the child struggles until it dies. The salt usually burns the skin causing a reddish appearance. This method is not widely used anymore due to the fact that sometimes the baby survives.
Here is what a dead baby looks like after it's been killed in this manner:
(Image) Dead baby aborted with Salt Poisoning.

But, The method commonly used, and outlawed, to abort late term pregnancy involves delivering the child up to its neck, cutting a hole in the baby's skull and sucking out its brain.

The method in which the following child was killed is unknown, but if the liberals were to have their way the following image would be perfectly legal:
(Image) Dead baby. Aborted at 7 months.

Here is an image explaining the procedure of partial birth abortion:
(Image) Explaining partial birth abortion. Notice the dead child in the last pane.

Take a good look at these pictures. Can you honestly look at these pictures and tell me that this is a good idea? That this should be legal? That a woman should have the right to do this to her own child? That the images above are NOT of human beings? That these babies were NOT murdered? Think twice next time you cast a vote. If you vote for a liberal than this could be what you're voting for.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

A good question would be why God made other planets and did not put life on them. It's true what the Bible says in Psalm 19:1:

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.

So what do the planets declare about God? Sure their gravity keeps us in place but what else? They show us just how special the earth is! If the planets weren't there how long would it have taken for us to realize that the earth has to be a perfect distance from the sun? Or, that it has to be the right size, and have the correct gases in our atmosphere to support life?
If we were close like mercury we'd be too hot. If we were larger we'd have too much gravity. If we were smaller we might be like Mars.
Surely the heavens do proclaim the glory of God!

Why is Hell forever.

A very good question some people ask is why Hell is forever. They wonder why God can't just send them there for a little while and then let them out, or why their penalty has to be so harsh. In a previous blog we covered that when we sin, even a small sin, we aren't just being penalized for lying or stealing, but for disobeying the perfect word of God. God is infinite. God's word is infinite. Therefore, if we disobey his word then the penalty is infinite. Even though we are not infinite we still owe an infinite debt. Therefore we must pay for it infinitly. That is, forever. But the good news is that because Jesus IS God He was able to pay the infinite debt in your place once for all. The debt is payed in full by the only one able to pay an infinite debt. His love was willing to pay that debt! Come to him today, tell him you repent (turn away) from your sins and ask him to be your Lord (master) and Savior and to forgive your sins because He has payed the sin debt!

The parable of the parachute

Kirk Cameron gets the credit for this one.

There was once a man on an air plane. A stewardess tells the man he needs to wear a parachute. When the man asks why she tells him that if he puts on the parachute it will make his flight better. The man doesn't understand why wearing a parachute will make his flight better but puts the parachute on anyway. He instantly realizes that he can't sit up straight in his seat. All the other passengers are laughing at him for wearing this parachute and the stewardess who told him about the parachute comes by and spills hot coffee all over him. Angry and bitter about the parachute the man stands up and yells, "I thought you said this would make my flight better!!??!!" and throws it off.

A few rows down another stewardess gives another man a parachute. She tells him that he needs to wear the parachute because the plane is going to crash and in any moment he will have to jump. The man puts on the parachute. Even though he can't sit up straight in his seat and all the other passengers laugh at him he clings to his parachute. Even after the stewardess spilled hot coffee all over him he still clung tightly to his parachute because he knew it was his only hope to survive the coming doom. In fact he was greatful for the parachute and looked forward to the end of his flight.

Many people become disapointed with the Christian life because they were told they needed Jesus because Jesus would make their life better but t, and surely he does give us abundant life! But, after they become saved they're faced with hard times or hateful church people who "spill hot coffee" on thier hearts. But, we do not become saved to get a better life. We do so to survive the fall. All of the apostles were either killed or exiled for their faith, but their joy came from knowing that Jesus loved them and saved them from the fall.

Why is sin such a big deal?

First of all with all these blogs I don't want anyone to think that I'm setting myself up as a perfect sinless person. I'm not. Not by a long shot.

With that out of the way I'll get to the point! :)

I've derived this from something Paul Washer once said. To understand why sin is a big deal to God, even small sins one must understand the magnatude of sin.

God commanded the universe to exist out of nothingness. It obeyed him.
God commanded entire gallaxies to go where they should, and they went.
God commanded enormous stars where to hang in the heavens and they obeyed him.
God commanded mountains to rise and valleys to fall and they obeyed.
God commanded the ocean to stop and allow the dry land to appear. It obeyed him.

Then, God turned to man and said come to me and man said "NO!".
Mankind is the only creation that has ever disobeyed the word of God, the same word that created the universe. That is a big deal!

I'm not so bad. Why do I need Jesus?

Alot of people think that they're good enough to go to heaven. They say that they're sins aren't so bad and that there are murderers or rapists who are much worse. Surely God would send me to heaven compared to them!

First of all we need to establish that yes, you are a sinner and deserve God's judgement. Let's take just the Ten Commandments as our standard. God's law is more than just the Ten Commandments, but we'll use it for our purposes. I will present the Commandments in question form so that you man use them as a mirror for yourself.
1. Have you ever lied? Probably. I have.
2. Have you ever stolen? Probably. All though I can't think of an example I probably have.
3. Have you ever commited adultery? Jesus said if you look at a woman to lust after her you have commited adultery in your heart. What man has not done this?
4.Have you ever coveted? Most people have looked at what their neighbor has and wished it belonged to them.
5. Have you ever taken God's name in vain? If you've used his name in any other manner other than talking to Him or about Him you have.

We've only covered half of the Commandments and so far we're probably 5 for 5.  Get the picture? If we continue you'll have to admit that you have violated most if not all of the 10 commandments and one point. If God is a perfect judge he will give you the judgement you deserve.

But you might be saying to yourself, well yeah. I'm guilty. But I'm still not that bad. I mean, I'm not a rapist or murderer or anything. Well my illustration might seem crude but it's effective.





Above are 4 cups of water. Cup #1 is perfectly pure. Cup #2 has a tiny dingleberry in it. Cup #3 has a great big turd in it. Cup #4 is pure diarrhea. Which one do you want to drink out of? Cup #2 isn't as bad as 3 or 4. Why not accept it and drink out of it? You'd only want to drink out of #1. Even though #2 isn't so bad it's equally disgusting to you as 3 and 4. That's how God looks at sin. You are either #2,#3 or #4. There was only one person who ever qualified as #1. That was Jesus Christ.
God loved you so much that he sent Jesus to take the penalty for your sins on the cross. When Jesus died on the cross he took all your sins on himself.
So God took all your filth and poored it on Jesus. Like this:



Even though Christ was pure he became sin for you. So when you repent of your sins and ask Jesus in to your life as your Lord and Savior you take on his purity, just as he took on your filth. He payed your penalty.
In a court of law if you were found guilty of violating the law and the judge told you to pay the fine, and you didn't have the money what would you do? You'd go to jail. What if while you were being taken to your cell someone you didn't know had sold all they had and came in and offered to pay your fine? You'd be greatful and accept it! You'd live your live with gratitude for that person's sacrifice. That's what Jesus did. He gave all he had to pay your fine. Repent and turn away from your sins. Accept the gift Christ payed for on the cross. Acknoledge him as your Lord and Savior. He loves you and has provided a way for you to escape your penalty!

DNA points to a creator

In the debate over origins there is no "proof" on either side because you can not test the past. However you can have evidence to point to your point of view. DNA Points to a creator. How? DNA contains information and is very complex. But it's not enough to simple say DNA has information and is complex. Anyone can randomly draw letters from a hat and eventually spell a word. But, That word is meaningless unless you speak english. Likewise the blueprints of DNA are useless unless they mean something. DNA has a "language". There are machinery in cells which know how to speak the language of DNA. They decode the blueprints in your DNA. However, The blueprints for building the machinery in your cells which read and decode DNA are encoded in your DNA. If you can't read the DNA then you can't build the machinery to read the DNA. To quote Answers in Genesis:

"DNA even contains the instructions to devise the cellular machinery to decode its instructions. Without a mechanism to decode the information, the DNA blueprint would be useless. Even if DNA had managed to evolve, as Egli believes, the decoding mechanism to read it would have had to evolve at precisely the same time. This scenario is impossible because the instructions for building the decoding unit are contained in the DNA itself."
From this article - http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2007/02/28/dna-sweet-secret


So yes, DNA does show striking evidence for a creator.