The Great Plan: Introduction
On the internet the other day, I came across two men, probably of different religious organizations, maybe even pastors or clergy of some type — I really didn’t pay much attention. The two were arguing over some point of doctrine. I read through several parts of the discussion that went on and on… I began to think to myself that both of these guys are completely convinced that they were right and the other was wrong. There are literally thousands of different denominations just in the Christian faith. Why are there so many and each of them is firmly convinced that they are the ones who are right and the others are all wrong?
It all comes down to one thing. They all base their doctrinal theories on assumptions that they got from their specific doctrine or their pastor, theologian, Bible scholar or what not. They don’t take time to think for themselves; they haven’t developed critical thinking. What has happened is that someone else has rented their brains. They can’t think for themselves; their life is no longer their own. Sad.
It started in the very beginning.
They start with the assumption that God didn’t know what He was doing when He created man and man was a perfect, sinless creature who “fell from grace” and was cursed. They assume that God expected Man to be perfect and live forever, but he blew it — he went and sinned! He screwed the whole thing up for all the rest of us!
It seems (from most Christians’ point of view) that God did not expect man to disobey and eat from the forbidden tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and that man did know the difference between what was right and wrong. This couldn’t be further from the truth!
I’m not convinced that the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil was a literal tree and that the whole story itself was actually literal — but only God really knows, maybe the story was literal. Let’s suppose for a moment that this story was actually literal and that the tree was actually literal — just for the sake of analysis.
First of all, if this tree was called the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, then obviously there was a reason for this: eating this fruit would make one wise and one would know the difference between good and bad. If Adam and Eve hadn’t eaten of the forbidden fruit, then they still would have been ignorant. It says:
“And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed” (Gen 2:25)
It was only after they ate of the fruit of that tree that they were ashamed. The serpent told them:
“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:5)
Obviously:
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God had to have known (being the “all-knowing” God) that they would lose their ignorance and would know the difference between good and evil — after, not before.
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Adam and Eve were innocent and ate of the tree because they were convinced that it was something good. They did not perceive they were doing something wrong until only after they had eaten the fruit of the tree.
So since they were innocent and didn’t know better, it wasn’t really wrong, right? Just like a 2 year old child, you might tell him not to touch the hot stove — but he’ll do it anyway — not because he’s doing something purposefully wrong, but because he’s still ignorant and innocent. He’ll get burned, but he’ll learn.
God had to have known
Therefore, God had to have known that man would eat of the fruit since they were both innocent and God put the tree there for them to eat. Why else would God have placed that tree there for if it hadn’t been part of His plan in the first place for them to eat of it? If God is all-knowing and He knew all about the man that he created, it is ridiculous to think that God did not expect man to eat the fruit of the tree. It is only logical that God knew what man would do.
God must have put the tree there on purpose, not to test him, but to give him an experience to learn from so he would grow.
In God’s Image
If God expected man to continue without knowing the difference between good and evil for all time, then why did he want create man in his (or their) own image and especially why did he create a tree and give it a name like the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
The only creation of God that knows the difference between good and evil is man, and that is the way that they created him: with a conscience. Remember, man is the only one of God’s creations that is made in the image and likeness of God. The difference between man and the rest of God’s creatures is that he is like God.
Like Jesus said, “Ye are all gods”. God made man with a brain and the capacity to learn and become intelligent. It’s not at all logical that God would create man the way he did and expect him and all of his descendants to be simpletons and be ignorant for the rest of time. This is the main thing that sets our species apart from the rest of the animal kingdom.
“And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness” (Gen 1:26)
If we were made in the image and likeness of God; if we were never meant to know the difference between good and evil, then we would be lacking in the most important thing that makes us different than all the rest of the creation, and the very thing that makes us most like God: the knowledge of good and evil.
“And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil” (Gen 3:22)
The Curse
Now comes the part that almost sounds contradictory: If God knew that man would eat of the forbidden fruit, and that was a part of his plan from the beginning, then why did He curse them after they did exactly what He know they would do?
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; (Gen 3:16-18)
Maybe this really wasn’t a curse
The only answer that could be is that this also was a part of his great plan. Maybe this was all for the purpose of to give him experiences so that he would become god-like.
Next: The Great Plan | The Great Plan Part 2