Part 3 - The Fall and the Restoration
The Rebellion of Man's Mind
The creation of Adam and Eve resulted in the situation where the finite,
man, was in fellowship with the infinite, God. He who is infinite has a
total grasp and understanding of that which He created. It is His design,
and it is He who guides and sustains according to His will and plan. On the
other side, man who is finite is extremely limited in his outlook and
understanding compared to that which God has. God is omniscient, knowing
all. Man is not. God is omnipresent, in all places. Man is not. God knows
the end from the beginning while man of his own being cannot know the
future. A right relationship between the infinite God and finite man requires
an important characteristic on the part of man: faith and trust.
Man's limited knowledge and understanding is not a result of God
withholding something from man. It is simply a limitation of being finite.
Man will never be the equal with God, and so man will never have the
knowledge and understanding that God has. The faith that God requires on
man's part is likened to that which a child has in a parent. Jesus said,
"Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little
children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3).
Man's own understanding
One of the aspects of the fall of Adam and Eve was the rebellion of their
minds. In establishing mankind in the garden setting, God set up boundaries.
Man did not understand and appreciate the restriction of not eating of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This required faith and trust in his creator. Man elevated his understanding of the situation above God's
understanding. Man rejected God's understanding and proceeded according to
his own.
Eve's understanding of the forbidden tree was that it was "a tree
desirable to make one wise" (Gen. 3:6). She understood that she would "be
like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:5). In her own understanding, Eve
expected to elevate her mind to the level of God. This lie and delusion of
the serpent evaporated in the fall, for the only understanding that Adam and
Eve received was that they lacked.
Because the heart of fallen man is centered on himself, his mind acts
accordingly. He demands full understanding and will not submit to the
understanding of the infinite Creator through faith and trust.
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