Life vs. The Knowledge of Good and Evil

The Sapphire Review Vol. 2 | No. 1 • January 3, 2025

Jan 03, 2025

And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:9, KJV

INTRO

In Jesus’ final moments with His disciples, He includes the following as part of a prayer:

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)

It seems that at no time in history since the Garden of Eden has such a contrasting line been drawn between life and the knowledge of good and evil as there is today. Although the terms today are not exactly as they were with Adam and Eve, there are nevertheless parallels from which we can draw. However, for many, the choice will bring forth the same manner of recompense as with the original choice in the Garden. On one side, there is eternal life. On the other side there is destruction and eternal death.

It is interesting how the same fundamental choice, which resulted in sin being brought into our world, is once again standing prominently as the age of sin, now in its maturity, is drawing to an end. What, and more especially who we know is a matter of great importance.

“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:23)

THE SUBTLETY OF THE SERPENT

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1)

Through the cunning and persuasive words of the enemy of souls, Eve was deceived. The far reaching extent of her choice was not fully known unto her until after it was too late and there was no turning back. Once Eve was captivated in her heart by the seducing charm of the devil’s words1 she was no longer content with just life. It was not evil itself that Eve had any interest in through this act of sin, and this concept itself would have been foreign to her anyway in her unfallen nature. It was the wisdom that came through the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil that she desired.2

Has the father of lies3 changed over the millennia, or is he still ever presenting himself as an angel of light4 while seeking to derail humanity from the love, knowledge, and life that comes from God? Certainly, he has not changed, but the methods of his deceptions have.

TIME IN THE MODERN AGE

I find that the day in which we live presents us with a choice that is far too similar to that in the Garden. Life and the knowledge of good and evil stand before us in the midst of this world. What are we choosing?

Though much could be written on this topic, I want to focus upon it in a very specific way for the purposes of this writing.

The Master has given each of us a measure of talents in terms of our time.5 The measure will be different for each of us based on our position in life, the size of our family, and the breadth of our responsibilities. Once everything that is truly needful has been taken care of, we are left with the talents of time that have been measured out to us by our Lord. We have great liberty and freedom of choice regarding how we use this time.

Some time is wasted under the guise of being needful, but it is really nothing more than a misappropriation that results from treasures being set upon the things of this earth rather than the things that are above.6 Such misappropriation is not the focus today.

TECHNOLOGY

The challenge that I put before us today pertains to our time and the use of technology. Much time is wasted on technology. For many, especially the Christian, it is not evil that they are seeking after through the use of technology, but knowledge… knowledge of things that are good, knowledge of things that are neutral, and also knowledge of things that are evil.

Thus hours and hours of time are spent on many things that do not deepen our love for the Father and His Son. When seriously reflected upon, how many of these hours fail to draw us closer to life eternal, as found through the knowing of the Father and His only begotten Son?7 If the sum total of all hours that have been misspent and squandered upon technology in our lifetime were placed before us, would we be pleased to present this report to the Most High or to our brethren, or would we recoil back in shame at the magnitude of the total?

It is unsettling to consider how vast the sum is of time which has been given over to the knowledge of good and evil, that could have been used for gospel work, for the building up and edifying of the body of Christ, for the developing of the character of Christ within us, for the study of scriptures, and for life eternal in knowing more fully our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Social media, news, current events, entertainments, YouTube, education, curiosity, and research into areas where a person has not been called, all serve as snares in technology that the enemy uses to get people to feed upon the knowledge of good and evil rather than upon the bread of life.8

SELF REFLECTION

I am not suggesting that we must do away with all forms of “knowledge” that we have gained through applying our minds to various forms of technology. There is obviously much good that can come through a proper use of technology. I am simply suggesting that there is a principle here that each person must prayerfully consider.

God gives each of us different skills and places us with unique roles in the church. We are called to reach different types of people in different ways. In order to do this, specific knowledge must be acquired, held, developed, and maintained in various ways for some people that will not be necessary for others. The Holy Spirit must be the guide for each person on these matters in their life; there is no formula.

When we consider how we, as an individual standing before God, make use of our time through the means of technology, it is good that we ask ourselves a few questions.

Is it helpful to me, to the work of God, or for ministering to others in my life?
Is it needful?
Is it wise?
Does it bring glory to God in my life?
Does it increase my usefulness for God’s work?
Do I have a conviction or a calling that requires the use of it?
Does it help my readiness for the coming time of trouble?
Is it shaping my character to be more like that of Christ?
Is it learning that leads further into a knowledge of truth?9

In considering these questions, if our answer is “no” to all of them, we must then ask ourselves one more:

Why am I choosing to apply my time to this knowledge over that which would bring me into a life of greater fellowship with my Heavenly Father and His Son through their spirit, which has been given unto us?10

PRAYER

May God us help us to be wise with our time, and to never squander a single moment that we have to grow closer to Him, to grow in the knowledge of truth, and to be useful vessels in His service. May He bring conviction to all our hearts regarding any area where we are not being good stewards of our time, and most especially, in the matter of how our time is applied through the use of technology.