11
The Gospel in Eden and Today ... continued ~
naked. This tells us something about the tree:
it was able to make men and women to know
about things which they never knew before
then. What does this mean to us? See Genesis
3:6-7. The Bible further tells us that the tree
was able to make one wise! See Genesis 3:6.
Wise in what way? Remember it contained two
things which are very special in themselves in
transforming man’s thinking. Remember it was
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil:
knowledge is knowing about things. If this is
so, then Adam and Eve knew good and evil
from the day they ate of the fruit of that tree.
Genesis 3:22-24 tells us what that means.
It means that all of us know good and evil.
And this knowledge is in our hearts. It is part
of our nature, making us able to do good as
well as evil since we are born with this kind of
nature inherited from Adam and Eve, our
original father and mother. This shows us that
sin originates from our heart because there is
evil in us (Ecclesiastes 9:3-5).
Knowing our nature, we are ready not to
blame anyone else about our sin. It is man that
has sinned against God and it is God who wants
to save us because we were all condemned on
that day when our parents Adam and Eve
sinned. Thus we need to be reconciled with
God through Jesus Christ, the only man born
of our nature who never obeyed its desires. He
lived a selfless life and followed God in all his
life by obeying through learning (John 3:16-19;
Hebrews 2:14; 4:14-16; 5:7-11). We only have
hope of life through believing in Jesus Christ.
Amen!!
Examine Yourselves
| A Caribbean Sister
D
o you practice self-examination? Do you
often set aside a little time to “examine
yourselves whether ye be in the faith, proving
your own selves?” Here are some questions to
help you:
♦
Is your desire to keep the commandments
as strong now as when you were first
baptized?
♦
Is God really your chiefest joy?
♦
Do you pray regularly?
♦
Are your prayers fervent and sincere?
♦
Do you really hope the Lord will come soon?
♦
Honestly, do you prefer the present life to
the one promised?
♦
Do you labour for the Kingdom of God as
earnestly as you labour for your daily
bread?
♦
Are you looking for the Lord, and do you
love his appearing?
♦
Do you do your daily readings, thinking and
meditating upon them throughout the day?
♦
Is the reading of the Word a delight to you?
♦
Are you trying to grow in the knowledge of
Christ?
♦
Do you speak often one with another upon
Divine things?
♦
Do you try to be meek and humble always?
♦
Do you sincerely want to live the kind of
life the Truth enjoins upon you?
♦
Is your home ruled by the principles of the
Truth?
♦
Is the Truth uppermost in your mind; are
you able to witness for it before those
with whom you come into contact?
♦
Can you be distinguished from the world?
♦
When trials come, do you complain or
accept all as for your own good?
♦
Do you submit to evil for Christ’s sake, or
do you try to retaliate?
♦
Can you love those who have done you
wrong?
♦
Do you indulge in foolish talking?
♦
Are you sure to be at the Breaking of
Bread as Christ has commanded you, or
do you sometimes make excuses for
absence?
♦
Do you “suffer” the word of exhortation
and see if it applies to you, or do you
resent it?
♦
The Truth’s work requires means to
further it. Are you liberal, as a faithful
steward of what God has given you, even
to the denying of yourself?