Serving God By His Grace
If God is all knowing, and God knows all things, ibig-sabihin alam din ng Diyos na mag kakasala ang tao kapag nilagay Niya ang Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil sa gitna ng hardin?
If He knows all things did He put that tree that would eventually mag co-cause ng pagkakasala ng tao?
Ang simpleng sagot ay He put the tree of knowledge of good and evil to give humanity a choice.
God Put The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil to Give Human a Choice
Through that tree Adam has a choice to work and serve God, and keeping the garden while trusting God's commandment; or disobey Him and do what was right in His own eyes. God gave Adam a choice, because genuine choice matters to Him, at hindi yung napipilitan lang dahil no choice.
Genesis 2:15-17
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Because Genuine Choice Matters To God
Sa simula pa lang ay binigyan na tayo ng Diyos ng ministry to cultivate and keep what He already has given us—to Adam is the Garden of Eden. At nilagay din ng Diyos ang tree of knowledge of good and evil sa garden and commanded Adam, "you shall not eat from it."
Dito nagsisimula ang genuine choice, kung magtitiwala ba si Adam sa Diyos or will he trust his intuition and do what was right in his own eyes.
Pero, bakit kaya hindi nalang alisin ng Diyos yung puno? at alisin nalang lahat ng bagay na mag dudulot sa sa atin ng chances na magkasala. Para mas maging okay na lang lahat, wala nang punishment kasi wala ng pag-disobey—kung inalis ng Diyos lahat ng pwede option for us to disobey.
That could be a reasonable argument kung hindi natin naiintindihan ang Diyos. However if God removes the tree and every opportunity/chances of disobedience, that would eliminate our meaningful choice. Wala nang meaningful choice kung wala nang chances of disobedience.
"A life without a meaningful choice is not obedience at all."
At ang mundong walang meaningful choice ay isang mundo na puno ng walang kabuluhan and puppets na sunud-sunuran lamang. That’s not freedom, that not even love at all.
Because God wants people who genuinely love Him.
Because God Wants People who Genuinely Love Him
Hindi gusto ng Diyos na i-force tayo to love Him and and i-force tayo na sumunod sa Kanya.
Genesis 2:17
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
Ang bawa't choices natin ay may bunga, and if people chooses to trust God they choose life, but if they choose to disobey they choose death.
"they will surely die."
Nagkasala ang tao because they don't trust God and disobey Him. And because of that nasira ang imahe ng Diyos na nilikha Niya para sa tao, they don’t live in their purpose. Because they don’t trust God, they always do what was right in their own eyes.
But then, despite of our wrong choices, despite of not living for God; He still had provided the way to redeem us.
Genesis 3:4-7
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, Eve thought that it is okay to eat the fruit and it is okay to be wise in their own eyes; Adam and Eve did what was right in their own eyes and ate the fruit. They let the serpent deceived them, they doubt God's Word and disobey His command.
Genesis 3:15
"I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel."
However, God is not surprised, and He still prophesied a wounded victory over the sting of the serpent, after the miserable thing that Adam and Eve did.
God let evil to happen because He can redeem it.
God sent Jesus Christ for us to choose Him and have eternal life.
God Sent Jesus Christ for us to Choose Him and Have Eternal Life
Adams Disobedience Brought us Death
Roma 5:18-19
18 At kung paanong ang pagsuway ng isang tao ay nagdulot ng kaparusahan sa lahat, ang matuwid na ginawa rin ng isang tao ay nagdudulot ng pagpapawalang-sala at buhay sa lahat. 19 Sapagkat kung naging makasalanan ang marami dahil sa pagsuway ng isang tao, marami rin ang mapapawalang-sala dahil sa pagsunod ng isang tao.
Si Adan, ang Federal Head ng Humanity, ibig-sabihin siya ang representative nating lahat. “Sa pagkakasala ng isang tao, marami ang namatay…”
Kung ano ang ginawa ni Adan maaaring ganun din naman ang gawin natin, dahil parehas tayong tao, at tulad nga niya tayo ay nagkasala.
Dahil sa pagkakasala ni Adan, lahat tayo ay nagkasala at naghari ang kamatayan, sapagkat ang kabayaran ng kasalanan ay kamatayan at ang kasalanan ay may kaakibat na kaparusahan. Ang lahat ng tao ay apektado ng kasalanan ni Adan kahit tayo ay hindi pa isinilang. (Awit 51:5, Roma 5:12)
How much sin does for does we need to commit before we are declared sinner? None. Not even one sin, because we are sinners since we are born. We sin because we are sinners.
Then, how many good deeds we need to commit for us to be declared righteous? The same thing, none. Because it takes one man, for us to become righteous, His obedience becomes our righteousness and His death becomes the salvation of those who put their trust in Him and repent. His name is Jesus, wala nang iba.
Jesus Obedience Brought us Salvation
Roma 5:20-21
"20 Nang magkaroon ng Kautusan, dumami ang pagsuway; ngunit sa pagdami naman ng mga pagsuway ay lalong sumagana ang kagandahang-loob ng Diyos. 21 Kaya nga, kung paanong naghari ang kasalanan sa pamamagitan ng kamatayan, gayundin naman maghahari ang kagandahang-loob ng Diyos sa pamamagitan ng pagpapawalang-sala. Ito'y magdudulot ng buhay na walang hanggan sa pamamagitan ng ating Panginoong Jesu-Cristo."
Sa pamamagitan ni Jesus, ang kaparusahan ay napalitan ng kapatawaran. Siya ang pangalawang Adan na nagbigay ng bagong simula, para sa lahat ng tao na nag lagak ng kanilang tiwala at pumili sa Kanya. Ang sinumang sumasampalataya kay Cristo at nag sisi sa kanilang kasalanan ay tinuturing na matuwid sa harap ng Diyos.
Dahil sa napaka sagana na kagandahang-loob na ito ng Diyos na ipinakita Niya sa atin, ngayon ay mayroon tayong muling bagong dahilan upang ibigay at ilalay ang ating buhay sa Diyos na unang nag bigay ng Kanyang buhay para sa atin—Ang Panginoong Hesus.
God Has Given us Enough Reason to Give our Lives to Him
When we think of the "mercies of God". We remember all what Christ has done for Us, and that is more than enough reason to give your life to the One who died that you may live.
God’s Mercy Gives us a Reason to Dedicate our Lives to Him
Romans 12:1
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."
Pansinin nyo ang pakiusap ni Pablo para sa mga taga-Roma.
Dahil sa saving work na ginawa ng Diyos, nakiki-usap si Pablo na i-alay natin ang ating mga sarili bilang isang Holy and Living Sacrifice. Because someone had died for our sins, and through His death we are declared holy and righteous, His righteousness becomes our own righteousness, not because we earned it but because God has freely given it by His grace in Christ Jesus our Lord—this is God's Mercy—our greatest reason/motivation for worship and obedience.
The greatest reason kung bakit tayo maglilingkod sa Diyos, ay sa tuwing aalalahanin natin ang Kanyang Mercy para sa atin—"The mercies of God". We will be motivated by His love and our gratitude for what He's done.
Our Service Becomes an Expression of Love and Gratitude
Kapag naiintindihan natin kung kung gaano kasagana ang Biyaya at Kagandahang-loob ng Diyos, doon natin mas makikita ang kahalagahan ng ministry. Doon tayo mas magkakaroon ng magandang dahilan kung bakit tayo naglilingkod, at kung bakit tayo dapat maglingkod.
"We serve because we belong to Christ, and we desire to honor Him."
Are we serving God merely because we have to, or are we serving Him because we understand what He has done for us through Jesus Christ?
We do not serve God to earn His love. We serve Him because, through Jesus Christ, God has graciously redeemed us.
Kaya inilagay ng Diyos ang tree of knowledge of good and evil doon sa garden is give us the freedom to genuinely choose Him in love and trust. Even despite of our mistakes, God knows the way to redemption, it is by choosing Jesus, giving our lives to Him, to serve and worship Him with love and a grateful heart.
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