The Two Trees in the Garden

A Matter of Life or Death

There can only be two basic sources from which a nation’s morals, judgments and laws originate.

1) From the law-giving Creator God who made all things (Tree of Life), OR

2) From the intellectual faculties of men (Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil).

Extreme caution must continually be used when making moral judgments and decisions. Modern governments, democratic or otherwise, are mostly based on the intellectual decisions of man. Human reasoning, however convincing, is always wrong, unless it is thoroughly grounded in Gods instruction. The biggest difficulty in ascertaining sound judgments is when there is a mixture of truth with error. No matter how subtle, sin lies at the door of the righteous, the ignorant, and the wicked.

Take for example The Bill of Rights. If those who created it were able to see the abuses and decisions based upon our "freedoms", what would they think?

"The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings." (Jeremiah 17:9-10 NKJV)

The Idea of "Freedom of Speech" is one phrase which has been severely abused, to the point that laws are being passed which enforce the opposite of the logical intention of our constitution.

Fundamentalist Christians are mocked and ridiculed; called fools who are clinging to a "dead" religion with a "dead" God. Christians and non Christians alike are being urged to "be tolerant" of others who do not share their views.

What is Toleration?

Toleration:

From Wikipedia;

Toleration and tolerance are terms used in social, cultural and religious contexts to describe attitudes and practices that prohibit discrimination against those practices or group memberships that may be disapproved of by those in the majority. Though developed to refer to the religious toleration of minority religious sects following the Protestant Reformation, these terms are increasingly used to refer to a wider range of tolerated practices and groups, such as the toleration of sexual practices and orientations, or of political parties or ideas widely considered objectionable….

Moral relativism:

From Wikipedia;

In philosophy, moral relativism is the position that moral or ethical propositions do not reflect objective and/or universal moral truths, but instead make claims relative to social, cultural, historical or personal circumstances. Moral relativists hold that no universal standard exists by which to assess an ethical proposition's truth…

Some moral relativists … hold that a personal and subjective moral core lies or ought to lie at the base of individuals' moral acts…

In Other Words…

Tolerance is pushed upon everyone as the "thing to have", while morals are made subjective. Individuals are left to decide for themselves what is right and wrong. What appears as the right thing to do continually changes based on the situation of the individual. This is sometimes referred to as situational ethics. It is another seemingly innocent idea that appears reasonable on the surface but is filled with ideas based on human reasoning. So the moment one person tries to make a stand for Godly principles and morals, that person is labeled intolerant.

Where has this led?

Bill barring 'mom', 'dad' from texts passes
California Senate approves, state Assembly expected to OK

Posted: May 11, 2006 from the World Wide Web.

The California state Senate today passed a bill that removes sex-specific terms such as "mom" and "dad" from textbooks and requires students to learn about the contributions homosexuals have made to society.

The bill, approved 22-15, would prevent textbooks, teaching materials, instruction and "school-sponsored activities" from reflecting adversely on anyone based on sexual orientation or actual or perceived gender….

Again, where has this all led?

Change your sex without surgery
New York to allow gender switch simply by revising birth certificate

Posted: November 07, 2006 from the World Wide Web.

In a move some see as an end-run toward same-sex marriages, the New York City Board of Health, with the support of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is considering a policy that would permit people born in the city to change the sex recorded on their birth certificates.

The idea, as described by advocates, is to separate sexual identification from anatomy. There would be no need to have a sex-change operation. All that would be needed would be an affidavit from a doctor or mental health professional making the case for the change. …The move, … is the result of a major push by the so-called "transgender" lobby, an outgrowth of the homosexual activist agenda… There seems little question that a man, who changes his sex on paper through this method, could marry another man. It is also likely to make it more difficult for adoption agencies to find out the actual sex of a proposed parent… New York is at the forefront of adopting measures aimed at blurring the lines of sexual identification. Last month, for instance, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority agreed to let people define their own gender when deciding whether to use the men's or women's bathrooms.

Where has this all led?

8-year-old boy returning to class as girl
Teachers making accommodations, preparing to counsel other students

Posted: February 08, 2008 from the World Wide Web.

An 8-year-old boy is preparing to return to his home school district in Colorado as a girl, so school officials are designating two school restrooms as unisex facilities, and preparing to counsel other students on the issue of transgenderism…

Whei Wong, the district spokeswoman, said the school is preparing two "unisex" restrooms for the student to use and teachers have been instructed to address the student by name, instead of using a "he" or "she" pronoun…

But Kim Pearson, of the TransYouth Family Advocates which lobbies on behalf of such students, said students as young as five years old are "realizing their true gender identity." Her group works to break down obstacles for such students, she said… Wong confirmed "mental health professionals" would be provided for other students, staff or parents if there are "any concerns at all".

"So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27 NLT unless otherwise noted)

The result of rejecting God (the Tree of Life) forces man to decide for himself what is right and wrong, (the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil).

This results in an ever changing set of "morals"(based on the latest "if it feels good, do it" ideas). This makes it nearly impossible to determine right from wrong. Many people are confused about what to do, how to act, or how to respond.

What does God think of our "sexual revolution"?

"Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin." (Leviticus 18:22)

"A woman must not put on men’s clothing, and a man must not wear women’s clothing. Anyone who does this is detestable in the sight of the LORD your God." (Deuteronomy 22:5)

Do Not Listen to the lies of modern "morals"!

"But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness." (Romans 1:18)

"Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people––none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

"Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever–living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done." (Romans 1:21-28)

"You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him." (Ephesians 5:5-6)

"Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good." (Titus 1:16)

"Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes––these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God." (Ephesians 5:3-4)

Sin enslaves us.

"An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self–control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness." (Proverbs 5:22-23)

But; "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)

"Sanctify them by Your truth. Your Word is Truth." (John 17:17 NKJV)

So what is the answer?

"If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison––your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters––yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. "But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?" (Luke 14:26-28)

"This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:5-7)

"Suppose you sin by violating one of the LORD’s commands. Even if you are unaware of what you have done, you are guilty and will be punished for your sin." (Leviticus 5:17)

"In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who were made for destruction." (Romans 9:22)

"The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent." (2 Peter 3:9)

"Native–born Israelites and foreigners are equal before the LORD and are subject to the same decrees. This is a permanent law for you, to be observed from generation to generation. The same instructions and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigners living among you." (Numbers 15:15-16)

"God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?" (James 4:12)

"But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." (1 John 1:9)

"Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Outside the city are the dogs––the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie." (Revelation 22:12-15)

Conclusion:

The above verse should be very sobering. We cannot afford to listen to the ideals of those who use only human reasoning to sort out this life. The "if it feels good, do it" attitude is almost always wrong. We must take a stand in today’s society, a stand against that which is wrong, against the impure and the unrighteous. We must stand for what is right, as defined by our Creator, who knows what is best for us.


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