The Knowledge Of Good And Evil: Who Decides What Is Morally Right And Wrong? - Softcover

Hildebrandt, Joshua K.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1452021767 ISBN 13: 9781452021768

Publisher: AuthorHouse, 2010

Synopsis

What is morally right and wrong differs from one individual to the next. From the big issues of abortion and sexual expression to the life choices of integrity, these differing opinions exist throughout human culture. Who is right and who is wrong? Is mankind fit to decide what is good and evil-or is this decision too great a responsibility for us to handle? As the moral fabric of the individual, the family, the nation, and the world disintegrates, we are faced with the dilemma: "Who really decides what is morally right and wrong" In "The Knowledge of Good and Evil" Joshua K. Hildebrandt takes us back to the beginning . . . to a man and a woman and a tree in a garden . . . to discover how this question can be answered, and to show us the freedom that can be ours in laying down the right to choose!

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Knowledge of Good and Evil

Who decides what is morally right and wrong?By Joshua K. Hildebrandt

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Joshua K. Hildebrandt
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-2176-8

Contents

Letter to Reader..................................................xiIntroduction......................................................xiiiCHAPTER ONE: Life Before Man......................................1CHAPTER TWO: Morality Defined.....................................15CHAPTER THREE: Morality Before the Fall...........................25POEM: The Glory of God in Man.....................................33CHAPTER FOUR: Morality After the Fall.............................35POEM: The Loss of Innocence.......................................45CHAPTER FIVE: Righteousness.......................................49CHAPTER SIX: Overcoming Immorality................................59POEM: The Pull of Pornography.....................................70POEM: The Pull of Grace...........................................71CHAPTER SEVEN: The Knowledge of Good and Evil.....................75Appendix 1: DEFINITIONS...........................................87

Chapter One

Life Before Man

In the beginning, God created ... Genesis 1:1

"In the beginning, God created" is the first thing we read from Scripture. This is the creation of all physical order, including humanity. With this declaration, we are given a reference point, the very point of origin to which we can tie our reasoning mind. A sort of imagery is created with these five words. This imagery creates a picture that our imagination can dream about, a map of sorts, which leads us back to the beginning. Once there, we find three things:

1. There was a beginning.

2. God was there.

3. He created the beginning.

These three statements contain the very building blocks of our existence. They are the purest, truest and noblest thoughts; for creation itself screams these truths.

When a man acknowledges these truths in his heart, he is given a trajectory of sorts that steers the rest of his thinking in the proper direction. With this proper trajectory, correct ideologies can be established. The economic, political, social, and educational systems of a society will either have at their core this understanding and thus be positively affected, or they will be absent it and thus be negatively affected.

Without these truths at the core of man's understanding, his ideologies are destined for despair and destruction. Truly, these three statements are the linchpin that allows all of our reasoning to be sound. To properly understand the knowledge of good and evil and its place, we must understand these three points.

There Was a Beginning

All of us can think back to our beginning. We can go back ninety to a hundred years in our mind and we've predated ourselves, some even far less than that. If you're a teenager just imagine twenty years ago for a moment. Think about the world before you came on the scene. How did it function? How did it feel? How was it different? If you think about it, in its broadest sense, you will see that nothing is different in the nature of man from before you were born until now. Although your arrival was important, it did not change who or what man is. Man is the same. One thing is for sure though: we had a definite beginning—a marked time that is unique to only us. A beginning is defined as; "the process of coming, or being brought into being." Every beginning implies three things: One, every beginning implies creation. Two, every creation implies a creator. And three, every creator implies design or purpose. No matter how insignificant a thing is, if it exists, it was created for a purpose. The Bible declares that God created nothing in vain. Everything, down to the smallest atom, exists for a purpose. But what is that purpose? Let's look at Colossians 1:16:

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ESV

Everything was created by Him and for Him. The ultimate purpose of all things is to bring glory to God. He created every galaxy in the universe, placed every star in its precise location, set every planet in its exact orbit, and formed man in his own image, all for His own pleasure. The very fact that you had a beginning declares the existence of God. The question remains: Are we too arrogant to see what is clearly implied?

God's Existence - Man's Existence

The ability to trace our beginning is one of the greatest differences between God and man. Man's days can be counted; a definite value can be placed on them. Even though this number will continue to rise, it can be counted, and thus measured. God, on the other hand, cannot be traced back to a beginning. Having no beginning or ending of days, we see then that man's beginning came from Him. We can assume this based upon the first two implied concepts of a beginning:

1. Every beginning implies creation.

2. Every creation implies a creator.

If God alone existed at our beginning and every beginning requires a creator, then our creation is dependent upon Him.

There is no number that represents God's existence. He cannot be defined numerically, but man can. We are asked, "How old are you?" and we reply, "I'm 25" or "35" or "65", and in doing so we define ourselves by this number. This is not so for God. Ask God, "How old are you?" and what you get is something far greater than a number that represents His existence, we may hear Him reply, "I am that I am, I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end—who was, who is, who is to come."

In "The End for Which God Created the World," Jonathan Edwards said this concerning the above:

When God is so often spoken of as the last as well as the first, the end as well as the beginning, it is implied that as he is the first, efficient cause and fountain from whence all things originate; so, he is the last, final cause for which they are made; the final term to which they all tend in their ultimate issue. This seems to be the most natural import of these expressions; and is confirmed by other parallel passages; as Romans 11:36: "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things." Colossians 1:16: "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him." Hebrews 2:10: "For it became him, by whom are all things, and for whom are all things." And in Proverbs 16:4, it is said expressly, "The LORD hath made all things for himself."

In other words, not only was everything created by Him, but it was also created for Him as well. He is the beginning of it all and the end for which it was created. This is important for us to know because it sets a priority for things, with God being at the top. It humbles man's pervasive self-worth and allows us to glory in His worth. It's not all about you and me! It's about Him! Even our salvation is not for our own glory. That too belongs to Him. Furthermore, we can see the ever-existence of God displayed in this mystery concerning Christ.

'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.' - John 1:15b ESV

John is proclaiming a mystery of Christ here. He is speaking of His eternal existence. Jesus was born physically as a man, after John, but yet existed before John as God the Son. When meditating on the ever existence of God, it is wrong to think of beginnings and endings. When thinking of a man's life we can use a linear thought process. We can visualize the imaginative timeline of a person's life and fairly well sum it up, having a good grasp of their existence. God is not like this; linear thinking does not work with Him.

To best understand God's existence, we must think circularly. A circle has no beginning or ending, no starting point and no ending point. It just is. At any point on the circle there is an equal distance back around to the same point. This is like the nature of God. There are no points, endings, shortcomings or sharp edges in Him. He is complete and whole in all His ways. This circular nature of God is what makes Him unique, His ability to see things from beginning to end and every point in between. C.S. Lewis puts it this way in Mere Christianity.

"If you could see humanity spread out in time as God sees it, it would not look like a lot of separate things dotted about it would look like one single growing thing. Rather like a very complicated tree, every individual would appear connected to another and not only that, individuals are not really separate from God any more than from one another. Every man woman and child all over the world is feeling and breathing at this moment only because God so to speak is keeping him going." (chapter 5)

C.S. Lewis is so beautifully showing us the circular aspect of the nature of God. The Scriptures tell us, in Isaiah 55:8-9:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ESV

I think God is clearly trying to tell us here; "Look, we don't think the same way, you and I, and the sooner you understand that, the better you'll be." There is a definite breakdown when it comes to the way God views a situation and processes information compared to the way we do. Man's thoughts are linear in nature; Gods are circular. Man is either yes or no, but God is both. Man uses truth to determine or define a thing. God doesn't use truth to determine or define a thing; He is truth. He Himself defines the situation. Let me try to explain this by using a couple of examples—one scriptural and one philosophical.

Man's Trap for God

Have you ever heard the question, "Can God create a stone too heavy for Himself to lift?" Notice the linear thought process behind this question. We are pushed towards a yes or no conclusion, a sort of one or the other type problem. Let's examine the basic principles that this question seeks to tie God down with.

This question deals with two parts of God's nature. First, that God is omniscient or all-knowing and if so, He most definitely has the ability, and knowledge, to create this stone. Second, that He is omnipotent or all-powerful; therefore, He must be able to lift it as well. In man's mind, this creates a sort of problem for God. We think we have trapped Him, along our straight line of thought. This brings us great pleasure and we think ourselves clever to have come up with such a conundrum for God. However, our straight line of thought does not bind God. He is both yes and no at the same time. At the top of the circle He creates the stone and at the bottom He lifts it.

With the linear thought process of man, this conclusion seems impossible because our straight line of thought allows us to intersect one but not the other. That's why the Scripture tells us as high as the heavens are above the earth so are my thoughts above yours. This unique thought process of God, His ability to see a situation from every side and to know every possible outcome, is what makes Him and Him alone qualified to posses the knowledge of good and evil. Man's linear way of thinking is incomplete and insufficient for the task. Adam and Eve couldn't see the situation the way God could. They didn't see Cain killing Able, but God did. They didn't see the death and pain that would accompany their decision, but God did. They didn't see Christ dying to redeem them, but God did. For He is the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world.

Christ Himself solved this great philosophical trap; He created man and man's sin was such that He could not look upon it to lift us, so He Himself became a man who lifted us back to Himself. What is impossible with man is possible with God, hallelujah! He can create this stone that's too heavy for Himself to lift and then lift it!

God's Trap for Man

Now, let's look at the Levitical law given to Moses. The law was a list of actions, things to do or not do, and each action had a corresponding result. For instance, "An eye for an eye" action then consequence—this is very linear. God gave us the law so we would have a linear representation of His circular nature. That's why Christ was the fulfillment of the law. He embodied more than the linear "actions then consequences" of the law, He embodied the very essence of it.

Jesus might have said, "It's not about actions and consequences. It's about becoming whole. It's about the process of developing in you my nature. My nature is not just expressed in outward actions of obedience to the law, but also of an inward awareness of the law in your heart. It's about having in you my nature. I will write my law upon your heart."

In the Scriptures, Jesus said it this way: "If you've even looked at a woman lustfully, you have committed adultery in your heart. If you hate your brother, then you've committed the sin of murder."

How can this be? One is not the other. According to man's reasoning, to hate is not to murder and to lust is not adultery, but Jesus' reasoning was circular, for He was looking at the whole. Jesus saw the hate, which leads to murder; He saw the lust, which leads to adultery. We focus on the end result of murder or adultery. If we haven't reached that final point (linear), then we are okay. Jesus looks at the situation and sees it from the beginning to the end. He sees it with no points, but rather complete and whole, and thus says to the Pharisees, "You think you are holy like me because you have structured your life in a way so as not to murder or commit adultery, and all the other requirements of the law, but really you're missing it all. You're concerned with the requirements of the law; I'm concerned with the reason for the law."

This is similar to where the Bible says of Moses; "the children of Israel knew my acts but Moses knew my ways." The children of Israel knew the linear responses of God, i.e. parting of the Red Sea, water from the rock, manna from heaven, etc. Moses, however, knew the circular reasoning of God behind the linear responses, i.e. "I will be your God and you shall be my people." See Appendix 1 for my definitions of the circular and linear thought processes.

God Was There

One thing is for sure: man has a beginning and God is at that beginning. He is the center of it, and it springs forth from Him. He is the creator of life. But what existed before our natural linear lives were created? Well, there were the angels. But the Bible tells us that they were created beings as well. So what about before them? When thinking like this, instantly we begin to think in terms of years and numbers and with all our natural reasoning. We must try not to do this. It is impossible to comprehend these things with our natural mind. What I do want us to understand is this: before us and before the angels, God was ... and He was not incomplete, or lonely, or bored. He was and is, complete in Himself. Long before man or angels existed, God did, and in Him was found absolute righteousness, complete morality, and the true knowledge of good and evil. The knowledge of good and evil was not created along with man in the garden. It existed before man. Yes, the tree, which represented this reality, was placed in the garden, but the reality itself predated man. The knowledge of good and evil stands as an unchanging truth. It is something that is set and established; it is an absolute. This is important to understand, for when we see that the knowledge of good and evil is an absolute, we realize we can have absolutely no say in what it is or is not. Pause for a moment and consider that.

Mathematicians work in absolutes. They use these absolute as the building blocks for creating complex equations that can solve a host of problems. If these absolutes were suddenly put up for debate and changed based on the preferences of the scientist, the very fabric of math would break down. There would be inconsistencies and unbalanced equations everywhere with no hope of being solved. In the same way, the knowledge of good and evil is based on absolutes as defined by God. Society tampers with these absolutes at their own peril. John Piper explains this concept in a sermon he preached on abortion.

The modern secular world—the world which tries to remove God from his all-creating, all-sustaining, all-defining, all-governing place—has no choice but to make itself god and to create its own morality. In other words, when man abandons God and his self-revelation as the source of what is objectively true and right and beautiful, the next highest court of appeal is man himself.

If God is not the measure of what is true and right and beautiful, then I am and you are. And since we—the god called "you," and the god called "me"— may not agree, the result will be: Might makes right. And everything in education, and media, and politics in this God-evicting world becomes a battle for power. Not a quest for objective truth and right and beauty, since there isn't any, but a power-struggle. Because the one who has the power, in a world without God, defines reality. Defines what is true. Defines what is right. Defines what is beautiful. And there is no court of appeal in heaven for the weak. Man is god. And the powerful man is god-Almighty—the maker of the truth, the inventor of what is right, and the definer of what is beautiful. And the bloodiest century in the history of the world—the twentieth century with its Stalin and Hitler and Mussolini and Milosevic and Pot and Amin and Mao and Sung and Hussein and the abortion industry—prove it with horrifying evidence.

Someone has to be in the driver's seat. Someone has to make the decisions. If not God, then the next highest authority in our lives will make the decisions of morality.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from The Knowledge of Good and Evilby Joshua K. Hildebrandt Copyright © 2010 by Joshua K. Hildebrandt. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Edition details

• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1452021767
• ISBN 13: 9781452021768
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 116