Introduction
The Creator planted fruit trees in the middle of the garden in Eden. These included the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowing Good and Bad, that is, Morality. He told Humanity that they may eat of all of the trees except the second one. He said, “I only require that you abstain from eating the fruit of one tree—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen 2:17) However, the Creator did want people eventually to be eating from the Tree of Morality.
By implication, the fruit of the Tree of Life was available. Yahweh wanted people to listen to His voice for instruction while growing in morality. The result of this would be everlasting life. Humanity would forever be what they had become. (Genesis 3:22)
Tree of Morality Was Not Bad
The Creator made all things good. With the forming of Humanity, His viceroys on the Earth, everything was very good (Genesis 1:31).
Later, He gave Moses His standards of behavior, the ten words on two tablets. These included restrictions on sex, and statutes about property and slavery. He also gave Solomon proverbs – words of wisdom for reigning in life. He told people to listen to the wisdom of their parents, work hard for the production of resources, and to avoid sex with wicked women. Still later, Jesus gave Kingdom principles for life in His sermon on the high place.
Humanity was in its infancy in the Garden. They had been newly put in a place with provision, newly divided into male and female. The two were new to reuniting into one body. They needed to learn to obey the voice of the Father. For them, to act independently and act according to their own standards of behavior – their own morality – was death.
People Act on Their Own Desires and Standards of Morality
Eve saw that the forbidden fruit was desirable to eat and would improve her wisdom. She independently took and ate and gave it to her husband. Cain saw that the Creator favored his brother’s sacrifice but not his own. He gave in to the desire to kill Abel instead of ruling over it.
The people on Earth decided it was a good thing to stay together and try to regain Eden’s benefits independently of the Creator. They tried to avoid the Creator’s instruction to spread across the Earth. These people built the city of Babylon and a tower into the heavens.
Having been scattered around the world, Humanity created and enforced their own standards of behavior. The Babylonian king Hammurabi had his own code. The Egyptians used whips and genocide to control the Israelites in their midst. The laws of Moses were enforced by stonings and shunning outside camp. The Romans enforced their laws with crucifixions.
The Church turned the instructions of Jesus into unbreakable laws. It allowed no divorce, enforced times of worship, and allowed only one way to celebrate communion, only one set of beliefs. These were enforced by the Inquisition.
Bondage to Laws Is Death
In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote that the result of breaking laws is death. To the Galatians, he wrote that it is bondage to follow Jewish customs instead of following the Spirit. The scribes and Pharisees often criticized Jesus when He released people from bondage to impairments, breaking their customs of the Sabbath.
No One Standard Is Essential
An essential part of his letter to the Romans dealt with their standards of morality. He told the Jewish believers to not require Gentiles to observe their kosher laws. He instructed the Gentiles to not despise the Jewish believers for their standards of morality. Paul wrote,
“Who are you to judge the servants of someone else? It is their own Master who will decide whether they succeed or fail.” (Romans 14:4)
There should be no strong controls on new believers. They are early in the process of renewing their hearts and minds, unlearning their ungodly lifestyles. Learning and growing in the bosom of a spiritual family – not under church morality, they have a place to safely stumble and fall.
Learning and growing in the standards of a local ecclesia family, new followers of Jesus will grow into the knowledge of the Father’s voice. They will grow into discerning good and bad.
Goal of Being Naked and Unashamed
This was a condition existing in Eden. The humans had no flaws of body or soul to hide from others. Only when they were disloyal and disobeyed their Creator did they see flaws that needed to be covered. Only then were they ashamed in their nakedness. Jesus took that away on the Cross. Being naked and unashamed will be a part of the New Earth lifestyles.
I believe there were minimal restrictions on sex. I have been writing a speculative story of a second couple, Amari and Zuri, in Eden. There was no shame of nakedness among the four people.
The Creator told the humans to be fruitful and to reproduce. Adam could not reproduce with Amari; nor could Eve and Zuri reproduce with each other. However, Adam could reproduce with Eve and Zuri. Amari could reproduce with Zuri and Eve.
Eating of the fruit of the Tree of Morality enabled the first couple to see the flaws of acting independently. They saw their disloyalty in not believing the word of their Creator and disobeying His command. They saw their need to cover these shameful flaws.
On the Cross, Jesus Bore All for Humanity
He took all the acts of rebellion, all the bondage to the Enemy’s will, all the shame of human flaws. Believers are no longer subject to rebellion, bondage, and shame.
The goal of the New Earth is to return all people to obeying the Creator/ Father/ King. It is to provide all people with abundant resources. There will be friendly encounters with wild animals; generous, respectful interactions with other people. There will be no need to hide flaws in shame of body or soul. People will fulfill their craving for intimacy and love in reproductive sex.
Questions
Have you grown a good sense of morality? Do you trust in the teachings of the God’s Law, the Proverbs, the Kingdom principles of the New Testament? These are good.
Do you trust in Holy Spirit more than these standards of morality? That is essential to Kingdom living.