Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17
Every Christian knows the story of Christianity. Man sinned in the garden of Eden by eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. When man did this, sin and death entered the world. And now, the only hope of salvation is to believe that Jesus Christ died in order to satisfy the wrath and punishment that man deserves and was resurrected three days later. Man Sinned. God Redeemed. But wrath had to be filled. This begs the question, “What is sin?” The quickest answer I always give is rebellion against God. But how are we rebelling? Well, God commands us either to do or not to do something, and we don’t listen. We don’t surrender to God and let Him be our master. Instead we look at God and say, “No. I know better.” Or “No. I am afraid, and my fear knows better.” In essence, we are repeating the sin that damned man to begin with — eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil “No, I have a better knowledge of good and evil” or “No. My fear has a better knowledge of good and evil.” All sin is a lack of surrenderance to God and embrace of your own knowledge of good and evil. Therefore, let us draw near to God and lean into His heart, so that we may his will, and what he asks. Likewise, let us study His scriptures where He has laid out His heart for us so clearly.
Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion: Fear God and keep his commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. For God will evaluate every deed, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. – Ecclesiastes 12:13-14