The Power of Choice

 

1 Corinthians 15:21-22

For since death came to a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

The first question that we will form in our mind here is , why does death came to a man? What happened?

This leads us to going back to the story in Genesis .

Genesis Chapter 1 verses 24 to 31 narrates how God created animals and man on the same day. Why? The very reason is In order to show us the difference between the two.

The similarity between the two is they both have choice, they both came from dust, they both have instinct and they both have emotions. These attributes is what makes both earthly beings.

However, one distinct difference between the two is that, man was created as a spiritual being with the breath of God, which is His Spirit (Genesis 2:7). When God created man, we are originally an eternal being, because we have the Spirit of God. That is why man have a spiritual vacuum or God-shaped vacuum in our hearts that always seeks God (Ecclesiastes 3:11). This same spirit is what also gives man a clear conscience that always dictates our morality.

When the Spirit of God was lost in us, when man fall short to sin in Genesis 3, we are also devalued and decrease our significance as we descend on the level of animals. This is also the reason why every time we fight or argue against someone regardless of reason, we showcase an attitude of an animal and it is degrading and shameful. This is only one of the devastating effect of sin in our lives and in our whole being.

The above-mentioned situation is a complete opposite of our original design in the Garden of Eden, when God first created us. Genesis 2 narrates how man is naked but felt no shame. Meaning, in the garden, man didn't care about our image because we are originally like God - created in His image and likeness (Genesis 1 :26). In our original design, our life is completely exposed to God, but there is no part in us that is considerably shameful.

When God first created man, God gave us a special DNA and that is the Spirit of God which makes us aware of God. Every time we lost that connection, that is when and where sin came. Here we can see that problem starts when we stop listening to the voice of God.

The Free Will

Many of us maybe wondering, why does a good God created the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil together with the Tree of Life? Why? Is it to merely test us? No! The very reason is God wants to have a big family with children who have a freedom of choice and not merely robots who are easily manipulated.

However, we can only be a legitimate children of God through our obedience, so God decided to take the risk and test the man if he will obey.

In parallel of this testing is God made a specific commandment which is to do not eat the forbidden fruit. This is the first ever law ever recorded in the Bible. God can always made as many law as He could, but it is impossible for us to remember it all, so for our sake, God only made one law - " Do not eat the forbidden fruit." This is also the first-ever test of our faith.

On the other side, this is also for man to realize that we have freedom of choice. If we cannot exercise our choice, we will never discover that we are free.

In this particular truth, we can see that the battle therefore among God's children is one and one only - whether to choose God or to choose his own will over the will of God (to obey or to disobey; to choose life or to choose having the knowledge of good and evil). This is what leads us to understand what is also being said on 2 Corinthians 5:15 "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."

This is the one and only original battle that from since the beginning of times, man always failed to win over.

At this point we can now understand why does a good and loving God allows evil to happen. His very reason is He wants to purify our faith through these trials and testings. Whether if in good or in bad, are we going to offer Thanksgiving to God? That is a good question of faith. If we turn to something else other than the God of the Bible, then our faith and Christianity is now questionable. Through these trials and testings, we also have an opportunity to examine ourselves if we are truly in the faith, so this benefits both ends - in God's side He will finally know who are His, and in our side, we will make a surety if we are truly saved. You see, there is no condemnation among God's children. Romans 8 in fact declares that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God, not trials, not famine, not authority or swords and everything works out for the good of those who love God and are walking according to His purpose. Why? Because we are more than conquerors in Christ. Now we can understand that God's children will never suffer wrath but the tribulations on this life is something that God can turn into our favor. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer selves is wasting away, our inner selves is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction has prepared for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

On the other side, if we dont walk according to God's purpose, nothing good works in us, even those things that seems good in our sight (see Genesis 3 on how Satan tempted Eve). This only concludes one truth - nothing can separate us from the love of God, only ourselves. Here we see that again and again it still a matter of our choice.

Our Ultimate Problem

When the woman saw (Genesis 3:6) is a phrase that tells us that what we see in our very eyes as good is not always really good for us, because our eyes and perception is limited, but the omnipotent God can see everything even our blind spots. This is the reason why we should always seek advice from God and to our mentors in faith before we make decisions in life.

Satan was able to deceive Eve because he instilled doubt to Eve about God's love for her (Genesis 3:1) , and because Eve is not connected to the source, she became imaginative and she started to imagine that God is depriving them of so much (she added "neither shall you touch it" in Genesis 3:2-3 when God only said to "do not eat it")

Every time we think that God is depriving us of our freedom, we tend to become more rebellious in our nature.

Sin, therefore, is not just merely missing the mark, but our attitude of rebellion towards God, wherein we always think of our own benefit and what we want without thinking about God or about others. That is called selfishness and it is sin.

When Adam and Eve committed sin in the garden, their eyes were opened (Genesis 3:7). Meaning, they now know sin and they realized they were naked or have nothing of their own, so they desired for more. The consequence of that cause the next generation after them to suffer. First and foremost is their children, when Cain killed Abel in Genesis 4. You see, the consequence of one's sin was and will always be felt by our very family, especially our children. Just imagine what your sons and daughters will learn from you if you yourself is ignorant of the truth and don't know what is good for your life and for your family. Not unless someone will finally be freed by this truth in the family, the devastating effect of sin in our life will still continue to be felt by the next generation.

In the garden, however, Adam and Eve were both naked (Genesis 2:25), meaning they have nothing of their own, but God is already enough for them, and they are never ashamed walking in God's presence. This is the real contentment as described in the Bible.

Contentment is knowing that we have a good relationship with God. That is the reason why contentment with godliness is great gain.

Consequently, if we deprived ourselves of a good relationship with God, our attention will be divided and we will soon seek attention from or among men.

Remember, in the garden, God already provides everything for them: (1) A spouse, (2) A job to manage the creation, and (3) a place to live in comfortably, and it is eternal.

When Adam and Eve failed the testing of their faith and became discontented with what they had and desired for something else, they lost everything. Did they die? Physically no, but eternally yes.

As an eternal being, we will never cease to exist, so the only punishment God can give us is to be eternally separated from Him, and to eternally experience the punishment in hell. The truth is, we will all die in this temporary life because life is short, and not until we stop denying death, we will never prepare for our eternity.

Originally, our eternal destiny should be as Sons of God, but when sin came, we were eternally destined to condemnation in hell.

However, God made a repercussion through the coming of Jesus Christ to save us from our sin. If only we have a good relationship with God, the secondary thing aside from faith that we have is hope. This hope is the anchor of our soul that is firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19) that Jesus will always mediate on our behalf in front of the Father. This hope also helps us to desire to live together with God in glory, wherein we will recover everything that we lost because of sin once we surrender whatever we treasure in life to Him.

The Power of Choice

Where to begin?

We have to exercise the power of our choice, not using our freedom to do evil but to be a reflection of righteousness in everything that we are doing (1 Peter 2:15-16).

Making the right choice comes in every area.

In finding your spouse, for example, you don't search and you don't do courtship. In Genesis 2, God saw that Adam need a suitable helper for himself, then He provide out of Adam's ribs. We also, similarly, have someone who will complete our life, whom we will walk in faith harmoniously because he/she has something we do not have. It is not Adam who notices his need and he is not the one who do the searching, but it is God who took notice and it is God who provides.

Meaning, we do not do the move. God do it solely. All we have to do is wait, and waiting is a choice. Not waiting, on the other hand, is also a choice.

Every time we choose to worship, we choose to pray, we choose to read the Bible, we choose to thank God, we are also choosing our eternal self. Alternatively, If we choose our will over God, we are choosing to forget our eternity also.

The more we read our Bible, the more also we pray, the more also we understand, and the more also we seek God, which is why the more also we see God. This is the secret on how we can now firmly fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-3).

If we have a wrong choice, we have a wrong god, because if we made the right choice, we have the right God.

A Righteous Man

How to know if we are finally righteous?

Simply. A righteous man is always honest.

In Genesis 3, God gave Adam and Eve so many chances to repent, but the first thing they did is to hide their mistake. Secondly, when discovered, they blame it against each other.

There is one conversation with my mama yesterday that really makes me think over it. We are having a conversation about food a bowl of salad wherein I am reminding her to spare me some portion of it, then she tells me that she will try while laughing. I tell her jokingly, "you are laughing like some guilty person a ." She answered, "I am not guilty because I tell you straightly the truth and I didn't lie. Guilty I am only if I lie but I didn't."

This makes me realize that if Adam and Eve only admit their wrong in humility, they will never be guilty as charged, but unfortunately, they didn't. What they did is they lie by hiding and by blaming, thus they sin before God who knows everything.

If we study it carefully, a righteous person then is always honest. Let's take David for example. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and murder against Uriah, Bathsheba's husband. When he was convicted, he humbled down before God and repent, so he remained righteous all his life.

A righteous man may fall short, as a consequence of our sinful nature, but he will always humble down to God and admits his wrong in order for God to exercise His grace and provide him everything he needed to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3).

Are we righteous? Do we already have what it takes to be righteous?

Those are the questions I will leave to every one of us to fonder.