His Burden is Light

Christians often get asked questions like, "If God knew Adam and Eve would eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, why did He put it in the Garden of Eden in the first place?" Or, "Why did God put the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden and then Command Adam and Eve not to eat of it?" I would begin to answer this question as follows. A child is happy in the care of his parents. The child is content even if Dad loses his job and the family has to live in a car or a temporary shelter. That was an evil event that befell the family but the child simply trusts in his father and is sheltered from the experience of evil. The only time the child truly knows evil is if his father himself is taken away. Then the one in whom the child trusted and depended is gone and responsibility for his own needs falls upon the child himself. He now has the knowledge of good and evil. So really the first thing we must understand in answering this question is what...

"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." Luke 23:42-43 This post is about the fruit of saving faith. The thief on the cross didn't do anything to merit salvation except make a confession of faith, that Jesus is Lord, and believe that God would raise Him from the dead (Rom 10:9-10). Christ is the true sabbath and when we by faith enter into His rest we cease from our own works (Heb 4:10). What I understand this to mean is that I cease striving to be perfect, to establish myself upon a basis of righteousness by my own works. I cease from trying to justify myself because Jesus has justified me by His shed blood and resurrection from the dead. Instead God's grace will be with me and it will be His grace that does the truly meaningful or "living" works. This is the only way to do what are truly good works and it is only through fai...