Lesson 3

But Remember...I Am the Real King!

(The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil)

<Genesis 3 & 4>

Lesson Focus
1. Study the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

2. Study the lineages of Cain and Seth.

Scotch Tape
We have been looking into the focal points of the Bible. In the last chapter, we studied God's
creation of Adam and Eve. Human society has begun in Eden.
Adam must begin ruling now. He must master the law of the universe in order to conquer the
earth
and let all of God's creation grow and develop. Adam is granted these rights through the of
process working on his Ph.D., "You are me." Adam understanding this showed that he was ready
to rule.
"Adam, you rule over all that I have made. You are the King!"
Now, we should move on to the next step. Which step, you ask?
It goes like this: "However, I am the Real King!" "You know that, right?"
Therefore, we will study "The Real King is God!" today. It is related to the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. We need to learn the profound message of the tree of knowledge in order to
continue the biblical story. We need to address the question that many people have asked:
"Why did God create the tree of knowledge for Adam and Eve so that humans would commit sin?
It would have been better if God hadn't made it in the first place."
Good question. Now, let's begin our study with this question in mind.

Going In
1. . The tree of knowledge is a receipt-> Safeguard. (It represents God's ownership.)

2. The fundamental command underlying "the command of the tree of knowledge ->
The command which is given as blessing.

3 The tree of knowledge is the crown of glory-> Free will granted by God.

4. A religion without the tree of knowledge-> Popular religions.

5. The characteristic of the tree of knowledge.

1) The command of the tree of knowledge was not something

2) It was not a one-time, or( ) command that was to be followed once.

3) It was not a fruit with strange ( ) like the witch's golden apple in Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs.

4) The command was not something hard to understand. It was not designed only for highly
educated people. Though it might sound childish, it was an issue related to ( ).

5) But the important thing is that you must remember ( )

6) Eating is directly related to ( ).

6. After the Tree of Knowledge.

1) Fixing the broken relationship
-> The emergence of the concept of "salvation" and the beginning of "sacrifice"
rituals (Gen. 3:7~21; 4:3-5)

2) The Cain line vs. Seth line.

(1) The rise of various views of the world including new religions, ideas, philosophy, etc. (Gen. 3:4-5)

Satan's four Lies Bible Verses Originated religions, ideas

You will not surely die Gen. 3:4 Eternal immortality religion

Your eyes will be opened Gen. 3:5 Reason, Rationalism, Scientism

You will know good and evil Gen. 3:5 Moralism, Legalism, Salvation by works

You will be like God Gen. 3:5 Pantheistic mysticism, Pantheistic union

(2) Kingship established by brutal force. (Gen. 4:8)

(3) Eventually, they moved out to the east of Eden and formed a community. (Gen. 4:17)
(4) Other kings succeeded to the throne after Cain. (Gen. 4:18-23)

(5) God appointed Seth as the representative worshipper instead of Abel who had been killed.
(Gen. 4:25-26)-> Those who kept recognizing God's kingship.

Wrap Up
God as Creator wanted make sure at least one thing: God is the King. The underlying fact
that He must rule over the world never changes. This is the most reasonable starting point
of building a relationship between God and man. The meaning of the tree of knowledge is
similar to the concept of Li in Confucian. It is Li toward Heaven.
God wants to hear your confession here. Do you know what kind of confession that is?
It is something like this: "God, Creator of heaven and earth! You are my King!" That's
right. When we are under God's rule, we can enjoy happiness and guaranteed life. Our true
morality begins when we establish our relationship with God.
We must always acknowledge this truth before God. This is the starting point of the most
reasonable relationship between God and man. In other words, it is an essential element of a
so-called "religion." The relationship between God and man without the tree of knowledge
cannot constitute a true religion. Many religious concepts-karma, trance, or union with
universe derived from Buddhism, Hinduism, or religion-like modern philosophies-are
not of true religion. Why? It's because they suggest that the universe and human beings
alike be "God." They argue that we should not distinguish God's being from all creation-
or separate upside heaven from downside earth. According to them, all creatures are gods.
How absurd! They just dislike acknowledging God in heaven. They claim that all life forms
are connected horizontally. Many highly religious Buddhists do not like to discuss the
existence of "God" that can be found in the Bible. They say we should rule out the existence
of God.
This is why I said earlier that the meaning of the tree of knowledge carries the same
message as the Li of Confucius. The Li is for heaven. Although Confucius was later deified
and people even offered sacrifices to him, we must give him credit for building a vertical
relationship with the sky. He was conscientious enough. The only problem was that the sky
was the subject of worship.
Now, God wants to hear a confession from you. It doesn't mean you have to confess your
wrongdoings-fights, lies, hatred, theft, alcohol consumption, cheating, and so forth. It also
doesn't mean to repent of your sin. Instead, you need to confess as follows: God created me.
He loves me so much that He is willing to give up his own life for me.
God is telling us to acknowledge those facts.
If we don't, we will sin. (Rom. 5:12)
Now, let's announce them under the tree of knowledge.
God, loving Creator! You are the King!
What is history? It is the story of kings. It is a record of events under a number of king's
reign. The Bible declares that Creator God is the King. It means God must rule over all of
Creation. However, a rift was created by the incident of the Tree. One group is represented
by Seth who admits that God is King, and the other is led by Cain, who uses power to grasp
and maintain kingship.
Now, two different stories will unfold. Even though the term "world history" is widely
 used, we believe the history of the world must be that of God's kingship. Even if some
powerful people insist that they are king, the fact that God is the only King never changes.
At the center of all this stands "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." The tree is the
eternal truth. When we are under His rule, our happiness and life are guaranteed.
Let's wrap things up for our next class. What is going to happen after the Creation and the
tree of knowledge in the Bible? There will be a story of kings: the history of "Who is the
King?" It is also the history of the world where one nation is under the reign of God while
the other is ruled by a man with power in the center of his community.
Thus, the proposition of "history" lies in the center of the tree of knowledge. Questions like
"Who is the king?" or "Who is going to be the king?" are the key that never changes. Look
ahead to what is going to happen in the Bible.

Activity

1.Listen to what the tree of knowledge says.

Let's read the following carefully. Meditate on the sentences and put down your name

What the tree of knowledge says:

God is the true King!
Man is not.
Let us not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
And let us acknowledge God as King.
This acknowledgement means life.
God is the true King!
Adam, you are not the king.
Adam, receive him personally.
Adam, respond to him. Say that He is the King.
If not,
This means death.
God is the true King!
You are not a king.
-----------------------------------! (Write your name.)
Receive personally
the God who expressed Himself through the tree of knowledge.
He is the King who loves (You are me)----------------------------- to the last drop of His blood.
He says He loves you.
Respond! You are not a machine.
Confess the truth with your soul. Rejoice!
Jesus is the true King!
You are not a king!
By faith in His crucifixion and resurrection!
Admit that He is the King!
The acknowledgement itself means life.
Jesus is the true King!
You are not the king!
!--------------------------------------------- (Write your name.)
 Receive him personally.
The Lord is represented on the tree of the cross.
He is the King who loves (You are me)---------------------------------- to the last drop of blood.

2. After having studied the tree of knowledge, write a letter to God.