7. Freedom of Choice - Life or Death God's Purpose for Man

Chapter 9
The Freedom of Choice - Life or Death

The Freedom of Choice

In chapter 2, it was noted that when God created angelic beings, He created them with a free will to choose to obey or rebel against God.  We know that Satan and one-third of the angelic hosts chose to rebel and disobey God.  Disaster followed that violation.  When God later created man in His image, it was His desire that His most beautiful and treasured creation worship and commune with Him forever.  After all, we were created in His image, after His likeness.  We were created to worship Him.  He did, however, want man to freely love Him, so He created man with a will to make his own choices - to love and follow His Creator or to choose to go his own way.  Each choice, however, comes with its privileges or consequences.   God's desire was and still is that only those who choose to love and serve Him would be able to then live on forever with Him.   

It was God’s desire to have mankind, whom He created in His image to worship, commune and have fellowship with Him forever.  God, however, did not want that kind of relationship to be one of force, but one of choice.  God did not want mankind to be puppets in the hands of a controlling god.  God wanted man to choose Him from a sincere heart. That sincerity, which brings honest worship, communion, and service, then would result in great rewards. Man would live the zoa life while on earth (Greek for the God-kind of life), being a steward over the whole earth in peace and harmony forever. Again, we were created in the image and likeness of God.

To offer that freedom of choice, God planted two trees in the midst of the beautiful garden where Adam was created and given the authority to be its steward.  One tree, called the Tree of Life offered life continually and the other tree, called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, though tempting to the eye, offered only death. 

The garden was filled with many trees that contained fruit which were pleasant to the eye and delicious to eat.  So Adam and Eve did not lack for nourishment and enjoyment of eating of the fruit on the trees throughout the garden. Adam could come to that tree anytime and eat freely and physically live forever, if that was his choice (Gen 2:9).

Adam was not only given full reign over the garden, but over the whole earth as well. He had full control over every living thing, which included whatever crept upon the earth, flew in the air, or swam in the waters (Gen 1:26).

Man was created with 100% brain-power capacity

Since man was created in the image and likeness of God, he was created with the mind of God, having 100% brain-power capacity. To steward the earth and carry out his authority properly, man needed the full use of his brain to govern over the earth with the full wisdom of God.

It was God’s intention that as mankind multiplied, they would continue to worship, commune and serve Him, using their given authority, stewarding over everything upon the earth. Satan, as the angel thrown out of heaven, would be under the feet of mankind having to bow to and obey his new authority. This relationship and authority, set up by God, was meant to last forever. It would seem like heaven had come down to earth. That was God’s purpose for man.

Eve

God saw that Adam needed a help mate to steward over the earth. So the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon him, and God took out one of his ribs and fashioned a woman. God breathed His life into her and she became a living soul. Adam and Eve were now one flesh together to steward over the earth. God then told them to be fruitful and multiply (Gen 1:28) so they could perpetuate that authority through mankind.

God gave man dominion over the earth

When Lucifer disobeyed and wanted to take the reign from God, he fell from heaven. Satan and his followers, along with everything under his domain, were destroyed. Lucifier (now Satan) had lost it all.  Now in God’s re-creation of the earth, God turned over the authority and dominion of the earth, and everything in it to mankind.  As such, mankind became a steward of God over the earth.

The role of steward

A steward always has a master – someone who is the owner and gives the orders to be carried out. The steward is not the owner, but the person in charge of implementing the orders given to him by his master. God was mankind’s master and He gave Adam instruction on how to carry out His stewardship upon the earth. Adam, however, was given one restriction regarding his authority upon the earth – he could not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God, as his master, warned him that if he did, he would most surely die (Gen 2:16-17).  As such, he would loose his role as steward over the earth.

Man had dominion over Satan

Satan, seeking whom he may devour set out to destroy Adam and Eve.  In the Genesis episode, Satan is displayed as a serpent, the lowliest of creatures. In the original Hebrew language, "serpent" meant destroyer.  Other places in Scripture Satan is despicted in a variety of roles, such as dragon, Beelzabub, thief, or even an angel of light. So typical of his behavior, he often appears good or innocent at the onset, but the end of his plan is always destruction. His purpose is always to deceive, destroy, and take over (2 Cor 11:14; John 10:10). 

The consequences of disobedience

God told Adam that he and Eve were free to eat of any tree in the garden except for one - the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Should either of them eat of it, they would surely die. Everything would then be taken away from them, and death would be their future. Their consequences would have disastrous effects.

Click here to view Chapter #8 - "The Fall of Mankind"