There Were Two Trees in the Garden - Chapter 2

I must say again this book has so much to think about in it. I will do a review of it on my review page once I'm finished. In the meantime, I'll share little tidbits with you from each chapter. My hope is this will interest you enough to read the book yourself.

I've actually ordered my own copy of the book so I can mark it up all I want. I truely believe this will be one of those books I'll keep and reread once a year at least.

If you want to look it up for yourself here is the information:

There Were Two Trees in the Garden
by Rick Joyner
ISBN: 1-929371-55-1

The last excerpt I shared with you was from chapter 1 - The Two Trees.

Today I will share a couple excerpts from chapter 2 that spoke to me. Chapter 2 is called The Seed of Cain.

Sin is not just a few wrong things we have done, it is the nature of what we are, regardless of whether the guise is good or evil. In Christ, to repent means to renounce all that we are - not only our transgressions, but also that which we consider to be our righteousness.

This chapter deals with works and self-righteousness. It goes into detail regarding how Cain's offering of grain which was not accepted by the Lord was an attempt to please God by works. Anything we do on our own, even good, is based in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan uses not only evil to accomplish his purposes, but also good. If we are not focused on God and His purpose, we are living by our own power and this is not pleasing to the Lord. We must make a choice between the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Satan and this world) and the Tree of Life (Jesus).

This chapter uses Paul as an example as well. In Phillipians 3:2-9, Paul clearly states that all he did prior to knowing Jesus was for nothing. He admits all the righteousness he had then was of himself and worth nothing compared to the righteousness God gives us through His son. Even though his intentions were good and he was following the Law, he was not truely holy and righteous in the eyes of the Lord because these things were based on him and his efforts, not on God. This book does not say that the Law is not valid anymore as some teach, however it does clearly teach that the Law in and of itself will not save us. Instead it reveals to us how much we need God.

Paul's righteousness based on the Law brought him into direct conflict with the Truth. He was a persecutor of true worshipers, as is everyone who tries to live by the Law. Just as Cain could not tolerate Abel, those who seek to stand by their own righteousness find the presence of those who stand by faith in Jesus intolerable. The righteouness of God, based completely on the atonement of the cross, strips away facades and lays bare the pride of man which would seek to stand on its own righteousness. The cross is the greatest threat to man's self-centeredness.