NW2BH Ch4 - Reality Of the Fall

Continuing to read New Way To Be Human with the discussion group:

I was first introduced to the idea of "the knowledge of good and evil" being a bad thing a few years ago in a book by Rick Joyner, There Were Two Trees In The Garden. It makes sense: as a parent you don't give arbitrary rules, and neither does God. When I've taught in small groups on this topic, I ask "Why did God tell Adam & Eve to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil". Almost always, the consensus is that it was a test, and arbitrary rule that allowed the man and woman to choose to obey or disobey. My reply is "why didn't God say to not eat blue paint? or to not play the blues on Sunday? If it's an arbitrary rule to gain obedience, it could've been anything - so why this particular rule?"

Charlie follows in Joyner's footsteps here, I think. The only thing we need to know is God - the only thing to be preached is Christ, and Him crucified (1 Cor 1:23). Sin, then, would be anything that falls outside of the relationship we have with God, or I think the book is saying that it's anything we seek to know on our own apart from the Father. How does that sound? In this light, sin is more than just rebellion and disobedience. It's more like a deliberate attempt to live without God, purposefully leaving Him out of the equation of our lives.