What exactly are you trying to say? That everything is permissiable? I’m not following your logic.
God made all matter, He uses matter in all of His works. It is the inordinate attachment to matter that is sinful. Isn’t that your point?
With respects to Genesis. The first ‘thou shall not’ was with regards to the tree.
It was the
fruit of the tree in the center of the garden that they were commanded not to eat.
Genesis 2:16 17 – of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat - But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it.
Exactly.
And what was the ‘real power’ that was promised to Eve?
Since the promise came from a liar and the father of lies, there was no power, only punishment.
Genesis 3:5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
This is, of course the lie that caused the fall. It is disrespect of God, and disobedience of His command. It is obedience only to the evil one, who is the self.
After spending the past six years not doing Christmas, I believe the tree metaphorically represents the tree in the garden.
I completely understand your turning from the warped celebration that the world has made of Christmas, but it is still a Holy day, and the Magi set out to pay homage to God in Christ. We must give thanks and praise to God, and that was the genesis of the Christmas (Christ mass) observance. When it is kept within the parameters of the original intent, it is pure and holy.
Matthew 2:11 “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh”. These gifts were received, not taken.
When one bows down to accept a gift from the tree, they are doing three things: they want that present with their name on it (lust of the eye). After opening the gift and seeing that they received what they wished for (lust of the flesh), it makes them feel good (pride of life).
You are reading a lot into this. Look at what you said: “lust”, “lust”, “pride”. That has nothing to do with the tree, or even with the gifts, but the
heart.
Matthew 15:18-19 “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander”.
Thus, a gift is to be received, not taken. Adam and Eve took from the tree in the garden - they did not receive it. It is in the taking that evil exists. If you receive a gift in Christ’s name, there is no evil. But to take, even in His name, comes from evil in the heart. We are de-emphasizing the material gifts, but those which remain are received, not taken.
Witness how God always works: God placed a tree in the garden, and physically eating that fruit brought death. It was not simply believing that the fruit had the knowledge, or desiring to eat the fruit that brought death, it was the physical eating of that fruit. Once they consumed the fruit, Adam and Eve had death within them. No one argues this.
God then used another tree at the resurrection, and eating the fruit of it restored our relationship with Him and brought eternal life. But you must physically eat of that fruit-you can’t just believe in the fruit, or desire the fruit. You must eat it. God in Christ commanded us to eat the fruit of the resurrection: John 6:53 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you”. How come so many argue this???
Now, I cannot expect that you believe in this, at least for now, but can you see why so many of the world’s Christians do eat His Body and drink His Blood?
May Christ’s peace always be with you.
