I once watched a video where the popular Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari was asked the question, “Do you believe in God?” In response, he went on and on to describe two kinds of God: One is a mysterious God that we know nothing about. According to Harari, “the chief characteristic of the mysterious God is that we know nothing about him or her or it and I’m perfectly happy with this God.” The other is a lawgiver God that tells us how to live our lives. And this according to Harari is the God he doesn’t believe in. As a matter of fact, he dislikes that kind of God.
Video Credit: Jorge Guerra Pires, Ph.D
Well, this should not surprise anyone. People don’t want God telling them how to live their lives. They don’t want the creator God to be the moral authority over their lives and tell them what is good and what is not good. They want to experience it first hand and decide for themselves whether it is good or bad for them. This is inherent in human nature. It is the original sin. This is what choosing to eat from the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil represents as recorded in the following text:
The snake (Satatn) asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?” “We may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden,” the woman answered, “except the tree in the middle of it (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). God told us not to eat the fruit of that tree or even touch it; if we do, we will die.” The snake replied, “That’s not true; you will not die. God said that because he knows that when you eat it, you will be like God and know what is good and what is bad” (Genesis 3: 1-5 GNT, emphasis added).
By choosing to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve usurped God’s prerogative to define good and evil. They no longer accepted God to determine what was right or wrong for them; they were going to decide for themselves, what to do with their lives apart from God.
The concept of the “knowledge of good and evil” goes beyond mere understanding of right and wrong; it involves the act of determining what is right and wrong for yourself. Humankind transgression lies not only in breaking God’s moral code but also in creating their own moral code as it suits them. In essence, they are basically saying, “From this point forward, God, we want to dictate the rules that govern our lives.” It was an attempt to be like God, but without any noble intentions. They were seizing His power and asserting their autonomy. This has remained the nature of sin throughout history.
Now you see why Harari and many others like him prefer the so-called “mysterious” God that doesn’t care about how they live their lives instead of the “lawgiver God” that wants to be the moral authority over their lives. They want to be the moral authority over their own lives. They want to taste good and evil and decide for themselves whether it is good or not. They do not want a God to submit to, rather they want a God that submits to them. Welcome to the world of moral relativism and subjective morality.
Moral relativism and subjective morality suggest that moral judgments are relative to individual or cultural perspectives and dependent on personal preferences or emotions. These perspectives can contribute to social fragmentation, as a common moral foundation is lacking. Without shared norms and principles, polarization increases, and trust breaks down. There is also a risk of justifying harmful actions, as morality based solely on personal or cultural preferences can rationalize behaviors that infringe upon the well-being of others.
When individuals or societies define good and evil solely based on their own terms and exclude God as the universal moral authority, it can lead to loss of moral accountability and a state of moral decay and chaos. The absence of a higher moral authority can erode the foundations of ethical decision-making and undermine the pursuit of justice, compassion, and the common good. This can ultimately lead to a metaphorical “hell on earth” where moral principles become subjective and the consequences are detrimental to individuals and society as a whole.
The rejection of God as the moral authority can inadvertently lead to the acceptance of morally dubious actions under the guise of personal freedom. God Himself clearly warned Adam and Eve that taking this path ultimately leads to death because it disconnects them from the very source of life—God. Unfortunately, this is our shared reality because we are all guilty of this sin.
But Jesus paid the ultimate price “so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Apostle Paul reflecting on the failure of Adam versus the triumph of Christ noted thus: “So then, as the one sin condemned all people, in the same way the one righteous act sets all people free and gives them life. And just as all people were made sinners as the result of the disobedience of one man, in the same way they will all be put right with God as the result of the obedience of the one man” (Romans 5:18-19). So all you need to do is to “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your family.” What an amazing gift!
However, believing in Jesus demands a decision. A decision to change our way of life, and hence, many are reluctant to embrace it because they’re unwilling to turn over a new leaf. Instead they hide behind intellectual arguments, claiming a lack of evidence for the existence of God as a convenient excuse to avoid embracing the truth. We must be aware that God will hold each and every one of us accountable for our actions. It is a sobering reality that demands our attention. Rejecting Jesus’ offer means you’re willingly signing up to be hurt by the second death because you will be forever disconnected from the very source of life.
Therefore, I urge you, dear friends, to carefully consider the weight of this truth. Embracing God as the moral authority over our lives is not merely a religious choice, but a decision that has eternal consequences. Do not be drawn in by the appeal of convenient intellectual reasoning. Instead, make a deliberate choice—a purposeful decision to turn to God, embrace His love and grace, and accept the redemption offered through Jesus.
