Introduction
In recovery, we often focus on healing from the wounds of our past—whether self-inflicted or caused by others. But God's plan for us goes beyond just recovery; He desires to make us whole. In John 10:10, Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” This is not just about getting back what was lost—it’s about stepping into the abundance of true healing and wholeness.
1. The Lamb Sacrifice Was for Recovery
In the Old Testament, the sacrificial system was designed to cover sin but not fully restore what was broken. The blood of lambs allowed the people to recover from their sins, but it was temporary. The people were still bound by the law and continually had to make sacrifices.
Jesus, however, became the Lamb of God, not just to help us recover, but to bring us into true wholeness. Hebrews 10:14 says, “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Recovery is about patching things up—wholeness is about complete restoration.
2. The Legal Definition of Wholeness
In legal terms, when a person has been wronged—whether through injury, theft, or negligence—the courts seek to make them whole. This means the judgment is intended not just to compensate for the loss, but to restore them as if the wrong had never happened.
Many times, when we see a judgment awarded, the amount seems excessive. But from a legal standpoint, the goal is full restitution, not just survival. Similarly, God’s judgment for our restoration isn’t just about making us functional again—it’s about making us whole in Him.
3. God’s Judgment to Make Us Whole
When Jesus took our sin upon Himself, He wasn’t just paying for our past—He was restoring our future. Isaiah 53:5 says, “The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” That word healed in Hebrew (rapha) means to be completely restored, made whole, and lacking nothing.
But here’s where we often miss the fullness of what Jesus came to do. He didn’t just come to restore us from our past mistakes and traumas—He came to restore mankind to right relationship with God, as if sin never existed.
In the Garden of Eden, before sin entered the world, mankind walked with God in perfect relationship. No shame, no brokenness, no separation. When Jesus came, He wasn’t just offering a second chance; He was restoring us to what was always meant to be.
4. The Root of Sin: A Trust Issue
Adam and Eve’s original sin was not trusting God enough to tell the devil to go to hell when he tempted them. They were living in perfection in the garden, walking in the very presence of God, yet they still doubted. The enemy whispered, “Did God really say…?” and instead of standing firm, they questioned.
Today, we are all Adam and we are all Eve. We are walking in our own garden of abundance, and God is still here saying, “I am your supplier, your protector, your healer.” And yet, we struggle with the same trust issue Adam and Eve had. We wrestle with surrender, wondering if God’s way is truly best.
Our daily surrender is to trust Him and follow His commands. When we see the forbidden tree, we must not ask why it is forbidden. We must not question, nor allow the enemy to question, God’s plan and His instructions. We must surrender and trust.
The enemy’s strategy hasn’t changed—he still wants us to doubt the goodness of God. But when we learn to fully trust, we move beyond recovery into true wholeness.
5. What Does Wholeness Look Like in Recovery?
Forgiveness – Not just being forgiven, but walking in freedom from resentment.
Identity – Not just overcoming addiction, but knowing who we are in Christ.
Purpose – Not just surviving our past, but stepping into a new mission.
Abundance – Not just getting back what we lost, but receiving all that God has planned for us.
Conclusion
Recovery is good, but wholeness is better. The sacrificial system allowed people to recover, but Jesus came to restore. Just as the courts don’t just compensate—they make whole—God doesn’t just patch us up, He transforms us.
The question is: Are we willing to trust Him? Are we willing to let Him take us beyond recovery into full restoration—not just fixing what was broken, but walking as if sin had never separated us from Him?
The tree will always be there. The enemy will always whisper. But when we surrender fully, we step into the abundant life Jesus died to give us.
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You said:
Why was the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden. If we were not supposed to eat from it.. why was it there?
ChatGPT said:
Great question! The presence of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden wasn’t an accident or a trap—it served a profound purpose in God's design for humanity.
1. Free Will Requires a Choice
God created humanity in His image (Genesis 1:26), which includes the ability to love, to reason, and to choose. True love and obedience cannot exist without the freedom to choose. If there were no option to disobey, Adam and Eve wouldn’t have had the ability to truly love and trust God—they would have been like robots, programmed to follow Him without choice.
The tree represented the opportunity to trust God. By choosing to obey His command not to eat from it, Adam and Eve would have been exercising faith in His wisdom.
2. A Test of Trust and Surrender
God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed—abundance, perfect health, dominion over creation, and His direct presence. The only thing He withheld was one tree. This was a test of whether they would trust that God’s provision and wisdom were enough or whether they would seek knowledge and control on their own terms.
Satan’s temptation in Genesis 3:1-5 was essentially, “God is holding out on you. You need to take control.” This is the same struggle we face today—will we trust God’s commands, or will we listen to the enemy’s whispers that our way is better?
3. Knowledge Without Maturity is Dangerous
God's intent was not to withhold knowledge forever but to protect Adam and Eve from knowing good and evil apart from Him. They were spiritually innocent, like children, and were not yet ready to bear the weight of that knowledge.
It’s like giving a child car keys before they’re mature enough to drive. Knowledge apart from God leads to destruction—because once they ate from the tree, they tried to handle guilt, shame, and separation on their own, instead of trusting God to define and lead them.
4. The Tree of Knowledge Foreshadowed Jesus
In the garden, humanity faced a choice:
Trust God and live in His abundance
Choose knowledge apart from God and bring death
Thousands of years later, another tree—the Cross—became the place where Jesus undid the curse of the first tree. Adam and Eve took fruit from a tree that led to death; Jesus gave His life on a tree to bring us back to life.
Conclusion: The Tree was a Gift of Choice
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil wasn’t there to set humanity up for failure—it was there to give them the ability to choose trust and surrender. Sadly, they chose self-reliance instead of faith. But through Jesus, we are given the opportunity every day to reverse that choice.
Just like Adam and Eve, we have “trees” in our lives—places where God says trust me, don’t touch this—and we must decide whether we’ll obey or take matters into our own hands. True surrender is trusting His plan over our understanding.