“[The do to be tree] is a ruse that blinds and blurs because it shifts us from a relationship with God to a transaction with God. Whenever we believe that we will be blessed (more loved by God) because of something we do, we become much less like God, and we lose sight of our ultimate purpose — to love and be loved, to glorify and enjoy God.”- Alan Wright
In Chapter 1 (“Misperceiving”) of Seeing as Jesus Sees, Alan Wright asserts that none of us believe a lie on purpose. Therefore, only one reason exists for why we believe a life. We think the lie is true. And once we believe a lie, that belief distorts everything. That’s why the spiritual battle is a fight for our vision.
The problem traces back to the Garden of Eden. Despite bad press to the contrary, Pastor Wright stresses, God’s lavish, not restrictive. And until the great deception came, Adam and Eve had it all. That’s when Satan discovered that he need not deceive humans into a wholesale rejection of God’s Word. Instead, a subtle twist of the word of God sufficed.
So, in painful irony, Eve wanted her eyes opened. But the forbidden tree produced the opposite effect. Alan’s mentor, Dudley Hall, refers to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as the “do to be tree.” In other words, If I will do, then I will be. Therefore, Once I “do” then, and only then, can I “be” like God — secure and happy (emphasis author’s).
Most significantly, Pastor Wright notes, the one deep deception continues to blur the vision of even the sweetest saints. Yes, in one way or another, we’ve all eaten of the blinding do-to-be tree.
Hence, Pastor Wright states, we all face:
“The same spiritual battle. Misperceptions. Lies believed in the darkness. And the need for the same Savior. Truth much greater than the liar. Light that can dispel the darkness.”
“Today’s question: When do you find yourself wanting a transaction with God? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Nearsightedness – overlooking”
