The Knowledge of Good and Evil
Who decides what is morally right and wrong?
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
WHAT GOD VALUES MOST
We have defined righteousness as the unfailing or inexorable ability to put proper value on that which is most valuable, and we have said that God is righteous, so He always values that which is most valuable. So then, what does God values most? The majority would say, “We are of utmost value to Him—He values us the most.” They would be wrong. To best answer what God values most, I will quote John Piper: “The day God created man He did not commit idolatry, suddenly becoming a man worshiper. God is a God worshiper not a man worshiper.” God is the most valuable thing in all creation. Thus in order for God to be righteous, He must value Himself above all else. So then, with this understanding, we can make the following statement:
Righteousness is valuing God above all else.
That is perhaps the most important sentence in the whole book. This statement, if understood and embraced by a society, would rid it of all immorality. This is the foundation upon which everything must be built—the foundation of God’s supreme value. A nation will rise or fall, a family will flourish or wither, and an individual will live or die depending on the revelation of this truth. I greatly fear for America, for the foundation that was laid by our founders has been abandoned for the foundation of our own choosing—one crafted by our own hands designed after what we value most—ourselves! On this foundation, the supreme value of man, we are building a great city to the sky. This city, from the outside boasts in its ability to value its greatest asset, man, above all else, but past the deceivingly beautiful skylines of man’s prize city, under the newly-paved streets lies a crumbling foundation, a foundation that is fatally flawed. The great city of man built on the enthroned values of himself will crumble from within. America was founded on the truth of God’s supremacy, but this has been abandoned and forgotten. Instead of the true history of our founding as God-centered, our children are taught an entirely different history that is God-evicting and man-enthroning. The fading evidence of our once noble beginning still calls to us; “In God We Trust” we say with every transaction made, but I fear this is just the dying coals of a fire long put out.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
What is morally right and wrong differs from one individual to the next. From the big issues of abortion and sexual expression to the life choices of integrity, these differing opinions exist throughout human culture. Who is right and who is wrong? Is mankind fit to decide what is good and evil—or is this decision too great a responsibility for us to handle?
As the moral fabric of the individual, the family, the nation, and the world disintegrates, we are faced with the dilemma: “Who really decides what is morally right and wrong?” In “The Knowledge of Good and Evil,” Joshua K. Hildebrandt takes us back to the beginning… to a man and a woman and a tree in a garden… to discover how this question can be answered, and to show us the freedom that can be ours in laying down the right to choose!
About the Author
Joshua K. Hildebrandt lives in Temple, Georgia with his wife Bethany and their daughter Kaylee. Joshua has been involved in worship and youth ministry since he was a youth himself. He is an accomplished guitar player and has written many worship songs. Motivated by a strong desire to see the Church grow in the understanding of the basic doctrines of the Bible, which have been vastly neglected, Joshua spends much of his time studying and writing on these topics. His desire is to see the Church strengthened by the truth of God’s word.