It is agreed that people have the ability to realize their existence and are self-aware of their surroundings. This awareness is the most fundamental difference between humans and other animals. It empowers us to analyze our thoughts, daydream, enjoy our imagination, solve problems with reason, and establish our place in society. One other difference is an awareness of our mortality. Our environment, circumstances, parents, and self-interest determine who we are and what we believe. Each of us responds differently to these items. Why can people turn out differently coming from the same history? This self-awareness also plays a crucial role in our moral development, making us responsible for our actions and choices.
Ephesians 4:22-24 states, “You were taught, about your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. We are a product of our environment, families, circumstances, and developed belief systems. ‘What do we need to unlearn in order to lead like Jesus? What patterns of life and leadership that we have accepted and relied upon does Jesus call us to lay down? God calls us to unlearn habits of self-indulgence, people-pleasing, and prideful assumptions that ‘we know what is best’ and learn to live in self-control, humility, and God-confidence for the benefit of others. Let the Leader in you show!” (Unlearning , 2024)
James 4:17 states, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him, it is a sin.” When and how did we learn the difference between right and wrong? Can you imagine being the prehistoric man watching his clan interact with another group of cavemen and realizing it was wrong to act a certain way? What event or action would suddenly cause an otherwise neutral-thinking person to develop morals? The earliest humans figured out that there had to be rules to follow to live with each other successfully. We will never know when these events occurred.
We know God issued the first rules or laws while Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. He told them not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. The first five books are referred to as the Laws or Pentateuch. These books contain the laws and instructions God gave Moses for the people of Israel to follow. These books set the standard of holiness and obedience for those who worshiped and followed God. Scofield Study Bible suggests that Moses wrote Genesis and tells us that “In the Beginning” was 4004 years before the birth of Jesus. The rules and laws in the Bible address issues concerning man. Since then, other issues have come under scrutiny; in 2350 BC, Urukagina created a code that addressed corruption in government—between 2100BC and 2050 BC, King Ur-Nammu of Mesopotamia created laws that required the citizen to act as a large family. Around 1772 BC, Hammurabi created the code of Hammurabi with 282 items stating how business was to be conducted. The Greeks started creating laws in a big way, creating laws that talked about everything. The Romans, Celtic tribes, French, and everyone else started trying to keep order by making rules and laws. Tennessee Code Annotated now has 71 Volumes, with each having at least 500 pages.
God gave Moses the Ten Commandments to help the Israelites and mankind live to honor God.Bottom of Form “In the Old Testament, the Ten Commandments formed part of the 613 laws that governed ancient Hebrew society. The 613 laws consisted of civil rules that governed the Israelites’ day-to-day life, ceremonial rules that governed the worship of God in the Temple, and moral rules (better known as the Ten Commandments) that concisely summarized all of the Old Testament laws as to how people interacted with God and with each other.” (SMYTH, 2024) Thirteen verses address unlearning evil in the Bible.Top of Form Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:22-24, First Peter 2:1, Philippians 4:8, Colossians 3:5-10 James 1:21, Hebrews 12:1, Second Corinthians 10:5, Psalm 119:11, Proverbs 3:7, Matthew 5:29-30, Isaiah 1:16-17, and Second Timothy 3:16-17 all address evil and how to handle sin.
We have to ask why it is so essential for us to move away from or unlearn evil and sin. Knowing what is right should be enough. But just like Adam and Eve, we cannot leave well enough alone and demand to know and experience more. When Adam and Eve disobeyed, they cut off the direct fellowship we had with God. This curse has had a terrible effect on everyone. “Only in the end, when God creates a new earth, will this curse be broken. Revelation 21:3-4 promises, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.
They will be his people, and God will be with them and their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ Revelation 22:3 adds, ‘No longer will there be any curse.” (Staff, 2023) Unlearning harmful habits, worthless information, sinful ideas, and shameful beliefs can help form a healthy mind and body. This frees up the brain and makes room for good thoughts, and pure thinking makes room for new knowledge and perspectives. This cleansing will be necessary because the world is ever-changing, and the devil never stops his attacks. Allowing yourself to unload bad habits and evil thoughts is refreshing and satisfying. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
SMYTH, D. (2024, 7 24). Why Did God Have to Give His People the 10 Commandments? Retrieved from Christianty : https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/why-did-god-have-to-give-his-people-the-10-commandments.html
Staff. (2023, 1 23). How did the knowledge of good and evil make man like God (Genesis 3:22)? Retrieved from Got Questions: https://www.gotquestions.org/knowledge-good-evil.html#:~:text=Answer.%20Genesis%203:22%20notes,%20%E2%80%9CThe%20man%20has%20now%20become%20like
Unlearning . (2024, 9 27). Retrieved from Lead Like Jesus : https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzQXJQNsKqbRCqDnNgQpvXhnHxfn