The Way of Life and The Way of Death

One of the major themes that runs through the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament is the contrast between the way of life (goodness/righteousness) and the way of death (evil/sinfulness). Indeed, this theme begins in Genesis and is present in the final chapters of the book of Revelation! As a consequence, religious leaders have mused about the meanings of Biblical representations of these concepts and have offered various interpretations of exactly what constitutes the way of life and the way of death.

As Scout recently reminded those of us who were familiar with the teachings of Herbert Armstrong (see Exegeting the Tree of Life), sometimes our thinking strays from what Scripture has to say about the two ways! At times, we are too literal. On other occasions, we ignore what is clearly symbolic/metaphorical/allegorical. Moreover, as this post will demonstrate, sometimes we get into trouble when we don't follow the thread of an idea throughout the totality of Scripture!

In the second chapter of the book of Genesis, we read: The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden, he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (2:9, NLT) A little later, in the same chapter, we read: The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” (2:15-17, NLT) Notice, that one tree represented life, and the other tree represented death; and that the humans were free to eat/ingest the former but were warned of the deadly consequences involved in eating/ingesting the fruit of the other. Of course, we all are familiar with the role that the Serpent (Satan) played in enticing the woman to eat the forbidden fruit, and the curses which resulted from the humans partaking of this fruit (body shaming, pain, hard work, expulsion from the Garden, and no longer being able to eat the fruit of the tree that represented life! (Genesis 3:1-24)

As we have already noted, we see this choice being offered to humans again and again throughout the Scriptures: Trust in and obey God and live OR go your own way and die! We see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob presented with this choice. Moreover, at the conclusion of the Law, we see Moses presenting this same choice to their descendants. In the book of Deuteronomy, we read: Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy. “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! (30:15-19, NLT)

Likewise, Joshua chose the way of obedience. Saul chose to disobey God and lost a kingdom and his life. David chose obedience and was rewarded with a promise of eternal life for his dynasty! In the book of Proverbs, we read: There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. (14:12, ESV) In the book of Daniel, we read: And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (12:2, ESV)

In the New Testament, we see the theme continued. Jesus is reported to have said: Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13-14, ESV) He is also reported to have said: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6, ESV) The Apostle Paul wrote to the saints at Rome: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23, ESV) Christ's righteousness and goodness make eternal life possible for those who accept what he has done for them! Likewise, Paul wrote to the Christians of Galatia: For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:8, ESV)

Then, in the last book of the Christian canon, we read: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ (Revelation 2:7, ESV) A little later, in the same book, we read: Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15, ESV)

And, finally, this promise for the future: Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:1-5, ESV)

This them was also reiterated in the earliest Christian Catechism available to us, The Didache. In that book, we read: There are two ways, one of life and one of death, but a great difference between the two ways. The way of life, then, is this: First, you shall love God who made you; second, love your neighbor as yourself, and do not do to another what you would not want done to you. (Chapter 1) And a little later, in the same book:  And the way of death is this: First of all it is evil and accursed: murders, adultery, lust, fornication, thefts, idolatries, magic arts, witchcrafts, rape, false witness, hypocrisy, double-heartedness, deceit, haughtiness, depravity, self-will, greediness, filthy talking, jealousy, over-confidence, loftiness, boastfulness; persecutors of the good, hating truth, loving a lie, not knowing a reward for righteousness, not cleaving to good nor to righteous judgment, watching not for that which is good, but for that which is evil; from whom meekness and endurance are far, loving vanities, pursuing revenge, not pitying a poor man, not laboring for the afflicted, not knowing Him Who made them, murderers of children, destroyers of the handiwork of God, turning away from him who is in want, afflicting him who is distressed, advocates of the rich, lawless judges of the poor, utter sinners. Be delivered, children, from all these. (Chapter 5)

This all brings us back to the question: What did the two trees in the Garden of Eden symbolize? Based on this theme that runs throughout the text of the Bible, I would answer: A choice between obedience to God and going your own way - A choice between life and death! What do you think?