The Wisdom Behind Knowing and the True Nature of Excuses
When people find themselves in situations where they make mistakes, a common defense is to claim they never knew it was wrong. However, the wisdom behind true knowledge and the responsibility we have to others in teaching them extends beyond such simplistic excuses.
"I didn't know" - when the knowledge is freely available - is not an excuse. "You wouldn't allow me to know" - when God kept them from knowing - is a different matter entirely. There is a fundamental distinction here that we must consider.
The Importance of Experience
No matter what someone says, we often need to try so we truly know from experience. This is completely okay. It is essential to give people the freedom to take as many chances as they need to learn something. Support them in this process, rather than admonishing them for exerting their "second chance."
Adam and the Fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
Good question! For starters, Adam never gave the excuse that he didn't know. It is an excuse that some people attribute to him. When they do, they assume that because Adam hadn't received the knowledge of good and evil from the fruit, he didn't know anything about good and evil. For instance, he wouldn't know whether he should listen to God or not, or whether Eve was beautiful.
However, the Scripture doesn't depict Adam as being ignorant. God clearly tells Adam not to do something, and Adam understands the command. This is a knowledge of good and evil. The fruit gives Adam further knowledge of good and evil, but let's not overly focus on that distinction, such as being naked being shameful. The critical point is that God does not punish Adam for being naked; God punishes him for doing the thing that he knew was wrong - eating of the fruit.
So, Adam knew that eating the fruit was wrong. It’s important to reflect on what happens when someone genuinely doesn’t know what's wrong. The Bible provides some insight into this.
Paul’s Perspective on Knowledge in Romans
We see a hint in the fact that God doesn't punish Adam for being naked and unashamed. Later in Romans 2, Paul says that everyone has a limited knowledge of the Law of God in their hearts (verse 15) and it is that knowledge that they are judged by, not by a law they don't know (verse 14). Those that do know the law are judged by the law (verse 13).
Christ being a perfect fulfillment of the law allows us to pass through this judgment unscathed. Hence, no one is judged by what they do not know. This is why we are not supposed to judge those outside the church: we don't know what they do and don’t know (1 Cor 5:12–13).
Therefore, in dealing with people daily, we can't really fault them for breaking a rule they didn't know about. It is always important to try to understand the perspective of the other person while being as gracious as you can afford to be.
In conclusion, it is crucial to understand that true knowledge and understanding extend beyond simple excuses. We must support and educate others, providing them with opportunities to learn and grow, rather than punishing them for not knowing. This approach fosters understanding, compassion, and mutual respect in our interactions with others.