Paul then shows the problem with the Law, as far as the Jew (and in fact all of us) is concerned. The Law serves only as the knowledge of good and evil. It is my opinion that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, growing in the middle of the Garden of Eden, is the eternal moral law of God, of which the Law of Moses is an abridged, covenantal version.

Paul was alive without the Law. But when the Law came, the sin that Paul was committing became obvious. Since Paul was unable to overcome the sin, Paul's conscience was troubled. Paul was alienated from God. He "died," in this sense.

The Law revealed to Paul that sin was resident in his flesh.

When we think of Adam and Eve we see this is exactly what happened. God created them naked in the garden. The Bible teaches us it is a shame to be naked, it is a violation of God's eternal moral law as well as of the Law of Moses.

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. (Revelation 3:18 NIV)

The Bible has quite a bit to say about nakedness, and it usually is not good.

But Adam and Eve knew no shame because they did not know the difference between good and evil.

The Tree of Life also was in the middle of the garden. It is my point of view that the only Tree of Life is Jesus Christ and those who grow out from Him.

And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:9 NIV)

Both trees were in the center of the garden and both were good for food. But God knew if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, before God through Christ made them able to cope with this knowledge victoriously, they would die spiritually.

They died because of disobedience. They had sinned against God's express command. They were guilty and ashamed for God to see them. First they had disobeyed. Second they now understood that they were in a shameful state. They hid from God for these two reasons.

We as Christians have both of these aspects to consider. The first aspect is our obedience to God. The second aspect is the realization we are sinning, the realization Paul came to as he expressed in the seventh chapter of Romans.

God is not nearly as concerned with our sinful nature as He is with our obedience. God knows we were born with a sinful nature. God understands that the sincere believer, such as the Orthodox Jew or the fervent Christian, hates the fact that sin dwells in him or her. It would be unrighteous for God to condemn us for something He has power to change and we do not, especially since we abhor the presence of sin in us.

To be continued.