"AND YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD" (Genesis 3:5)

Trying to equal oneself with God by the qualities he had not, man has lost the qualities with which he was similar to God. Christ "who, even being in God's shape, did not vie to compare himself with God", while the sinful and mortal man tries it (Philemon 2:6). Which are the consequences of the belief that man still contains divine nature in himself?

From a man's heart spring selfish and self-righteous motives he wants to legalize as a spark of divinity in himself. Looking into himself, confined by himself, he is prone to proclaim the motives of his own (fanatic) righteousness to be God's righteousness. But, should he raise his look, should he look at his righteousness through the requirements of the God's law, he would realize that all his justice is just a dirty clothing (Isaiah 64:6-7). He would realize that his natural righteousness is in the conflict with Christ's justice and divine plan of salvation.

Many think they can cognate God through themselves. They explore their hearts in order to find and develop some godliness in it.

The spirit of love is not in harmony with the spirit of egocentrism. When our heart is filled with love for a dear person then it is not normal to look at our heart in such circumstances but at the person we love.

A girl described in her diary the conflict between Christ's and her own righteousness:

"A whitish tumor wraps me. It is ominous. It chokes me. The tumor is a sin which does not admit it. The tumor is pride and is of white color. White like snow and painful. It lets no you to God, and makes no you happy. It cannot be a part of you, for you are a sinner of dark red wounds. And yet it interferes, that unnatural whiteness, that is proud of itself and fights with its sharp knife against Christ. I wish it go from me. Although it is of Christ's color, that is not Christ's, but my whiteness." (L.P. 18. April 1992)

In her diary this girl drew Jesus staying with spread arms, speaking: "I am bread of life!" In front of him she drew herself and her self-righteousness shouting from her heart, opposing to Christ: "I am bread of life!"

The mutual animosity between human and God's righteousness is the reason why the self-righteous Jews discarded Jesus and why He is being discarded by many today.