Let us meet the Bread of Life
‘The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil’
Genesis 2
8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
9 The Lord God caused all kinds of trees to grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food—and in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
In the Garden of Eden, there were three kinds of trees.
- There were the FOOD TREES, intended to nourish the physical body. The fruits of these trees are used to nourish the physical body.
- There was also the TREE OF LIFE, in the middle of the garden, to nourish Man’s spirit and strengthen his life. Adam had full access to it. This tree represented spiritual life in God’s garden.
- There was also the TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL.
This tree is also spiritual. — Why is there good and evil?
– Because evil does not exist on its own. It is the good that can turn into evil.
– What is bad or evil can never become good again, except through a miracle from God. [Luke 18:27]
The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is neither an apple nor sexual relations.
1-This tree represents man’s freedom to exercise his free will and make his own decisions.
Either remain faithful to God’s principles out of love for Him, or choose to act according to one’s own desires— that is, to free oneself from God. The freedom to explore every option that presents itself, but to accept every consequence that inevitably follows.
2- The freedom to explore any opportunity one desires —[Matthew 4:1–8; Luke 15:11–32]—without God’s intervention. — But a bad choice always has consequences. We are free to touch the fire, but we are never free from the consequences.
We have been given free will and the ability to make decisions so that we may demonstrate our understanding of God’s will, prove our love for Him, and express our feelings toward all His works. [Genesis 2:19–20; Colossians 3:17 and 23; 2 Corinthians 10:31].
One could also say that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the tree of independence from God, or the choice of independence— the choice of whether or not to become independent.
Is there a tree on Earth whose fruit you can eat but that will kill you?
No. Because it is a spiritual tree, in spirit.
And this tree is everywhere these days. These are the consequences of Adam’s fall.
In everything, there is good and evil; it was Adam’s fall that caused this.
Anything that is good can be used for evil.
For example, a microphone is a good thing; I use it to amplify my voice, but someone could use it to hit another person.
Since language has the power over life and death, you can have a friend; everything goes well, but sometimes things can also go wrong and turn sour.
A car may be a blessing at first, but it can later become a curse, with all kinds of breakdowns.
A pet—a dog, for example—can be gentle, but at the same time, it can bite someone.
Gasoline is a commodity, but it was not created to be consumed by humans. If a person drinks it, it becomes harmful. (The reason we put up so many warning signs is to make sure people don’t make the mistake of drinking it.)
By choosing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, man—knowing what is good—decides or chooses to do evil.
This tree represents everything that constitutes willful disobedience to God’s command.
Let us remember that God has never sinned. Everything He does is perfect.
TO BE CONTINUED…
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, let us pray… →
Lord, You are great and mighty in Your strength.
I praise Your boundless goodness.
May the truth of Your Word set me free.
May he be celebrated in my heart forever!
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen.