Bible Question:
Are we not all paying for Adam and Eve's mistake of eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Why would God put that tree in the garden to begin with? Why would He even tempt them with it if it was so bad?
Bible Answer:
God has not told us why He placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden (Genesis 2:9, 17). However, we are told that God warned them to not eat of the tree. Otherwise they would die.
The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16 (NASB)
Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
If you were Adam or Eve and had asked the question, “How would you feel about only being able to do good and not having a choice to do anything else?” Would you like being denied the freedom of choice? Is it possible that you might complain that you did not have a choice? Is that why God gave Adam and Eve the freedom of choice? We must remember that the message of Genesis 2-3 is that they were created without sin, or innocent, in a perfect environment, and yet, they still made a horrible decision.
The result was that Adam and Eve died. They died three ways. Eventually, they died physically (Genesis 5:3-5). They experienced spiritual separation from God immediately. Genesis 3:8-10 tells us that when God visited them afterwards, they were afraid of Him and hid themselves. Third, they died spiritually. Therefore we read,
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned . . . Romans 5:12 (NASB)
They suffered for their bad choice and so do we today!
Many today believe that one’s living conditions contribute to one’s morality. The theory is that an abusive family or a poor socioeconomic situation causes us to make bad decisions. The truth is that Adam and Eve lived in a perfect environment, and they still sinned and brought pain and suffering upon all of us. They could not blame their environment for the Garden of Eden was perfect. They could not could blame their parents because they did not have any. They could not blame their financial situation, for they had everything. They just simply chose to be rebellious against God. So, they were punished by our loving and holy God. He warned them and then remained faithful to His promise.
So, it appears that God created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil for the purpose of testing Adam and Eve, just as He had tested the holy angels. Sadly, Lucifer or Satan rebelled by trying to replace God and one-third of the holy angels joined him in sinning also (Revelation 12:4)! They were thrown out of heaven and will spend an eternity in the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10). Adam and Eve rebelled and suffered the consequences.
Conclusion:
The only real solution to our sinful condition is Jesus Christ. He will forgive your sins and then start to change you by the Holy Spirit. We would encourage you to visit Searching For God and read about the only real solution to the world’s primary problem – sin!
Suggested Links:
Did God know Satan was going to tempt Adam and Eve?If I am born a sinner, how can I have self-worth?
Searching For God
What did God mean when He told Eve not to eat of the tree of knowledge?