Why Did God Create And Put The Tree Of Knowledge Of Good And Evil In The Garden Of Eden?

Why Did God Create And Put The Tree Of Knowledge Of Good And Evil In The Garden Of Eden? This is one of the most common questions asked by those who hear God’s Word. Brethren, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil wasn’t there to condemn Adam and Eve. God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden to give Adam and Eve a choice to obey Him or disobey Him. Adam and Eve were free to do anything that they wanted to do, except to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:16-17 says, “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’”

It is important to understand that the Lord God Almighty created Adam and Eve to be “free-will beings” and not robots. Notice that if God had not given Adam and Eve the choice, they would have been essentially robots, simply doing what they were programmed to do. God created Adam and Eve to be “free” beings, able to make personal decisions, able to choose between good and evil. It’s clear that in order for Adam and Eve to truly be free, they had to have a choice. There was nothing essentially evil about the tree or the fruit of the tree. It is unlikely that the fruit, in and of itself, gave Adam and Eve any further knowledge. That is, the physical fruit may have contained some vitamin C and some beneficial fiber, but it was not spiritually nutritious. However, the act of disobedience was spiritually deadly.

Why Did God Create And Put The Tree Of Knowledge Of Good And Evil In The Garden Of Eden?

There was nothing essentially evil about the tree or the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. It was Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God’s instructions not to eat from the tree that opened the pathway for evil and sin to enter humanity and cause spiritual death. Adam and Eve’s sin of disobedience opened their eyes to evil. For the first time, they knew what it was to be evil, to feel shame, and to want to hide from God. Their sin led to the fall of humanity. Eating the fruit, as an act of disobedience against God, was what gave Adam and Eve the knowledge of evil and the knowledge of their nakedness (Genesis 3:6–7).

The Lord God Almighty knew ahead of time what the results of sin would be and never wished Adam and Eve to sin. However, God knew that Adam and Eve would sin and would thereby open the pathway for evil, suffering, and death to come upon them and their descendants. Why, then, did God allow Satan to tempt Adam and Eve? The Lord God Almighty allowed Satan to tempt Adam and Eve to force them to make the choice. Notice that Adam and Eve chose, of their own free will, to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit. The results – evil, sin, death, suffering, and sickness – have plagued the world ever since. Adam and Eve’s decision to disobey God results in every person being born with a sinful nature, a tendency to sin.

Redemption From Sin And Evil Through Jesus Christ

Adam and Eve’s decision is what ultimately required Jesus Christ to suffer, shed His blood, and die on the cross on our behalf. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we can be free from sin’s consequences, and ultimately free from sin itself. Apostle Paul says in Romans 7:24-25, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Likewise, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”