Why Didn’t God Want Adam And Eve To know Good From Evil? In Genesis 3:22 the Lord God Almighty says, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” Many Biblical Scholars and Theologians say “us” as used in this verse refers to the Trinity: God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. However, does this mean that knowledge is bad? Behold, God desires that we grow in knowledge and wisdom to the fullness of His Son, Jesus Christ. Knowledge in itself is not wrong (read Luke 2:52). Likewise, Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;” Wouldn’t this include knowledge about good and evil? Yet God forbade Adam from attempting to gain this knowledge in the garden of Eden. So, what was so bad about man “knowing good and evil“?
The Bible tells us that in the Garden of Eden were many fruit trees from which Adam and Eve could choose to eat (“every tree,” Genesis 2:9, 16). But the Lord God Almighty, Father of Creation firmly told them that they must not eat of one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they did, they would surely die (Genesis 2:17). They wouldn’t die physically on the spot, as Adam lived to 930 (Genesis 5:5); rather, the death was spiritual. Genesis 2:17 literally reads, “Dying, you will die.” When Adam and Eve disobeyed and ate of the forbidden tree, their fellowship with God was broken (spiritual death), and as consequence, physical death followed (Genesis 3:19). We are all descendants of Adam and have inherited a sinful nature (Romans 5:12). The new birth is necessary for each person to be made alive spiritually (Ephesians 2:1, 2).
Why Didn’t God Want Adam And Eve To know Good From Evil?
The Hebrew term for “knowing” in Genesis 3:22 is not unique to this passage or chapter; it’s the same word “yada” used elsewhere, some 960 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. “Yada” can mean to learn, to distinguish, to perceive, to recognize, to discern, to know by experience, to consider, to be acquainted with, and other fairly ordinary definitions of the word listed in Hebrew lexicons. Whatever the case, there is no particular sense of “knowing” indicated in Genesis 3. So what meaning of “knowing” is intended? In our humble opinion, we think the definition “to know by experience” best fits the usage of “knowing” in this passage. So, why didn’t God want Adam and Eve to know good from evil? In answering this question, it is important to know the context of God’s statement.
The Lord God had already instructed Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam was already aware that doing so was wrong, and he knew the consequences, yet he choose to join Eve in eating the fruit. When they ate, they were not simply aware of evil; they experienced evil, to the extent that they became evil – sinners by nature. As a matter of fact, man knew what was good because he was created in goodness and was surrounded by it (Genesis 1:31). Behold, the man had been given everything that God wanted him to have, including authority over all the rest of God’s creation. Adam was in possession of everything that he needed for a fulfilling life. There was no need for him to “know” evil, especially when the only way for him to “know” it was to experience it.
More Biblical Facts On What The Scriptures Say
God’s warning to Adam against disobedience should have been enough. God did not want Adam and Eve to “know” evil in the sense of participating in it. It is important to understand that the sin of Adam and Eve was not in attaining knowledge but in rejecting God’s will in favor of their own. By disobeying God, Adam and Eve had sinned. This sin brought unto them dire consequences. Firstly, Eve was told, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). Secondly, Adam was told, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17).
Thirdly, for both Adam and Eve, “You are dust, and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). In Genesis 2:17, Adam and Eve were told that they would “die” if they ate from the tree. Although this consequence didn’t come immediately, Adam and Eve did both physically die, a pattern followed by all other humans. Fourthly, Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden: “So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken” (Genesis 3:23). Adam and Eve being the first humans to be created began life in ideal conditions: an idyllic garden, plentiful food, a harmonious relationship with one another, and a close relationship/fellowship with God. Due to sin, Adam and Eve lost the Garden of Eden and were required to work hard before producing food.
What was Adam’s Fault?
Did Adam and Eve remain faithful to God? Behold, Adam and Eve did not remain faithful to God, but broke His command by eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good from evil in the Garden of Eden. Who was the first to disobey God? Eve, the first woman was the first to disobey God, and she induced Adam to do the same. What befell Adam and Eve on account of their sin? As a result of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, sin entered the world thereby taking away humanity’s innocence, leading to a broken relationship with God, and opening the door for suffering, sickness, and death to enter the world.
Redemption through Jesus Christ
Adam’s disobedience brought sin into the world. The consequences of Adam’s sin still affect us today. The Bible teaches us that we are all descendants of Adam and Eve. And being his descendants means that we’ve inherited his sinful nature. Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” The Apostle Paul spoke about the last Adam (Jesus Christ) who came to restore our broken relationship with God (1 Corinthians 15:45). Apostle Paul also noted, “Since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man” (1 Corinthians 15:21). Adam was responsible for sin’s entrance into humanity. Jesus Christ was responsible for providing the way for resurrection. According to John 3:16, God’s love for humanity made Him send His beloved Son, Jesus Christ so that whoever Believes in Him will receive Eternal Life (John 3:16).
Also Read
- The Fall Of Man
- What Does The Bible Say About Adam And Eve?
- What Is The Book Of Adam And Eve?
- Is The Adam And Eve Story To Be Understood Literally?
- If God Knew That Adam And Eve Would Sin Why Did He Create Them?
- Bible Verses About Goodness
- Bible Verses About Evil
- What Does The Bible Say About Understanding?
- Bible Verses About Wisdom
