Discussing the Garden of eden event

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onlinebuddy

Senior Member
Sep 1, 2012
1,115
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A point - Was it sinful to eat of the tree of Knowledge?

It led to death, and God gave the reason why you should not eat of the tree, but what was it there for if not to be eaten from.

If the ultimate definition of sin is things that lead to death, then it was sinful, but in one sense it has led to Jesus and life.

Sin sometimes can be seen from a different perspective as a good act.
We go to war, we kill, we take from people because they owe others, but we call this righteous behaviour and good, yet done unjustly, is evil and sin. So though people would like to say things are absolute, this is not actually true.

Sin is sin. Let us think through the prodigal son parable. The son who wants to buy friends, to spend his inheritence and live the high life, and yet finally when all is gone and all his bought friends have left, he returns home, was it good that he walked this path?

The father would say if he had kept the son, the son would have blamed the father for stopping him living the life that would give him life and reality. The son had to learn the real life lesson that it was all empty for himself.

What God is saying to us, is He does not hold it against us, but is willing to reach out and give us life, despite our distrust and rebellion. I wonder if this situation was inevitable, because it appears to give free will and knowledge of good and evil, you then have to learn the power of victory over evil is through love and trust of the Lord. I wonder if the whole problem has to go this path because it would have not been possible to have people born into fellowship with the Lord because that would not have enabled people to choose, to find the light.

Jesus confirmed this idea by calling John the Baptist the lowest in the kingdom, because he was born into this fellowship.

The downside of the choice is without the Lord nothing works, and people fall apart, like the husk around the seed without the seed at its core.

What I am saying is God planted a tree and gave Adam and Eve the ability and access to eat from this tree. He told them if they eat of this tree they would die. He told them they should not eat from this tree.

If God wanted them to never eat of the tree, he would not have put it in the garden. The question was would Adam trust God and obey, or listen to the lie which said God was hiding something from him.

Adam sinned, he chose death and knowledge over trust and obedience. Would the other option have been taken? God does not say, He just describes what happened.

I sincerely appreciate your explanation. Don't get me wrong. I agree with you in general. However, there are a few things you mentioned, which sounded like sin is a "good act" if it leads to something good. May I do not understand the way you phrase your sentences.


It led to death, and God gave the reason why you should not eat of the tree, but what was it there for if not to be eaten from.
Isn't this like saying, "God gave us reason why we should not commit adultery, but what is the option (of adultery) there for, if not to be explored?"
God did not want Adam to eat of the tree, as surely as he does not want us to commit adultery!
Now, if one sins, God has a solution for it. But this does not mean that God wants us to explore and try out or play with sin.

If the ultimate definition of sin is things that lead to death, then it was sinful, but in one sense it has led to Jesus and life.
Eating of the fruit did not lead us to Jesus. Jesus was always with the Father. Yes, sin brought forth grace (that was paid for by Jesus)
Sin sometimes can be seen from a different perspective as a good act.
We go to war, we kill, we take from people because they owe others, but we call this righteous behaviour and good, yet done unjustly, is evil and sin. So though people would like to say things are absolute, this is not actually true.

Excuse me, but sin should not be perceived as a good act. War is evil. No one calls killing righteous behaviour.
If Obama makes war on the ISIS and destroys them, he is using his prerogative as a human leader. It has nothing to do with righteousness.
War was not God's design. Man wanted a king, other than God. God warned them, that having a human king would have its consequences. War is one of the consequence of man wanting to take control in his own hands.


it would have not been possible to have people born into fellowship with the Lord because that would not have enabled people to choose, to find the light.
Adam and Eve were born into fellowship with God, and yet they had the ability to choose between light and darkness. I guess you seem to be saying something else. Kindly clarify.

Jesus confirmed this idea by calling John the Baptist the lowest in the kingdom, because he was born into this fellowship.
Are you saying that John the Baptist was not given the ability to choose between good and evil (just like a robot)?
Are you saying that John the Baptist had never sinned?
The verse below is not saying that John the Baptist was the "lowest" in the kingdom. It is saying that he is the greatest among all men
naturally born of women.

Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. [Matthew 11:11]

If God wanted them to never eat of the tree, he would not have put it in the garden.
I believe that God actually wanted them never to eat of the tree.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was put there, so that Adam could responsibly exercise his choice and not eat from it. Now God knew beforehand that Adam would eat the fruit, but this does not mean that God put the tree bcoz he wanted Adam to eat of it (and later experience redemption.)

The tree of knowledge of good and evil symbolizes sin. All of us have such a tree (sinful opportunities) around us. However, we must responsibly exercise our choice and not sin. Not to mention, that all of us failed at this, just as Adam did.

The tree of life symbolizes life under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Had Adam eaten of the tree of life, he would probably never have eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (just my belief). Similarly, if we allow the Holy Spirit to work within us, we will be strong enough to say "No" to sin. Jesus has proved this.

Conclusion: In our fight against sin, we must never lose sight of the cross, through which we have access to the Holy Spirit, and to eternal life.