The tree of life vs. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil

[nl]

"And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2:9)

There were two particular trees mentioned in Genesis 2. These were the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Human destiny was changed when Adam and Eve sinned and ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

How might human destiny have been changed if we had stories of Adam and Eve partaking of the tree of life!

Jesus came to give abundant life (John 10:10).

The last chapter of the Bible tells us that the tree of life will become available again and its leaves will be used for the healing of nations.

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations...Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:2,14)

I want to partake from the tree the life!

Many posts on this forum pertain to the knowledge of good and evil. These include the many questions and responses about the law and what applies today to whom. Other posts ask and answer directly about issues like right and wrong and good and evil. Admittedly, these are important issues. How might these forums be different if people spoke more about abundant life!

 

[overcomer2]

I hope I'm not getting away from your thread. I believe in order to make an end of sin and what happened with Lucifer the Lord knew what tree eve would partake of. I don't believe Adam would have done this and the Lord knew Eve's short comings and was a necessary ingredient to God's plan to make an end of sin. Man had to have an experience with sin in order to be delivered out of it.
Jesus made a way out of eternal death he is the door.

 

[peacemakerz22]

Very well written. Spot on.

 

[peacemakerz22]

For everything to exist, not everything or everyone can be living at the Tree of Life at once, I mean we could be there, but no one would be of function to exist or be utilized. To create and utilize is God's occupation in a way. So keeping that in mind, to appreciate and understand the purpose of the Tree of Life, there had to also be another tree that was a existed in duality and that is the fruit our race ate. And this is adding to why a cycle of karma must be completed, with all due respect to God and Jesus and Mary, in order to return to a perfect state.

 

[crossnote]

For everything to exist, not everything or everyone can be living at the Tree of Life at once, I mean we could be there, but no one would be of function to exist or be utilized. To create and utilize is God's occupation in a way. So keeping that in mind, to appreciate and understand the purpose of the Tree of Life, there had to also be another tree that was a existed in duality and that is the fruit our race ate. And this is adding to why a cycle of karma must be completed, with all due respect to God and Jesus and Mary, in order to return to a perfect state.

duality? cycle of karma?
Scripture please.

 

[gkroo]

"And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2:9)

There were two particular trees mentioned in Genesis 2. These were the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Human destiny was changed when Adam and Eve sinned and ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

How might human destiny have been changed if we had stories of Adam and Eve partaking of the tree of life!

Jesus came to give abundant life (John 10:10).

The last chapter of the Bible tells us that the tree of life will become available again and its leaves will be used for the healing of nations.

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations...Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:2,14)

I want to partake from the tree the life!

Many posts on this forum pertain to the knowledge of good and evil. These include the many questions and responses about the law and what applies today to whom. Other posts ask and answer directly about issues like right and wrong and good and evil. Admittedly, these are important issues. How might these forums be different if people spoke more about abundant life!

First of all, there was no Eve in the garden of Eden.

Gen 3:20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Gen 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

The Bible is not a book that you can just glance over and make up stories and opinions. And if you examine the verses that have to do with the woman eating fruit from the tree of good and evil, nothing was offered her. She saw it, she desired it, and she took of it, and she ate the fruit, and she gave it to her husband. Nothing was offered. The tree looked good but the fruit was evil.
In the New Testament, it is written

Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat_7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

But, that has to do with the fruit of the Spirit. But, back to your first question.

How might human destiny have been changed if we had stories of Adam and Eve partaking of the tree of life!

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

That does not say 'abundant life.' That means something totally different the 'life more abundantly.' The former is like saying, 'I will give you an abundant Jesus.' While the latter means 'I will give you Jesus in everything.' Do you see the difference? There is not a bigger Jesus. All things were made by Him. Life was made by Him and for Him.

Many posts on this forum pertain to the knowledge of good and evil. These include the many questions and responses about the law and what applies today to whom.

Isa_5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

You can not always rely on the interpretation of man and it seldom gives you insight nor the wisdom you need to make a correct decision.

Isa_9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

 

[posthuman]

First of all, there was no Eve in the garden of Eden.

Gen 3:20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Gen 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

The Bible is not a book that you can just glance over and make up stories and opinions.

don't the verses you quote here prove that Eve was in the garden?
or are you just saying 'she wasn't named Eve until after she left the garden' ?
even so, her name is given before it's written that the Lord clothed them and cast them out.
so i'm not clear on what you mean by "there was no Eve in the garden"

if you examine the verses that have to do with the woman eating fruit from the tree of good and evil, nothing was offered her. She saw it, she desired it, and she took of it, and she ate the fruit, and she gave it to her husband. Nothing was offered.

but..

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
(Genesis 2:4-5)
​

the serpent sure seems to have been telling her that eating it would impart knowledge & wisdom. this is why in the next verse,

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.
(Genesis 2:6)​

she saw not only that it looked good, and tasty to eat, but that it was 'desirable for gaining wisdom' -- because knowledge and understanding (that the serpent 'offered' her by tempting her to eat it) is good for wisdom (Proverbs 4:7).

 

[posthuman]

the woman eating fruit from the tree of good and evil

that's "tree of KNOWLEDGE of good and evil"
not "tree of good and evil"

(in re: Genesis 2:17)

i think if you correct this, then in this context at least, you won't so easily mistakenly call evil what God created and called good.

 

[Tintin]

First of all, there was no Eve in the garden of Eden.

Gen 3:20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Gen 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

The Bible is not a book that you can just glance over and make up stories and opinions. And if you examine the verses that have to do with the woman eating fruit from the tree of good and evil, nothing was offered her. She saw it, she desired it, and she took of it, and she ate the fruit, and she gave it to her husband. Nothing was offered. The tree looked good but the fruit was evil.
In the New Testament, it is written

Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat_7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

But, that has to do with the fruit of the Spirit. But, back to your first question.

How might human destiny have been changed if we had stories of Adam and Eve partaking of the tree of life!

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

That does not say 'abundant life.' That means something totally different the 'life more abundantly.' The former is like saying, 'I will give you an abundant Jesus.' While the latter means 'I will give you Jesus in everything.' Do you see the difference? There is not a bigger Jesus. All things were made by Him. Life was made by Him and for Him.

Many posts on this forum pertain to the knowledge of good and evil. These include the many questions and responses about the law and what applies today to whom.

Isa_5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

You can not always rely on the interpretation of man and it seldom gives you insight nor the wisdom you need to make a correct decision.

Isa_9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

You're ridiculous! A three-year old could tell you that Eve was in the garden. Clearly, you're the one who's deluded and can't read the Bible as it's written (plainly, from a historical-grammatical perspective). Why are you addressing us anyway? You're the one here making up ridiculous stories and opinions.

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

The Tree of knowledge, to know good from evil, was given as a sign of the natural law.

Romans 3:20
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (tree of knowledge)

When we ate from the tree of the law (knowledge to know good from evil) we then were made aware of our sins, and then our eyes were opened and we saw our own nakedness; just like Adam and Eve. So was it the law (tree of knowledge) that was sin, or was it the transgression of the commandment God gave them? Sin came when both Eve and Adam went against God's commandment not to eat of it, the tree of knowledge to know good from evil just opened their eyes to know their sin.

Just as what we once thought was good for us, became death to us, just as the Lord said; the day you eat of it, surely you shall die.
Romans 7:9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.


Romans 6:23;"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

It was not the fruit of the tree of knowledge that was death to us, but rather it was the sinful nature that worked in our old fleshy minded man.

Romans 7:5;"For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death."

So even though we once thought the natural law was life to us, we being evil by nature were deceived by sin, and the natural law (the knowledge to know good from evil) became death to us by reason of our own sins.

The serpent used the commandment of God against us, saying surely you can still sin (transgress the commandment) and not die.

Romans 7:11;"For sin taking occassion by the commandment, decieved me, and by it slew me."

Just as that old serpent even still today deceives the whole world, including many Christians, into believing you can sin against Gods commands all you want and you still will not die.

But thanks be to God for the mercy he showed us in the sign of the spiritual Tree of Life, which is afforded to all of us who believe in the remission of our sins through the offering of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

 

[gkroo]

You're ridiculous! A three-year old could tell you that Eve was in the garden. Clearly, you're the one who's deluded and can't read the Bible as it's written (plainly, from a historical-grammatical perspective). Why are you addressing us anyway? You're the one here making up ridiculous stories and opinions.

You need to back up and look and see what it is you are arguing. You are supposing that Eve was the woman and was always named Eve. You are also supposing that the woman is the wife. Nowhere are you told that the woman is the wife, you can only surmise that. A three-year old would say that because that is what the child is taught.
But Eve was not Eve until after Adam named her which is when God put their clothes on.

Gen 3:20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

But, that brings up something different - 'she was the mother of all living.' Was Adam included in that 'all living?' What did Adam say when the woman was made and brought back to him?

Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Leave who? Maybe that means that the child must grow and get married and leave the house or 'eat the fruit and leave the garden.'

 

[gkroo]

Romans 7:11;"For sin taking occassion by the commandment, decieved me, and by it slew me."

By all accounts, the sin of the father Adam. is not. No more.

Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exo 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Num 14:18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

This has everything to do with what is happening now and what is going to happen in the future.

 

[onlinebuddy]

The tree of knowledge of good and evil symbolizes something that we must say "no" to. For eg. when we are tempted with sin, we must not give in.

The tree of life, symbolizes something we must say "yes" to. We must accept the salvation we have in Christ (which we cannot obtain by our own works).

On a daily basis, we must say no to sin, and yes to Christ.

...just a quick thought.

 

[oldhermit]

The tree of knowledge of good and evil symbolizes something that we must say "no" to. For eg. when we are tempted with sin, we must not give in.

The tree of life, symbolizes something we must say "yes" to. We must accept the salvation we have in Christ (which we cannot obtain by our own works).

On a daily basis, we must say no to sin, and yes to Christ.

...just a quick thought.

The tree of knowledge was a representational symbol of a particular type of knowledge that was forbidden to man. The prohibition of this tree presented man with a choice between two epistemological standards by which to determine what is true - the word of God or human experience. Man made the wrong choice.

 

[onlinebuddy]

You need to back up and look and see what it is you are arguing. You are supposing that Eve was the woman and was always named Eve. You are also supposing that the woman is the wife. Nowhere are you told that the woman is the wife, you can only surmise that. A three-year old would say that because that is what the child is taught.
But Eve was not Eve until after Adam named her which is when God put their clothes on.

Gen 3:20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

But, that brings up something different - 'she was the mother of all living.' Was Adam included in that 'all living?' What did Adam say when the woman was made and brought back to him?

Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Leave who? Maybe that means that the child must grow and get married and leave the house or 'eat the fruit and leave the garden.'

Too complicated!
You are saying that the woman was not the wife. The wife was Eve. So the woman was different from the wife, Eve.

 

[Tintin]

The tree of knowledge was a representational symbol of a particular type of knowledge that was forbidden to man. The prohibition of this tree presented man with a choice between two epistemological standards by which to determine what is true - the word of God or human experience. Man made the wrong choice.

It was also a physical tree. Something that RJB and his lackeys can't seem to get their heads around.

 

[posthuman]

You need to back up and look and see what it is you are arguing. You are supposing that Eve was the woman and was always named Eve. You are also supposing that the woman is the wife. Nowhere are you told that the woman is the wife, you can only surmise that.

i'm afraid you're wrong, gkroo. not nowhere. somewhere. specifically, we are told that the woman is the wife:

And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
(Genesis 2:25)
​

man! you were almost there. just one more verse.

and as i pointed out, the verse that tells us Eve's name, and that Eve is his wive, who is the woman:

The man called his wife's name Eve
(Genesis 3:20)
​

precedes their eviction from the garden.

so clearly, the woman is the wife, and the wife is Eve, and her name was given while she was still in the garden. when Adam called her "Woman" - he was naming all the species of animal ((or do you think he called each hedgehog "Bill" and "Giussepe" and "Antoinette" and "Svetlana" separately?)). just because Eve's name isn't recorded sooner doesn't mean that she had no name prior. Adam is called "Adam" back in Genesis 2:20, but still called "the man" in chapter 3, interchangeably.

 

[Tintin]

You need to back up and look and see what it is you are arguing. You are supposing that Eve was the woman and was always named Eve. You are also supposing that the woman is the wife. Nowhere are you told that the woman is the wife, you can only surmise that. A three-year old would say that because that is what the child is taught.
But Eve was not Eve until after Adam named her which is when God put their clothes on.

Gen 3:20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

But, that brings up something different - 'she was the mother of all living.' Was Adam included in that 'all living?' What did Adam say when the woman was made and brought back to him?

Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Leave who? Maybe that means that the child must grow and get married and leave the house or 'eat the fruit and leave the garden.'

Eve and the woman are one and the same. If you read the Bible properly, you can easily surmise that for yourself. Yes, I've grown up in a Christian household and was taught the Bible and God's ways. But I came to a point in my life where I had to read the Bible for myself and decide what I wanted to believe. That's no easy task. You're the one who's assuming that Eve and the woman aren't one and the same. The burden of proof lies with you, not me or with Christian orthodoxy throughout its history.

 

[gkroo]

You're ridiculous! A three-year old could tell you that Eve was in the garden. Clearly, you're the one who's deluded and can't read the Bible as it's written (plainly, from a historical-grammatical perspective). Why are you addressing us anyway? You're the one here making up ridiculous stories and opinions.

I did not say at any time that the woman was not the wife or that the woman was not Eve or the wife was not Eve did I, but the Bible does not tell us that. Adam did call his wife's name Eve after she ate the fruit. We are not even told that the fruit was the one not to be eaten. We are only told that the serpent was more subtle (cunning, which is the same word used for knowledge) than any creature.
But, the Bible does separate the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil from those that bear fruit. We are told in Revelation that there are two trees of life in the Heavenly Jerusalem and they do bear fruit. Where does it tell you that the fruit that Adam ate in the garden was from the forbidden tree? Where does it tell you that the tree was the forbidden tree? The Bible only tells you that Adam was told not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He was already one with the woman, they were already one flesh and that is exactly what we are told.
I know that I am alive and that I am alive because of the elders of the church praying and family faith and I know that the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is life, but it means so much more than that. I am addressing the forum with my knowledge and I would hope that it would meet better opinions.
Are there rules in this forum having to do with the type of expressions that you have put forth?

 

[gkroo]

Pro_15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.

Rev_2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Rev_22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.