Welcome to answers from an apostolic faith.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.
Today, my beloved, we address one of the most popular questions people have when they study the story of creation: If God did not want Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, then why did God plant it there? Why place it in the garden to begin with?
Now for many, this seems like a very logical question to ask. It would seem right to most of us that if someone did not want his children to do something or to come close to something that is evil, then all they have to do is remove that evil thing and eliminate the opportunity for the children to get hurt. As long as it's not an option, then they can’t make any mistakes, right? It seems pretty straight forward.
However, we need to investigate this a little bit further and ask some very important questions: Is the tree in and of itself something that is evil? What did the tree represent? And what happens if God does not plant it? Let’s go ahead and tackle all of these questions together.
Let’s begin by addressing a common misconception. But first, let's read a few important passages from Scripture. We're going to read together from Genesis, chapter 2:
'' 8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.'' (Genesis 2:8-9)
That was verses 8 and verses 9. Let's fast forward to verses 15 to 17:
'' 15 [And] then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and [to] keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ''Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'' '' (Genesis 2:15-17)
Now, some read these passages and they make the following assumption: if God does not want Adam to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and eating from it will lead to death, then this must mean that the tree is evil. However, this can't be the case, my beloved,
especially if we believe that the Lord is not the author of evil. According to the same Genesis account, all that God creates is good. And so, the tree could not possibly be intrinsically evil.
The tree must then represent something greater than itself and this is precisely what we believe. The tree here represents the choice of Man to reject God and to attempt to grow in the knowledge without the Lord who is Truth and who is Life. And so, suddenly, we realize it’s not the tree that is evil: it’s the rejection of God as the source of knowledge and of life that becomes the vehicle by which death enters into the world.
And this is clearly manifested in the scriptural passage of Genesis, chapter 3, where we see our mother Eve being deceived. Although she begins to defend the commandment of God, she then is lead to believe that the option of going against God could be worth considering. Let's read Genesis 3, verses 6:
'' 6 [And] so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant [for] the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.'' (Genesis 3:6)
You see, my beloved, this entire story is not just about trees in gardens and the eating of fruit; it's also about choosing worldly and fallen knowledge over the divine wisdom and the enlightening grace of God.
Now at this point, some are saying: OK, the tree isn’t evil in and of itself, sure! And yes, it represents the choice that humanity had. But why offer the choice to begin with? And this is where we must realize that, as Christians, when we make the very bold declaration that God is love, that we actually mean it. In our understanding of love, we define that love can only be given and received freely. Without freedom, there can be no love. And freedom requires choice, a choice to both embrace or reject the person that stands before me.
Also, not only is God love, but every human being is created in God’s image and likeness. Part of this image and likeness is the fact that we are granted free will. And the gift of free will ultimately means that we can freely choose to worship God and to live in loving union with Him or to walk away from Him and be gods unto ourselves.
It is for these reasons that the Lord planted the tree of knowledge of good and evil and commanded them to refrain from eating from it, that in so doing, Adam and Eve now have options. They can now freely choose to obey so that God may grant them life and knowledge, or to disobey and become their own source of these same things.
St. Gregory the Theologian, he explains this further in his Easter oration where he summarizes this and even goes on to explain that even if this tree would have eventually been granted to them had they obeyed the Lord's commandment. He says the following:
''[God gave Adam] a law as a material for his free will to act on. This law was a commandment as to what plants he might partake of and which one he might not touch. This [later] (latter) was the tree of knowledge; not, however, because it was evil from the beginning when planted, nor was it forbidden because God grudged it to us— let not the enemies of God wag their tongues [, he says,] in that direction or imitate [that] serpent. But it would have been good if partaken of at the proper time. The tree was, according to my theory [, says St. Gregory], contemplation, which is safe only for those who have reached maturity of habit to enter upon, but which is not good for those who are still somewhat simple and greedy, just as neither (...) solid food good for those who are yet tender and have need of milk.'' (Gregory of Nazianzus, Second Oration on Easter, Paragraph 8)
My beloved, what we see here is yet again the answer to so many of the questions that we have that the answer is God’s love. It is because the Lord is true to Himself, because He loves us and respects our free will that He gives us choice. He loves us and so He does not force Himself on us, but on the contrary, He allows us to choose Him only if we wish.
Rest assured, my beloved, that the tree is not an ancient and historical thing that does not concern us today. Actually, it is the essence of every choice we make even today. Will I choose the Lord and his commandments as my source of truth and life or will I decide to choose a fallen and worldly wisdom, and in the process, distance myself from God?
Remember, my beloved: Know your faith, live your faith, and teach your faith. And to God be all Glory now and forever and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.