This tree has to be one of the most interesting and most misunderstood concepts in the Bible.

It is essential for you to get a proper understanding of what this tree is all about. If you miss it you will miss most everything else in the Bible.

It’s complicated and will therefore take a few posts. We’ll work through it by asking questions.

Is the tree good?

Yes. God created it and so from this we know it must be good.

Why is it good?

This my friend is where the misunderstandings begin. The tree is a gift. It’s God’s gift of free choice to mankind. It’s God giving man the ability to choose God (good) or NOT God (evil).

Hmmm. You mean it wasn’t a test of obedience? Wasn’t God testing Adam to see if he would obey?

No. It was a gift – an extremely loving but dangerous gift to the man and woman that God loved. Freedom is a dangerous thing. Just ask any parent of a driving teenager. I love my teenagers and one day I turned over the car keys to them for their first solo run. I could have said no you can’t drive by yourself because you might get hurt or hurt someone else. But I wanted them to have the gift of freedom and with it came the potential for great harm. You get the picture?

Didn’t God punish Adam for eating from the tree?

No. Man punished himself – shot himself in the foot, ate the poison, used his freedom to wreck the car.

Well why did God warn Adam not to eat from the tree?

For the same reason you would tell a child not to touch the stove - because you love them and don’t want them to get hurt.

That’s enough for one post. There is a bunch here so take some time and chew on it.

 

Back to the Index