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WWUTT: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?

WWUTT: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?

Last updated on: September 9, 2016 at 9:25 am by Christian Podcast Central

WWUTT: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? 2016-09-09T09:25:24-08:00 Christian Podcast Central

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When God created Adam and Eve, He put them in the Garden of Eden and told them they could eat from any tree they wanted, except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The day they ate of it, they would die.

“You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 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 2:16-17)

And you know how the story went…

Eve was tempted by the serpent, ate the fruit, gave some to Adam, and because they sinned, they were separated from God, kicked out of paradise, death entered into the picture, all creation was sent into upheaval. And everyone born of the seed of Adam – that’s us – are under the same curse, born into sin, and fallen from grace.

Way to go, Adam!

But wait a second…

God knows everything (1 John 3:20)

His understanding is beyond measure. (Psalm 147:5)

Will any teach God knowledge? (Job 21:22)

Why, even the hairs on your head are numbered! (Luke 12:7)

If God is all-knowing and He knew that eating the fruit would result in the fall of mankind, why did He even put the tree there in the first place? Isn’t this His fault?

Well, you know, Adam tried blaming God too…

“The woman whom YOU gave to be with me, she gave me the fruit of the tree, and I ate…” (Genesis 3:12)

Yeah… guess how that went for him.

In Psalm 119, David said,

Oh how I love Your law!

It is my meditation all the day…

I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep Your word…

How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:97, 101, 103)

Image: Mark Paden

In other words, there is great joy in obeying God.

Adam and Eve lived in perfection and God showed His goodness all the more by giving them a command to obey. And by obeying it, they would experience the greatest joy possible, needing nothing else but God.

Then the devil came along, and convinced them that God and all His blessings weren’t enough. “God is selfish and is keeping something from you,” he said. So they ate the fruit, believing they needed something other than God to be satisfied.

Such is the case with our sin, too. We are all willing participants in Adam’s sin.

But, God so loved us that He sent HIs Son, Jesus, to destroy the work of the devil.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the work of the devil (1 John 3:8)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever will believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

All who believe in Jesus have their sins forgiven and will be restored to eternal paradise with God… when we understand the text.

(Many of the Bible stories and verses we think we know, we don’t! When We Understand the Text is an internet-based video ministry committed to righting some of the wrong understanding of scripture, all while advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Check out more at WWUTT.com!)

For more engaging and encouraging videos and podcasts, check out the E-Squared Media Network!

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