Christians, have you missed the simplest lesson of the Bible?

Question

Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

God did not plant a tree of good and then a separate tree of evil and then say, "eat all you want from the "good" tree
but leave the "evil" tree alone, did He?

God did not want man to even know that good and evil even exist. Look again:

Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

He didn't say the knowledge of just evil, did He? He said the knowledge of BOTH GOOD AND EVIL.

God did not create man with the capability of distinguishing between good and evil, right and wrong. That is pure God-stuff!
That's why He told Adam to leave the tree of the KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL alone. He alone decides. We follow Him

Answer 1

Well, I see you got some typical uniformed answers already. Well, just one, so far. But you are exactly right. Because had we remained innocent of the knowledge of good and evil, no sin would have ever been imputed to us. Even Jesus said to the Pharisees (I think if was the Pharisees) that because they said they understood, their sin remained on them.

Even though sin existed in the world and still does, if you sin in ignorance, you are not held accountable for it. A good example would be the apostle, Paul, who killed many Christians because he really was ignorant to what he was doing. He, in his whole heart and mind, thought he was doing the right thing for God.

It's so good to finally hear that someone understands the Genesis account. You should write a sermon about the topic and put it up on one of those free web sites. Peace.

Answer 2

It was a tree for obedience. God spelled it out to them what that tree is. God also distinctly told them the consequences if they eat from it. Then came the serpent (Satan) knowing about the tree. Of course he heard God telling Adam and Eve the rules of the tree; and so started to plan on how he was going to manipulate Eve into eating the fruit. Of course we know how it ends. Many people wonder how the couple could disobey when being perfect but they were also innocent of not knowing what was bad. Eve didn't think Satan was bad because he made himself to be a snake. For all she knows everything God created was good! It all comes down to "obedience". They were to listen only to God and nothing else. While Satan was talking to her, he was already working evil in her with his "smooth subliminal talk". Eve not knowing Satan was putting her in that spell under his trance. It's the same today when a person meets up with a expert smooth talker; they'll buy anything he's selling or giving him alot of money thinking they can trust him. When you meet up with a person like that think of Eve and the serpent; then you'll know who's talking to you. Don't give in and fall under that trance.
Crucial times are here, be careful.

Answer 3

I understand where you are headed with this observation, there just doesn't seem to be an arrival to a point.
Yes, the knowledge of good and evil belonged to God. He alone can distinquish between what is truly good and what is truly evil, we as humans tend to create alot of grey areas and make excuses and justifications for making what is evil good.
That is why it is difficult for me to belong to a denomination for they are in the beginning all about truth and God, then somewhere along the way, man get's involved to the point that it becomes a set of man's decisions as to what is evil and what is good:
examples from various denominations:

blood transfusions: evil
oral sex within marriage: evil
women cutting their hair: evil
excommunication/disfellowshipping: good
work on the sabbath: SOO many opinions
alcohol: evil
dancing: evil

WHO gave man the right to dictate what God thinks is evil in such private and personal decisions as those above? NO ONE, but man.

Just my thoughts to try to end up at a destination of your point.

Answer 4

No, I didn't miss it. It was there when I read it and I understood that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil gave Adam an opinion of a terrible nature. I think that Adam had an opinion before that, but the one he acquired from eating of that tree was the nature that we carry around in us: The one that hates God and is against God.

Thank God that He counters that nature with His own nature:
A 'Christians only' effect.

I can hardly wait to get rid of the 'hate God' part of myself.

Answer 5

Yes friends it was not just evil but good, good, good and evil. We are told without a doubt that it was not just evil, but good and evil. Let us never forget this.

Further more it was "Both" good and evil. We must never forget that without "Both" that good would not mean good but "really" like really evil. But in no uncertain terms we are pointed securely to Both good and evil and are twice blessed.

On this note of pure wisdom; don't you just feel a song coming on? Let us lift our voices then. Turn one and all my friends to hymn number 222 in your hymn books; and let us sing it good and loud with lots of gusto!

Oh, if you don't have 222 in your hymn book; just turn to hymn number 111 and sing it twice.

There were two trees none the less. One tree was life and the other was death. The knowledge of good and evil is a loss of innocence not the attainment of some functional understanding. Adam was already of unsurpassed intelligence. Understanding the difference between yes and no, or hot and cold is not dependent on a concept of evil or a lack of understanding that one is good.

There is a difference between knowing you are good and thinking that your are special.

Answer 6

properly, first, we are all sinners, Christian or not, and hence all make the comparable errors. only simply by fact i'm a Christian does not recommend that i'm appropriate. actual i hit upon myself soliciting for God's grace and forgiveness on a daily basis. i'm so grateful he forgives me and renews me on a daily basis-that's actual that his mercies are new each and every morning. I actual have additionally, such as you, been pissed off with many subject concerns by way of the years from distinctive church homes. I continually looked as though it could detect a reason to depart. What i've got confidence God has been exhibiting me is that there's no appropriate church this side of paradise, and that i could desire to tutor my fellow Christians a number of that mercy,grace, and forgiveness that God has shown me. to not say which you're able to stay someplace the place you do not think of the uncomplicated doctrine is biblically sound, yet perhaps you're able to learn how to enable the "little" stuff pass. i comprehend that's frustrating, have confidence me, i'm attempting to do it too, yet I actual have left too many church homes simply by fact they weren't "appropriate". The extra i seem around, I comprehend i could desire to be in fellowship with different Christians, and that i could desire to be somewhat extra forgiving when I disagree on the little subject concerns. i wish you detect a church the place you may get Christian fellowship!

Answer 7

Before the fall of man Adam only knew God. There was no knowledge of good or evil, there was only God for them.
Here is a nice scripture that connects with all this.

Mark 10:18
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone.

Answer 8

Go back to the very roots of that mythology and you'll realize what you're missing. It came from a civilization considered pagan by Christianity. The characters of the myth were by no means Adam and Eve alone. In fact, Eve was just a late comer. Please read The Halved Soul: The myth of romantic love by Judith Pintar for your enlightenment. Also, it won't hurt reading books on the early civilizations. Come on, go to the library nearest you.

Answer 9

Just like children that are not perfect, but are innocent of their imperfection, this is a state to be sought. This would require the discipline of never knowingly disobeying God. As adults, we are aware of sin and can avoid conscious rebellion against God's word, but there is always going to be sin in our life until the Perfect comes. I have yet to achieve avoidance of willfully doing wrong, the worst of which is controlling my tongue.

Answer 10

If humans didn't have the ability to decide between good and evil, right and wrong, how did Eve do the evaluation of the fruit she did (pleasing to the eyes, desired to make one wise, etc.)?

If humans didn't have a choice but to obey God, why did God give them a rule?

And how could they have violated it?

What was your point?