Did Adam and Eve know right from wrong before they ate the fruit?

Question

Did Adam and Eve know right from wrong before they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Or was it after they ate from the fruit that they understood right from wrong?

Here is another question, if you placed a loaded handgun in a toybox with your kid's toys, and told them they could play with every toy in there except the handgun, what do you think would happen? Is it not the same thing with God planting the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden and telling them they could eat from every tree except that one? Wouldn't you stop your child from grabbing the gun and killing himself? Or would you not have put the gun in there to begin with?

I already know that most of you will say that God gives us a free choice. I give my kids free choices all the time, but if I see that the choice they made could kill or permamently scar themself, then I'm going to intervene and stop them. Why didn't God do that if he loves us so much more?

Ashley:
If you don't know the difference between good and evil, how do you know the difference right and wrong? Yes, as far as we know they were adults, but were they not childlike being that they hadn't been introduced to this knowledge until they ate fruit?

Horton:
If clay could communicate and reason like we can, then why shouldn't it be able to ask why it was created a certain way? What's wrong with wanting to know?

Soul Shaper:
Where did you get your info?

Gonnawin:
Thank you for making my point. Leaving a coke can will not result in your child's death. Leaving a handgun in a toybox will. Leaving the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden lead to death. That's what I'm getting at.

Not only that, but according to the Bible wide is the gate to destruction and narrow is the way to eternal life. When God planted that tree, he knew that this would be the result. He knew that the vast majority of his creations would be destroyed. It is awesome that he gives us free will, but if He sees that it's gonna lead to our demise, then why not stop it?

JenGen:
Doesn't the Bible contradict the verse you stated that all will be alive in Christ? Most people will be destroyed because wide is the gate to destruction and narrow is the gate to eternal life. That doesn't sound like all will be made alive to me....

Answer 1

Examine Gen.3:1-5;

Yes, Eve knew not to touch the tree in the midst [ center or middle ] of the garden, lest ye die [ opposite of life ], angels do not die Luke 20:34-36; [ as Rev.12:9; the serpent called them gods ], Gen.3:19; Adam, Eve and ever offspring did die, John 8:44; Heb.2:9,14,16; 1Cor.15:25,26; death & cause to be destroyed, last is death.

1Cor.15:22-28,51-53 [ all is in order ];
As in Adam all die, even so in christ shall all be made alive. Heb,9:27; It is appointed unto man, once to die and after this the judgement.

EDIT [ Your comment ]: JenGen:
Doesn't the Bible contradict the verse you stated that all will be alive in Christ? Most people will be destroyed because wide is the gate to destruction and narrow is the gate to eternal life. That doesn't sound like all will be made alive to me....

#1. In Adam all die. [ 1Cor.15:22-28,51-53; LAST DESTROYED IS DEATH ]: Heavenly first as firstfruit or first resurrected, then all is done in order , from those alive at his coming and then the resurrection [ back to Abel ], all for the judgement day of 1000 years ]: Heavenly: Heb.12:22-24; John 3:39,40,44; Mark 13:27; to 1Thes.4:15-17; Rev.20:1-6,12,13; the 1000 year reign, no Satan, the heavenly [ Rev.3:12; of thousands redeemed in the narrow gate ], for the new heavens, with Jesus at his second coming [ the rest & 1000 yrs ]: The heavenly with Jesus to resurrect the earthly, for the new earth 2Pet.3:13;
All in book of Genesis died, Joseph had his bones carried to Promised Land. Job 19:25,26; 33:4,22; 34:14,15; Psm.104:29,30; Isa.26:19; Eze.37:12-14 [ Matt.19:28 ]; John 5:26-29 [ Heb.9:27; 2Cor.5:10; Acts 17:31; 24:15; Dan.12:2; Rom.14:9-12; Philip.2:5.9-12; Rev.20:12,13 ]; Isa,65:17; the new earth will have billions, all possible will be saved and made perfect [ then Satan loosed ]: Rev.20: 7-10 [ no Satan or any like him are left ]; Rev.21:1-5;
All is as new as before Eden, 8 [ the second death for those seeking it ];
THEN ALL IS PERFECT IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND GOD IS ALL IN ALL.

Answer 2

Yes, Adam and Eve knew what was wrong and right. God had told them not to eat from that tree and they did it anyway. And the difference in your analogy of the gun in the toy box is that Adam and Eve were adults, they had been alive for some time and weren't children. They had all those other trees with fruit that they could eat from, but they chose to rebel, and that is exactly what the whole thing was about, being rebellious. Adam and Eve were given free will, they could do as they chose to do. If God had stopped them from eating from the tree, he would have been taking free will away from them.

Answer 3

Adam and Eve did know right from wrong. God told them not to eat from the tree but after some persuasion they did it anyway. Like a child, you can tell someone not to do something but unless that person knows and understands the consequences of defying the rules then they are likely to do what you tell them not to. Like the theory: sometimes you have to learn the hard way. If you put a gun in your child's toy box and tell them not to play with it but do not say that if they do they might die, then your kid is probably going to touch it anyway. ESPECIALLY if you haven't explained the concept of death. Same with Adam and Eve, God said not to do something but didn't tell them what would happen if they did. (kinda that old parent saying: Do it cause I said so and don't ask questions). God gave free will. They may not have known the consequences of the tree but they knew it was wrong to defy God yet they did it anyway. Besides he didn't intervene because life is a test to our faith to God. They were tempted, they failed and God punished them. This theory is applied to everyday life.

Answer 4

You are having a problem with this because it didn't happen the way you believe and the way the Bible tells the story. They weren't given a tree in the garden and told not to eat from it. Cain was not Adam's child. This was Eve's sin. The fruit is symbolic. Eve decided to usurp God's divine plan because things were not moving as rapidly as she and Adam had been hoping. She developed a plan of her own with help in an effort to enhance God's divine plan. Problem is, we shouldn't do this. God is the Master of his divine plan, not us.

I get my info from the link below. Have a read! You might be surprised.

Answer 5

They "knew" what right and wrong was, but they had not experienced the wrong before they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Adam and Eve did not start out as little children in body or mind. God created them (as with all other animals and plants) mature.

Answer 6

Adam and Eve were adults. They understood that God told them not to do something, and to disobey him would be wrong. They knew that what they were going was wrong. The difference is children aren't mature enough to understand. If you let your child decide which way to turn at an intersection, and they chose the direction opposite where you wanted to go and you correct them and go the other way-have you really given them free choice?

Answer 7

Adam and Eve knew full well what was right and wrong, thus God gave them the law. The tree represented God's knowledge of good and bad which only he knows absolutely as Sovereign of the universe. Adam and Eve choosing to disobey God's clear command showed that they wanted to be independent of God and choose for themselves without listening to God what was good and bad for themselves. That is impossible for humans. We need to rely on God's knowledge of good and bad to be successful. People today follow the example of Adam and Eve of making decisions without seeking divine guidance. Disobedience to divine law was the original sin.

Answer 8

Some of us believe GOD put the tree there because HE knew man would eat from it and we could only know how much GOD really loves us through HIS sacrifice.

Answer 9

Adam and Eve knew right from wrong intellectually, not experientially, before they ate the fruit.

Answer 10

Obviously they understood what they could and could not do. So, does that equal knowing right from wrong in that particular situation? Yes, I think it does.