I'm not inserting this post in the 'Doctrinal discussion' area because by nature it is speculative being without definitive Scriptural support, and I hope it will be treated as such.
The Tree of the knowledge of good and evil is mentioned twice in Scripture,
once descriptively
Genesis 2:9 (KJV) And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
and once prohibitively.
Genesis 2:17 (KJV) 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.
Our first parents disobeyed and we live with the consequences.
(now comes the more speculative part)
What are the consequences (Besides death)?
I would contend that yes, we know 'good and evil' but (not being God) we are unable to properly deal with it. This is illustrated in many so called 'situational' circumstances, the most famous being of Rahab's instance of hiding the spies or the ideological tension some resistance fighters experienced in their attempt to overthrow Hitler (e.g. Bonhoeffer).
This 'knowledge of good and evil', or better, the lack of properly handling that knowledge, inevitably manifests itself in bad and hurtful decisions mainly because we aren't God (even though as fallen beings we have that tendency to control and run things according to our own finite understanding).
This is the sad reality. We are armed with the hydrogen bomb (knowledge of good and evil) but we can so easily mishandle that bomb (living according to self rather than God).
Comments welcomed.
The Tree of the knowledge of good and evil is mentioned twice in Scripture,
once descriptively
Genesis 2:9 (KJV) And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
and once prohibitively.
Genesis 2:17 (KJV) 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.
Our first parents disobeyed and we live with the consequences.
(now comes the more speculative part)
What are the consequences (Besides death)?
I would contend that yes, we know 'good and evil' but (not being God) we are unable to properly deal with it. This is illustrated in many so called 'situational' circumstances, the most famous being of Rahab's instance of hiding the spies or the ideological tension some resistance fighters experienced in their attempt to overthrow Hitler (e.g. Bonhoeffer).
This 'knowledge of good and evil', or better, the lack of properly handling that knowledge, inevitably manifests itself in bad and hurtful decisions mainly because we aren't God (even though as fallen beings we have that tendency to control and run things according to our own finite understanding).
This is the sad reality. We are armed with the hydrogen bomb (knowledge of good and evil) but we can so easily mishandle that bomb (living according to self rather than God).
Comments welcomed.