Tree of knowledge

fil3232003 said:
Therefore, this discussion about the Tree of Life may be conducted for the glory of God, and not for the glory of men knowing the dictate of the intellect and heart.
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Agreed. Often discussing possible scenarios that are not spelled out in Scriptures leads to new and clearer understanding. For example, you might think one way or another and then thru searching the Scriptures during the discussion, you suddenly find something that has eluded you in the past. As in the case of the "apple". Many people believe it was an apple that Adam and Eve ate because that is how it is portrayed in pictures and even discussions. But when you read, searching to respond to a specific statement, you accidentally discover the fruit is never identified.

In fact, I have learned a great deal about history from religious debates/discussions. One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is how easy it is to lead people into error, and once there, how very, very difficult to lead them back to truth. It is sad.
 
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Optik said:
It is a good idea, they found out evil when they disobeyed. I agree to that, but I say it's possible that the fruit of the tree gave them an insight and that's how they were able to "see more".

On to the next one :
"The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." Genesis 3:22
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The sin involved eating the fruit. Though it certainly wouldn't matter what fruit it was, if God commanded not to eat of it, this particular fruit was from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Something which God, from our view, did not intend man to know. Im inclined to believe that disobeying God in this commandment is what made man a sinner. Eating of the fruit is what gave him the knowledge of good and evil.

As you indicate in Gen. 3:22, there is a tree of life. And Adam and Eve were barred from the garden lest they eat of the tree of life. Which must mean, eating of the fruit did supply that which its title designated. And when the complete restoration is made in the end we see access again to this tree of life.

Rev.22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Quantrill
 
The Tree in Genesis 2 is symbolic. It encapsulates works brought about by the word/spirit/power. The tree of knowledge is, therefore, works brought about by knowledge. By extrapolation, the tree of knowledge of good and evil constitute works brought about by good (righteousness of faith brings about good report) and evil (sin brings about evil report).

The Tree

Mankind start out naturally as "living souls" and are expected to end up spiritually as "quickening spirits" who must bear fruit. Mankind works and is a living work by the Word of God. Jesus Christ made a blind man to see men in both ways. Mark 8:24-25 declares:
And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put [his] hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
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The Fruit

Fruit results from a tree (works brought about by the word/spirit/power) and constitute the meal (meat, food). According to John 4:34, Jesus Christ declared:
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
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For example, fruit of the Spirit result from works by the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance are spiritual food from the Spirit given us to eat.

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

This tree encapsulates all good and evil works of that knowledge (a form of spirit) musters. Because of its evil component, whosoever eats the fruit dies.

In the Garden of Eden, works by the Word/Spirit/Power of God were the trees. Fruit from these trees were/are good, acceptable and perfect for consumption.

The Devil (Satan) was also present in the Garden. Remember that he (the Devil), formerly an angel of God, has a limited knowledge of God as well as the knowledge of evil. His works (tree) from his hybrid knowledge of good and evil rendered as the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

That is how come Satan's tree could be found in the Garden of Eden. It was the least of all the trees because Satan's presence (including his works) in the Garden was subtle in every sense and meaning.

Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil render as hate, sorrow, strife, inpatience, unruly behavior, sin, faithlessness, pride and intemperance. Through Adam and Eve, mankind tasted and received these things from Satan into their souls.
 
To have an overview of God’s creation of man, we read the following:

Genesis 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

Since God is speaking parables (Eze 20:49, Psa 78:2), more than the story represented by the “letter” of the word or its literal meaning, is the spiritual meaning or “intended message” of God.

“Garden” which is composed of dusts (soil) symbolizes MAN:

Genesis 3:19… for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Hence, God reveals “ground” that represents MAN are found the following components thereof:

Genesis 2:9 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.

From the verse are revealed the 3 components of MAN:

1. “tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food” represents the BODY the visible component.

2. “tree of life also in the midst of the garden” clearly symbolizes the SPIRIT of God in man.

3. “tree of knowledge of good and evil” must be the SOUL whose attributes are the “intellect” for KNOWLEDGE, and “good and evil” for FEELING :

Matthew 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

Of the 3 components of MAN the 3rd must represent the “forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil.”

Genesis 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.

Quite interesting for God to reveal the cause of the "Fall" of man.
 
  1. Out of the ground, God formed Adam (mankind), the beasts of the field and fowls of the air. Gen. 2:19 declares:
    And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought [them] unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that [was] the name thereof.
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  2. God did put man (Adam) whom He formed from the ground in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:8 declares:
    And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
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  3. God did drive man (Adam) out of the Garden of Eden. Gen. 3:23 declares:
    Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
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Given (1.) above, can we also say that:
  • "the tree pleasant to the sight, and good for food represents the body of beasts and fowls?
  • "tree of life in the midst of the garden symbolizes the Spirit of God in beasts and fowls?
  • "tree of knowledge of good and evil" must be the soul of beasts and fowls?
Given (2.) above, can we ask if:
  • "the tree pleasant to the sight, and good for food representing the body of man came to the Garden through Adam?
  • "tree of life in the midst of the garden symbolizing the Spirit of God in man came to the Garden through Adam?
  • "tree of knowledge of good and evil" that must be the soul of man came to the Garden through Adam?
Given (3.) above, can we also ask if:
  • the ground of the Garden of Eden was different from the ground from which Adam was formed?
  • "the tree pleasant to the sight, and good for food representing the body of man was different from same in the Garden?
  • "tree of life in the midst of the garden symbolizes the Spirit of God in man was different from same in the Garden?
  • "tree of knowledge of good and evil" must be the soul of man was different from same in the Garden?
Above questions might help clarify a little bit more.
 
I don't think the tree was symbolic. I believe it was very real, however, I don't necessarily believe the tree's fruit had power within itself any more than any other fruit. I think it was the act of disobedience and in dying spiritually that they became aware as the spirit of God abandoned them in their sin - tho God did not abandon them completely. But in their rebellion they felt the loss and became aware of how vulnerable they are.

It was not the eating, but their rebellion against God that was their true sin. Eating the forbidden fruit was a physical evidence. Does that make sense?
 
I don't necessarily believe the tree's fruit had power within itself any more than any other fruit. I think it was the act of disobedience and in dying spiritually that they became aware as the spirit of God abandoned them in their sin - tho God did not abandon them completely. But in their rebellion they felt the loss and became aware of how vulnerable they are.
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Fruit bear seed(s) that carry the blueprint of the tree. God makes them that way. So, we can say that the nature/blueprint of knowledge of good and evil was within the fruit.

Another question... :confused:

If eating the forbiden fruit equals the very act disobedience as we glean from Gen. 2:17, how can you say "I don't believe necessarily believe the tree's fruit had power within itself any more than any other fruit." ?

Can we say that power or whatever was in the fruit made "man is become as one of us, to know good and evil"? Gen. 3:22 declares:
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
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If we can say so, it means knowledge of good and evil in the fruit entered man by his eating the food, which eating was an act of rebellion.
 
Yes, by eating the fruit, but the fruit was not the cause. The act of disobedience was. Because God forbid it, not because of a quality in the fruit.
 
I believe that there wasn't a real tree...indeed it was purely symbolic...but who really knows?? I sure don't because I wasn't there:D:rolleyes:
 
If in thinking of the "Tree of knowledge of good and evil" still bears a semblance of a real tree with its real fruits that causes certain uncertainty in the mind, how about thinking of the TEMPLE in the following:

Jesus has just driven away the "merchants in the temple" when He told His listeners:

John 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Here, the real "temple" is completely out of the picture when "divinely revealed" what He meant by it. It actually referred to His BODY at His resurrection.

John 2:22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

John 2:21 But he spake of the temple of his body.

Worthy to note is, those who took the "letter" or the literal meaning of His words did not even believe the Scriptures. Instead, let us listen to them:

Matthew 27:39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

Therefore, the "Tree of knowledge of good and evil" very definitely refers to the SOUL whose attributes are:

The "intellect" that God forbids to use in spiritual matters:

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

"Feeling" that God warns using the "intellect" and perceiving the "letter" or literal meaning of the word:

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Let us watch how people use the "intellect and feeling" that caused CHRISTIANITY'S division into sects and denomnations!

Hence, the "sin of Eve" is actually the sin of EVERYBODY!
 
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fil3232003 said:
Let us watch how people use the "intellect and feeling" that caused CHRISTIANITY'S division into sects and denomnations!
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So true, fil3232003.

Much of Scripture holds symbolic or dual meaning, but I am not referring to such. I am speaking of the actual event. I believe there really was a literal tree. I believe the "serpent" was the "deceiver" which is what that Hebrew word means "deceiver"

The deceiver is revealed to us in Revelation as the devil.

But the fruit, I doubt had any special charactewristics, other than being the one and only way Adam and Eve could have rebelled against God. It is in their rebellion that the knowledge of good and evil came to light.

But it is just my opinion and I am open to evidence to the contrary. ;-)

Ginger
 
Dok said:
That's really an excellent insight, fil3232003. I'm going to copy it and preserve it in my notes. Thanks!
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Dok said:
:)
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Dok, another startling revelation of God regarding the "serpent" that was in the "garden of Eden" is found in the book Ezekiel.

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Who is alluded to in the following?

Ezekiel 28:2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:

Ezekiel 28:3 Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:

Clue for the identity of the foregoing:

Ezekiel 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Isaiah 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

Do you still doubt his identity?

Isaiah 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

My reference:
http://www.purechristianity.org/index.php/news/Tracing_the_'Original_Sin'_(The_Physical_Sin)
 
There was nothing extraordinary about the Tree of Knowledge. It was the act of disobeying God that led them to knowledge of good and evil.
Adam and Eve were already eternal. There was no death for them before their fall. With that said, the Tree of Life was nothing extraordinary either and that's why Satan did not make mention of it.
The Tree of Life was the tap of the Garden, in which they were cast away from.

It can arguably be metaphorical, but it does not amount to anything vastly elegant either way. The angel fell from grace (crawl on his belly) and Adam & Eve cursed themselves with vanity. In a sense, everything turned grey. That's pretty much how the story goes.
 
Ginger said:
I don't think the tree was symbolic. I believe it was very real, however, I don't necessarily believe the tree's fruit had power within itself any more than any other fruit. I think it was the act of disobedience and in dying spiritually that they became aware as the spirit of God abandoned them in their sin - tho God did not abandon them completely. But in their rebellion they felt the loss and became aware of how vulnerable they are.

It was not the eating, but their rebellion against God that was their true sin. Eating the forbidden fruit was a physical evidence. Does that make sense?
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I believe you are correct. IMHO the TREE was simply a "test" of obedience.
 
ciglorious said:
Fruit bear seed(s) that carry the blueprint of the tree. God makes them that way. So, we can say that the nature/blueprint of knowledge of good and evil was within the fruit.

Another question... :confused:

If eating the forbiden fruit equals the very act disobedience as we glean from Gen. 2:17, how can you say "I don't believe necessarily believe the tree's fruit had power within itself any more than any other fruit." ?

Can we say that power or whatever was in the fruit made "man is become as one of us, to know good and evil"? Gen. 3:22 declares:

If we can say so, it means knowledge of good and evil in the fruit entered man by his eating the food, which eating was an act of rebellion.
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It was all about FREEDOM OF CHOICE then just as it is now.
 
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