Three
Trees
The God of the Bible made humankind in His own likeness, with the abilities to reason, feel emotion, and be creative. The first man and woman were innocent of wrongdoing, but completely free to choose to do whatever they desired. God could have structured humankind's environment so that they could never have made a wrong choice. In that case, they would not have been free. They would have been like robots, actually unable to choose for themselves; unable to choose between good or bad, right or wrong, love or hate, likes or dislikes, God's way or their own. God provided a unique, beautiful environment for humankind to grow in love and knowledge. He gave them everything they needed for complete enjoyment and experience, and with complete freedom. (See Genesis 1:26 through 2:25.)
The First Tree
Besides giving every delightful food for natural sustenance, God provided a special fruit tree called the Tree of Life. The real events recorded in the Bible are often treated as metaphors of spiritual things (Proverbs 15:4). The Tree of Life was such a metaphor for God's Word. Eating the fruit thereof would give an everlasting spiritual quality to natural life (Galatians 5:22-23). God intended to have fellowship with humankind forever. The Tree of Life might have been plain looking, and yet every aspect of the tree was beneficial for humankind. Although the fruit was free, it must be taken and eaten in order to be useful. The fruit was life-giving food, and the leaves were like medicine (Revelation 22:2).
God is a loving creator, and therefore, the Lord God truly loved the children He created. However, the Lord is a holy God, loving good and shunning evil. In humankind's innocence, they had wonderful fellowship with a loving, holy God. The Lord desired a mature love that would be freely given back to Him. Real maturity suggests understanding with a willingness to obey divine instructions. But, obedience also implies the freedom to disobey. The first man and woman were completely free, even free to reject God's instruction, to reject His Fatherly care, and His love.
The Second Tree
There was a second tree in the garden: the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Consider this tree as a metaphor of trial and error, uncertain and changing knowledge, and continual redefining of right and wrong. It would bring ignorance, confusion, and a kind of learning, but never learning the real truth. The fruit would cause dubious pride in good choices, and a guilty conscience for bad choices. Being a tree of compromise and tolerance of evil, it would then lead to mixing good and evil, and finally calling evil, good, and good, evil. Furthermore, human experience and thoughts would define reality, absolutes would be denied, and each person would do what they thought was right. It would multiply laws and human failure, cause the condemning of others and acquitting of oneself, and a terrible fatalism and insecurity. Partakers would experience temporary personal victories, but a growing alienation from others and a mysterious loneliness. It is a tree causing continual restlessness, double-minded thinking, impulsive actions, frustrations, and conflict. The result would be unfulfilled desire, lust, addictions, habits, and slavery (Galatians 6:7-8).
The Lord had many things to teach His children, but the first was to listen to God's voice above all others (John 10:27 & 16:12). The Lord God had a limited purpose for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Along with that second tree, the first couple would be on probation while the Lord God taught His children to love good and shun evil. God's word is certainly the measure of what is good. God's first instruction was that they must not eat fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The partial truths and deception of that way would lead to certain death. Death is a quality of the spirit, and not just a state of being. Spiritual life compared to spiritual death is like light to darkness, joy to sorrow, or good to evil.
The Great Teacher
The Loving Creator God began teaching His children to understand the truth while resisting temptations contrary to God's words. Disobedience to God's instructions is sin. Immediate spiritual death would follow any transgression of God's instructions. Then the fragile human soul would suffer continually due to the guilt of countless uncertain and sinful choices. Eventual death of the body would come because of the curse of sin (Romans 5:12). The entrance of sin would be like a slow poison corrupting the nature, thoughts, and actions of the first couple. Inevitably they would pass this sinful nature on to their descendants. In the beautiful garden rich with the abundance of the hundreds of available fruits, God had forbidden the man only from eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The first three chapters of Genesis are the key to understanding the Bible, and actually all of reality. In the beginning of God's creative work, He separated the light from the darkness. Light is often used as a metaphor for good, understanding, and truth. Even at that early time, ministering spirits created by God quickly made the eternal choice: to follow the leading of God, or to rebel against God's will. Lucifer was one of the most beautiful, intelligent and powerful spiritual beings that God had created. But, Lucifer chose to believe that he was God's equal. Lucifer's pride caused him to lead a rebellion against God (Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:13-15, Revelation 12:7-9). The almighty, all-wise Lord God limited His response (such as, immediate punishment or destruction) to these angels of darkness in order to use them in teaching humankind. At the border between light and darkness, truth and deception, good and evil, the Lord God created a beautiful garden paradise, and in it placed the crown of His creation, humankind. For a limited time, the Lord would allow the world to be the battleground between good and evil. God would prove that following truth and goodness are an infinitely better way to live. And in using the rebellious angel Lucifer, the Lord would prove that everything against His will is evil.
The Great Liar
Lucifer used his beauty to attract, his intelligence to deceive, and his power to speak through a serpent. With deception, Lucifer sought to entrap humankind in disobedience, and therefore, gain control of God's creation through humankind! Perhaps the woman saw the beautiful, shimmering serpent fly into the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Isaiah 14:29). The serpent was positioned in such a way so that the woman could see his every move. The serpent turned to look at the woman, and then spoke in a beautiful voice, "Did God really forbid you to eat from any tree in the garden?" The woman responded that only the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the center of the garden must be avoided. But, she also added that even touching the fruit would cause death. Using deception in unison with the serpent reaching for the fruit, Lucifer spoke. The following is a paraphrase, but logical interpretation of Lucifer's words. "I'm touching the fruit, and did not die, therefore, God must be lying. Anyway, this is how God learned so much. You can learn to be just like God." Then the serpent took a bite of fruit, and made an ecstatic musical like sound.
Confusion and desire began to dominate the woman's thinking. The word of God first, was added to, then those additions were challenged and found deficient, and finally, as a result, God's word was rejected. Now, without the protection of God's truth, the spirit of lust for control was passed on to the woman. Boldly, she touched the fruit, picked it from the tree, and brought it near her lips. From violating the added prohibition of not touching the fruit, to breaking God's command about not eating, was now an easy step. A series of small choices became a one-way street to sin: first looking, followed by listening, next taking, and finally, eating.
The Guilt of Sin
Immediately, the woman felt emptiness and guilt inside, plus a strange coolness on her skin. The only knowledge gained was that she had trusted in a lie. Just as she had been deceived and controlled by a small "serpent," now she wanted to regain her self-confidence by trying the same deception on the man. The man had observed the entire scenario without intervention. The man knew there was something different about the woman, but he did not know how significant it was. With deceitful composure, the woman took another bite, and then handed the fruit to the man. The man's mind was filled with the clear warning that God had given him. But allowing lust to overrule his reservations, the man took and ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis Chapter 3; 1 Timothy 2:14).
This is definitely not an issue about which gender is more susceptible to temptation. It is about the human "ability", both male and female, to ignore God's Word, whether given directly by Him or through a chosen human mediator. Their pleasure in eating the forbidden fruit quickly passed, leaving them with a horrible guilt and self-conscience foolishness. Now regret, shame, and fear flooded their beings. First the woman, and then the man began to clothe themselves with garments of leaves, little by little, until their entire bodies were covered. However, this was little help in restoring the true "covering" of their lost innocence. But even more tragic, they would begin hiding their inner thoughts with lies and half-truths. They were acting just like the "serpent" had taught them. The ones made in the image of God, now took on the nature of Lucifer.
Inner knowledge of their new deceptive natures would even cause them to distrust and be alienated from one another. Along with the loss of innocence came the lack of honesty, and along with distrust came accusation. Each would blame the other for their disobedience and loss of self-control. Lack of self-control often leads to the desire to control circumstances and other people. They mistrusted each other, but when the holy Lord God came near, the couple united in fear, and hid from Him.
Judgment with a Promise
Of course, to hide from God is futile. So when confronted about their shame, the man blamed the woman that God had given him. Then the woman blamed the deception of the serpent. The Lord God had created them to be responsible beings, so their disobedience resulted in consequences and judgment.
For Satan's rebellion, limitations were placed on his sphere of influence symbolized by the serpent being forced to crawl on his belly. So now, the one that enslaved humankind would rule from the dust of the ground; but Satan's ability to tempt and deceive is still possible (2 Corinthians 4:4 & 11:3).
The woman's selfish grasp for forbidden knowledge would be reminded to her through the incredible pain of child bearing and rearing. She sought to control her husband, but now, the man would rule over her. For the man's carelessness and transgression, the ground would not give of its abundance, and the man's body would eventually return to the dust from which he was made. At the instant of breaking God's spiritual law, death was the penalty. However, God in His infinite mercy instituted the slow process of aging until death claimed its due. God promised redemption, but until the time of fulfillment, the Spirit of God would strive with humankind's rebellious nature (Genesis 6:3 & Galatians 5:17).
As a lesson about the price of redemption from the disobedient couple’s transgression and resulting shame, God covered their nakedness with the skins of two innocent animals. These would be just a substitute until the time when the Lord Himself would pay the required price to redeem His children back from Satan's doom. Until the arrival of that promised time, the Lord God must deny His disobedient children access to the Tree of Life in His garden paradise. Sin, and those who sin, cannot survive in the presence of a holy God.
Because the disobedient couple did not trust God's word, they were driven from the garden, and prohibited from returning while sin and Satan controlled their lives. Just for that one sin, the consequences were very great, for it opened the door to all the evils of that second tree. Now they were excluded from the first tree, the Tree of Life, since it was exclusive to the garden. However, they took seeds from the second tree, for its seeds were within them. They would feed their progeny from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. As a result of the bitter fruit of their disobedience, they would witness multiplied hardships befall their children.
What God Wants
The test of obedience came after God's clear warning of extreme danger. Because of their deliberate choice to disbelieve and ignore God's command, judgment was pronounced. The man and woman had complete freedom of choice, even to be swayed by desire, argument or deception. (If you or I had a similar choice, what would we do?)
The real question to the first couple, and to us is: Do you believe in God's love? After making a beautiful environment suited to meet every need, and often visiting and communing with the first couple, the Lord God entrusted the first couple with the entire earth. But, they did not respect and trust God when He was supposedly, away.
Today, to many people, it seems that God has left His creation alone (Acts 17:26-28). Yet, we too are actually on probation, just like the first couple. Four thousand years after the first couple's unfaithfulness, and nearly two thousand years before our time, the Lord God came to commune again with humankind. God came in the person of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. He revealed God's love anew (John 3:16-17). He also warned of the dangers of a world not founded on the truth. But most of all, He came to rescue us from the second death. Though long delayed, the deserved second death will finally come upon all that do not know God, or don't want to know Him. The second death is the final everlasting judgment on sin (Revelation 20:13-15)!
According to the Bible, when humankind sinned, their dominion was turned into slavery under Satan's control, which is Lucifer's real name. The promise of everlasting life was exchanged for the curse of eternal death. Satan has a final destination away from the joy of God's presence, and he wants to deprive as many people as he possibly can of that same joy. But, the One speaking such truth about the great separation to come was not preaching condemnation. On the contrary, Jesus was setting the stage for the great act of redemption.
The Third Tree
The Lord Jesus Christ really does know and feel our pain. He is not a God far removed from suffering, but has participated in every aspect and hardship of human existence. Disobedience to God's word is sin; the penalty for sin is eternal death; but the Great Law Giver and Judge reserved the right to pay the penalty Himself (Mark 10:45 & 1 Peter 1:18-19). The cost of redemption is so great that no sinful person could pay the price. The death of the innocent lambs for the first couple was a pattern of what was to come; eventually, the required price to redeem all of humankind would be infinite.
Because Jesus brought the message of humankind's desperate condition, many people were violently opposed to God's Messenger. Most of the others were fearful or too self-centered to care. But God used that intensely hostile nature of some, and the indifference of others, to allow His Son's blood to be shed. God turned His back, so to speak, while Jesus was killed on a cross. The cross is often called a tree in the Bible; the cross is the third tree in God's metaphor (Acts 2:23-24; 5:30; 10:39; 13:29). The righteous and innocent blood of Jesus was completely sufficient to ransom humankind from slavery to Satan, sin and death. His body, dead and buried, was similar to a seed planted in the ground. Therefore, just like a seed that grows into a fruit bearing plant, so the Son of God arose from death to sprout like the Tree of Life, to be accessible in our world (John 12:23-24). This is possible because of the third tree: the cross. The cross became a powerful symbol of God's love and provision for renewed access to the tree of Life (Revelation 2:7).
Now the fruit of God's Holy Spirit that gives eternal life is here for our taking. The God of Love must eventually, separate the innocence from the sinful, the righteous from the rebellious, and the repentant from the haters of truth. We must be willing to accept God's gift, otherwise, our doom is sure. Although a person's life may be pleasant, like the first couple's, disobeying or ignoring the laws of God will lead to destruction. Whether in good circumstances or hardship, God is calling each person to come to him (Romans 2:4-5). Yes, we have a similar choice to that of the very first man and woman, only with more wonderful and positive consequences.
The New and Living Way
Now in obedience to God's command, we can receive everlasting life. The joy of this new and different quality of life begins immediately; that is, immediately after we take and eat of the fruit of the Tree of Life. We do this by coming to Jesus, and trusting in Him (John 6:35 and 1:12-13). Amazingly, this is a gift, freely given through God's grace (Romans 6:23). He knew our need and again provided for it. Although eternal life is actually free, we must realize that we have a need. By nature, we are children of slavery to Satan with the same final destination. Acknowledging this fact requires humility on our part. We must not let pride keep us from God's presence. Pride is really a form of shame; ashamed of what others will think about us. How tragic to allow pride to keep us from knowing the True God and receiving His gift of eternal life.
Even more tragic is to not sense our need of God's gift. It is obvious that our wonderful world and the incredible life it contains is a beautifully designed system. Design requires a designer. The infinite complexity of our designed universe can only come about by an infinite Designer, God (Romans 1:20). Yet, many people will not acknowledge God or even give a rational response to Him. God gave us eyes, but some will not see; He gave us ears, but some will not hear; He gave us a conscience, but some just will not respond to God's plea (Matthew 13:15).
Choosing Life
But for all that do respond to God, they experience the abundant joy of following the truth (Genesis 4:7). What is truth? The plain truth is that we are alienated from God because of rebellion or ignorance. However, God came near and made a living way for us to be reconciled to Himself. Now, we can undo the transgression of the first couple by being obedient to God's plan of salvation. Taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). The unique Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ has said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty" (John 6:35; Matthew 5:6). Just like the first couple's important choice, we have a decision to make. Not just saying we believe, but actually trusting in what God said. If God has commanded us to trust in Jesus' death, burial and resurrection for our redemption, then we must be obedient.
If all this is not true, then we still live in a world of uncertain knowledge, personal insecurity and purposeless conflict. But what God has said is true (1 Corinthians 15:17, 20)! We have the same choice: the Tree of Life, or the Tree of Spiritual Death, that leads to the second death (Deuteronomy 30:19)! Why not follow the truth, have security, and be at peace with God? Your joy will be deep, and it will be everlasting. Please don't let Satan continue to control your thinking, constrain your feelings, or distract you from the truth — the truth of the cross. The cross is the proof of God's love and justice (Romans 3:25-26). That third tree, the cross, is at the crossroads of a life and death decision. An awesome event took place at the cross: Jesus' death paid for human sin and its ultimate judgment. Furthermore, the joy of everlasting life for trusting in Him as the risen Savior and Lord is there, too (Jude 1:24-25). What better exchange is there in the whole world?
