Genesis 2:9 identifies two particular trees in the Garden of Eden: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We can view these trees as representing two living frameworks that determine the basis of our worldviews and lifestyles.
Adam and Eve were presented with an opportunity to make a crucial choice. Their choice would set the course of their lives; and posterity of future generations—meaning you and me. In other words, there were two trees that were central to their very existence.
The very fact that two distinct types of trees are singled out begs some key questions:
- Why is this really important?
- How would they affect one’s life?
- What are the crucial distinctions?
Reality is, they represented two distinct types of spiritual nourishment mankind could feed upon; each producing distinct kinds of effects. Understand the issue is not about religion, but cause and effect. Simply put, what you feed upon and process internally produces specific results that affect the ways you live: how you think and feel, respond to situations and interact with people.
Discerning spiritual realities
The truth is, God sought to illustrate several key spiritual realities. Firstly, He set the stage to connect a life of fruitfulness and freedom with trusting faith. How? He illustrated how freedom and free choice works by illustrating the dynamics of cause and effect.
One of God’s aims was to contrast the dynamics of faith and fear; and the reality of the fruitfulness of trusting in the grace, nurturing and strength of Creator God vs. the futility of living apart from God, being swayed by humanity’s weaknesses and the forces of evil in the world. The former framework and lifestyle would bring divine blessings; and the latter would bring dire consequences.
In another sense, we can see the two trees as representing two distinct life-sustaining economies. How? Trees are a form of life. They come in many varieties. They have root systems. They have the capacity to grow, process nutrients and light; and likewise, bear fruit. The type of fruit depends on the type of tree and nutrients processed. As you process—or digest—the fruit you shape your worldviews and make lifestyle choices; and your choices produce outcomes.
Another purpose of God was to the reveal a shadow of different aspects of God’s plan and way of redemption. Several thousand years later the prophet, Isaiah, would speak of how “with the recompense of God He will come and save you” (Isaiah 35:4). In what ways, you might ask? Firstly, God purposes to save you from and compensate you for sin—or in reality, the works of the weaknesses of the flesh and forces of evil in the world. These forces work to create gaps in our life. God, on the other hand, purposes to fill those gaps and make you whole by bringing measures of redemption and restoration.
In another sense, God provides a glimpse of eternity and the heavenly realm. The realities of the two types of trees represent two types of heavenly kingdoms: the kingdom of God and light ruled by God, and the kingdom of evil and darkness ruled by Satan. These heavenly places represent the future habitations of the soul.
Seeing the crucial distinctions more clearly
The Bible establishes a clear distinction between the two types of frameworks. They establish our spiritual foundation and govern how we relate and respond to God and the world around us. They shape our perspectives and thought patterns. Understanding them can, therefore, help us understand to a large degree why we experience certain outcomes in life. In many ways we become what we take in.
You see, being a product of God’s creation, you have spiritual roots which define your inner constitution. These roots are formed in our early years largely through our family life, culture, environment and life’s experiences.
Taking it a step further, consider the Parable of the Sower that Jesus taught. He compared the nature of four different kinds of ground. Each type of ground affected the way the seed—or Word of God—could be absorbed and nurtured. Only one type was deemed fertile ground; the kind that would provide a healthy foundation upon which roots could be nurtured, strengthened and anchored.
The question to consider is—what characterizes your ground? In other words, how clear and sharp is your vision; and how strong and healthy are your roots of faith—better yet, relationship and engagement with God?
The good news is, no matter what the condition or state of your roots, in Messiah Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, you have access to the amazing grace of God’s awesome light and strength! Truly, by engaging with God we learn of His nature, faithfulness and power, and find His loving-kindness, mercy and truth.
Our opportunity, however, is receiving it—receiving Him—and allowing His Word and Spirit to work within you and transform you. Truly, in as much as our physical health relates to diet and exercise, it takes ingesting the right spiritual nutrients and exercising our faith to grow towards spiritual maturity and in our relationship with God.
There are different kinds of nutrients we can take in, however. All day long we are exposed to many kinds of external influences and messages that have a direct effect on our spiritual constitution. Some will appeal to our spiritual nature; while most will appeal to our carnal nature. Why? Our carnal nature dominates and is bent towards sin. It will dominate our thoughts and actions unless we discipline ourselves to resist such appeals, eat of the Bread of Life and allow God’s Spirit to overrule and dominate our thoughts and behavior.
The more we can see and discern the difference between the two kinds of root systems, the more we will be able to intentionally change the ways we think and act. The key is allowing blinders that hinder our vision to be lifted so that we can receive God’s grace and see God’s truth. The chart below depicts some key distinctions. Let’s take a deeper look and see how these dynamics play out.
Dynamics of the two worldviews or lifestyle frameworks
Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: alienated from the life of God
The TLB version of Genesis 2:17-18 sheds some interesting light on the spiritual reality of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: “But the Lord God gave the man this warning: “You may eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the Tree of Conscience- for its fruit will open your eyes to make you aware of right and wrong, good and bad. If you eat its fruit, you will be doomed to die (Hebrew. mot tamut).
Firstly, it’s interesting how it refers to the tree as the tree of conscience. This is the real issue; the effects the root system of the tree has on desensitizing or deadening the conscience. It puts in motion what the Hebrew phrase, mot tamut, literally means: in dying you shall die. In other words, it puts in motion a process of progressive spiritual and moral decline which ultimately results in a spiritual death.
The effect of listening to or being influenced by the serpent—the personification of evil—in reality depicts the seduction of falsehood. It paralyzes your soul, suffocates your spirit, blinds you to God’s loving-kindness, mercy and truth and sets you in forms of bondage.
The bondage, to a large degree, issues in the way of fear. This is because fear by and large comes from believing falsehoods. It comes through a clouded or dull conscience; one that cannot filter or discern truth.
We see this clearly in what happened immediately after Adam and Eve believed the lie of the serpent and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Hear Adam confessing why he hid from God in the garden: “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
That fear came because of the guilt and shame of disobeying and denying God’s truth and believing the lie. It fractured their ability to relate with God. It blinded them to God’s reality.
Reality is, there is a wide assortment of effects that are realized from denying God’s truth and believing and buying into falsehood because falsehood:
- Alters the true north of your moral compass, impairing judgment of right and wrong/good and bad;
- Incapacitates the conscience and will; a real disability;
- Issues a sentence of captivity and bondage;
- Opens you to the forces of darkness and deception, causing a propensity to be influenced by its effects;
- Instills a sense of guilt and condemnation;
- Obscures vision, causing illusion and delusion.
Truly, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil represents the dominion of falsehood, or false appearances; illusions and counterfeits—darkness: the absence of the light of God’s truth. It is the tree—or system—the world feeds and acts upon. It offers all the trappings of what the world aspires: what appears good, satisfies the flesh, and feeds the human carnal nature and pride.
Why? Its roots feed on man’s self-centeredness and self-consumption; self-aggrandizement and self-will, all pointing to the desire to exalt self and be independent of God’s authority and moral responsibility.
God does want us to walk with knowledge of truth and distinguish good and evil. More importantly, however, He wants us to honor His sovereignty and authority, walk in His order and trust in and depend upon His means to accomplish His purposes—which are always higher than ours. He wants to sit on the throne of our life—and be our headship, or LORD.
By eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil Adam and Eve asserted their self-will in pursuit of satisfying their desires. What it led to, however, was corruption and the shame of a guilty and darkened conscience. They covered their nakedness with leaves and tried to hide from God; surely a weak response.
Reality proved that in doubting God, they abused their free choice and in doing so, denied themselves God’s grace and truth, bringing the bondage of fear and guilt. That’s what living in denial truly is—denial of God’s grace and truth. It desensitizes the conscience, impairing its ability to function properly. It limits your ability to receive God’s grace and discern truth from falsehood. It diminishes your true capacity by restraining the flow of God’s strength and higher capacity in you. In reality, it denies the flow of the substance of the real life of God, producing spiritual death.
How? It causes you walk with a false sense of reality. The sense of truth it conveys is an illusion. The sense of freedom it fosters is counterfeit. What it liberates you from is the divine truth, grace and governance of God. The truth is the illusion gives an appearance of good, disguising through deception. It so subtly entraps, fostering a false foundation on which to base a life.
Even further, it breeds a sense of being distanced from our heavenly Father. Truthfully, it denies you from having the kind of quality and fruitful relationship you were created to have with God. Deep down it leads to feelings of guilt, causing you to being driven to continue to do things to justify self and feel good about self. That leads to further seeking ways to satisfy and indulge the desires of the flesh. Rather than bringing peace of soul it puts you on a treadmill in search of satisfaction and vain solutions, drawing you to distractions and diversions from God’s plan and purposes, leading to discouragement and despair—loss of hope, perpetuating all sorts of fear.
As a matter of fact, the list of effects, emotions, feelings, attitudes or behaviors it sets in motion are huge. Take a look:
Fruit or Effects of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil:
Absence of Truth
Discomforted: uneasiness, hardship, mild pain, uncomfortable, unhappy
Discontent: a restless desire or craving for something one does not have
Distressed: a state of great pain, anxiety, sorrow, physical or mental suffering, affliction, trouble, misfortune
Dissatisfaction: unhappy, disgruntled
Disheartened: to depress the hope, courage, or spirits of; discourage
Distraught: distracted, deeply agitated, mentally deranged, crazed
Discouraged: to deprive of courage, hope, or confidence; dishearten; dispirit
Dismay: break down courage, to disillusion
Disturbed: unsettled, confused, hindered, agitated
Disjointed: be separated, confused, chaotic, deranged, incoherent,
Distracted: having attention diverted; rendered incapable of behaving, reacting, etc., in a normal manner
Dishonest: to be disposed to lie, cheat, or steal; not worthy of trust or belief
Dishonor: disgraceful or dishonest character or conduct; shame
Distrust: to have doubt, suspicion, lack faith
Distorted: to twist out of shape, make crooked, deformed; give a false, perverted meaning to; misrepresent
Disrupted: to cause disorder or turmoil
Disqualified: to render unfit, incapacitated; deprive of rights
Distant: apart of, removed
Disguised: to mislead, as by means of deceptive dress; conceal or cover up the truth; misrepresent
Disengaged: release from attachment or connection; loosen, unfasten withdraw
Disadvantaged: lacking adequacy and the normal or usual necessities
Disorder: lack of order or regular arrangement; confusion, dysfunction
Disorganized: lacking order; careless or undisciplined; sloppy
Dysfunction: a consequence of a social practice or behavior pattern that undermines stability, disturbing order, creating abnormality and malfunction
Disaster: a calamitous event (especially a recurring pattern), causing great loss, damage, or hardship
Disunity: disagreement dissension, lack of accord
Divergent: to move in different directions from a common point; differ in opinion, character, form; deviate
Divination: the practice of attempting to foretell the future or discover hidden knowledge by occult means
Tree of Life: source of love, grace and truth; life in and of Christ
Thank God we have the opportunity to eat of the Tree of Life; or in reality, the Bread of Life—the Word made incarnate in Messiah Jesus! The Tree of Life—His life—manifests the dominion of God’s Kingdom, which is governed by His love, truth and wisdom; His Light or His words breathed by His Spirit. It nurtures a healthy conscience.
Eating of this source strengthens us and makes us aware of the importance of depending upon God for His truth and wisdom. It fosters a real liberty. It strengthens our heart and opens our eyes to receive God’s love and light and process truth. This is how God’s truth liberates the soul and produces real peace.
God’s liberty rests upon His eternal foundation of grace and truth found in a living relationship with Messiah Yeshua—Jesus Christ. He is the chief cornerstone of the foundational reality of God’s Kingdom. This foundation supports the Tree of Life, providing the nourishment of God’s Word and Holy Spirit, strengthening you and nurturing trusting faith in God. Such is how God’s Kingdom presence on earth is manifested as it is in heaven.
Feeding on God’s truth causes you to walk in God’s order, trusting in His means and ways. God working in and through you by means of His Spirit within you fosters integrity of heart, right motives and a relationship with the Father that honors the Son and bears the fruit of His glory.
Thank God for grace as manifested through the Messiah and Lord, Jesus Christ! Thank God for His loving-kindness and mercy that was displayed on the cross! Thank God for the sweet flow of His Spirit and faithfulness of His presence in our lives!
The whole story of Adam and Eve provides a valuable visual aid of even greater significance. As we deny God’s love and truth and assert our self-will, we deny God’s greater grace and the operative powers of the Law of the Spirit; and instead invoke the operative powers of the Law of Sin and Death (see Romans 8:1-11).
In denying God’s grace, we, in essence, restrain our Father’s love—His greater capacity—from working on our behalf. By denying His love and grace we end up in a sense like spiritual orphans; denying ourselves the fullness of a quality organic relationship with God—or from a New Covenant perspective—the new life of the Spirit, since “the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
Thank God for grace! Thank God for His loving-kindness and mercy. Thank God for the sweet flow of His Spirit and faithfulness of His presence.
Receiving and responding to grace and truth
God, your Creator and heavenly Father, desires that you “abound more and more” and walk in a way to please Him—“that you may lack nothing” (1 Thessalonians 4). He desires that you be blessed that He be glorified in and through you. For that reason the apostles affirmed over and over again in every which way they could, God’s word originally proclaimed in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, encouraging believers to keep their hearts and minds immersed in God—loving God with a whole heart, whole mind and whole strength; keeping His words at the forefront of their minds.
In Colossians 3 Paul detailed how to “seek those things which are above” and “set your mind on things above.” In 2 Thessalonians 2 he explained the importance of having a “love of the truth” to avoid living in delusion and falsehood.
James affirmed such encouragement and discussed the issue of double-mindedness or ambivalence. It entails distinguishing a mindset focused on wisdom from above and that which comes from “earthly, sensual and demonic” sources (James 3). The key truly resides in the type of framework by which you live—of which type of tree you eat.
We see the importance of this as it relates to our will and conscience. A healthy conscience, equipped with a strong moral compass and a true sense of right and wrong can help us see clearly and receive strength from the Holy Spirit. With such grace and strength we can more effectively discern truth and wisdom and resist our natural will to desire and indulge in carnal appeals; and keep us in God’s order, or what the Bible calls the just path (see Psalm 16:11, 119:105; Proverbs 2:9, 4:18; Isaiah 26:7, 40:14; Matthew 7:14).
As the apostle Paul taught, a dulled, weak or seared conscience, on the other hand, blinds us to God’s reality by preventing us from discerning truth and gaining God’s wisdom. As a result, we aren’t as equipped to respond appropriately to life’s circumstances and keep us moving in a just way (see Romans 1:28; 1 Corinthians 8:7-12; 1 Timothy 4:1-2; Titus 1:15; Hebrews 9:14).
The fact is we are bombarded with worldly messages and carnal appeals all day long, wherever we are. We have the opportunity, however, to choose how we respond to those stimuli; and also choose positive sources that will nourish our spirit.
This is crucial. Our choices determine our growth, and largely the fruits and outcomes of our life. At the same time, we have the opportunity to be recipients of God’s grace! His grace provides strength. As the Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
God continuously pours out grace and works on our behalf in a multitude of ways to prepare us to receive from His bounty. He purposes to lead us towards and beside still peaceful waters to refresh and restore our soul.
He delights in us asking, seeking and knocking; in hope of us finding our way and joy in His love—in Him. May the Lord bless you and keep you as He shines His light upon you and fills you with His peace—His shalom.
REFLECTING ON GOD’S GRACE AND TRUTH TO GROW IN GREATER DISCERNMENT AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD
SECTION I
Upon what factors or criteria have you typically based choices and major decisions?
In what ways do you think God may want you to change those factors and criteria?
What things or persons have you leaned on or depended upon? Why?
What has been the fruit or outcome of those dependencies?
What things have you aspired to possess or do?
Thinking ahead, what do you think might be the possible fruit of those things?
SECTION II
What do you spend your free time doing?
Where do you like to go to feel good?
What kinds of books and magazines do you read?
What types of music do you listen to?
What kind of television programs/movies do you watch?
Who do you enjoy being around? Why?
How do you typically feel and respond while or after partaking of each of the sources above?
SECTION III
Engage with God for a moment. Thank God for the GRACE He has bestowed upon you and measures of comfort the Holy Spirit has released upon you. Now, get ready to be strengthened and grow in more grace and truth. Keep in mind, this area may keep you engaging with the Lord over a period of time. Enjoy His presence! Receive His love! Feel His joy!
Review the items listed under “Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: Absence of Truth.” Place a check mark besides each item you have experienced. Be honest with yourself and God.
For each item, ask the Lord why you might have experienced (or be experiencing) such fruit; then what you might have done (or do) differently; then how different responses may produce different outcomes.
Now pray and write down specific things the Lord may be revealing to you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and strengthen your vision. Ask the Lord—and mean it—to open doors whereby you may engage with others, experience situations and have an opportunity to engage with Him through reflective prayer and experience a fresh new way of seeing and responding to life’s precious moments.
Focus on your values. What exchanges might the Lord be leading you to change? Ask for courage to face new convictions of heart. As you respond, experience the peace of His renewing your mind, a new sense of freedom and inner joy!