Bible Study Help, please! So confused…

[Adelaide]

I’m a fairly recent believer and I’ve been taking the time to really read through the Bible and meditate on certain passages, but I have a couple questions about a verse that’s really perplexing me!

Genesis Ch.1
15 The LORD God put the man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and to look after it. 16 But the LORD told him, “You may eat fruit from any tree in the garden, 17 except the one that has the power to let you know the difference between right and wrong. If you eat any fruit from that tree, you will die before the day is over!”

Firstly, why doesn’t God wish them to know right from wrong? And, how is Adam to understand it’s wrong to eat from the tree if he lacks the power of knowing right from wrong? How is he to understand that disobeying God is wrong?

 

[for_his_glory]

Hi Adelaide and welcome to CF

Good question.

When a person knows the difference between good and evil then it gives them a choice (freewill) of what path they want to follow as in following God or following after the world. God created Adam perfect in all his ways for he was made in the image of God. But, being that Adam was human, as you will learn what the lust of the flesh is, Colossians 3:1-17, he was also able to be tempted in the flesh through the lust of the eyes in seeing the fruit was desirable as Satan working through the serpent beguiled Eve who gave to Adam to eat. Adam and Eve did not literally die that day, but lost that Spiritual relationship with God. Adam leant real quick that disobeying God came with circumstances when He and Eve were cast out of the garden of Eden.

 

[2nd Timothy Group]

except the one that has the power to let you know the difference between right and wrong

Hi there!

Well, that is, I would say, a bit of a "loose" translation. The Contemporary English Version, as I understand, is the only translation that proclaims that the Power is in the Tree. I would say that that idea is a bit funny, for it is the Lord who placed us under a Curse that establishes "us" as children of the Devil. By being children of the Devil, by default, the Curse of the Sinful Nature will use the Laws of God against us.

Romans 7:7 NIV - 7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "You shall not covet."

But those who have yet come to Christ, they possess the Sinful Nature . . . the Curse of the Lord. It is the Curse that causes people to obey the will of the Devil.

Romans 7:17-18, 25 NIV - 17 "As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." ... 25 "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."

It is the Curse that demonstrates how the Lord has turned us over to the captivity of the Devil.

2 Timothy 2:25-26 NLT - "Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants."

So back to Genesis 2:15 . . . the issue isn't that there is Power in the evil tree, but the issue is that we have been, at least prior to the Circumcision of Christ, handed over to the captivity of Satan. And this is the Purpose of Christ, to Redeem us from the Curse of the Lord.

Galatians 3:13 NLT - "But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

 

[WIP]

And, how is Adam to understand it’s wrong to eat from the tree if he lacks the power of knowing right from wrong? How is he to understand that disobeying God is wrong?

I often equate Adam and Eve's relationships with God to like how our pet dogs relate to us. I do not believe a dog knows right from wrong but it is capable of learning obedience. It doesn't know why it must obey but it does learn to obey. Before we knew right from wrong, our relationship with God could have been much the same way. But, like our pet dogs, they obeyed until one day when they chose not to. In their case, as the result of their disobedience, they learned right from wrong and now they, and consequently we, are held accountable for all of our wrongdoing. In the case of our dogs, they still do not know right from wrong so we do not hold them accountable for all of their wrongdoing.

 

[GodsGrace]

I’m a fairly recent believer and I’ve been taking the time to really read through the Bible and meditate on certain passages, but I have a couple questions about a verse that’s really perplexing me!

Genesis Ch.1
15 The LORD God put the man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and to look after it. 16 But the LORD told him, “You may eat fruit from any tree in the garden, 17 except the one that has the power to let you know the difference between right and wrong. If you eat any fruit from that tree, you will die before the day is over!”

Firstly, why doesn’t God wish them to know right from wrong? And, how is Adam to understand it’s wrong to eat from the tree if he lacks the power of knowing right from wrong? How is he to understand that disobeying God is wrong?

Hi Adelaide,
Welcome to the forum.
You'll get different replies based on what type of church a person attends...
some teach mainline Christianity and some don't.
I would suggest that you find a church you like and begin attending it.

As to your question.
The tree was not about knowing right from wrong.
It was about learning about evil
Until the point that Adam ate of the fruit, he and Eve knew ONLY good and nothing of evil.
Everything was perfect and pure for them.

Adam knew right from wrong.
This is for two reasons that we know so that we can be sure he did:

1. Adam and Eve had infused knowledge. This is one of the preternatural gifts that they had.
Another one was eternal live or immortality and they also did not have the sinful nature that we have when we are born.

2. God made a deal with Adam. It's called a covenant.
God would not have made this covenant with Adam unless God knew that Adam knew right from wrong.
The covenant is called the Edenic Covenant, in case you want to look it up.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

I’m a fairly recent believer and I’ve been taking the time to really read through the Bible and meditate on certain passages, but I have a couple questions about a verse that’s really perplexing me!

Genesis Ch.1
15 The LORD God put the man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and to look after it. 16 But the LORD told him, “You may eat fruit from any tree in the garden, 17 except the one that has the power to let you know the difference between right and wrong. If you eat any fruit from that tree, you will die before the day is over!”

Firstly, why doesn’t God wish them to know right from wrong? And, how is Adam to understand it’s wrong to eat from the tree if he lacks the power of knowing right from wrong? How is he to understand that disobeying God is wrong?

God did not say that He did not want them know right from wrong. He said they were not to take the fruit, that is, find out right from wrong by doing wrong. One learns right from wrong better by doing wrong. Sometimes we learn nothing from doing wrong.

 

[jerry63935]

Firstly, why doesn’t God wish them to know right from wrong? And, how is Adam to understand it’s wrong to eat from the tree if he lacks the power of knowing right from wrong? How is he to understand that disobeying God is wrong?

ny 2 cents HE God wanted them to trust in him.. the garden was perfect no need to know right from wrong. sin was born that day . yes i think God knew what would happen he had a back up plan . he killed animals to cover their nakedness .. he clothed them in animal skins. with out the shedding of Blood there is no remission of sins. its a picture of what was to come BY Christ.

up till this point they did not know what nakedness was. can you see how prefect it was till the fall

Romans 5:12-21​

​

King James Version​

​

​

12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: { referring to Adam }
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

[Adelaide]

ny 2 cents HE God wanted them to trust in him.. the garden was perfect no need to know right from wrong. sin was born that day . yes i think God knew what would happen he had a back up plan . he killed animals to cover their nakedness .. he clothed them in animal skins. with out the shedding of Blood there is no remission of sins. its a picture of what was to come BY Christ.

up till this point they did not know what nakedness was. can you see how prefect it was till the fall

​

If it’s perfect, why put the trees that will bring sin into the world in the garden? It seems like a trap he knew they would fall into.

 

[jerry63935]

If it’s perfect, why put the trees that will bring sin into the world in the garden? It seems like a trap he knew they would fall into.

take it up with God not me
\

 

[Adelaide]

God did not say that He did not want them know right from wrong. He said they were not to take the fruit, that is, find out right from wrong by doing wrong. One learns right from wrong better by doing wrong. Sometimes we learn nothing from doing wrong.

But he made a point of creating a tree that does EXACTLY that- know right from wrong- and put it in the most inconvenient place, and then told Adam not to do something it seems like Adam would have a hard time understanding.

 

[Adelaide]

take it up with God not me
\

 

[Adelaide]

Hi Adelaide,
Welcome to the forum.
You'll get different replies based on what type of church a person attends...
some teach mainline Christianity and some don't.
I would suggest that you find a church you like and begin attending it.

As to your question.
The tree was not about knowing right from wrong.
It was about learning about evil
Until the point that Adam ate of the fruit, he and Eve knew ONLY good and nothing of evil.
Everything was perfect and pure for them.

Adam knew right from wrong.
This is for two reasons that we know so that we can be sure he did:

1. Adam and Eve had infused knowledge. This is one of the preternatural gifts that they had.
Another one was eternal live or immortality and they also did not have the sinful nature that we have when we are born.

2. God made a deal with Adam. It's called a covenant.
God would not have made this covenant with Adam unless God knew that Adam knew right from wrong.
The covenant is called the Edenic Covenant, in case you want to look it up.

1. Where can I find the verse that says they have infused knowledge?

2. God made a deal with Adam, knowing that Adam knew right from wrong. But to get Adam to this point, God had to create a tree and put it in a place where he knew it would be a temptation, told Adam NO, then let them do what he already knew they’d do. How is that not entrapment?

 

[Adelaide]

I often equate Adam and Eve's relationships with God to like how our pet dogs relate to us. I do not believe a dog knows right from wrong but it is capable of learning obedience. It doesn't know why it must obey but it does learn to obey. Before we knew right from wrong, our relationship with God could have been much the same way. But, like our pet dogs, they obeyed until one day when they chose not to. In their case, as the result of their disobedience, they learned right from wrong and now they, and consequently we, are held accountable for all of our wrongdoing. In the case of our dogs, they still do not know right from wrong so we do not hold them accountable for all of their wrongdoing.

But at that point in time they had the ability to communicate with words! If we could talk to our dogs and have them speak back in perfect english, the relationship would be entirely different!

 

[Adelaide]

Hi there!

Well, that is, I would say, a bit of a "loose" translation. The Contemporary English Version, as I understand, is the only translation that proclaims that the Power is in the Tree. I would say that that idea is a bit funny, for it is the Lord who placed us under a Curse that establishes "us" as children of the Devil. By being children of the Devil, by default, the Curse of the Sinful Nature will use the Laws of God against us.

Romans 7:7 NIV - 7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "You shall not covet."

But those who have yet come to Christ, they possess the Sinful Nature . . . the Curse of the Lord. It is the Curse that causes people to obey the will of the Devil.

Romans 7:17-18, 25 NIV - 17 "As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." ... 25 "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."

It is the Curse that demonstrates how the Lord has turned us over to the captivity of the Devil.

2 Timothy 2:25-26 NLT - "Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants."

So back to Genesis 2:15 . . . the issue isn't that there is Power in the evil tree, but the issue is that we have been, at least prior to the Circumcision of Christ, handed over to the captivity of Satan. And this is the Purpose of Christ, to Redeem us from the Curse of the Lord.

Galatians 3:13 NLT - "But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

This is just another problem I keep coming across- SO many translations, and it seems everyone just chooses their favorite and then makes their own interpretations within their chosen translation. I’ve had people tell me to seek Gods truth by prayer, reading, meditation, but if what I find to be the truth is different from yours, whose is right?

 

[jerry63935]

God made a deal with Adam

there was NO deal made.... it was a command to leave it alone. why that particular tree was placed there. is a 64 thousand dollar question it could be a testing of his faith.

 

[for_his_glory]

This is just another problem I keep coming across- SO many translations, and it seems everyone just chooses their favorite and then makes their own interpretations within their chosen translation. I’ve had people tell me to seek Gods truth by prayer, reading, meditation, but if what I find to be the truth is different from yours, whose is right?

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Proverbs 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

1John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1John 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
1John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
1John 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
1John 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

We have to trust in the Holy Spirit to teach us all truths. If what one teaches does not line up with the scriptures they give then do not trust in their doctrines as there are many doctrines of man that try to make scripture fit what they teach.

 

[WIP]

But at that point in time they had the ability to communicate with words! If we could talk to our dogs and have them speak back in perfect english, the relationship would be entirely different!

Maybe, maybe not. My analogy was not intended to be an exact representation.

 

[Edward]

I’m a fairly recent believer and I’ve been taking the time to really read through the Bible and meditate on certain passages, but I have a couple questions about a verse that’s really perplexing me!

Genesis Ch.1
15 The LORD God put the man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and to look after it. 16 But the LORD told him, “You may eat fruit from any tree in the garden, 17 except the one that has the power to let you know the difference between right and wrong. If you eat any fruit from that tree, you will die before the day is over!”

Firstly, why doesn’t God wish them to know right from wrong? And, how is Adam to understand it’s wrong to eat from the tree if he lacks the power of knowing right from wrong? How is he to understand that disobeying God is wrong?

Can we take God at His word and trust Him without understanding? Just simple trust. Take my advice the Lord said, that tree is not good for you, do not eat from it or you will die...Trust me on this...

And make no mistake about it, they did die that day they ate the fruit. They died spiritually and totally lost their relationship with God.

Now, after we have fallen we are faced with building a resume of trust with God once again.

I think that the analogy of a relationship with our dog is a good analogy to our situation, except we are the dogs now and God is still wanting us to trust Him. Watch your dog, he only wants to please his master. Trust is built and then a bond.

 

[Edward]

But he made a point of creating a tree that does EXACTLY that- know right from wrong- and put it in the most inconvenient place, and then told Adam not to do something it seems like Adam would have a hard time understanding.

Understanding and trust are two different things. Should the toddler trust his daddy when he says, I'm putting my loaded pistol on this table but don't you touch it because you will get hurt!! ??

Of course they don't understand the danger, but since they have never received anything but goodness from their Father, they can trust Him.

I wet a step further with my two boys. I took them shootin 22's and shook up some cans of soda and let them shott them and see the explosion of soda all over. Then I would go to the split can and hand it to them and said, ok now fix it, make it better...(they could not), this is what would happen to your mommy or your brother if you shot them so don't do that! This is real, this is not TV...And I think the dynamic demonstration of power to them helped them to understand the dangers of weapons and why they should not touch them...

I guess God didn't go shooting tin cans with Adam & Eve?

 

[jerry63935]

I wet a step further with my two boys. I took them shootin 22's and shook up some cans of soda and let them shott them and see the explosion of soda all over. Then I would go to the split can and hand it to them and said, ok now fix it, make it better...(they could not), this is what would happen to your mommy or your brother if you shot them so don't do that! This is real, this is not TV...And I think the dynamic demonstration of power to them helped them to understand the dangers of weapons and why they should not touch them...

i like that very good lesson