The Bible introduces us to another tree in God’s garden. In the opening chapters of Genesis, we also discover that next to the Tree of Life is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Naturally, a couple of very important questions come to mind: what is that tree and why is it there?
The phrase “the knowledge of good and evil” is used to describe a human’s ability to believe that they can discern or determine what is good and what is evil on their own, independently of God. However, without the second tree, humanity would feel like robots, trapped in a paradise prison and forced into relationship with God.
This kind of control would be a violation of God’s nature of love, and relationship is not possible without choice and freedom. It is because God is love and is relational that He puts the second tree in the garden. Unfortunately, because God is the only source and supply of unending life, pure love and absolute truth, when humans opt for their own ways, apart from Him, it welcomes chaos, corruption, injustice and death into our world.
So, God risks rejection, difficulty, pain, and death in order to make real relationship and love possible. God gives humanity two trees to choose from. A tree of dependence or a tree of independence. A tree of relationship or a tree of rejection.
A tree of life or a tree of death.
Ironically, exercising freedom to choose independence and its allusion of absolute liberty leads to bondage, while exercising freedom to choose dependence, which appears to mean limitations, leads to absolute liberty. While our independence has resulted in difficulty, pain and death for us, the Tree of Freedom points to Jesus because it has resulted in the same for God.
In Christ, God chose to accept difficulty, pain and the full force of death in order to make restored relationship with us possible. In the first garden the first humans are found saying, “My will be done,” and their life results in death. In another garden, later in the Bible, Jesus is found saying, “Thy will be done,” and His death results in life.
It is good news that God has given you the freedom to make your own choices. Freedom makes meaningful relationship and real love possible.
The Tree of Freedom ca be read about in Genesis 2 & 3.