Genesis 2:17, "But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Since the Bible was written centuries ago, there has been a countless number of questions surrounding the Christian faith. One of the most intriguing questions of them all is: "Why did God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden knowing that Adam and Eve would choose to eat the fruit instead of obeying God?"

This question here is one of the more difficult questions simply because there is no direct answer found in the Bible. However, there is a reason why God doesn't outline every single answer and detail for his people in his word because if God did give us all the answers, the Holy Spirit whom the Father sent to guide his people into all truth and into all understanding would be out of a job, right? Nevertheless, the mainline argument presented to those who are challenged by the presence of suffering and evil in the world and why Adam and Eve disobeyed God is the doctrine of Free Will and love. When God created humanity, he created them in his image and after his likeness in Genesis 1:26, which means that human beings possess some of the same qualities as the Creator God such as his freedom, his relational nature, and his love. In order for God's people to purely love God and to purely have a relationship with God, God had to create his people with complete freedom. So when God created humanity, God had to also create the opportunity for them to love and obey him, which is where the tree of knowledge comes into the picture. The tree of knowledge provided that opportunity for Adam and Eve to obey or disobey God. Just like a woman is given the opportunity to say yes or no when a man asks for her hand in marriage, is the same opportunity God created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Without that opportunity of obedience, the pure relationship and love God seeks with his creation is unavailable.

Which means that the tree of knowledge is absolutely necessary in the story of creation. God used the tree of knowledge of good and evil as a vehicle of opportunity, which unfortunately became a curse through Adam and Eve's decision to eat the forbidden fruit. This does not mean that God created evil. It means that God created the possibility of evil to exist through the opportunity made available from the tree of knowledge of good and evil; not the actual evil that came into existence through the disobedience and sin of Adam and Eve. We have to remember that is was humanity that sinned against God and not the reversal! On a brighter note, the good news of the Gospel is that even though God knew beforehand that the wrong opportunity would be selected in the Garden, God still chose to move forward with his creation. Why? Because God knew that his gift of love, his gift of life, his gift of grace, and his gift of salvation would be better than the curse of sin! Romans 5:15 & 16 says, "The gift is not like the trespass, and the gift is not like the result of one man's sin."

Therefore, just as Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, the same tree of opportunity is afforded to the rest of humanity in which all fell short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). I John 1:8-9 says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." However, if we make the most of every opportunity like Paul commands the church in Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5, and "if we confess our sins, he (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins." We have to always remember that there will be an abundance of opportunities to do right or wrong, to go left or right, and to obey or disobey God's word. So, before you make a decision on whatever opportunity is presented before you, first pray that opportunity aligns with God's will, and then once God approves, make the most out of that opportunity. If you choose the wrong opportunity, instead of beating yourself up mentally, make the most out of that opportunity by repenting and learning from it. Even if you are placed in an opportunity through no fault or decision of your own, still make the most out of that opportunity because you never know the blessings that can come from it. Most importantly, remember that God made the most out of the failed tree of opportunity presented to Adam and Even by sending his one and only Son Jesus Christ to die on the curse of a tree. Paul says in Galatians 3:13, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

So, while we have life, while we have breathe in our nostrils, while we have forgiveness of sin, and while we have opportunities, make the most out of them because you never know how long those opportunities will be available. Job 1:21 says, "The Lord gave and the Lord takes away."

#Opportunity #Forgiveness #Time4Truth