At the garden of eden

[IAMWEAK_2007]

Why would GOD put the tree of knowledge in the garden of eden? And how does satan know about this tree?

 

[Deacon]

Why would GOD put the tree of knowledge in the garden of eden? And how does satan know about this tree?

Q1 - The tree was not bad. It was something that mankind lacked.

God gave them a choice: to enjoy eveything he provided for them (everything good to eat and everything pleasing to the eye), walk with him and follow the rules or break the rules and get kicked out.
Life with God (eternal life) or life without him (death)

Q2 - The serpent was in the garden.

Rob

 

[Oldtimer]

Why would GOD put the tree of knowledge in the garden of eden? And how does satan know about this tree?

Because God gave man free-will. Without an option to choose the exercise of free-will doesn't exist. A slave cannot freely chose his course of action.

Genesis 2: KJB
And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.


Genesis 3:1 KJB
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

 

[SovereignMercy]

Personally I'm thankful to be a slave of God.

But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

[Aaron]

Why would GOD put the tree of knowledge in the garden of eden? And how does satan know about this tree?

Wrong question. God does things according to His own will. But ultimately, it was to teach the heirs of salvation something about themselves. That lesson is hotly debated between those who have learned it, and those who have yet to.

 

[Van]

Right Question

Why would GOD put the tree of knowledge in the garden of eden? And how does satan know about this tree?

Sometimes the Bible tells us why God chooses to do things this way rather than that way, but at other times the reasoning is not explain. In these cases we can infer from other passages what may have been the reason or part of the reason, but we are skating on thin ice.

From 1 Peter 1:19-20 we learn that Jesus was known as the Lamb of God before creation, which is before the garden was planted and the tree of knowledge was put into the garden.

Now why would we need a Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world before we were created? God is telling us pretty clearly He anticipated the fall, for He had already chosen the Redeemer from the fall.

Now why would God "arrange" the fall, i.e. put the tree in, tell us not to eat, allow Satan in, allow Satan to deceive Eve and so on. Now here I must go way out on very thin ice, but it is the best view I have seen. Remember the story of Gideon, and how God reduced the size of the army to make the victory bring more glory to God? (Judges 7:2) As fallen men, we cannot boast for all our works are as filthy rags. Thus when we repent from our fallen wretched state, we bring glory not to ourselves, but to God.

That is thin, but you will not find a better answer from scripture. See also 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 addressing our fallen inability to boast.

God bless

 

[HeirofSalvation]

Wrong question.

Category mistake....the question is not properly classified as either "right" or "wrong". Possibly....it might be pointless or un-answerable (although I don't think so)...but it isn't "wrong".

God does things according to His own will.

Of course he does...why are Calvinists constantly harping on this? Are they trying to convince themselves or us? I am getting to the point of thinking that it is they themselves they are trying to convince and not others... Everyone already knows this...it is as fundamental as Monotheism itself...It is as though Calvinists are constantly reminding us that there is "Only one God, and there are none like him".....O.K. got it, now tell us something we don't know. The question wasn't whether it was God's will to put the tree there...the question was more like: "Why did God "will/want" to put the tree in the garden in the first place?"

But ultimately, it was to teach the heirs of salvation something about themselves.

Not likely....according to Calvinistic thought...we can little compare ourselves to Adam in that he had something of a "genuine" freedom of choice (as a not pre-corrupted slave to sin already) and it is only through or after his choice that we who are "dead" in him, have this newly depraved and enslaved will. But his "choice" and our "choices" are not the same.

However, even if one were to object to the above by suggesting that Adam's choice and ours are the same (thereby somehow suggesting that Adam was already depraved and a slave to sin; which entails it's own problems...) then the initial question still remains...Why did he "will" this?

That lesson is hotly debated between those who have learned it and those who have yet to.

No "lesson" was forth-coming, as there was no answer provided other than the fact that some hold to a Theology incapable of reasonably suggesting an answer to an interesting and fruitful question, and therefore default to decreeing it meaningless out of hand.

 

[Aaron]

Category mistake....the question is not properly classified as either "right" or "wrong". Possibly....it might be pointless or un-answerable (although I don't think so)...but it isn't "wrong".

Semantics.

Of course he does...why are Calvinists constantly harping on this?

Because noncalvinists are constantly trying to justify God's ways to the carnal mind. The Calvinists isn't so much concerned with the why of God's will as they are with the what. The Calvinist asks, "What is thy will," not "Why is thy will?"

Not likely....according to Calvinistic thought...we can little compare ourselves to Adam in that he had something of a "genuine" freedom of choice (as a not pre-corrupted slave to sin already) and it is only through or after his choice that we who are "dead" in him, have this newly depraved and enslaved will. But his "choice" and our "choices" are not the same.

It's the differences that teach us. However, free will is an illusion. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit. Neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Disobedience is merely evidence of corruption, not the cause of it.

However, even if one were to object to the above by suggesting that Adam's choice and ours are the same (thereby somehow suggesting that Adam was already depraved and a slave to sin; which entails it's own problems...) then the initial question still remains...Why did he "will" this?

For Christ.

No "lesson" was forth-coming, as there was no answer provided other than the fact that some hold to a Theology incapable of reasonably suggesting an answer to an interesting and fruitful question, and therefore default to decreeing it meaningless out of hand.

It's only interesting and fruitful from a certain premise. Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, "Why hast thou made me thus?" Paul smacks that kind of questioning down. It springs from a rebellious heart.