Two Trees

Trusting God or Choosing Moral Autonomy

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:8-9

Have you ever pictured the Garden of Eden in your mind’s eye? I think it was more of an extraordinary orchard with “every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food,” than what we would typically call a garden with rows of vegetables, flower beds, or ornate shrubs and vines. Afterall, Genesis 2:5 tells us that

“no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up…”

Genesis 3:18 says that

“thorns and thistles it (the ground cursed because of Adam’s sin) shall bring forth for you.”

I’m thinking weeds are the result of the fall of mankind. The original garden was full of beautiful trees, not veggies, and certainly not weeds. Surely anyone who has ever crawled on their knees or sat on a bucket picking butterbeans would agree that was not part of paradise! Adam & Eve simply strolled alongside God under magnificent trees and ate what and when they wished. While I imagine fig, peach, pear, apple, maple, persimmon, dogwood, and grapefruit trees, we only know three trees by name – fig (Genesis 3:7, Thanks Ryan!) and “The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

God told Adam that they could eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Why?

First, why would God place a tree in the garden and forbid them to eat from it?

Second, why that tree – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?

As a relationship counselor, I’ve learned that the level of authenticity in any relationship is directly correlational to the level of choice in that relationship. In layman’s terms, everyone wants to be chosen. Intimacy is thwarted when we feel like we’re not someone’s first choice. No one wants another to feel trapped in their relationship. Perhaps that’s why God put choice in the garden. To have an authentic relationship with him, we had to choose him over another alternative.

The alternative God chose for us was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Why? Perhaps God never wanted us to know good and evil. Perhaps he just wanted us to know him. If we simply abided in him, listening and trusting his every word, what need would there be for our own determination of good and evil? He would simply guide us in his ways and his will. He wanted us to be completely secure, confident, and unified in his presence and with his guidance. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represented moral autonomy – determining good and evil apart from the word of God.

“For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:5

The serpent tempted Eve with the capacity to determine her own sense of good and evil apart from God’s input. Moral autonomy is the heart of original sin. It’s also at the heart of all human conflict. If you choose what you think is good and evil, I choose differently, and we ignore our Creator and Redeemer, who is the authority? And to what lengths – arguments, deceit, separation, divorce, politics, protests, wars… - will we go to gain or usurp that power? After all, what was the first thing Eve did after she she chose moral autonomy, determining good and evil apart from God? She shared her autonomy from God with someone else. Isn’t that the first thing we do when we determine our own sense of what is good and evil? We share our opinions, hoping to build alliances and/or walls… and the conflict begins.

For Christians, we choose between the same two trees – the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil many times a day. For believers, the tree of life is the cross. It represents the goodness of our Redeemer, the great costs he endured for us, our complete trust in who he is, what he’s done, and what he promises, and our gratitude-driven, trusting obedience to his will. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents moral autonomy, the temptation to decide what is good or evil based on anything – our temper, our sense of justice, our rights, political positions, preferences, opinions, cultural acceptance, social stigmas, financial impact, compassion, traditions, addictions, lusts, science… -  apart from the Word of God.

Each time we are offended, tempted, challenged, cursed, empowered, discouraged, hurt, grieved… we choose between the two trees, meaning we seek to align with God’s Word or we choose a different path without God’s input. Regardless of our justification, the latter is the essence of sin. The process of repentance, spiritual growth, or discipleship is the process of increasingly choosing the tree of life. Does anyone get it right all the time? Not even for a day.

From Genesis 1:1 through Genesis 2:3, God is referred to thirty-five times as “Elohim,” meaning supreme, incomparable, omnipotent creator. Yet in Genesis 2:4, as the narrative shifts to the relationship between God and man, he is referred to as “Yahweh Elohim,” meaning faithful, covenant keeping, redeeming, incomparable creator. Why is this relevant? Because Scripture is identifying God as a faithful redeemer before the original sin. God decided he would redeem us before anyone needed redemption. That’s the scandal of grace. God planned to offer each of us a way back home before we ever left him. And we leave home everyday. We are all prodigals.

Everyone, no matter how head-strong, proud, or rebellious is given the opportunity to choose the tree of life. God accepts everyone who does. Once we have chosen the tree of life, God continues to accept us each time we choose the second tree. The first tree, the cross, removed his judgement on us for choosing moral autonomy. Yet he longs for us to choose him, trust that he always loves us, and will always offer his best to us.

Choosing moral autonomy always leads to conflict. Someone will always disagree with any determination of good and evil you make. Though choosing the first tree, trusting Jesus, is choosing life, joy, peace, and hope, regardless of people and circumstances. God doesn’t want us struggling, second guessing, or projecting our own moral autonomy. He simply wants us to choose him, love him, and trust him. When we choose him, he takes on the responsibility of determining good and evil, and we simply abide under the greatest of trees.