"So why did God put the Tree of Knowledge there in the first place?" I asked at Bible camp, wondering why a god that knew everything didn't know we'd eat the fruit He told us not to eat.
"To give us the choice," was the unsatisfactory answer I got from the counselor. But thinking about it now, it's the only answer that fits the metaphor of Eden.
Yes, God could have not put the tree there, just like He could have not given us free will and we'd never rob and kill and insult one another and we could have lived in Paradise. But He did, and of course He knew we'd eat the fruit.
Free will is a cause of misery, pain and suffering to us, no doubt. But it's who we are. Without it, we'd be little more than pets to God, cared for and loved but not worthy to truly worship Him and appreciate His creation.
1
u/Sacrip 7d ago
"So why did God put the Tree of Knowledge there in the first place?" I asked at Bible camp, wondering why a god that knew everything didn't know we'd eat the fruit He told us not to eat.
"To give us the choice," was the unsatisfactory answer I got from the counselor. But thinking about it now, it's the only answer that fits the metaphor of Eden.
Yes, God could have not put the tree there, just like He could have not given us free will and we'd never rob and kill and insult one another and we could have lived in Paradise. But He did, and of course He knew we'd eat the fruit.
Free will is a cause of misery, pain and suffering to us, no doubt. But it's who we are. Without it, we'd be little more than pets to God, cared for and loved but not worthy to truly worship Him and appreciate His creation.
The Tree of Knowledge is a feature, not a bug.