I have a theory on the age-old question. If Adam and Eve were supposed to live in paradise for eternity, and there was no sin, why did they sin? Most people reply bluntly with "free will". But if that were the case, wouldn't the same argument be made when we get to heaven we will have free will to sin? Of course not... So this is what I think.
There were two trees. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree of life represents Christ. Anyone who eats from the tree of life (or abides in Christ) will have eternal life and there will be no sin, no desire to sin (no free will to do it) and eternal paradise. So why did Adam and Eve disobey God? Simple, because they didn't eat from the tree of life. Scripture never says they ever took a bite from the tree of life.
If they have eaten from the tree of life, they wouldn't even have the desire or free will to sin or disobey God. It would be like us having eternal life in heaven with no thought or desire of sin because we are in Christ (Christ representing the tree of life). But because they did not eat from the tree of life, but ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the earth became cursed.
What I think this foreshadows? Well before they even made a decision, it was up to them what their fate wanted to be as God told them. I think this was representing the works of the law before Christ. By eating from the tree of life, they would be in Christ and no responsibility would be on them. But before they ate from the tree of life representing Christ, they had a responsibility to choose and obey God. Like the works of the law, if it isn't for Christ, and before we come to Christ, our works and righteousness fall on us and we have that responsibility. But when we abide in Christ and eat from the tree of life, we no longer look to ourselves to do something and can rest in him.
So God gave Adam and Eve free will to choose to have eternal life from the tree of life (Christ) or die by eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, where their eyes would be opened to the law of what is good and evil, and they would die because no man can uphold the law perfectly. Which is why the old covenant law came in place, and why the law is described as a curse in the bible and brings death, just like the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But Christ brings eternal life, just like the tree of life. Jesus died on a tree (on a cross made from wood of a tree) which is also a foreshadowing. When we abide in Christ we may have eternal life and live as if Adam and Eve ate from the the tree of life with no sin. Our spirit selves are already sinless, we are just waiting for our glorified bodies now.
Anyways, of course we can just answer this question with "because God wanted it that way". But thinking of it in this way can help make sense of new covenant scripture as well. God is amazing the way he uses scripture and gives us these kinds of understandings.
There were two trees. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree of life represents Christ. Anyone who eats from the tree of life (or abides in Christ) will have eternal life and there will be no sin, no desire to sin (no free will to do it) and eternal paradise. So why did Adam and Eve disobey God? Simple, because they didn't eat from the tree of life. Scripture never says they ever took a bite from the tree of life.
If they have eaten from the tree of life, they wouldn't even have the desire or free will to sin or disobey God. It would be like us having eternal life in heaven with no thought or desire of sin because we are in Christ (Christ representing the tree of life). But because they did not eat from the tree of life, but ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the earth became cursed.
What I think this foreshadows? Well before they even made a decision, it was up to them what their fate wanted to be as God told them. I think this was representing the works of the law before Christ. By eating from the tree of life, they would be in Christ and no responsibility would be on them. But before they ate from the tree of life representing Christ, they had a responsibility to choose and obey God. Like the works of the law, if it isn't for Christ, and before we come to Christ, our works and righteousness fall on us and we have that responsibility. But when we abide in Christ and eat from the tree of life, we no longer look to ourselves to do something and can rest in him.
So God gave Adam and Eve free will to choose to have eternal life from the tree of life (Christ) or die by eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, where their eyes would be opened to the law of what is good and evil, and they would die because no man can uphold the law perfectly. Which is why the old covenant law came in place, and why the law is described as a curse in the bible and brings death, just like the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But Christ brings eternal life, just like the tree of life. Jesus died on a tree (on a cross made from wood of a tree) which is also a foreshadowing. When we abide in Christ we may have eternal life and live as if Adam and Eve ate from the the tree of life with no sin. Our spirit selves are already sinless, we are just waiting for our glorified bodies now.
Anyways, of course we can just answer this question with "because God wanted it that way". But thinking of it in this way can help make sense of new covenant scripture as well. God is amazing the way he uses scripture and gives us these kinds of understandings.
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