Head or Heart Knowledge

[Entanglement]

Adam and Eve takes the knowledge of good and evil against the Lord God's warning and causes all future generations to fall into chaos.

Genesis 3 v 22
"22And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

Even after they ate the fruit of knowledge, did they actually know everything that was good and evil like the Lord God? Why don't humans possess all that forbidden knowledge when they're born? And why do we need to study the Bible to seek out the Lord's good will if Adam and Eve really did become knowing good and evil like God?

 

[marks]

Adam and Eve takes the knowledge of good and evil against the Lord God's warning and causes all future generations to fall into chaos.

Genesis 3 v 22
"22And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

Even after they ate the fruit of knowledge, did they actually know everything that was good and evil like the Lord God? Why don't humans possess all that forbidden knowledge when they're born? And why do we need to study the Bible to seek out the Lord's good will if Adam and Eve really did become knowing good and evil like God?

Interesting question!

Perhaps the meaning is that the "knowledge of good and evil" is not that they know every good act, and every evil act, but rather they learned that there was good and evil.

Up to that time, all was good, and there would have been no indication that anything could be evil. So they lived in complete innocence, not even knowing that anything could even be wrong.

After eating the forbidden fruit, they became aware that they were naked, and they hid. So now they have a consciousness of wrongdoing.

It's interesting to me that they said they hid because they were naked, but not because they ate the forbidden fruit.

And then there's the question of what became of this knowledge in the mind of the man, who was not to have had this knowledge. I don't imagine that Adam and Eve were able to appropriately use what they had "gained" in any constructive way.

What I see is that mankind ever since has been measured against the standard of good and evil. And in Christ, we are make holy and righteous in Him, so we are removed from that standard. It's like we were in the tree of good and evil, living that way, but now we are in the tree of life - Christ - and now live according to His life.

Just some thoughts . . .

Much love!

 

[Enoch111]

You may be misunderstanding this passage.

Adam and Eve takes the knowledge of good and evil against the Lord God's warning and causes all future generations to fall into chaos.

Partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil meant -- in reality -- deliberately experiencing disobedience (evil) while knowing the meaning of obedience (good). That tree was a test of obedience. And they both failed the test.

Genesis 3 v 22
"22And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

Here there are two "knowings". God fully knows the difference between good and evil, and between obedience and disobedience. But Adam and Eve experienced disobedience, and therefore sinned. And as a result they forfeited the privilege of eating from the tree of life.

Even after they ate the fruit of knowledge, did they actually know everything that was good and evil like the Lord God?

Obviously not. But they did know the meaning of being guilty and separated from God.

But none of this relates to the title of your thread which is "Head or Heart Knowledge". This generally applies to those who may know the basics of the Gospel but have not experienced the New Birth. It is not enough to hear the Gospel and to know that Christ died for our sins and rose again for our justification. God expects OBEDIENCE to the Gospel -- repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

[Entanglement]

Interesting question!

Perhaps the meaning is that the "knowledge of good and evil" is not that they know every good act, and every evil act, but rather they learned that there was good and evil.

Up to that time, all was good, and there would have been no indication that anything could be evil. So they lived in complete innocence, not even knowing that anything could even be wrong.

After eating the forbidden fruit, they became aware that they were naked, and they hid. So now they have a consciousness of wrongdoing.

It's interesting to me that they said they hid because they were naked, but not because they ate the forbidden fruit.

And then there's the question of what became of this knowledge in the mind of the man, who was not to have had this knowledge. I don't imagine that Adam and Eve were able to appropriately use what they had "gained" in any constructive way.

What I see is that mankind ever since has been measured against the standard of good and evil. And in Christ, we are make holy and righteous in Him, so we are removed from that standard. It's like we were in the tree of good and evil, living that way, but now we are in the tree of life - Christ - and now live according to His life.

Just some thoughts . . .

Much love!

Here's another thought. (The Lord God intended us to be naked) So why would it actually be wrong if I took my clothes off and walked through a shopping centre? Actually now that I think about it, God did make Adam and Eve basic coverings (Why?) He made them to be naked. (So did Adam and Eve have shame about something that wasn't even sinful?)

Returning to the current topic, I do understand your point of view here. So if Adam and Eve did only progress in learning good and evil from beginning of Eden and beyond, then there's nothing left to discuss on that matter.

 

[marks]

Here's another thought. (The Lord God intended us to be naked) So why would it actually be wrong if I took my clothes off and walked through a shopping centre? Actually now that I think about it, God did make Adam and Eve basic coverings (Why?) He made them to be naked. (So did Adam and Eve have shame about something that wasn't even sinful?)

Returning to the current topic, I do understand your point of view here. So if Adam and Eve did only progress in learning good and evil from beginning of Eden and beyond, then there's nothing left to discuss on that matter.

Nothing left to discuss? Not so, my friend!

That's a good observation, God made man unclothed. So what was wrong with that?

I think that before eating from That Tree nothing was sinful, except that eating. There would have been no inclination to do things like hit each other, and what there was inclination for - i.e. running around naked - wasn't sin.

But then they felt shame. They became self-conscious, I think.

And then they did their own works to clothe themselves. I heard a preacher once say something like, try an experiment . . . go out, and come back in clothed only in fig leaves. He pointed out that we likely would not feel very 'clothed'.

So God provided appropriate clothing.

Sin produced a need, and God provided for that need.

Their works produced an ephemeral covering, but God gave durable clothing.

Maybe I understand your OP question better . . . was this that they suddenly knew the rules on nudity? Or did they just "feel" they were in the wrong to be naked? Was that the thought?

Much love!