What was wrong with Adam and Eve knowing good and evil?

[Brakelite]

KJV Genesis 3:5
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Let us consider the fact that Satan managed to deceive one third of the angels in heaven, all of whom stood in the very presence of God. He used blatant lies... He used hypnosis... Slander... Subliminal suggestions... All designed to one end, create a mindset wherein God's character is maligned, and His motives misunderstood. By this He incited rebellion, an attempted political coup that divided heaven.

Notice that God at no time rebuked either Adam or Eve for their disobedience. Amy action of discipline that God took subsequently to their fall, was designed to restore them in character and faithfulness. Sin took a massive toll on the human race, it has inflicted upon the minds of mankind a misguided and misapprehension of God's true character.

And in the above verses from Genesis, you can see Satan infusing into the mind of Eve the suggestion that God was holding something back, something that He was hiding from Eve because God was jealous for His power and authority, and wanted no competition. God doesn't want you to eat this tree because of you do, you will become gods like Him, and like another poster said, you can then make up your own rules. The mantra of Luciferianism...do what thou wilt. You don't need God's standard of morality to guide you, you are already holy. You don't need to be a part of God's government, He is arbitrary and legalistic. You don't need God's commandments. You can be righteous without reference to the law. Form your own government. Be your own boss. Make your own laws.

Let us not fall into the same trap, and think to ourselves that we can work independently of the will of God, and decide for ourselves what constitutes right and wrong. Let the Word of God decide. Let the scriptures decide. Let us not be deceived as Eve was, in thinking there is any promise of life in disobedience.
KJV Psalms 146:2-10
2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:
6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:
7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:
8 The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
9 The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
10 The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.

 

[Brakelite]

What was wrong with Adam and Eve knowing good and evil?
Thread Title ^

They were unprepared to face evil.

Although in adult body’s they were as babes.
Same as Scripture teaches to teach little children…TRUTH First…
Thus prepared to face evil, and not fall for trickery.

I find it difficult to believe that they weren't warned beforehand of the dangers at a time while they had communion with God Himself and of angels. I think though we grossly underestimate the cunning and skill of the enemy. Today he has had 6000 years to study the mind of man. He knows exactly what buttons to push. He managed to deceive angels. Hence Jesus constant warnings... Don't be deceived.

 

[Rockerduck]

Adam passed his sin onto us. We know good and evil now. It hasn't worked out good for us, has it? But with Jesus's sacrificial death, burial and resurrection, we were made right with God again.

 

[Brakelite]

Adam passed his sin onto us.

I think we need to be careful with this, not that I'm saying you aren't being careful. When we speak about what Catholics call original sin, I don't think it is correct to suggest we inherit or own or are responsible for in any way, Adams transgression. The children, that is us, are not held accountable for the sins of their fathers. However, we do inherit the sin nature, that is the propensity to sin... The inherent attraction the human mind has toward sin. We cannot help ourselves from sinning, except through maybe at times successful self discipline, but that only deals with the habit, not with the nature that gave birth to the habit.
Being born again deals with the nature, the propensity we have toward sin. Christ, because He was not born of a human father, did not inherit that propensity. In no way did His mind or heart have any inclination or thought to entertain transgression in any way. Yet the temptations He faced daily were no less demanding and intense. More so for Him because the adversary never left Him alone. Jesus however overcame by changing to the divine, and trusting in the power of the Father to give Him the victory. This we also can do.

 

[Randy Kluth]

And God's Omniscient nature knew he would succeed.

That's a leap of faith view, based on a logic that lacks any evidence. There is zero evidence that God does not allow for free will.

Free will does not triumph over God's world. Rather, God's world recognizes the outcomes of any option. The fact God lets people choose their option does not mean God is not in control--it just means He allows choice.

 

[Stumpmaster]

What was wrong with Adam and Eve knowing good and evil?

Their knowledge of good and evil was the product of evil.

 

[BlessedPeace]

That's a leap of faith view, based on a logic that lacks any evidence. There is zero evidence that God does not allow for free will.

Free will does not triumph over God's world. Rather, God's world recognizes the outcomes of any option. The fact God lets people choose their option does not mean God is not in control--it just means He allows choice.

I think when we don't ask why a tree forbidden to be touched or its fruit eaten would be planted in the garden in the first place, we only see part of the story.

Why did it exist when it was the only off limits thing in the creation God called good?

And how did the serpent know about that one tree from which to tempt Eve?

A leap of faith with zero evidence to back it up?

“The Lord has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil.” Proverbs 16:4

“In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:4

How much of the Bible is prophecy? | GotQuestions.org

How much of the Bible is prophecy? Why is there so much prophecy in the Bible? Why should I study Bible prophecy?

www.gotquestions.org

"By one count, about 27 percent of the Bible is predictive (Payne, J. B., The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, Baker Pub. Group, 1980, p. 675). "

Predictive=Prophecy. That's God telling us his predestination of all things according to his will and plans.

God wrote His Lambs Book of (Eternal) Life before the foundation of the world.
Matthew 25:34,Revelation 13:8, and five more times that is referenced in the New Testament.

That's predestination. God's will
triumphs mans choices.

Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.​

 

[Taken]

I find it difficult to believe that they weren't warned beforehand of the dangers at a time while they had communion with God Himself and of angels. I think though we grossly underestimate the cunning and skill of the enemy. Today he has had 6000 years to study the mind of man. He knows exactly what buttons to push. He managed to deceive angels. Hence Jesus constant warnings... Don't be deceived.

They were warned to not eat of THAT tree.
They were told the consequence IF that ate of THAT tree.

Did they understand “Death” ? Doubt it, for they had never seen or experienced death.

again…they were immature, as babes.

Tell a 3yr old, do not go into the street.
A car might kill you.
No concept of Death, thus no fear of death, thus going into the street, computes to nothing negative.

Say a chid goes into a street, a car screeches its breaks, honks its horn, driver yells, swerves….immediately the child experiences fear, the loud noises, yet still does not understand Death. It’s the instant fear that becomes the negative factor, and remember WHO warned you…becomes the reinforcement that WHO warned you, IS trustworthy.

Adam & Eve were learning Good from God…
They chose to listen to something else.
Upon being sent out of the garden, to till the land, bring forth offspring in labor's effort and pain….are snippets of fear…will it rain, will crops fail, etc. will pain cease, will the child/mother have complications….unknown, just as a child is not Hit by a car, the fear is a wake-up call to decide WHOM you Trust, and Listen to him in all matters and the things presented as initial fear, shall pass.

 

[Ronald David Bruno]

According to God, Genesis 2:


This is not just knowledge but knowledge of good and evil, i.e., knowledge of morality. Before the fall, everything was good according to their conscience provided by God alone. By definition, they could not think of a bad thought.

What was wrong with Adam and Eve knowing good and evil?

God did not want man to have this ability to decide on his own independently what was good and evil apart from God's standard. But the serpent had other ideas. It tempted Eve in Genesis 3:


Right, they would be like God, having this ability to decide morality. However, their standard is not the same as God's.

The Hebrew word for "knowing" is H3045. It is a common word that appears 942 times.

Brown-Driver-Briggs:


Adam and Eve would experience good and evil if they ate.

According to Eve:


for obtaining wisdom,
Strong's 7919: To be, circumspect, intelligent

By eating, Adam and Eve would acquire their own abilities to decide what is good or bad, apart from God. And it happened right away:


At this point, they thought that it was bad to be naked which they didn't think about before they ate. Their consciences are now independent of God due to their 1st disobedience.

But have no fear; God will make the reconnection by the Paraclete.

Didn't you ever think that this was God's plan? He put the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden for a purpose. He is omniscient. He knew what they would do, but knowing evil was really the only way we could understand what good is. Notice, it was the Tree of the knowledge of GOOD and evil. Don't ya think He wanted us to know what good is?
* Note: Let me just comment about the tree. It had no information in it, other than a genetic code like any other that produced a fruit, it was just a tree that God chose for the test, a commandment - don't eat. It was the law that they broke, not something biological or spiritual about the tree itself. But by eating it, they all of sudden felt guilty and were aware of their nakedness. They were given morality, the conscious awareness of it and it's consequences.
Priot to that moment, they were ignorant and did not nor could they really appreciate anything that was good, since there wasn't anything to compare with in there that wasn't. Satan was there, whom they did not know was evil.

This was the only way for man to know what love is and to choose willingly to love God and one another.
Good and evil is woven throughout history, it was intended so. God had a plan, BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD -- TO SEND A SAVIOR. And He has a plan to put an end to evil.
What other way is there? He cannot force us to love Him, it wouldn't be true love really. Can we force anyone to love us either? No, there has to be a choice. And when someone willingly loves, it is so much more precious. We learn and value what love, mercy, forgiveness, joy, patience, healing, hope, faith and life itself is because of the knowledge of evil. Pain, suffering, death, illness, sadness and all the fears we encounter make us appreciate the good things in life when they come. We would 't really appreciate and know God and all His attributes. We would just be ignorant in a blissful life void of purpose and value.

God became flesh and dwelt among us. What did he do? He healed the blind, lame, deaf and sick and raised someone from the dead. He fed hungry people. They knew and experienced Who He was and believed. The greatest act of love is to give one's life for someone. How would we know and appreciate that unless we knew what death was?

People think this was some kind of mishap that caught was God off guard, as if He did nit know what would happen! If it was so dangerous, why put the tree in there or allow Satan in there as well?
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. GEN. 3:1 Wait a minute, that should have caused every reader to pause and ask why God created the universe, life, animals, humans and everything was beautiful and good and then allow this creature and the potential for evil in there too? Twas His purpose!

He allowed Satan in there to tempt them, knowing what he would do. It was part of the plan!

 

[Hobie]

According to God, Genesis 2:


This is not just knowledge but knowledge of good and evil, i.e., knowledge of morality. Before the fall, everything was good according to their conscience provided by God alone. By definition, they could not think of a bad thought.

What was wrong with Adam and Eve knowing good and evil?

God did not want man to have this ability to decide on his own independently what was good and evil apart from God's standard. But the serpent had other ideas. It tempted Eve in Genesis 3:


Right, they would be like God, having this ability to decide morality. However, their standard is not the same as God's.

The Hebrew word for "knowing" is H3045. It is a common word that appears 942 times.

Brown-Driver-Briggs:


Adam and Eve would experience good and evil if they ate.

According to Eve:


for obtaining wisdom,
Strong's 7919: To be, circumspect, intelligent

By eating, Adam and Eve would acquire their own abilities to decide what is good or bad, apart from God. And it happened right away:


At this point, they thought that it was bad to be naked which they didn't think about before they ate. Their consciences are now independent of God due to their 1st disobedience.

But have no fear; God will make the reconnection by the Paraclete.

Yes they gained that knowledge, but at the cost of sinning against God. Much like learning how steal or commit adultery secretly, you get that 'wisdom', but are you better for it......hmmm....

 

[Lambano]

What was wrong with Adam and Eve knowing good and evil?​

And boy, do we know evil now! (Here's where Dr. Phil asks, "So, how's that working for you?")

But do we know good?

 

[Stumpmaster]

But do we know good

Adam and Eve knew they had acted contrary to the Will of God, and the Bible provides instruction in righteousness so we too can know what the Will of God is unless we suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

Heb 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

 

[Aunty Jane]

There is a question that need answering....

Why was "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" in the garden in the first place?
Because the humans had free will and God had claimed that tree as his own property. In order to take of its fruit, they had to steal from their rightful Sovereign and bring upon themselves the stated penalty.

It was a simple test of their respect for God's property and represented his rightful Sovereignty over them.

There was no valid reason to take this fruit, because all the fruit trees in the garden had been freely and generously given to them. Only when the devil lied to Eve about the penalty and the fact that she could expect something beneficial to come from it, was there a real temptation......appealing to selfishness, she succumbed, but the Bible said she alone was "deceived"( 1 Tim 2:13-14)....but Adam was not deceived, making his sin worse than hers. His was willful and deliberate, knowing full well that he was disobeying his Creator...but he did not want to lose his wife.

Sin was said to come into the world, NOT by the woman, but by the man, (Rom 5:12) because his decision to join her in rebellion changed the course of human history.

Had he not eaten of the fruit, Eve would have paid the penalty for breaking God's law, and Adam would have preserved his own life. More than likely, God would have used Eve's example to teach us the value of obedience, and God may well have provided another mate for Adam....but we would not have had to endure the life that resulted from Adam's decision to join his disobedient wife. All of their children inherited the imperfection that resulted from their actions....the unavoidable propensity to lean towards sinful behavior.

The tree of life that would have preserved their lives forever on earth in mortal flesh, was now off limits....these are not mentioned again until Revelation, and the restoration of God's first purpose.

 

[Ronald Nolette]

According to God, Genesis 2:


This is not just knowledge but knowledge of good and evil, i.e., knowledge of morality. Before the fall, everything was good according to their conscience provided by God alone. By definition, they could not think of a bad thought.

What was wrong with Adam and Eve knowing good and evil?

God did not want man to have this ability to decide on his own independently what was good and evil apart from God's standard. But the serpent had other ideas. It tempted Eve in Genesis 3:


Right, they would be like God, having this ability to decide morality. However, their standard is not the same as God's.

The Hebrew word for "knowing" is H3045. It is a common word that appears 942 times.

Brown-Driver-Briggs:


Adam and Eve would experience good and evil if they ate.

According to Eve:


for obtaining wisdom,
Strong's 7919: To be, circumspect, intelligent

By eating, Adam and Eve would acquire their own abilities to decide what is good or bad, apart from God. And it happened right away:


At this point, they thought that it was bad to be naked which they didn't think about before they ate. Their consciences are now independent of God due to their 1st disobedience.

But have no fear; God will make the reconnection by the Paraclete.

Well yours is noice philosophical reasoning on this verse, but is not quite correct. Asam and Eve had knowledge of good and evil for they were given positive and negative commands from God.

When one does an in depth Hebrew study of this passage it was not if you ate it you would know good from evil, but one would decide for themself what isa good and evil.

This is further brought out by Gods declaration at the end of chptr 3 when the Trinity dewclared that man had become like them- deciding what is good and what is evil.

 

[TonyChanYT]

Well yours is noice philosophical reasoning on this verse

What exactly? Can you quote my words?

 

[O'Darby]

According to God, Genesis 2:


This is not just knowledge but knowledge of good and evil, i.e., knowledge of morality. Before the fall, everything was good according to their conscience provided by God alone. By definition, they could not think of a bad thought.

What was wrong with Adam and Eve knowing good and evil?

God did not want man to have this ability to decide on his own independently what was good and evil apart from God's standard. But the serpent had other ideas. It tempted Eve in Genesis 3:


Right, they would be like God, having this ability to decide morality. However, their standard is not the same as God's.

The Hebrew word for "knowing" is H3045. It is a common word that appears 942 times.

Brown-Driver-Briggs:


Adam and Eve would experience good and evil if they ate.

According to Eve:


for obtaining wisdom,
Strong's 7919: To be, circumspect, intelligent

By eating, Adam and Eve would acquire their own abilities to decide what is good or bad, apart from God. And it happened right away:


At this point, they thought that it was bad to be naked which they didn't think about before they ate. Their consciences are now independent of God due to their 1st disobedience.

But have no fear; God will make the reconnection by the Paraclete.

These simplistic attempts to explain the Genesis account almost make a mockery of it. If God was so concerned about Adam and Eve knowing good and evil, why did He put the tree in the garden in the first place and allow a supernaturally wily and evil serpent to beguile them into eating the fruit? Rather poor planning on God's part, it would seem.

In your analysis, which is pretty much the antithesis of Christianity, God wanted obedient robots (which again raises the question posed in my first paragraph above).

Would God's plan - from before the creation, mind you - to glorify Himself in Christ have been necessary or have ever come to fruition if humans had remained obedient robots? Uh, no. Clearly, God intended for humans to have free will - as is shown by the very fact Adam and Eve exercised their free will to disobey Him even before they knew the difference between good and evil.

The very first human couple, living in an earthly paradise, couldn't obey the simplest divine command. That's the point of the account. This is what it is to be human. The knowledge of good and evil is how we are able to understand the evil within ourselves and appreciate God's goodness. The Fall, as much as salvation in Christ, was God's plan from before the creation.

Your analysis is simply nonsense.

 

[Behold]

God did not want man to have this ability to decide on his own independently

You are teaching nonsense again.

Listen, the fact that God told Adam and Eve to "not eat that"... proves they already had the ability to have independent thought, or they would not have DECIDED to do it.
Had they no capacity for independent thought, then God would never had offered them the CHOICE to prove their loyalty and obedience and love.

See, Free will, IS Independent thought., and they took their free will and made a CHOICE to disobey.

So, having their "eyes opened" was not the issue.
The issue was...."obedience, loyalty, and love". or "bite the apple and do as thou wilt".

CHOICE is "independent Thought"., and Adam and Eve certainly had it.

 

[Ziggy]

Covetousness.

And when Eve saw...Lust.
God knows what is in the hearts.
They needed to be tested to see if they would listen to him or listen to their own desires.

No different then when Jesus was in the wilderness and was tempted by the devil.
Adam failed, Jesus overcome.
Did Jesus know good and evil? How can you have right judgement if you don't ?
This is good this is not good.
Did Adam know good and evil?
God gave Adam the authority to rule the world and all that's in it.
And God gave all the animals to Adam to name and it was good.
God gave Adam a wife and he named her Woman and God saw everything was good.
So Adam knew good. But did he know evil?

You can't know what sin is until it is manifested. Or your not aware it is sin until it's acted upon.
There is this small matter of trust. Adam trusted in himself more than he did God.
He trusted in his wife more than he did God. He trusted in his own knowledge more than God's .

What was the clincher? The fact it looked good, tasted good, would make them wise, or make them like God?
God already gave them everything, what more did they want?
They wanted to rule God's kingdom.

Covetousness. Wanting something that doesn't belong to you.
And once they ate of it, they knew because what was in their heart manifested itself by stealing and then lying about it.

And when the commandment came... Thou shalt not eat,
Paul hit the nail on the head:

Rom 7:7
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
Rom 7:8
But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
Rom 7:9
For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
Rom 7:10
And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. (Thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day ye eat, ye shall die)
Rom 7:11
For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. (The serpent)
Rom 7:12
Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
Rom 7:13
Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. (And they hid themselves and made coverings for themselves) .

Covetousness.

Hugs

 

[Aunty Jane]

Would God's plan - from before the creation, mind you - to glorify Himself in Christ have been necessary or have ever come to fruition if humans had remained obedient robots? Uh, no. Clearly, God intended for humans to have free will - as is shown by the very fact Adam and Eve exercised their free will to disobey Him even before they knew the difference between good and evil.

You raise a point that has been disputed by some...."from before creation" is not actually what the Bible says....
Peter’s statement that Christ, as the sacrificial Lamb of God, was “foreknown before the founding [form of Greek ka·ta·bo·leʹ] of the world [koʹsmou]” is construed by advocates of predestination to mean that God exercised his foreknowledge before mankind’s creation, (1 Peter 1:19-20) but that raises questions about God's love for his human children.....did he really plan all this misery, or was it a natural, well reasoned response to the free willed choices of the original three rebels?

Reading through the Genesis account, we see that God "acted" only once....and that was in bringing creation itself into existence, with all that it encompassed.
After that his "rest" period was spent dealing with the decisions made by his free willed children and "reacting" to those decisions.

There is evidence in the scriptures that the creative days were not 24 hour periods, but ages of time that God spent in his creative works. The Bible does not paint God as a magician.....but as one who carefully planned all his actions in advance and had strategies for all contingencies in place regarding the choices made by his children, both in heaven and on earth.
Being prepared for where their free willed decisions may lead, allowed him to implement a response to them when needed without interfering in their choices.

The Greek word ka·ta·bo·leʹ, translated “founding,” literally means “a throwing down” and can refer to the ‘conceiving of seed,’ as at Hebrews 11:11. While there was “the founding” of the world of mankind when God created the first human pair, as is shown at Hebrews 4:3-4, that pair thereafter forfeited their position as children of God. (Gen 3:22-24; Rom 5:12)

The very first human couple, living in an earthly paradise, couldn't obey the simplest divine command. That's the point of the account. This is what it is to be human. The knowledge of good and evil is how we are able to understand the evil within ourselves and appreciate God's goodness. The Fall, as much as salvation in Christ, was God's plan from before the creation.

I don't see that demonstrated in the Bible account....if it was not to be left up to the humans to decide what was good and what was bad, then that was God telling them that he had that well in hand...they did not need to worry about good and bad as long as they obeyed him .....as the ultimate parent, he would always see good things directed to them, and any bad thing would be deflected away from them.

The TKGE in the middle of the garden was not of itself poison...it was a symbol of God's absolute sovereignty over them. Had they obeyed their Creator, satan would never have made it to first base.....obedience may have meant that the first rebel would have been punished (perhaps behind the scenes) but the humans would have demonstrated their love and loyalty to the one who gave them life, and all the good things to go with it. That life would have continued forever and the children born to them would never have inherited sin.

God's first purpose was to have sinless humans, made in his image, to take care of his earthly creation and love it as he would. If all had gone to plan, it would have meant that by now, the whole world would have resembled the garden of Eden.
The humans could not be told how bad it would be if evil entered their lives......they had to be shown.....it what they chose.

This is what God's kingdom restores to redeemed humankind.....we get back all that Adam's sin took away.....thanks to the sacrifice of God's son.....everlasting life in a beautiful paradise earth, free from wickedness and all who practice it....loving life...the planet...its amazing creatures.....and each other. Who could ask for more?

 

[O'Darby]

You raise a point that has been disputed by some...."from before creation" is not actually what the Bible says....
Peter’s statement that Christ, as the sacrificial Lamb of God, was “foreknown before the founding [form of Greek ka·ta·bo·leʹ] of the world [koʹsmou]” is construed by advocates of predestination to mean that God exercised his foreknowledge before mankind’s creation, (1 Peter 1:19-20) but that raises questions about God's love for his human children.....did he really plan all this misery, or was it a natural, well reasoned response to the free willed choices of the original three rebels?

Reading through the Genesis account, we see that God "acted" only once....and that was in bringing creation itself into existence, with all that it encompassed.
After that his "rest" period was spent dealing with the decisions made by his free willed children and "reacting" to those decisions.

There is evidence in the scriptures that the creative days were not 24 hour periods, but ages of time that God spent in his creative works. The Bible does not paint God as a magician.....but as one who carefully planned all his actions in advance and had strategies for all contingencies in place regarding the choices made by his children, both in heaven and on earth.
Being prepared for where their free willed decisions may lead, allowed him to implement a response to them when needed without interfering in their choices.

The Greek word ka·ta·bo·leʹ, translated “founding,” literally means “a throwing down” and can refer to the ‘conceiving of seed,’ as at Hebrews 11:11. While there was “the founding” of the world of mankind when God created the first human pair, as is shown at Hebrews 4:3-4, that pair thereafter forfeited their position as children of God. (Gen 3:22-24; Rom 5:12)

I don't see that demonstrated in the Bible account....if it was not to be left up to the humans to decide what was good and what was bad, then that was God telling them that he had that well in hand...they did not need to worry about good and bad as long as they obeyed him .....as the ultimate parent, he would always see good things directed to them, and any bad thing would be deflected away from them.

The TKGE in the middle of the garden was not of itself poison...it was a symbol of God's absolute sovereignty over them. Had they obeyed their Creator, satan would never have made it to first base.....obedience may have meant that the first rebel would have been punished (perhaps behind the scenes) but the humans would have demonstrated their love and loyalty to the one who gave them life, and all the good things to go with it. That life would have continued forever and the children born to them would never have inherited sin.

God's first purpose was to have sinless humans, made in his image, to take care of his earthly creation and love it as he would. If all had gone to plan, it would have meant that by now, the whole world would have resembled the garden of Eden.
The humans could not be told how bad it would be if evil entered their lives......they had to be shown.....it what they chose.

This is what God's kingdom restores to redeemed humankind.....we get back all that Adam's sin took away.....thanks to the sacrifice of God's son.....everlasting life in a beautiful paradise earth, free from wickedness and all who practice it....loving life...the planet...its amazing creatures.....and each other. Who could ask for more?

The Genesis account can be read woodenly and literally, as though it were a newspaper account of "what really happened," whereupon one is forced into a fundamentally nonsensical perspective such as that of the OP. Even from a simplistic understanding such as this, one can derive the essential points that Evil exists, we are susceptible to it, and when we succumb we become estranged from God. When we move beyond this into what the Genesis account may be "trying to tell us" in broader terms, more diverse perspectives become possible.

If God's purpose and hope was to have sinless humans, God was Rather Stoopid. No matter how one reads the Genesis account, the humans were given free will and placed in an environment where they would be exposed to Evil - and, indeed, supernatural Evil. If God thought humans with free will would forever remain sinless in these circumstances, God was a first-magnitude Pollyanna. Bingo, the very first humans blew God's plan right off the bat. I don't find this even vaguely believable.

God, of course, defines Good and Evil. At least in Christian thought, Good and Evil aren't illusory. They actually exist. In the Genesis account, Adam and Eve don't get to define for themselves what is Good and what is Evil - they encounter Evil and succumb to it. They encounter Evil because God allows it.

What is believable, and what I believe the Genesis account is expressing is: God intended to create beings with genuine free will who would be capable of genuine communion with Him. Genuine communion with Him requires an understanding of Good and Evil and an appreciation of why God's Goodness (Holiness) is superior and desirable. Hence, Evil had to be allowed in God's creation. Because God is neither Rather Stoopid nor a Pollyanna, He knew that vast numbers of humans (indeed, all of them) would exercise their free will to one degree or another in such a manner as to estrange them from His perfect holiness. Hence, before the creation He implemented a plan - salvation in Christ - that would both glorify Himself and enable fallen humans eventually to enter into His kingdom and enjoy eternal communion with Him.

Any understanding of the Genesis account that sees the wily serpent (whom the Jews didn't equate to Satan, but that's a different issue) as somehow frustrating God's hope for innocent, obedient humans and the Fall as a surprise and disappointment to God strikes me as completely missing the point. But I understand that others' mileage may, and does, vary.