If God saw that all He made was Good; then wouldn’t the forbidden tree and its fruit be deemed “good” as well? This question is not often considered but a good one.
“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 Knowledge of good and evil” -Genesis 2:9.
“The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat of every tree in the garden; but you shall not ear of the knowledge of good and evil, for the day you eat of it, you will surely die” – Genesis 2:16-17.
“And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” -Genesis 1:31.
The Purpose of the Tree
The tree of knowledge of good and evil, referred to as the “forbidden tree,” was placed in the Garden of Eden, and was most likely on the sixth day. Its purpose appears to have been twofold. The first and most often considered purpose was to provide man with a choice: to love and serve God willingly or to rebel against Him and reject the one prohibition He had given them. The second purpose is less clear, but Genesis 2:9 points to a possible option. This verse describes all trees as being either pleasant to look at or good for food. While the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was certainly not good for Adan and Even because it would bring death, there it no indication than animals could not have eaten it. This is a small but significant detail. With this second purpose in mind, the popular view of the ‘forbidden tree” changes. It could have been described as good simply because it had a purpose.
The Source of Sin
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was not evil by nature. There was nothing wicked about the tree. To claim this would imply that God created something evil, which would contradict Genesis 1:31. The tree was not the source of sin; man was. God gave man a very clear command in Genesis 2:17. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good a evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
The command was simple: do not eat of that particular tree. The consequence was equally clear: if man are he would die. The fruit was not poisonous, as evidenced by the fact that Adam and Eve did not physically die they spiritually died. The tree was not the problem; man was the problem.
The tree did not contribute to man’s sinfulness beyond providing him with an opportunity to obey or disobey. Man was explicitly commanded not to eat from the tree, yet decided to do it anyway.
This can be compared to a parent telling a preschool-aged child not to put their hand on the stove burner. If the child does sim there are consequences for the child beyond the ristk of them getting burned. The stove is not evil. It still serving it’s intended purpose. The child was disobedient. It is still that way to today with all people. When people sin, there are consequences.
The Tree of Knowledge of good and evil was not bad because man used it to disobey God. God confirmed that in Genesis 3 when He issued the curse. There are circumstances for the serpent, the ground, Adam, and Even. However, God specifically said that the ground was cursed because of what Adam did – not because of some undesirable quality of the tree. (Genesis 3:17).
From Pity to Praise 