In Genesis 3:22, after Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.” This statement provides insight into why it was wrong for Adam and Eve to gain this knowledge prematurely.
Here are several reasons why it was wrong for Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit and gain knowledge of good and evil:
- It was direct disobedience to God’s clear command. God had told Adam “you may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat” (Genesis 2:16-17). By eating the fruit, Adam and Eve deliberately disobeyed God’s directive.
- It demonstrated a lack of trust in God. The serpent convinced Eve to eat by making her question God’s motives – “Did God actually say?” (Genesis 3:1). This revealed a willingness to distrust God’s word and wisdom.
- It sought wisdom apart from God. Rather than waiting on God’s timing and provision, they took matters into their own hands. Proverbs reminds us that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).
- It led to sin and depravity. With knowledge of evil came the corruption of sin. Paul wrote that “by one man sin entered the world” (Romans 5:12). Their choice plunged mankind into spiritual darkness and separation from God.
- It sought equality with God. God said the man had “become like one of us in knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:22). In seeking wisdom only God possessed, they were grasping at equality with their Creator.
- It led to death. God warned Adam “in the day that you eat of [the tree] you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). The knowledge of good and evil came at the great cost of spiritual and physical death.
- It damaged the created order. As a result of their sin, the ground itself was cursed (Genesis 3:17) and relationships were ruptured (Genesis 3:16). All of creation suffered corruption because of their act of disobedience.
In summary, God alone has the wisdom to determine what is good and evil. By seeking autonomous wisdom apart from dependence on God, Adam and Eve’s choice was a rejection of God’s sovereignty and an elevation of themselves to the position of God. This act of defiant disobedience marred humanity’s relationship with God, damaged all of creation, and brought sin and death into the world.
1. It was a direct act of disobedience
In Genesis 2:16-17, God gave a clear prohibition regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” When tempted by the serpent, Eve acknowledged this command, saying “God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die’” (Genesis 3:3). Yet despite understanding God’s directive, Adam and Eve chose to directly defy it by eating the forbidden fruit.
God, as Creator, had the right to impose limitations on His creatures for their protection and benefit. But Adam and Eve, tempted by the prospect of making their own decisions apart from God’s direction, willfully disobeyed. Their choice was an assertion of human autonomy over divine authority. It was a defiant act with dire consequences, as their rebellion introduced sin into the world.
2. It demonstrated a lack of trust in God
When encouraging Eve to eat the fruit, the serpent sowed seeds of doubt by questioning God’s command and motives: “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’? …For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:1,5).
By entertaining these challenges to God’s word and wisdom, Eve showed she did not fully trust God’s prohibition was for their benefit. The fact that Adam joined her in eating the fruit revealed he did not trust God’s goodness either. They allowed the serpent to trick them into questioning God’s trustworthiness rather than clinging to faith in their Creator. Their lack of trust led them to act in disobedience.
3. It sought wisdom apart from God
A key temptation offered by the serpent was that the forbidden fruit would make Adam and Eve wise like God (Genesis 3:5). But this was a shortcut to wisdom apart from dependence on God. Rather than waiting for God’s provision, they took matters into their own hands to obtain knowledge reserved only for the Creator.
Proverbs 9:10 states that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” True wisdom begins with reverence for God. By seeking enlightenment apart from submission to their Maker, Adam and Eve revealed a lack of fear of the Lord. Their choice implied that God was withholding something good from them, leading them to pursue wisdom without Him.
4. It led to sin and depravity
With knowledge of good and evil came the sad reality of humanity’s capacity for sin. Romans 5:12 tells us that “sin came into the world through one man” – Adam. When Adam and Eve grasped the concept of evil without the holy character of God to temper it, their nature became corrupted by sin. This spiritual fall darkened their understanding and bent the human heart toward evil.
Isaiah 59:2 conveys that “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.” No longer walking in innocence, Adam and Eve’s relationship with God was ruptured. Their choice to know evil made evil a reality in their hearts. What was meant to impart wisdom led only to the bondage of sin and wickedness.
5. It sought equality with God
A key phrase in Genesis 3:22 provides insight into the deeper sin of Adam and Eve: “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.” The “us” refers to the triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. By grasping after understanding only God possessed, the man and woman were essentially elevating themselves to the status of God in defining morality.
This prideful pursuit of equality with God demonstrated a lack of reverence for the divine. The Creator alone has the power to determine good and evil. By taking this knowledge upon themselves, Adam and Eve tried to supplant God’s sovereignty with their own. This futile attempt to be like God only plunged them into the bondage of sin’s deception.
6. It led to death
When giving instruction about the tree of knowledge, God clearly warned Adam: “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). This emphatic statement indicated that death would be the immediate consequence of disobedience. Spiritually, Adam and Eve experienced immediate separation from God. Physically, their death sentence was carried out as they were eventually banished from Eden and barred from the tree of life (Genesis 3:22-24).
Their pursuit of autonomous wisdom apart from God came at a high price. What began with mistrust of God’s word ended in the calamity of mankind’s mortality. As Paul wrote in Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death.” The tragic result of Adam and Eve’s sin was death for all humanity.
7. It damaged the created order
Not only did Adam and Eve’s actions bring dire consequences upon themselves, it also had a corrupting influence on the whole of creation. As part of the curse pronounced upon the man, God said to Adam “cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17). The very soil itself was corrupted because of Adam’s choice.
The consequences of the Fall extended to the relationships between man and woman as well. Pain and conflict corrupted what was designed to most reflect God’s image on Earth (Genesis 1:26-27). All of the created order suffered damage because of the first couple’s sin.
Adam and Eve’s actions could not be isolated. When they grasped after forbidden wisdom, it unleashed sin, death, and brokenness. This first sin revealed that no part of creation can escape the corrupting influence of evil.
Conclusion
In summary, God alone possesses perfect wisdom and knowledge of good and evil. By prohibiting Adam and Eve from the tree of knowledge, He was protecting them from the burden of moral comprehension they were not yet ready for. But by seeking wisdom apart from God, they asserted their own autonomy, lacked trust in their Creator, and sought equality with Him. This first act of defiant disobedience had dire consequences for all humanity as it let sin, death, and corruption into the world.
The account of the Fall in Genesis 3 stands as a sobering reminder that true wisdom begins with fear of the Lord and obedience to His commands. As finite creatures, we must cling to God’s provision of righteousness rather than grasp at moral autonomy for ourselves. May this tragic example of Adam and Eve humble us to walk in reverent trust of our Maker.