The tree of life

Is there the tree of life? Did this tree ever exist, representing the secrets of a long and happy life? If so, what happened to him? Will we see it again ? 

The Tree of Life! What a poetic, almost romantic name for a tree! Challenge the imagination and evokes wonderful images of energy, health, bright future and good times.

But the skeptic will soon say: there is simply no such thing!

In search of a tree

Most of us are familiar with the term of the tree of life, since it is mentioned in the first chapters of the book of Genesis. We associate him with Adam and Eve and their sin that separated them from God.

What we may not know is that this tree is mentioned in other passages of the Bible and from there we can draw conclusions about the value of the tree and its properties. Could it be possible for us to make better decisions if we understood what Adam rejected?

The garden of Eden

First, let's look at the first mention made of the tree of life in the garden of Eden. We read that God planted a garden and filled it with a variety of plants to meet the needs of man. "Every tree delicious to look at, and good to eat" (Genesis 2: 8-9).

Then we read: "... also the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (v. 9).

The Bible does not say that these trees did not produce fruits that could be used as food. In fact, we later find in Eva's reasoning about the tree of the science of good and evil that: "the tree was good to eat, and that it was pleasing to the eyes, and a covetable tree to attain wisdom" (3 : 6).

We can easily see that these two trees were fruit trees. However, they were especially important for our first parents and for the future of humanity. In fact, Adam's decision to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree has had a great impact on our current world.

The purpose of the two trees

What was the purpose of these two trees? Why did they have such a special connotation that Adam and Eve received specific instructions about their use?

Let's see: “And the Eternal God sent man, saying: From every tree in the garden you can eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you will not eat; because the day you eat of him, you will surely die ”(Genesis 2: 16-17).

It is clear that this was the only forbidden tree, or what is commonly known as the forbidden fruit. The tree that gave life, in contrast, was available and could be eaten from it.

It must be clear, then, that evil was not in the fruit, but in the decision to eat it, contrary to God's clear command: "You shall not eat."

God put Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, knowing in advance that Satan, the "god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4: 4), would try to gain influence and control over them. God wanted them to remain faithful and loyal to Him, so that they could give all kinds of good things, including eternal life if they accepted that He ruled over them. His intention was to take them to be part of their spiritual family in due time. 

He gave them the opportunity to choose between the tree of life and the tree of science of good and evil. Can we see that these two trees represented a choice between obeying God's commandments and ignoring God's authority, in order to follow the false goal the devil offered them?

By rejecting God's instructions and taking from the wrong tree, they surrendered their destiny to Satan and were excluded from God's protection and provision. Simply put, they chose the way of life of Satan, which is the opposite of God's way.

Choice between life and death

A brief review of the Scriptures shows that “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3.4), that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) and that “There is a way that man seems right, but its end is the way of death ”(Proverbs 14:12).

When God commanded Adam not to take from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, He was showing him what decision he should make. God wanted me to choose life, not death.

Later, when God brought Israel out of Egypt, he gave him a similar option: "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse: choose life then, so that you and your descendants may live" ( Deuteronomy 30:19).

The death tree?

Why did God call one of these trees the tree of the science of good and evil, instead of simply calling it the tree of death? Obviously it was the opposite of the tree of life.

However, the use of names shows us how God thinks and how he works with humanity. He gives all men the opportunity to decide who they will obey, Satan or God. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit in defiance of God's order and warning, they declared themselves independent of God and his law. They proclaimed with their actions that they would decide for themselves what is good and what is bad.

It is evident that the tree had no knowledge. Instead, his act of eating was the decision to trust themselves, although in reality they were becoming slaves of Satan the devil.

Adam and Eve accepted Satan's lies and his influence. Apparently, they believed that God was hiding something from them. If however the act's cut them and their descendants of God, the only source of true knowledge and wisdom. The long-term result was the proliferation of sin and death.

Later in the sordid history of man, the wise King Solomon, inspired by God himself, again expressed the decision that man has had ahead, throughout his history. He tells us: “Trust the Eternal with all your heart, and do not rely on your own prudence. Recognize him in all your ways, and he will straighten your paths. Do not be wise in your own opinion; fear the Eternal, and turn away from evil ”(Proverbs 3: 5-7).

The key to living a successful life is to seek in our Creator the guidance and strength to live according to his will. The tree of life surely represented the law of God and His Holy Spirit, of which Jesus said: "He will guide you to all the truth" (John 16:13). How many of us today are rejecting the wisdom of God and depend on our own understanding just as Adam and Eve did?

Let's revisit the two trees

A question that arises naturally is: "What would have happened if Adam and Eve had taken from the other tree?" Again, the Bible gives us the answer. Jesus Christ, the son of God, who came to save man from sin, made very strong statements about our decisions. He said: “It is the spirit that gives life; the meat profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life ”(John 6:63).

Here, the commandments of Christ and his Spirit are shown as the source of life. Can't we conclude later that they are represented in the tree of life?

Jesus also said: "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14: 6). In other words, the tree of life would include the words of Christ, which are true and lead to life. If Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree of life, they would have guaranteed the true knowledge of good and evil and would trust God to teach them how they should live.

One of the deepest lessons Jesus taught was during his confrontation with the devil in the desert. He vehemently defended the reason why he did not want to compromise for any reason: "Man will not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4: 4).

The future

Will this tree of life appear again, from which man was cut? The book of Revelation has prophecies about the end times. Point out the presence of the tree of life among those righteous who surrender to God's authority.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will feed him from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. ”

In the final chapter of the Bible he says: "Blessed are those who wash their clothes, to have the right to the tree of life and to enter through the gates into the city" (Revelation 22:11).

The tree of life never died. Humanity was cut from the tree because it chose the other and could not take from both.

Knowledge and the Spirit represented by the tree of life are available to us today in the words and power of Jesus Christ.

Will you make the same mistake our ancestors made over the centuries and choose the tree of science of good and evil? Or will you investigate about the tree of life to eat from it, so that you can have eternal life? To do so, he must ask God to reveal his ways and commit to follow them when He does.  

The decision is yours. Choose life!