Why did God put the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden?
God put the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden as a means of testing Adam and Eve's obedience. The tree itself was not wicked; it served as a simple test to see whether they would remain obedient to God's command, and they failed by eating from it, bringing sin upon the human race.
Les explains that God sovereignly set this in motion, placing Adam and Eve in the garden with one simple responsibility: not to eat of that one tree. He clarifies there was nothing wicked in the fruit itself; it was merely a means of testing whether they would remain obedient. Adam failed totally by eating, and as a result, a sovereign God declared that all his offspring would inherit the sin nature. This connects to Paul's teaching that the law is spiritual but he is carnal, sold under the Adamic nature.