God placed the tree in the garden as a deliberate test—it gave Adam and Eve the one genuine alternative their free will needed in an otherwise perfect world.
Les Feldick teaches that God gave man free will from creation, and for that free will to function, Adam and Eve had to have a real choice (Clip 1). In a perfect garden where they had everything—no hunger, sickness, or discomfort—the only thing they could choose was whether to obey God's single prohibition (Clips 1, 4). The fruit itself was not inherently evil; it was a means of testing to see if they would remain obedient, and the only thing it offered them was what they did not yet have: to be like God (Clips 4, 1).
Genesis 2:16-17 — This is the command itself that created the one prohibition in Eden—the tree that made a genuine choice possible.
Genesis 3:6 — This verse shows what made the tree appealing: good food, beauty, and the promise of wisdom—the very things Les says Eve lacked.
Genesis 3:22 — God confirms that man had 'become as one of us' in knowing good and evil, and then guards the tree of life so he would not live forever in sin.
Genesis 2:8-9 records that God planted a garden eastward in Eden and placed the man there, making every tree grow that is 'pleasant to the sight, and good for food,' including the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the garden. Then in verses 16-17 God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.' The text gives no explicit statement of why that one tree was set apart—it simply records the command and the warning that created the alternative. Genesis 3:1-6 records the serpent's question and Eve's response, and then says, 'And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.' These are the three characteristics the text itself highlights: its provision, its beauty, and its promise of wisdom. After the fall, God declares in Genesis 3:22, 'Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil,' and then in verses 23-24 He drives the man out of the garden and places cherubims and a flaming sword to keep him from the tree of life, so that the man would not eat and 'live for ever' in his fallen state. The biblical record shows the tree's deliberate placement, the choice it presented, and the consequence of choosing wrongly—while the deeper purpose of the tree is the explanation Les Feldick provides from Scripture.
Les teaches that the tree was in the garden because a real choice demands a real alternative. As he puts it, 'There is only one way you can give a choice, and that is there has to be more than one option' (Clip 7). Adam and Eve lived in the most beautiful environment imaginable—never hungry, never uncomfortable, with no sickness, death, disease, insects, or thorns (Clips 1, 3). God's purpose in the tree was not to place a harmful object in paradise, but to give 'one simple responsibility' so He could test whether they would remain obedient; Les is explicit that 'there wasn't anything that wicked in the fruit' (Clip 4). Because the garden was perfect, the tempter had no environmental improvement to offer. Satan 'couldn't tempt Adam with a more beautiful wife, and he couldn't tempt Eve with a nicer husband.' The only thing Adam and Eve still did not have was to be like God—and that, Les notes, was also Satan's own downfall (Clip 1). Eve, though living in the beauty of paradise, was not satisfied; the tree appealed to her pride because eating it would make her wise like God (Clip 3). The free will God gave man from creation was activated by that choice. Adam then exercised it deliberately: the New Testament says he was not deceived, and knowing the consequences, 'he knowingly, of his own free will and choice, chose to stay with Eve' and ate (Clips 5, 6). Les also shows the same pattern will repeat after the Millennium, when Satan is released so new generations can make the same kind of choice (Clip 7). And after the fall, God drove the man out of the garden and guarded the tree of life so he would not live forever in a body of sin (Clip 2).
No, says Les. He teaches that 'there wasn't anything that wicked in the fruit'—the tree was not a dangerous or sinful object placed in paradise. God sovereignly gave Adam and Eve 'one simple responsibility that they not eat of that one tree,' and it was 'merely a means of testing to see if they could remain obedient' (Clip 4).
Les explains that because the garden environment was perfect, the adversary had no better circumstance to offer. He could not tempt Adam with a more beautiful wife or Eve with a nicer husband. The only thing left that Adam and Eve still did not have was to be like God (Clip 1). The tree appealed to Eve's pride because it was 'a tree to be desired to make one wise' (Clip 3), and Les expects Satan to use the same ploy on the new generations of the Kingdom: 'Well yes, you've got it perfect, but you're still not God' (Clip 7).
Yes. Les points out that the New Testament says Adam was not deceived—unlike Eve, he knew the ramifications of eating the forbidden fruit. Facing what Les calls a 'rock and a hard place,' Adam had to decide whether to lose fellowship with his Creator or lose his wife; he chose to join Eve and ate, in absolute violation of the Word of God (Clips 6, 5).
Les states the principle plainly: 'There is only one way you can give a choice, and that is there has to be more than one option.' The prohibition on the tree created the alternative that made obedience meaningful, and the same principle explains why Satan must be released after the Millennium—so generations raised in the perfect Kingdom still have the opportunity to choose God for themselves (Clips 7, 1).
After Adam sinned, God said the man had become as one of them, knowing good and evil, and then He drove the man out of the garden so he could not take of the tree of life and live forever (Genesis 3:22). Les teaches that living forever in a body of sin would have been awful, and so God placed cherubims and a flaming sword to guard the tree of life (Clip 2).
Genesis 2-3 Bible Study: How the Fall of Man Changed Everything
Eden to water the garden.'" Now I've got to stop a minute. Remember I made special note a week or two ago that with that beautiful climate, it never rained. And, of course, the Bible says up in verse 5 of chapter 2 that God had caused it not to rain, but He watered it from a mist that came from beneath. All right, now I've had someone interrupt me as we come to verse 10.
Free Will Needs a Choice
Les teaches that because the garden was completely perfect, the forbidden tree was the one thing that gave Adam and Eve an alternative—the only remaining option being to be like God—so their God-given free will could actually be exercised.
Barring the Way to the Tree of Life
Les points out that after the fall God drove the man from the garden and placed a flaming sword so that Adam could not eat from the tree of life and live forever in a body of sin—showing God's mercy in the aftermath of the test.
The Appeal of the Tree to Eve
Les shows how the tree functioned as the test: Eve had everything paradise could offer, yet the tree appealed to her pride because eating it promised wisdom—'to be as wise as God.'
The Tree as a Means of Testing
Les is explicit that the fruit was not inherently evil; God sovereignly gave Adam and Eve one simple responsibility—not to eat—as a means of testing their obedience.
Adam's Free-Will Choice
Les explains that Adam ate knowingly and of his own free will, choosing to stay with Eve rather than remain obedient alone, and so the whole human dilemma began.
Adam Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Les shows Adam was not deceived and had to choose between joining his wife and losing fellowship with his Creator—evidence that the tree presented a genuine, costly choice.
A Choice Must Have Two Options
Les states that a choice requires more than one option, and he sees the same pattern in the Millennium when Satan is released to tempt new generations with the idea, 'you can be like God.'
Genesis 2:16-17: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
This command created the one prohibition in the garden—the tree that made a genuine choice possible.
Genesis 3:6: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
This verse explains what Eve saw in the tree—good food, beauty, and the promise of wisdom—the elements Les says were the only things she lacked.
Genesis 3:22: And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
God confirms that man had become like Him in knowing good and evil, and then blocks access to the tree of life so fallen man would not live forever.
No. Les teaches that there was nothing wicked in the fruit itself. God used that one prohibited tree as a means of testing whether Adam and Eve would remain obedient to Him (Clip 4).
Because Adam and Eve had everything else. Les explains that Satan could not offer a better wife or a nicer husband, so the only thing left was to be like God—and that appeal to pride was also Satan's own downfall (Clips 1, 3).
Les says a choice requires more than one option. In a perfect environment with no lack, the forbidden tree was the one alternative that made obedience a real, voluntary choice rather than a mechanical response (Clips 1, 7).
Yes. Les points out that the New Testament says Adam was not deceived—he knew the consequences and deliberately chose to eat so he would not lose Eve (Clips 5, 6).
Watch the Teaching: Genesis 2-3 Bible Study: How the Fall of Man Changed Everything