Two trees, one choice: Life or Death

Two trees in the Garden of Eden

When most people think of the Garden of Eden, they focus on Adam and Eve eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But if you actually read the story you’ll notice that two trees stood at the center of the garden: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life.

The Tree of Life represented communion with God — a life sustained by His presence, living in dependence on Him. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil symbolized something very different — a picture of independence, where man could seek wisdom apart from God.

The issue was never whether Adam and Eve would know good and evil. God Himself wanted to teach them. The question was: Would they know it in fellowship with Him, or would they seek it apart from Him? — and that same choice still confronts us.

When we chase knowledge apart from relationship with God, it might develop our intellect, but it can not give us live. Jesus said it bluntly:

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me. Yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life.” — John 5:39–40

The Pharisees mastered the theology, but missed the Person. They craved knowledge about God — not to glorify Him, but to elevate themselves. Their pursuit of truth became a pursuit of status. They sought information, but showed no interest in relationship.

We might criticize the Pharisees, but many do the same today. They chase theology degrees and religious titles, not to deepen intimacy with God, but to boost their own recognition. Their knowledge becomes a badge of glory and they feast on the tree of knowledge while remaining distant from the Source of life.

Paul offered a blunt warning: “... the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor 3:6). The new covenant we live under isn’t a system of theological creeds or rule-keeping. It’s a relationship brought to life and empowered by the Spirit. As Paul puts it, we are made “ministers of a new covenant — not of the letter but of the Spirit.”

Knowledge without the Spirit becomes like a sterilizer — it wipes out what’s living and leaves behind something that may look clean, but is lifeless. Truth, when severed from relationship, can pose as wisdom. But it doesn’t heal, transform or give life — it only inflates the ego, eventually leading to spiritual death.

But the Tree of Life still stands — and that Tree is Christ. He is the vine; we are the branches. When we remain connected to Him, we draw life that produces real fruit — not performance, not image, but substance. Our lives begin to carry His truth in a way that transforms us and impacts others. People might even mistake us for wise, but we know better: it’s His life, not ours, showing up in our character.

This is wisdom — not born out of striving, but of connection — truth that reshapes us from the inside out.

Every day, the two trees still stand before us. One offers knowledge — polished, intellectual, and impressive — but detached from God. The other invites surrender. To the ego, it can feel like death. But in reality, it offers something far greater: wisdom that is pure, holy, transforming and life-giving.