God planted two trees in the Garden. The first tree offers us free will. The second tree offers us redemption through Jesus Christ. These two trees allow God's justice and love to intersect, so we can be Children of God with the authority to decide and create. #freewill
"The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2.9 NIV).
The Garden of Eden represents the presence of God and heaven. Adam and Eve lived protected in the Garden of God with everything they needed to live fully in His goodness and favor. But God added two more essentials elements to the Garden. These two things are the foundation of a perfect creation where both pillars of love and justice can meet (Psalm 85.10).
First, He planted the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2.15-17). This tree represents the gift of free will. God gives us the authority as sons and daughters to choose right from wrong. He did not create us to be non-thinking beings with no ability to decide. Once our actions step outside of God's protective will, though, our eyes will be opened to both good and evil and we cannot stay in the Garden of God because His Holy Standard has been broken. However, without the gift of free will, we would be unable to independently think, feel, decide or create. In essence, without free will, we could not love and be loved.
Obviously, with the gift of free will, we will make mistakes. We will sin. We will produce actions that are done outside of God's will. Because of God's great love, He formed a redemption plan from the beginning where His justice and love can intersect. The second thing God planted in the Garden was the Tree of Life (Revelation 22.1-4 NIV). The Tree of Life is the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Hero of the world sent to save it. He is the One Who forgives all of our sins committed outside of God's will. Through Jesus' Finished Work on the Cross, we don't have to leave the Garden. We can remain in His presence.
God created us out of His great love. And He knew we would make mistakes, cause pain and corrupt His perfect creation. But our sin could not stop God's love from creating His loved ones (2 Corinthians 6.18). God is love and He wants to share that love, so He willingly died to redeem our imperfections and give us His perfection (1 John 4.9-11). Jesus became the Tree of Life, so God's love and His justice could equally embrace each of us and His creation.
So now we know that we are not only loved, but we are redeemed. We have been given the gift of free will and the gift of reconciliation through the Cross. We can have a relationship with a perfect God and can live fully in His goodness in favor despite our mess-ups in life. But we have to accept this gift. We've eaten from the Tree of Knowledge, so now it's time to eat from the Tree of Life. Accept salvation through Jesus Christ, so you can walk confidently back into the Garden of God.
Be blessed, Loved ones.