Sweet and Bitter, Choosing the Tree of Life

2 Nephi 2:15 - "And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter."

President John Taylor - "It is necessary there should be opposing principles, light and darkness, truth and error, virtue and vice, good and evil, etc. It is necessary that man should go through a state of probation and trial, that he should have the opportunity of receiving or rejecting correct principles, or the Gospel of the Son of God. And it is a further development to us, that if men have not had this opportunity upon the earth, they will still have it. There is a further principle exhibited here in relation to this matter. Those very men who rejected the Gospel in their day were visited by Jesus after He was put to death in the flesh and was quickened by the Spirit; He went, we are told, and preached to those spirits in prison who had been disobedient in the days of Noah. And connected with that there is another principle; it is to place all mankind on the same footing, that all men of every age and nation may have the same privilege. And we are informed they will have. And hence, the Gospel is an everlasting Gospel; the Priesthood is an everlasting Priesthood; the work in which we are engaged commenced with our Father in heaven, it has been revealed from time to time to man upon the earth, and it will continue in all its power, fullness and glory in the eternal worlds, until all things that God has designed pertaining to the welfare and exaltation of the human family will be accomplished."

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Welcome to Seek This Jesus, a daily podcast dedicated to drawing closer to the Savior through the powerful truths found in the Book of Mormon. Each episode, we focus on one verse that helps us walk more faithfully in his footsteps. In the Garden of Eden, God did not place Adam and Eve in a neutral environment. He placed them in a setting of choice. Two trees stood as symbols of two paths. As we study this verse today along with teachings from President John Taylor, we will consider why opposition is necessary and what it means for us to choose the sweet fruit of Jesus Christ over the bitterness of spiritual death. Second Nephi two fifteen teaches and to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition, even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life, the one being sweet and the other bitter. Opposition was not an accident. It was not a flaw in the plan, it was required to bring about his eternal purposes. Before Adam and Eve could grow there had to be a real choice. Before we can become, we must choose, and before we can choose there must be opposing options. President John Taylor explained It is necessary there should be opposing principles light and darkness, truth and error, virtue and vice, good and evil, etc. It is necessary that man should go through a state of probation and trial, that he should have the opportunity of receiving or rejecting correct principles, or the gospel of the Son of God. And it is a further development to us that if men have not had this opportunity upon the earth, they will still have it. There is a further principle exhibited here in relationship to this matter. Those very men who rejected the gospel in their day were visited by Jesus after he was put to death in the flesh, and was quickened by the Spirit. He went, we are told, and preached to those spirits in prison who had been disobedient in the days of Noah, and connected with that there is another principle. It is to place all mankind on the same footing, that all men of every age and nation may have the same privilege, and we are informed they will have, and hence the gospel is an everlasting gospel. The priesthood is an everlasting priesthood. The work in which we are engaged commenced with our Father in heaven, it has been revealed from time to time to man upon the earth, and it will continue in all its power, fullness, and glory in the eternal worlds until all things that God has designed pertaining to the welfare and exaltation of the human family will be accomplished. That was a long quote. But it's a reminder, opposition places us in probation. It gives us opportunity, ensures fairness, it ensures agency, it ensures growth. Lehi describes the two fruits as the one being sweet and the other bitter. Interestingly, we know from Genesis that the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was described as pleasant to the eyes and good for food. It appeared desirable, it seemed delicious. So how can something taste good but be described as bitter? The bitterness may not always be in the first bite, it is often in the result. Think about Thanksgiving. The desserts are wonderful, each one tastes sweet. But if we overindulge, the next day, maybe even that night, we may feel bitter, we may feel sick, we may feel regret. The sweetness in the moment can lead to bitterness in the outcome. Satan works this way. He offers fruit that looks good, tastes good, feels good in the moment, but the long-term result is spiritual bitterness. Christ offers something that may require discipline, sacrifice, repentance, and humility in the moment that can feel uncomfortable. But the result is sweetness, peace, joy, eternal life. The two trees are symbolic of our life. We are constantly choosing. We either choose Jesus Christ, who represents the sweet fruit and eternal life, or we choose the adversary who represents the bitter fruit and spiritual death. Opposition is not comfortable. Trials are not enjoyable. Pain is not something we naturally welcome. But opposition is absolutely necessary. The adversary wants us to stay in those awful spaces, stuck in shame, stuck in anger, stuck in discouragement. He wants the bitter to remain bitter. However, Christ does something different. Through his atonement, he can take even terrible things, bitter things, things that feel marred or broken and transform them. He does not always remove the trial immediately. Instead, he invites us into partnership with him. In essence, he says, Now you have this opportunity through my atonement. We can take this painful thing and turn it into something purposeful. What Satan intends for bitterness, Christ can turn into growth. What feels like loss can become refinement. What feels like opposition can become elevation. Opposition becomes the very means of transformation. Every day we stand between two trees. The sweet fruit of Christ does not always look flashy. It often looks like scripture study when we are tired. It looks like repentance when pride would be easier. It looks like forgiveness when resentment feels justified. The bitter fruit often looks appealing in the moment. It may promise ease, pleasure, or validation, but the end is emptiness. Lehi teaches us that opposition must needs be. That means we should not be surprised by it. We should not resent it. Instead we should see it as evidence that we are in a probationary state designed for growth. The question is not whether opposition will exist. The question is which fruit will we choose? The presence of two trees in Eden was not a mistake. It was mercy, it was agency, it was opportunity. Opposition allows us to choose Christ. Opposition allows Christ to refine us. Opposition allows eternal purposes to be fulfilled. So here is today's challenge. Identify one current opposition in your life. Instead of asking why it exists or ask Christ how he can use it. Pray specifically for his help to transform that bitter experience into something purposeful. Then make one concrete choice this week that aligns you with the sweet fruit of the tree of life. Thank you for listening to Seek This Jesus. I hope this message helps you draw a little closer to the Savior, Jesus Christ. Please, don't let this podcast be your only scripture time today. I encourage you to open your scriptures because when you study God's Word personally, the Spirit will teach you things no podcast ever could. I invite you to come back tomorrow for another verse and message to help you keep focused on Jesus Christ. Until next time, keep seeking this Jesus.