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Articles
Tree of Life
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). It does not matter how many times a person reads this verse or quotes it from his memory - it still causes him to respond in awesome wonder of his God! Our God who created the expansive universe that surrounds us, in all of its magnitude, also created man and woman in His image. The Lord did not fill His creation with only inanimate objects of beauty and grandeur, but He willingly choose to create mankind. When God created man in His image, He gave to each of us freewill. This is the ability to either accept or deny Him as our Creator. It was this freewill that the serpent used against Adam and Eve to lure them away from the will of God.
From the very beginning, mankind has always been given the choice between good or evil. In the middle of the garden of Eden, the Lord placed two trees. The tree of life grew and produced fruit that would enable man to live forever (Genesis 3:22). Also in the garden was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which Adam was commanded by God – “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:16b-17). Adam and Eve were given the choice to partake of the tree of life and live, or to abandon God and partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and die! The decision may seem simple, but the mistake of Adam and Eve has been replicated by every man and woman who have ever lived. As the apostle Paul would write – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
The consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin was death. By their own freewill, they had abandoned the will of God. All of the goodness and beauty of God’s creation was corrupted and marred by the choice of Adam and Eve. We are no longer given access to the tree of life, but rather we live in a fallen creation where suffering, agony, and death ultimately confronts us all. God did not leave man without hope, but rather from the beginning He promised a Savior who would be the means of our salvation and life (Genesis 3:15).
The path to the tree of life may have been blocked by the cherubim, but the blessings of the tree can still be manifested in our lives. The book of Psalms begins with this promise –
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers (1:2-3).
The one who finds his delight in the law of the Lord is compared to a tree firmly planted by streams of water. The psalmist is not promising a long physical life, free from trial and suffering, but rather that through God’s Word we can prosper and gain access to life.
The relationship that had been severed because of our rebellion can be rectified through God’s Son, Jesus Christ. It is through His death, burial, and resurrection that we are given man’s greatest blessing – salvation from sin! The tree of life that had been lost can be found again, but where? The apostle John was given a glimpse into eternity in the book of Revelation. In one of his final visions John wrote –
1 Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations (22:1-2).
The tree of life is in heaven! If we are faithful unto death, then the Lord will give us access to the tree of life. Praise be to our God who despite our failures and sin, He has chosen to redeem, forgive, and save our wretched lives. The mistakes we have made can be washed away and access to eternal life has been given through His grace. Are you prepared to partake of the fruit of the tree of life?
