CONTRADICTIONS? Did Adam and Eve Know of Evil Before That Apple Incident?

Skeptics often claim they refuse to believe in God because “the Bible is full of contradictions.” Is that true? Each of the “Contradictions?” series of HillFaith posts looks at one such example, presents the evidence, then asks you the reader to vote.

Scripture in question (Genesis 3:5, 22): “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil … Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever …”

Critics of the Bible often cite these two verses in the Creation Account of Genesis as evidence that, while the Bible claims Adam and Eve were innocent prior to the Fall, the reality is they had to know the difference between good and evil before the Fall, or otherwise, God punished them for doing something they didn’t know was evil.

As Eric Lyons of Apologetics Press points out, writing on page 44 of the first volume in his excellent three-volume “The Anvil Rings” analysis of alleged biblical contradictions, there are multiple ways in which all of us at one time or another use the word “know.” These meanings are all inter-related, but there are distinctions among them.

“The term ‘know’ (Hebrew yada, Green ginosko) or one of its derivatives (i.e. knew, known, etc.) is used in Scripture in a variety of ways. Several times it is used in reference to a man and a woman having sexual intercourse (Genesis 4:1, 17, 25; Judges 11:30; 19:25). Jesus used the term to refer to His regard for His sheep (i.e. people – John 10:27).

“In contrast to the way of the that will perish, the Psalmist wrote that God ‘knows’ (i.e. approves, takes delight in, etc.) the way of the righteous (Psalm 1:6). Paul used the term ‘know’ in Ephesians 3:19 in the sense of knowing ‘experientially what intellectually is beyond our powers knowing’ – the love of Christ. The fact is, the word ‘know’ has a variety of meanings.”

So when Genesis 1:31 explains that Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden and everything there was “very good,” they had the freedom to eat of all but one of the multiple fruits available there, the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16, 17). And they knew that they would die if they did eat that one forbidden fruit.

“However, it was not until after they ate of the forbidden fruit that they had actually ‘known’ (i.e. experienced) evil. Thus, in one sense Adam and Eve did know the difference between right and wrong, good and evil (they knew what they could and could not do) , but they did not know of good and evil experientially until after their disobedience,” Lyons explains.

Conclusion: One can “know” in one sense while not knowing it in another sense, therefore, Genesis does not contradict itself on whether Adam and Eve knew about good and evil before eating the forbidden fruit and God did not unjustly punish them for doing so.

What Do You Think? Are you persuaded or still skeptical? Tell us in the Comments.

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Is Congress a Hostile Mission Field?

You bet it is if you are talking about the 20,000 or so mostly young men and women who work as congressional aides for senators, representatives, congressional committees and congressional agencies. They do the daily work that makes Congress function, and that makes them one of the strongest but least visible influences actively shaping America’s laws.

Why are they a hostile mission field for a ministry like HillFaith that seeks to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Being deeply involved in politics, often from a young age, the typical Hill aide is also highly educated and intensely engaged on social media and discussions elsewhere on major issues facing America. Members of Congress depend upon them for trusted advice before voting in Congress.

The hostility among many of them results from their having graduated from Ivy League and other elite private schools where they imbibed many of the highly critical assumptions about religious faith in general and Christianity in particular, with a result they view the world from what amounts to an atheistic or agnostic perspective, or they consider themselves “spiritual” but with no need for the Gospel. They seek to impose the Woke agenda on all Americans whether or not they want it.

Does that kind of culture sound familiar? It should because it recalls the ancient world that confronted Paul and his fellow apostles, along with legions of other Christians, in taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth, just as Jesus commanded at Matthew 28:16-20.

They changed the world with the Gospel!

It can happen again, on Capitol Hill and in our time. It’s tough work, but HillFaith is having an impact. If you would like to help HillFaith restore America on the most powerful Hill on the face of the Earth, click here. Every dollar counts and is tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed under law.