There is a common sentiment that God is against “knowledge”. This is taken from the Fall of Man as narrated in the opening chapters of Genesis.
The premise of the argument is that knowledge is a good, and if God is against humanity eating from the “tree of knowledge of good and evil”, then God is a selfish tyrant who wants to withhold knowledge. Also, the implication is that the serpent (satan) is a champion of humanity for encouraging Eve to eat from the abovementioned tree.
This idea or sentiment is not new. This is somewhat reflected in Greek mythology such as Prometheus’s defiance of Zeus in giving fire to humanity and Pandora opening the pithos (which is a large jar and not a box). And whilst ancient pagan Greeks explored these themes in an imaginative and not necessarily unhealthy way, at least one version of first-century gnostics is more sinister, going as far as reversing the roles of God and satan as part of their anti-Christian campaign.
What Does “Knowledge” Mean?
Anyone who wants to do good—to be good—needs to know what good is. To a well-meaning individual, the knowledge of good and evil will seem good and necessary. And yet, according to the text in Genesis, God instructed otherwise regarding that tree.
The “knowledge of good and evil” can be considered in the below ways.
1. God was/is not against knowledge of good and evil intellectually but rather experientially. In other words, knowing good and evil is one thing, doing is another and don’t do the latter.
2. Humans have a conscience or the “law written in their hearts” (Romans 2:15) and in that sense already know good and evil.
3. Most pertinent to the issue is the description that satan gives to Eve about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From Genesis 3:4–5:
And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death. For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. [Emphasis mine.]
The emphasized fragment is key to understanding the conveniently vague statement by satan. When we “know” something, it is something that we obviously did not know previously. We perceive it, then process it.
God, however, is the omniscient creator. When He “knows” something about creation and its order, He knows it as the author, the one who is in authority.
Therefore, knowing good and evil “as Gods” means more than mere intellectual knowledge, it is putting oneself in the place of God who determines what is good and evil. This is one way to describe modern humanism (which is actually not modern after all), a philosophy that values the human intellect above all else, including God.
So, knowing good and evil is one thing, presuming to be God is another.
4. Another angle that is perhaps a sidebar but of no less importance is that the tree approved by God is the “tree of life”. Of course, any decent person would consider knowing the distinction between good and evil to be more important than life—after all, one can die for doing good or live for doing evil.
In philosophy, however, existence (life) is a good and non-existence (death) is not. God is the ultimate existence and infinitely good. He cannot cease to be. This is not an inability or a lack of power since non-existence is not a perfection. He created everything out of nothing and all existence (life) is dependent on Him. Therefore, it follows that a rejection of God, including His commands, leads to death.
In other words, it is as if a true appreciation of life must necessarily include appreciating the good and the true.
Conclusion
The serpent was at best trying to sell something we already have (2), or at worse selling something we cannot possibly have but the attempt thereof is an act of delusional pride (3). Also note that the serpent does not bring up the other two points (1 and 4) in the discussion other than trying to reassure Eve that she “shall not die”.
Suppose that we do not know the serpent’s true motive. Well, what has the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil brought to this world?
Granted, without divine revelation, it is impossible to know specifically what would have happened if Adam and Eve had not eaten said fruit. Nevertheless, one can still look around. The serpent’s suggested path has not fixed the world. Suffering and death are the norm.
The serpent, therefore, is incompetent at best or maliciously out to screw us at worse. Either way, he is a liar. It is called “false advertising”.
No, the fruit is not some red pill and satan is not humanity’s champion. Unfortunately, it is not a simple case of keeping the receipt and asking for a refund. One may return a purchased item if unused. Can’t return eaten fruit. When Pandora opened the jar, good things escaped from humanity’s grasp, leaving only Hope. In another version, evils escaped into the world and only Hope was reserved.
I suggest looking into what or who this Hope is if one hasn’t already.
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