Two Trees

    "And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”

    Among the many things created by God, there were two trees planted in the midst of the garden: “The Tree of Life” and “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.”

    Had Adam eaten of the Tree of Life, he would have lived forever (Gen. 3:22-24). We have no way of knowing what The Tree of Life was. God has not told us. But we do know what it symbolized. It symbolized the Lord Jesus Christ who is our life, from whom we have eternal life. Christ is to all who believe a Tree of Life planted in the midst of the paradise of God (Pro. 3:18; Rev. 2:7; 22:102). To trust the Lord Jesus Christ, to live by faith upon the merits of his blood atonement and his perfect righteousness, is to eat of the Tree of Life. The fruit of this Tree, the results of Christ’s obedience to God as the sinner’s Substitute, is eternal life. All who eat of the fruit of this Tree shall live forever.

    However, the Lord also placed another tree in the midst of the garden. It was “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” The moment that Adam ate of the fruit of that tree, he died. He died spiritually, was condemned to die eternally, and began to die physically. These things are recorded in the Book of God by the Holy Spirit for our learning and for our edification. There are several important, spiritual lessons to be learned by contrasting and comparing “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil” to the cursed tree upon which the Son of God was crucified. Read Acts 5:30 and 1 Peter 2:24.

    There are six obvious points of contrast between The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is as much to be learned from the disparity between the type and its fulfillment as there is from the comparison of the type and the antitype.

    1.The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was planted by God (Gen. 2:9); but the tree upon which Christ was crucified was made and set in its place by man (Matt. 27:33-35).

    It is true - Christ was delivered to death by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:23). God almighty fixed the time of his death, the means of his death, the place of his death, the object of his death, and the results of his death. But human hands devised and erected the cruel tree on Golgotha’s hill, stretched out the Lord of glory upon it, and crucified him. It is written, “And they crucified him!” The death of Christ was by the will, decree, purpose, and hand of God the Father; but the guilt of it lies entirely upon us. It was by the will, the hands, and the work of men that the incarnate God was nailed to the cursed tree.

    2. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was pleasant to the eyes (Gen. 3:6); but everything connected with the tree of the crucifixion was hideous, repugnant, and ignominious.

    Though it would be idolatrous to do so, were it possible for an artist to capture the scene of our Lord’s crucifixion on canvas, no one would want the picture hanging in his home. The scene was horrible Our suffering Savior looked more like a violently slaughtered beast than a man (Isa. 52:14; Psa. 22:11-22). Drunks and priests, thieves and scribes, harlots and Pharisees, Roman soldiers and Jewish rabbis joined in a hellish party, taunting, and jeering, and laughing as they slaughtered the incarnate God. For three hours, darkness covered the face of the earth. The Son of God, when he was made to be sin for us, he was forsaken by his Father. Quivering in pain, burning with fever, covered with blood, with the reproach of being made sin for us breaking his heart, the Son of God died upon the cursed tree, being made a curse for us. Thus he redeemed his elect from the curse of the law.

    3. God forbade man to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:17); but every man is freely bidden, and even commanded, to eat of the fruit of that tree upon which the Savior died.

    Do not mistake my meaning. There is no value, or merit, in that wooden cross upon which Christ died. We do not value the cross, the physical cross, at all. If I knew I had it in my possession, I would burn it and scatter the ashes to the wind. But there is infinite merit in the sacrifice him who died upon the cross. The fruits of our Savior’s death upon the tree are priceless. God himself calls sinners to eat of the fruit of this tree. He tells us, “All things are ready, Come.” “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” The leaves of this tree are for the healing of the nations, the healing of God’s elect scattered throughout all the nations of the world. It will be alright to use your imagination a little. Can you see the leaves on the tree? I see in the cross, in the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ all that is needed for the healing of our souls from all the consequences of sin. In the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, we find atonement made, justice satisfied, righteousness brought in, forgiveness obtained, and eternal life secured for chosen sinners.

    4. Satan used every cunning device to get man to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 3:1-6); but he uses every cunning device imaginable to keep sinners from eating of the fruits of Christ’s death upon the tree of crucifixion.

    The liar from hell deceives sinners, who are all willing to be deceived, by flattering their flesh. He persuades men and women universally that they do not need a substitute, that they are really good enough to meet with God’s approval, that God would not really send them to hell. With cunning craftiness, he makes men and women think they are smart, too smart to believe God, so smart that they imagine all religion to be superstition and hypocrisy, because they are superstitious hypocrites.

    5. The eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil brought death to Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:17); but life comes to all who eat the flesh and drink the blood of him who died upon the cursed tree (John 6:53-56).

    Christ’s flesh, his obedience to God in the body of human flesh, is righteousness. His blood, the pouring out of his life’s blood unto death, is atonement. To eat his flesh and drink his blood is to receive him by faith, thus receiving his righteousness and his atonement.

    6. Adam, as a thief, by eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, was cast out of Paradise (Gen. 3:24); but the penitent thief, by eating of the fruit of the tree of crucifixion, entered Paradise (Lk. 23:39-43).

    The only time recorded in the Scriptures our Savior used the word “Paradise” during his earthly ministry was in his promise to the penitent thief. It was not accidental. Like the penitent thief, all believers are reconciled to God and shall be brought into eternal Paradise, by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. As he confessed his sin and just condemnation, so do we. As he acknowledged Christ as his Lord, so do we. As he trusted the mercy and grace of Christ the Lord, so do we. As he obtained the favor of the Lord by faith in him, so do we. As he is with Christ in Paradise, so we soon shall be.

    I have shown you the points of contrast between the tree in the garden and the cross of Christ. Now, secondly, let me show you some of the marks of similarity between these two trees.

    1. Both trees were planted in a garden (John 19:41). The first Adam died in a garden; and the last Adam died in a garden.

    2. Both trees were planted in the midst of the garden (Gen. 2:9; John 19:18).

    Our Lord Jesus Christ died as our Substitute in the midst of the world, and in the midst of two thieves, dividing the one from the other. So it is the cross of Christ, his blood atonement, that divides all men. The blood of Christ alone is that which distinguishes God’s elect from the reprobate. And our Lord Jesus was crucified in the midst of time. His death was the crisis of the world. When the fulness of the Jews was finished, as the fulness of the Gentiles began, the Son of God died at Calvary to ransom the Israel of God. This day and forever, it is the cross of Christ, which is the Tree of Life planted in the midst of the heavenly paradise (Rev. 22:2), as the center and glory of all things.

    3. Both trees were trees of the knowledge of good and evil.

    There is only one place in all the world where sinners, such as we are, can learn the knowledge of good and evil. These things are learned by divine revelation at the cross. There, as we look to Christ in faith, we see the goodness of God and the holiness of God, the love of God and the wrath of God, the grace of God and the justice of God, the mercy of God and the truth of God. And it is only as we look to Christ in faith, trusting him as our crucified Savior, that we begin to see the evil of sin, the wickedness of man, and the utter depravity of our own hearts. It is looking on him whom we have pierced that melts our hearts to repentance (Zech. 12:10). And it is only in the light of Christ crucified that we discern good from evil in providence. For God’s elect all things are good. For the unbeliever, all things are evil (Pro. 12:21; Isa. 3:10-11).

    4. Both trees are good for food (Gen. 3:6).

    The cross of Christ - I mean the doctrine of the cross, the Gospel, is the very meat and marrow of the believer’s life. It is good for food for our souls! How pleasant it is to the eyes of faith! In the crucified Christ, in the doctrine of the cross, we see our sins blotted out. We see how that God is, indeed, both perfectly just and the Justifier of every believer. Truly, this is “a tree to be desired to make one wise!” The preaching of the cross is the power of God and the wisdom of God. It makes the believing sinner wise unto salvation.

    The cross of Christ was to our dear Savior a cursed tree (Gal. 3:13), but to us a tree of blessing, a curse removed. As Abraham’s guest was urged to take water and refreshment and find rest “under the tree” (Gen. 18:4), so in the gospel weary sinners are bidden of God to take water and refreshment and find rest for their souls under the cross. As Abraham and his guest stood together “under the tree” (Gen. 18:8), so the triune God and believing sinners stand together in the cross of Christ. As the tree cast into Marah’s bitter waters made the waters sweet (Ex. 15:23-25), so the cross of Christ cast into our bitter lives makes them sweet. With the inspired apostle, every believer ought to make this firm resolve - “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!”