The Knowledge of Good and Evil

“The serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden”?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.”’ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:1–8, ESV)

We see that in the beginning God limited the information available to Adam and Eve. Their eyes were closed to many things; there was much they did not know. After eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their horizon expanded. They realized they were naked. Did this make them happier? No — it brought additional cares: they now had to deal with clothing, but most importantly, it created a barrier in their relationship with God. When they heard His voice, instead of running to meet Him, they hid from Him. And that was exactly the devil’s goal.

This same principle is still at work today. The more a Christian becomes interested in world events, reads the news, and draws knowledge from various sources, the more he distances himself from God. He begins to live by what he feeds on. His mind and heart become polluted. Everything a Christian truly needs is already written in the Bible. If anything is lacking, God reveals it additionally when needed. We do not need to know evil. Knowing evil does not make us better people. Unfortunately, it is often observable that many Christians spend far more time on worldly news than on reading the Bible.

Here is what King Solomon says:

“And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. I said in my heart, ‘I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.’ And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” (Ecclesiastes 1:13–18, ESV)

Instead, let us rather remember the words of the Apostle Paul:

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:7–8, ESV)

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1–2, ESV)