Why Did God Put the Forbidden Tree in the Garden?

One of the most puzzling and frequently asked questions in Christian theology is, Why did God place the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the Garden of Eden? If God knew that Adam and Eve could fall, why expose them to that possibility? Why not spare humanity the heartache of sin altogether?

This question touches the very heart of God’s design for human freedom, love, and moral responsibility. To understand the reason for the tree’s existence, we must look beyond the surface of the story. The forbidden tree was not merely a botanical specimen with mysterious fruit. It was a symbol, a divine instrument for shaping free will, cultivating authentic love, and establishing moral boundaries.

Let’s explore why God placed this tree at the centre of paradise and what its presence reveals about His nature, His expectations for humanity, and the foundational truth about obedience and love.

Biblical Foundation

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
(Genesis 1:26)

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
(Genesis 2:15-17)

Man Was Created a Free Being

God created man to rule and to have dominion over the earth. If man is to rule, that means he is also mandated to make decisions. If man is mandated to make decisions, that means he is supposed to have choices or options. And if there are going to be choices or options, then the person who is supposed to make the decisions among the alternate choices must be a free being. So God created man a free being.

To ensure that man is a free being, he must have options. So God created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as an option that Adam could choose. If man were created without any alternate option as to whether to obey God or not to obey Him, he would be considered as a determined being, or an automatic being, or a programmed entity with a defined and predetermined way of behaviour, and his love for God would not be authentic. But God seeks authentic, genuine, and true worshippers:
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.”
(John 4:23)

The Test of Love

Consider the example of a very wealthy person who wants to know if someone truly loves them or is only attracted to their wealth. Naturally, they look for signs, small tests, or questions to reveal the other person’s true motives. In the same way, God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Eden as a simple, visible test of Adam and Eve’s love and loyalty.

Because God loves Adam and Eve, He warned them not to eat from the forbidden tree and clearly explained the consequences of disobedience. He didn’t keep this information hidden; he spoke it out of care and love. God wanted them to prove their love by obeying His command, rather than heeding the serpent’s lies.

“If you love me, obey my commandments.”
(John 14:15)

The Forbidden Tree was a symbol of disobedience and rebellion.

When it comes to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we usually make the mistake of overconcentrating on the tree and its fruits. But it would be trivial to think of it that way. The fruit in itself is irrelevant because the fruit was only there as a symbol. It represented something else, which was sin or disobedience. At that time, there was nothing like lies, fornication, stealing, adultery, envy, murder, homosexuality, lesbianism, drunkenness, arrogance, orgies, greed, prostitution, idol-worshipping, witchcraft, cheating, etc. And the tree of the knowledge of good and evil embodied all these evil deeds.

Even though Adam and Eve disobeyed one command, that single act symbolically represented the breaking of all moral boundaries. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10) Through their disobedience, sin entered the world, setting the stage for all other forms of evil to unfold.

Conclusion

The presence of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden was not a trap but a necessary part of God’s design for a meaningful relationship. It symbolised choice, responsibility, and the reality of free will, essential elements for genuine love and true worship. By placing the tree in the garden, God was inviting humanity into a relationship built on trust, obedience, and moral maturity.

Adam and Eve’s choice to disobey reflected not just a single act, but a decision to step outside of God’s will. Yet even in that failure, God’s redemptive plan began to unfold. The lesson remains clear: true love honours God’s word, and freedom comes with accountability. Today, the call to choose God freely and faithfully still echoes in every human heart.