Connecting Three Bible Trees

The Trees of Beginning and End

The book of Genesis opens the Bible with two prominent trees in the Garden of Eden:

1. The Tree of Life—which allowed humans to live forever.
2. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil—which gave humans the choice to obey or rebel against God.

Adam and Eve chose to eat from the second tree, disobeying God. Because of this, they lost access to the Tree of Life. They gained a knowledge of good and evil, but they also experienced separation from their close fellowship (relationship and communion) with God, along with the pain of death.

At the other end of the Bible, the book of Revelation closes with access to the Tree of Life restored. We see its life-giving fruit and a perfect, lasting fellowship between God and mankind.

The Bridge: The Cross of Jesus

What connects these two scenes of rebellion and peace, of lost access and restoration?

The connection is the cross of Jesus, where the Savior was hanged upon a tree. He was cursed to redeem (buy back or rescue) us from the curse of sin (Galatians 3:13).

The Cross as a Tree of Knowledge

In a powerful way, the cross became a new Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It teaches us about:

• The extreme evil that could crucify the innocent Son of God.
• The incredibly high price of human sin.
• The depth of God’s love, mercy, and goodness in sacrificing His Son (1 John 5:20).

Through the cross, we come to know God’s character in a deeper, more personal way.

The Cross as a Tree of Life

The cross is also our Tree of Life. Through the death of Jesus, we receive righteousness (being right in God’s eyes) and eternal life (Romans 5).

Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, the cross lifted Jesus up so that everyone who looks to Him in faith can find salvation and live forever (John 3:14-15).