The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is, as far as we know, the eternal moral law of God. Adam and Eve were not learned in the moral law of God. They did not understand that it is a shame to be naked. God did not want them to come to this knowledge until He had prepared a provision for sin.

When the eternal moral law of God is preached today we are convicted of sin. But we do not flee from the Presence of God, because God has made provision for our sin. The provision is the blood of the cross of Calvary. As soon as we are made aware of sin in our life we run to the cross, to the sin-cleansing fountain. Immediately our sin is forgiven and cleansed from us and we go on our way rejoicing.

The provision of the blood of the cross was not yet available in the days of Adam and Eve, and so God did not want them to become aware of sin. God knew that the shame of their nakedness would become known to them and there was no remedy as yet.

An important aspect of the death of Adam and Eve was the decay of their bodies ("unto dust shalt thou return"—Genesis 3:19), and the loss of access to the tree of life—to that which would have enabled their bodies to be renewed in consciousness and function forever.

The fact that Adam and Eve did not die physically during the twenty-four hour period during which they sinned probably is not significant. The idea of "the day," or "that day," as employed in the Scriptures, does not always indicate the immediate twenty-four hour period. God speaks in timeless, spiritual terms.

Although Adam did not die for many hundreds of years, in the sight of God Adam died physically the moment he sinned against God. His body no longer was worthy of the Presence of God and the processes of decay had commenced.

Adam, through his disobedience, lost the fellowship with God that had been natural to him. In addition, there came into Adam's soul a spirit of rebellion against God and there came into his body the various lusts that represent enslavement to Satan.

Adam's physical body, not being renewed by the Life of God, began to breed corruption. After nearly a thousand years of decaying, the marvelous material temple finally failed. The breath of life left Adam's nostrils. Adam himself did not perish but he was separated from his body. His body returned to the dust to sleep there until the Day it is called forth by the voice of Christ.

The tree of life was in the garden. This was not the type of fruit tree with which we are familiar. The tree of life, which today is in the midst of the Paradise of God, is a representation of the eternal life that is of God and Christ. Or, it may have been true that in the beginning the various fruit trees contained both physical and spiritual nourishment.

To be continued.