神造人的目的，乃是要人盛装祂自己作生命。因此神将人造好之后，将人安置在园中生命树的跟前，这指明神的用意是要人吃这树的果子，好将神接受进来。然而，神虽然要人吃生命树，但祂没有强迫人，也没有把生命树放到人里面。反之，神给亚当自由的意志，让他自由的选择。
许多人都会有这个问题：“神为何把人放在这么危险的情况里？我若是神，一定把善恶知识树挪走，只留下生命树，并且砌一堵高墙保护人的安全。神为何要把善恶知识树留在园里试诱人？”然而，神若不给人选择，祂就是强迫人接受生命树。只有度量窄小的人才强迫别人接受他的意见，没有一个大的或尊贵的人会强制人。我们的神是大的、尊贵且满有吸引的，祂不强制人跟从祂，却尊重人选择的自由。神知道人接受善恶知识树的后果，因此神特别警告亚当：“园中各样树上的果子，你可以随意吃；只是分别善恶树上的果子，你不可吃，因为你吃的日子必定死。”
神爱人，祂盼望人吃生命树来接受祂自己，得着生命。但神并不强迫人，神给人自由的意志。神也警告人吃善恶知识树的结局，便是死亡。因为在整个宇宙中，只有两个源头：神生命的源头，以及撒但死亡的源头。要小心你是接触那一个源头。你若接触神，你就有生命的源头，而接受了生命。你若接触撒但，你就有死亡的源头，而接受了死亡。
当亚当站在两棵树跟前的时候，他是站在神和撒但的跟前。这形成了宇宙间人、神和撒但三角的局面。神和撒但之间的争竞乃是在人身上。人是拣选神，还是跟随撒但，完全在于人的选择。这三角的局面现今也在我们里面。从前撒但在园子里，是在亚当的身外，现今他是在我们的肉体中。从前神在园子里，也是在人的身外，现今祂是在我们的灵中。我们藉着不断地接触主，主就要成为我们的生命树。结果，我们会自然的爱主并爱祂的话。我们越爱祂，就越接触祂作活的源头，作我们的生命树。
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God Gave Man a Free Will – Matt. 4:4
God created man with a purpose that man would be filled with God Himself as life. Therefore, after creating man, God placed him in the garden before the tree of life. This indicates that God’s intention was for man to eat the fruit of this tree in order to receive God into himself. Although God wanted man to eat of the tree of life, He did not force man, nor did He place the tree of life inside man. Instead, God gave Adam a free will, allowing him to make his own choice.
Many people ask: “Why did God put man in such a dangerous situation? If I were God, I would have removed the tree of knowledge of good and evil, leaving only the tree of life, and built a high wall to protect man.” But if God did not give man a choice, He would be forcing man to take the tree of life. Only those who are narrow-minded force others to accept their views. A great or noble person will never coerce others. Our God is great, noble and full of attractiveness — He does not force man to follow Him. Instead, He respects their freedom of choice. God knew the consequence of man partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so He gave a special warning to Adam: “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it, you will surely die.”
God loves man, and He desires that man eat from the tree of life to receive Him and gain life. But God never forces man, gave man a free will, and He warned man that eating from the tree of knowledge would lead to death. Because in the entire universe, there are only two sources: The source of life – God and the source of death — Satan. Be careful which source you contact. If you contact God, you have the source of life and receive life. If you contact Satan, you touch the source of death and receive death.
When Adam stood before the two trees, he was actually standing before God and Satan. This created a three-way situation in the universe — among man, God and Satan. The battle between God and Satan was focused on man. Whether man chooses God or follows Satan depends entirely on man’s selection. This triangle exists in us today. In the past, Satan was in the garden, outside of Adam. He is in our flesh today. In the past, God was also in the garden, outside of man. He is in our spirit today. As we continually contact the Lord, He becomes our tree of life. As a result, we naturally love the Lord and love His Word. The more we love Him, the more we touch Him as the living source as our tree of life.