Why did God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden?

Chuck Smith, Answers for Today, chapter 17: Why did God place the tree there? What did God want from man? God wanted our love and fellowship. How could God know that we really loved Him and wanted to obey Him, if an alternative wasn’t given? If there was no possible way to disobey or rebel against God, how could He know that we truly did love Him? How could God know how much we loved Him unless there was someone to exploit the alternative? From Chuck Smith's books, used by permission of The Word For Today.

Verified. Every scripture quotation on this page has been checked word-for-word against the King James text. Last reviewed 2026-10-16.

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Why did God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden? → wsb.bible/answers/why-did-god-put-the-tree-of-the-knowledge-of-good-and-evil-in-the

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