Free Will Could Not Exist Without The Tree of Knowledge

This isn’t a groundbreaking "revelation" by any means, and I’m sure I’m not the first to reach this conclusion. However, after some contemplation, I think it’s a plausible explanation.

A common critique of Genesis 2:9 that I often hear is: “If God didn’t want humanity to sin, why did He create the Tree of Knowledge—or make it so easily accessible?”

When I asked a priest during my RCIA classes, his answer was, “It was a test.”

I believe that for free will to truly exist, God had to give humanity the ability to act selfishly and go against His will. Without the Tree of Knowledge, humanity would have been incapable of disobeying God, which would undermine the very concept of free will. Of course, God doesn’t want us to sin, but in order to honor the existence of true free will, the possibility—or opportunity, for lack of a better word—must exist.