Genesis 3:22-23

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”-- therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.

Adam and Eve had access, even permission, to eat from the tree of life before they disobeyed and ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. A few questions rattling around in my brain: If they never ate from either tree, would they have lived forever? Or only if they ate from the tree of life? Is the curse of death a direct result of the sin of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil or indirect since they were banished from the garden and therefore no longer had access to the tree of life? Is this "man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil" really a statement about knowledge or perhaps something else?

I'm kind of thinking perhaps when man chooses to determine for himself what is good or evil rather than yielding in obedience to the Creator, God, he is setting himself up as his own god. It is in this way that he becomes like the "one of Us" to which God refers. It's clearly visible in our society today how "individualized" good and evil have become. Each person has their own standard of what is right and fair and good for themself. And they often judge others by yet another standard the serves only to elevate themself.

I need to ever be on my guard for that mindset that gets me thinking I can determine what is good or evil for me based on a current situation or my own interests. My anchor for truth, my source for discernment, my reference point for good and evil always must be God and his Word and His Spirit and not something completely inside myself. I have put out my hand and taken from the tree of life. That tree is a rugged cross and it's fruit is the the battered body and poured out blood of Jesus.