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Is The Fruit of The Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil, The Holy Spirit?

Hi M____,

Thank you for your question.

You ask:

"Is it possible that spiritually the Holy Spirit is the fruit Adam and Eve ate?"

The answer is absolutely not! Such reasoning makes the tree of life the same as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Gen 2:9  And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
What is the result of eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil? Here is the result of eating the fruit of that tree:

Gen 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Gen 3:7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
Gen 3:8  And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
While it is true that both good and evil are in this one tree, the good of that tree is not good enough. The 'good' of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil does not produce the life which is in the tree of life. The tree of life is not in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  It is an entirely different tree that must replace within us, the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil produces death in us, while the fruit of the tree of life produces life in us. The fruit of  the tree of the knowledge of the good and evil in us must "fall into the earth and die" before it can bring forth the life giving fruit of the tree of life in us.

But we all make the mistake of confusing the glory and the good of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil with the excellence of the tree of life.  We all also make the mistake of confusing the word 'sin' with the concept of utter depravity. Sin is not defined as 'utter depravity. The Benjamites who were left-handed could sling a stone and not 'miss,' but not missing with our left hand is not good enough to produce the life of the tree of life which is at God's right hand.

Jdg 20:16  Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not miss.
The word 'miss' in this verse is translated from the Hebrew word 'chata,' and that is the same word which is most often translated 'sin.' But this story demonstrates for us that the Biblical concept of 'sin,' is to 'miss' the mark, and the 'mark' God is aiming for is "the new man." It is not a physical creation which He himself pronounced "very good." Those words "very good" included the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and those words 'very good' also included the creation of the serpent.

But that new man, which is the mark God is producing in us, is a spiritual body imbued with life which is not in this body which has only the "breath of life" which was given to Adam and through Adam to Eve and to all of us. This "breath of life" is the same breath of life that is in an insect or bird or beast. It will soon enough "return to God who gave it" and all who possess this breath of life will "return to dust," simply because that is where they all came from. They did not come of spirit first; they were first dust with God's life-giving spirit breathed temporarily into it. At death that life-giving spirit "returns to God who gave it," and without a resurrection, "they are perished." While God's spirit gives life to all beasts, Christ did not die for any beasts which are not "in Adam." Adam represents that part of us that is to be resurrected, purified and given life that will then be immortal. All other beasts represent our flesh which must be destroyed and returned to the "temporary things that are seen." That which is the true mark at which God is aiming is "like the wind... invisible."

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen [are] temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Heb 11:3  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Joh 3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Joh 3:8  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
We are told by this same apostle that "we are now sons of God."

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God...
But we obviously are not yet invisible, as the wind, and that is why we are also told in this same verse, that even though we are to consider ourselves as presently being God's sons, we are not yet to consider ourselves as completed sons of God. Here is the rest of 1Jn 3:2:
"...and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
That is because we have not yet shed this "marred, shapen in iniquity, conceived in sin, made of a woman, made under the law, vessel of clay."

Jesus Christ emptied Himself of His glory in order to partake of this tree of the knowledge of good and evil and to be made of a woman, made under the law, made subject to death. Had He not done so he would not be capable of comforting those who had partaken of the seed of Abraham, which is the seed of Adam.
Php 2:7  but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men;
Php 2:8  and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.
Php 2:9  Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; (ASV)

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Heb 2:16  For verily he took not on [him the nature of] angels; but he took on [him] the seed of Abraham.
Heb 2:17  Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Heb 2:18  For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour [Greek, comfort] them that are tempted.
To be anything "like his brothers" Christ must partake of "sinful flesh and blood," and that is exactly what He did. Had he not been fighting against His own flesh, there would have been no temptation. But "He suffered being tempted," and He overcame that temptation and partook of both the tree of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life, just as we all must.

I hope this helps you to see that these are not one and the same but are separate trees with separate roots and separate fruits.

Your brother in Christ,

Mike