When Adam stood in front of the two trees, he was standing before God and Satan. This formed a triangular situation between man, God, and Satan in the universe. The struggle between God and Satan was upon man. Whether man will choose God or follow Satan depends completely upon man's choice. This triangular situation is now within us. Once Satan was in the garden outside of Adam; now he is in our flesh. Once God also was in the garden outside of man; now He is in our spirit.
In message ten we pointed out that man is tripartite: he has a spirit, soul, and body. The spirit is our innermost part, the body is our outermost part, and the soul, the main part of our being, stands between them. As a result of the fall, Satan as the tree of knowledge came into man's flesh. As a result of our believing in Christ, God as the tree of life came into our spirit. Therefore, the two trees that were once in the garden outside of man are now within us, one in our flesh and the other in our spirit. If we read Romans 7 carefully, we will see that Paul said in his flesh nothing good dwells, only sin. Sin is actually the evil nature of Satan. To say that sin dwells in our flesh means that Satan, the evil one, is in our flesh. Romans 8:16, a verse which proves that God is in us, says that the Spirit of God witnesses with our spirit. Thus, every genuine Christian is a miniature garden of Eden. The mind of your soul represents your self, sin in your flesh represents Satan, and the Spirit in your spirit represents God. As in the garden of Eden, the three parties form a triangular situation within us.
The seed of this triangular situation was sown in Genesis 2, and the growth of the seed is found in Romans 8, where we see the outcrop of the two trees. Romans 8:6 says that the mind set on the flesh is death and that the mind set on the spirit is life and peace. In Genesis 2 the two trees were objective; in Romans 8 they are subjective. We should never say that these two trees are no longer with us. Even as you read this message, they are within you. In the past I expected to uproot the tree of knowledge in my flesh, but the more I dealt with it, the more it remained within me. Eventually I discovered Romans 8. I saw that there is another tree abiding in my spirit. Thus, in Romans 8 we find a present-day garden of Eden. Romans 8:2 mentions the law of the Spirit of life, which sets us free from the law of sin and death. Therefore, in Romans 8 we have two laws—the law of life and the law of death. These two laws are the two principles of the two trees in our subjective experience.
I want to say a word especially to the young people reading this message. I hope that you will learn early in your Christian life to enjoy the Lord as your tree of life. After hearing the testimony of a more experienced brother in the Lord, do not try to imitate him. If you do this, you will be turning to the tree of knowledge. You simply need to contact the Lord continually, and the Lord will be your tree of life. As a result, you will spontaneously love the Lord and His Word. Your love will be the outflow of touching the Lord as your living source, as your tree of life. When I was loving the Lord and seeking after Him as a young person, I had no one who could render such help to me. In the church life today you are surrounded by brothers and sisters who encourage you to enjoy the Lord as your tree of life.