There are three kinds of tree in the garden of Eden:
1) The tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
2) Trees that are pleasant to the sight and good for food.
3) The tree of life.
Each kind of the trees represents the kind of ministry that exist in the church:
1. The Ministry of the Law.
The ministry represented by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the ministry of the law. This ministry gives some knowledge of good and evil, but not the full knowledge of good and evil. It gives the shadow of the substance but not the substance itself. The ministry of the law is about doing good and not doing evil, but it does not bring relationship with God. Thus, the ministry of the law brings bondage and produces death.
2. The Ministry of Grace.
The ministry represented by every tree pleasant to the sight and good for food is the ministry of grace. This ministy produces relationship with God and gives freedom to do many good things. The ministry of grace is about doing good deeds as much as possible. There are many kinds of the ministry of grace in the church. The ministry of grace brings freedom.
3. The Ministry of Life.
The ministry represented by the tree of life is the ministry of life. This ministry is actually the continuation of the ministry of grace. The ministry of grace produces relationship with God while the ministry of life brings this relationship into intimacy and oneness with God. There is life in the ministry of grace, but this life is made abundant in the ministry of life. The freedom given in the ministry of grace is willingly given back to God in the ministry of life. The ministry of life is not about good overcoming evil, but life overcoming death.
