Cheryl Schatz

Gazza,
You said:

In verse 22 God also describes man as having “become like us knowing good from evil”. As God cannot sin against Himself how do you reconcile that Adam has become like God if it is referring to him experiencing sin?

No, the knowledge that God had and that He created Adam with is the knowledge of good and evil. God has the knowledge of everything there is including evil. Nothing surprises Him and there is no sin that is hidden to Him. But this kind of knowledge, the kind that is acquainted with and knows about sin is not the same thing as the “knowledge” of the forbidden tree. That knowledge is an intimate connection with evil. That kind of knowledge is the experience of sin. Although God knows all about sin, He cannot experience sin because He is holy. But Adam experienced sin and he is the one who brought sin into the world. So the intimate knowledge of sin from the name of the tree in chapter 2 is different from the knowledge about sin from chapter 3 which has no partaking in evil.

I hope this helps!