"And the Lord God said, Truly, the man has become like one of us, having knowledge of good and evil; and now he might put out his hand and take of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever." — Genesis 3:22 (BBE)
Viewed through the lens of Neville Goddard’s Law of Assumption, this verse becomes a psychological statement about how reality is formed, not a story about disobedience and punishment. The Garden of Eden is an interior landscape of states of consciousness — the terrain in which our assumptions take shape and produce experience.
Two Trees, Two Inner States
In the Garden, there are two symbolic trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. These are not physical plants, but patterns of inner belief.
- The Tree of Life represents the core of the Law of Assumption — to assume as true what you desire and to live from that inner assumption. Eating from this tree means identifying with your desired state and feeling it as real now.
- The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil represents a divided mind — judging by appearances (good/bad, success/failure) rather than living from inner assumption. This state fragments experience and blocks creative manifestation.
“Eating” a tree in Genesis language simply means accepting an idea as true and living from it — not intellectually, but in the felt, emotional conviction of your imagination.
“Like One of Us” — The Plural Nature of Imagination in the Text
In Genesis 3:22, God observes that man has become “like one of us”. This is not about multiple gods, but a statement about the plural nature of imagination — the multiple states of consciousness within which reality is formed. The plural “us” echoes Genesis 1:26, where God says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”, showing that man is a manifestation of the same creative, multifaceted imagination that is God — consciousness forming itself into experience.
From a psychological perspective, this observation shows that man has entered the realm of assumption: a state in which inner beliefs and feelings determine outward experience. The text highlights that man is now observed in the inner landscape where states of consciousness operate — the same terrain that, in Neville Goddard’s teaching, becomes the arena for assuming the reality one desires.
The verse does not describe an ability being granted; it records a milestone of perception: God sees that man now exists in the sphere where inner states shape experience. The “like one of us” phrase points to the recognition of the creative, plural nature of imagination within which man is placed.
Knowledge of Good and Evil — A Shift in Inner Orientation
“Knowledge of good and evil” is not moral guilt, but dualistic judgment — seeing life through opposing categories that separate and divide. Once the mind operates this way, it loses the simplicity of assuming the reality it desires. The Tree of Knowledge symbolizes a mind that reacts to external contrast instead of living from the inner feeling of “I AM.”
The Tree of Life — The Law of Assumption in Action
The concern about man possibly reaching for the Tree of Life and living “for ever” is about timing: creative power cannot be consciously exercised while the mind is ruled by appearances. Eternal life, psychologically, is the state of believing and feeling that what you desire is already true. Reality then conforms to that inner state. Neville’s teaching is clear: assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled and let that inner state shape your experience.
Conclusion: Genesis 3:22 as Law of Assumption
Genesis 3:22 is not about restriction or divine retribution, but about how inner states determine outward experience. The observation that man has become “like one of us” records that man has entered the realm where consciousness operates through assumption. The Tree of Life represents the Law of Assumption itself: the inner fact precedes the outer manifestation. God’s statement marks a milestone — a recognition of the creative, plural nature of imagination that now shapes experience.