—OBJECTION: I believe in God, but I have questions—questions like why did God make Adam and Eve if He knew they were going to sin?
—RESPONSE: Good question. God absolutely knows all things (Ps. 139:1-4; Is. 46:10), so He knew what Adam and Eve would do, yet He created them anyway. Scripture nonetheless indicates that man was created with the purpose of glorifying the Creator. Consider Deut. 6:4-5, Is. 43:7, Rom. 11:36, 1 Cor. 10:31, Col. 1:16, and Rev. 4:11 (KJV; more on these later), all of which helps communicate that creation is meant to glorify God. Beyond this, however, we aren’t given complete knowledge of God’s plans. Concerning God, the Bible declares, “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29).
Moses proclaims that truth (Deut. 29:29) to Israel shortly before they would enter the Promised Land. While specific to those people, it nonetheless communicated a key truth about God that has application for all people and that we would all do well to grasp. Namely, there are some things—in fact, many things—that the LORD shares with us through prophecy, the Bible, and through His Spirit, but there are some things—secret or hidden things—that He reserves for Himself alone. For instance, He does not tell us precisely when we’ll die, when the end of this age will come, why we were born in a specific era rather, or even random things like whether Adam had a belly button. He holds these things to Himself, and as created beings, we have no grounds to demand that He reveal them.
More specifically, God doesn’t tell us precisely why He created Adam and Eve, despite Him being aware that they would sin and send the world into misery. Yet, these are some of the verses I mentioned earlier that indicate why God did create mankind:
- (– Deut. 6:4-5 –) “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
- (– Is. 43:7 –) “Even every one that is called by My name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”
- (– Rom. 11:36 –) “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to Whom be glory for ever. Amen.”
- (– 1 Cor. 10:31 –) “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
- (– Col. 1:16 –) “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him.”
- (– Rev. 4:11 –) “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.”
With all this, He didn’t tell us the precise reason for Creation in light of the impending fall. However, we do have some additional insight.
Genesis 3:15 is often referred to as the protoevangelium, or “first gospel,” and it reads, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Many Christians and theologians believe the verse is the first allusion to gospel redemption in the Bible. It’s suggested that the verse means the seed of the serpent (Satan) and the seed of the woman (mankind and specifically, Jesus Christ) would be at odds. With this imagery in mind, the latter part of the verse becomes more clear. Jesus would bruise the head of Satan (a mortal blow), but Satan would bruise the heel (a wound but not a death blow). Of course, this mortal blow points to Jesus’s work on the cross which secured eternal life and victory for all who trust in Him, and the heel wound points to Satan’s efforts to thwart the plan of God in crucifying Jesus.
All of this is to say that God may have created man despite his proclivity to sin because of the ultimate plan to exalt and glorify the Son (Christ). That is, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11).
Could it be that God, willing to showcase the vast nature of His love and glory, created man knowing he would need and subsequently experience the fullness of grace? Perhaps, but main point to remember is that God’s goodness is indeed on full display through Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. If you don’t already know Jesus for the pardoning of your sins, I urge you to repent and trust Him for salvation.
If you need help, check out this link: The Good Person Test.
#MMApologist #SoliDeoGloria #SolusChristus