The sin of Adam and Eve was no surprise to God. He knew they would disobey and have some incredibly low moments. So why did God create human beings at all? Why would He give us the ability to choose sin in the first place?
Every potential parent knows that raising a child is going to be hard. There will be times the child hurts them and is hurt by others. But the struggles of life do not mean life isn’t worth living. A mom-to-be knows the risks of pregnancy, childbirth, and childrearing, yet she still chooses to go through physical agony in order to love her child in the upcoming highs and lows of life.
God put Adam and Eve in the best situation possible in the Garden of Eden. He created them with the ability to choose obedience to Him and safety or disobedience and the loss of His protective garden. He gave them a choice, and yet He knew they would sin. With love and compassion, He cared for them in their shame (Genesis 3:21). In God's great wisdom and sovereignty, He saw that their choices would ultimately bring Him the glory He deserves (Psalm 139:1-6; Isaiah 46:10).
“From him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” —Romans 11:36
Without the fall of Adam and Eve, we would never truly know or understand what love actually is (1 John 4:16). Without the fall of Adam and Eve, we would never have learned just how much God loves US. Without the fall of Adam and Eve, we would never have experienced glorious redemption in the saving work of Jesus Christ in a fallen world. “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9).
Jesus began His earthly ministry by presenting people with that choice: repent and turn to God or remain separated in your sin from God (Matthew 4:17). Every person has a choice to make, as proven by Adam and Eve. Our choice is to love God or reject Him.
The value of Adam and Eve's lives was not diminished by their sin—and our value is not diminished by our sin either. God loves us deeply, and He is secure enough in His sovereignty to give us the choice for good or evil. Though we often choose evil, He still loves and values us enough to offer forgiveness, redemption, and salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7; Galatians 2:20).
God has called us to be holy like He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). That’s not something we can do apart from God, but if we make the choice, through Jesus, to pursue God, there’s a lot of beauty to be found in our lives. We’ll still sin, but Christ has paid the penalty owed to God for the sins of everyone who has placed their faith in Him (Romans 8:1).
God didn’t create us to focus on our sin. He created us to focus on the opportunities of His holiness. Sin makes clear there is a choice to be made, and we cannot choose God's goodness apart from Jesus (John 14:6). Our daily struggle with sin and God's daily gifts of mercy and grace teach us what love and redemption are really about.
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." —Lamentations 3:22-23
God created Adam and Eve with the ability to choose obedience to Him and safety in the Garden of Eden or disobedience and the loss of their protective home. He gave them a choice, and yet He knew they would sin. Why? In God's great wisdom and sovereignty, He saw that their choices would ultimately bring Him the glory He deserves (Psalm 139:1-6; Isaiah 46:10), and that their fall would provide an opportunity for Him to teach us what love and redemption are really about (Ephesians 1:7; Galatians 2:20).
Heath served as a youth pastor and speaker for over a decade around the United States. He now serves as a pastor in Northern Illinois with his wife and three teenage kids. Heath enjoys running, going out on dates with his wife, and helping people grow in their walk with Jesus!
