Question I'm Unable to Resolve

NoahSK

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Various people (such as atheists), when arguing against Christianity, ask why God allowed sin to enter the world in the first place, and why He tempted Adam and Eve in the garden with the Tree. The normal response is that God did not want them to be robots, so He gave man free will to either choose Him or reject Him. However, this brings me to the new Earth, where sin will be eradicated and those who are redeemed will no longer be able to choose to go against God, because they won't want to. There will be no Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the new Earth. It basically sounds like, to me, we will essentially be robots in the new Earth, being unable to do wrong because there is no sin. Here's where I'm struggling: If God was ultimately going to destroy the old Earth tainted with sin, and replace it with a new one, with no sin, why didn't He make the first Earth like the new one, without the sin and sending people to hell and stuff in between? Why didn't He make the first Earth without sin, like He will with the second? Why did He allow sin to pollute the world, sending countless people to hell? I'm asking because I'm struggling with seeing God's goodness in all of this. Please help. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to tell off God or disprove Him or whatever, I don't want to do that. I honestly want an answer that lets me see God's goodness in this. I want to see Him as good, because He is, but this question is really starting to make me doubt, and I don't want that. I don't want to begin doubting God's existence or His goodness, so please, someone help me settle this! I hope the post makes sense how I worded it. I didn't know where to post this, since I usually just post in the OCD forum, lol. Again, not trying to disprove God or blame Him for anything or make Him look evil; I know He's the complete opposite of all of those. I just want to get rid of these doubts. Please try to understand.
 
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Jonaitis

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Doesn't it baffle you that God, who is Wisdom itself, not only allowed in his ultimate perfection a possibility of a fall, but eternally purposed it beforehand? You would think that the best of worlds, created by the wisest of all, would be different. It appears that the purpose of a fallen world was wiser in God's eternal counsel than the utopia atheists say should have happened. The question is...why?! The answer is too little to be appreciated by men of hardened hearts.

God created a world that would fall so that through its redemption he would be glorified. It sounds absurd, but redemption is the grandest act of God's power, goodness, and wisdom. There is no better story told than one of redemption, resembled in literary genres and personal experiences such as romance and heroism. God, who looks upon his poor, fallen, and condemned creatures with compassion, love, and mercy, saves them by himself, in himself, for himself.
 
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topher694

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When Adam and Eve where first in the garden they were faced with a fundamental choice about God, obey Him or not. They chose not. This of course lead to a fallen world.

In a fallen world we all also face a fundamental choice about God, follow Him or not. Each of us choose for ourselves.

The New Earth will be filled with people that have already faced, made and lived the choice to follow Him. That's the difference.
 
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Rescued One

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Various people (such as atheists), when arguing against Christianity, ask why God allowed sin to enter the world in the first place, and why He tempted Adam and Eve in the garden with the Tree.

Satan tempted them. Eve was deceived, but Adam wasn't.

The normal response is that God did not want them to be robots, so He gave man free will to either choose Him or reject Him.

God didn't give them sinful natures, but Adam disobeyed God after his conversation with Eve. You can see where free will got them! And after that all mankind were born with sinful natures.

We are under Satan's power because God allowed that to happen. If God has power and Satan has power, which of them wins? God intends to save to Himself a people zealous of good works. How can sinners produce good works? They have to be set free from Satan's power! God has to do that for us. He chooses to save sinners and give them new natures that want to obey Him.

Romans 8 explains a lot.
Romans 8 KJV

More good reading:
Romans 9 KJV



Free will in a sinner doesn't bring him to God:

James 1:18
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

John 1:12-13
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

We were born of God and that is why we received Him!

However, this brings me to the new Earth, where sin will be eradicated and those who are redeemed will no longer be able to choose to go against God, because they won't want to. There will be no Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the new Earth. It basically sounds like, to me, we will essentially be robots in the new Earth, being unable to do wrong because there is no sin. Here's where I'm struggling: If God was ultimately going to destroy the old Earth tainted with sin, and replace it with a new one, with no sin, why didn't He make the first Earth like the new one, without the sin and sending people to hell and stuff in between? Why didn't He make the first Earth without sin, like He will with the second? Why did He allow sin to pollute the world, sending countless people to hell? I'm asking because I'm struggling with seeing God's goodness in all of this. Please help. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to tell off God or disprove Him or whatever, I don't want to do that. I honestly want an answer that lets me see God's goodness in this. I want to see Him as good, because He is, but this question is really starting to make me doubt, and I don't want that. I don't want to begin doubting God's existence or His goodness, so please, someone help me settle this! I hope the post makes sense how I worded it. I didn't know where to post this, since I usually just post in the OCD forum, lol. Again, not trying to disprove God or blame Him for anything or make Him look evil; I know He's the complete opposite of all of those. I just want to get rid of these doubts. Please try to understand.

God doesn't sin because He is holy. Is He a robot?

We were slaves to sin and God set us free to follow Christ and is changing us to be like Christ.

Christian For it is God which worketh on you.jpg Christian Deliver them from the power of Satan.jpg
Romans 6:20-22
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
Slaves to God, Sanctification, Eternal Life

Christian God-always-gives-his-best-to-those-who-leave-the-choice-with-him.jpg

I haven't figured out hell yet. I went from Mormonism to Christ because God led me, so I got a late start in Bible reading.

You can tell atheists about God, but only God can change them. My family of origin didn't accept Christ.
 
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JIMINZ

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Various people (such as atheists), when arguing against Christianity, ask why God allowed sin to enter the world in the first place, and why He tempted Adam and Eve in the garden with the Tree.

First off, Atheists begin from the premise, God does not exist.
The answer to them is.

Psa. 14:1
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

Psa. 53:1
To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

As far as God Tempting Adam and Eve, the answer is.

James 1:13
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

To say God Allowed sin to enter, is the same as saying God Caused or Condoned it, where the truth is, none one of those statements are true.

God did none of these things, Man (Adam) did,

Rom. 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

It is said "By one man" because Eve was Adam's agent, therefore Adam was responsible for whatever Eve did, (Eve spoke to the Serpent in Adam's place)
she should have said "Go talk to Adam" but she took the Authority and spoke for him instead.

God gave Dominion to Man (Adam).

This Dominion made Man (Adam) equal with God in the aspect he (Man) had the (Ability, Right, Free Will) to ORDER his (Man's) own life, meaning, he had the right to Go, Come, Buy, Sell in order to better his life.

Eve (The Woman) being out of order because, she usurped the Authority of Adam (The Man) chose to eat from "The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil" in order to become WISE, as well as for food.

Gen. 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

1Ti 2:12-14
12) But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
13) For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
14) And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

Only within the parameters of that Dominion was the Free Will you speak of, outside of Dominion, man does not possess Free Will, ie. The ability to either choose or reject Him (God) that is an assumption and lie from Hell.

The normal response is that God did not want them to be robots, so He gave man free will to either choose Him or reject Him.

That simplistic answer given to the question by the Atheist, is in essence, the continuation of the discussion Eve had with (The Serpent, The Devil, Satan).

This is where the doubt you speak of comes in, don't assume to speak for or give excuses for what someone says God did or said.
 
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pdudgeon

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One thing to remember in all of this: God also planted the Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden. It was satan who led Eve to the other tree, lied to her about it's properties, and encouraged her to eat.

In Heaven we will have the Tree of Life.

As for the people who are in Heaven, they have already chosen in this life where they will be for all Eternity.
So it's not like they don't have a choice in heaven, but they have already made their choice while on Earth, and they reap the rewards of that choice either in Heaven or in Hell.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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Various people (such as atheists), when arguing against Christianity, ask why God allowed sin to enter the world in the first place, and why He tempted Adam and Eve in the garden with the Tree. The normal response is that God did not want them to be robots, so He gave man free will to either choose Him or reject Him. However, this brings me to the new Earth, where sin will be eradicated and those who are redeemed will no longer be able to choose to go against God, because they won't want to. There will be no Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the new Earth. It basically sounds like, to me, we will essentially be robots in the new Earth, being unable to do wrong because there is no sin. Here's where I'm struggling: If God was ultimately going to destroy the old Earth tainted with sin, and replace it with a new one, with no sin, why didn't He make the first Earth like the new one, without the sin and sending people to hell and stuff in between? Why didn't He make the first Earth without sin, like He will with the second? Why did He allow sin to pollute the world, sending countless people to hell? I'm asking because I'm struggling with seeing God's goodness in all of this. Please help. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to tell off God or disprove Him or whatever, I don't want to do that. I honestly want an answer that lets me see God's goodness in this. I want to see Him as good, because He is, but this question is really starting to make me doubt, and I don't want that. I don't want to begin doubting God's existence or His goodness, so please, someone help me settle this! I hope the post makes sense how I worded it. I didn't know where to post this, since I usually just post in the OCD forum, lol. Again, not trying to disprove God or blame Him for anything or make Him look evil; I know He's the complete opposite of all of those. I just want to get rid of these doubts. Please try to understand.
What did God create? Because that's part of who He is as Creator.
Why did God give the responsibility over the first creation to Adam? Because God likes to involve others, other bible stories illustrate this trait as well.
Why did God let it happen in such a messed up way from our perspective? God lets us grow so we can will develop that grit needed to plow the field we are given.
 
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GospelS

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Various people (such as atheists), when arguing against Christianity, ask why God allowed sin to enter the world in the first place, and why He tempted Adam and Eve in the garden with the Tree. The normal response is that God did not want them to be robots, so He gave man free will to either choose Him or reject Him. However, this brings me to the new Earth, where sin will be eradicated and those who are redeemed will no longer be able to choose to go against God, because they won't want to. There will be no Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the new Earth. It basically sounds like, to me, we will essentially be robots in the new Earth, being unable to do wrong because there is no sin. Here's where I'm struggling: If God was ultimately going to destroy the old Earth tainted with sin, and replace it with a new one, with no sin, why didn't He make the first Earth like the new one, without the sin and sending people to hell and stuff in between? Why didn't He make the first Earth without sin, like He will with the second? Why did He allow sin to pollute the world, sending countless people to hell? I'm asking because I'm struggling with seeing God's goodness in all of this. Please help. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to tell off God or disprove Him or whatever, I don't want to do that. I honestly want an answer that lets me see God's goodness in this. I want to see Him as good, because He is, but this question is really starting to make me doubt, and I don't want that. I don't want to begin doubting God's existence or His goodness, so please, someone help me settle this! I hope the post makes sense how I worded it. I didn't know where to post this, since I usually just post in the OCD forum, lol. Again, not trying to disprove God or blame Him for anything or make Him look evil; I know He's the complete opposite of all of those. I just want to get rid of these doubts. Please try to understand.

This whole thing is The Greatest Love Story Ever purposed to glorify God and build a stronger relationship between God and His people. This is a mystery going behind the scenes (Ephesians 5:32).
 
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Greengardener

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When Adam and Eve where first in the garden they were faced with a fundamental choice about God, obey Him or not. They chose not. This of course lead to a fallen world.

In a fallen world we all also face a fundamental choice about God, follow Him or not. Each of us choose for ourselves.

The New Earth will be filled with people that have already faced, made and lived the choice to follow Him. That's the difference.
I can easily agree with this succinct explanation. Our relationship with God at this point is totally voluntary. God started as Love, and He delights in lovingkindness, mercy and justice. So if everything God says is based on that, we do well to attend and rest in obedience in the safety of His word. The Reality is that we can trust Him because of His great love shown toward us. Perhaps in the resurrection it's not so much that we couldn't sin (and sin is the transgression of the law, and the law is perfect, converting the soul) but more that we have realized what it cost Jesus and what it cost us and don't want further rebellion against such love.
 
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GodLovesCats

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Satan tempted them. Eve was deceived, but Adam wasn't.

A serpent tempted Eve and Adam followed suit IIRC. God punished the serpent by taking his legs away so it could only sliver on the ground.
 
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GodLovesCats

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Some people are glad that God didn't make us all robots. Others would have preferred to be robots. You can't please everyone.

I don't think anybody would answer yes if asked about wanting to be a robot.
 
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