aiki
Regular Member
Yes, it was Adam and Eve that made the choice, but God knew what choice they would make when he put the tree in the garden. If God, hadn’t known, that would be an entirely different argument (God isn’t omniscient). Since he did know and went ahead anyway he chose that a vast majority of people would burn in Hell for eternity the instant he put the tree there.
There isn't a single couple who has believed when they became pregnant that their child would never sustain an injury, or never get sick, or disobey, or make foolish choices, or suffer heartache. No parent thinks their child will live an utterly perfect life. Knowing this, do parents do evil in allowing their unborn child to come into the world alive? Have they done evil in becoming pregnant? They know the suffering and hardships that their child will face; they know their child will even one day die. Ought they, then, to prevent such events entirely by never having a child? Is the right and moral thing to eradicate all chance of hurt by never having any children? Obviously not. Without life, their child cannot also love, and laugh, and delight in the many pleasures of the world God has made; their children cannot study, and grow, and deepen in wisdom, courage and faith; their children cannot experience joy, achievement, friendship, beauty and peace.
Like the parent who cannot birth a child who will enjoy all of the good things of life without also tasting of the bitter, God, too, could not make a world in which people could freely choose to love Him without making a world where people could choose also to hate Him. But God has done everything He could, short of making all of us His puppets, to ensure that any who would know and love Him could do so. What's more, He bestows a common grace upon both those who love Him and those who do not, causing the rain and sunshine to fall upon the just and unjust. I cannot, then, fault God for making the world. I am grateful beyond words that He has made a way for me to know, love, and enjoy Him forever. It is a sad thing indeed that this could only happen in a world where so many have chosen to reject Him. But, apparently, the precious few who do embrace God as Father, who freely trust in Christ as Saviour and Lord, are, to God, worth the billions who have used their free agency to reject Him.
The whole of Creation, though, is, at bottom, all about God; it all exists as a display of His power, glory and excellence. God reveals His holiness and justice in His wrathful punishment of the wicked; He reveals His love, mercy and grace in His redemption of rebellious, undeserving, evil humanity; He reveals His power and wisdom in the intricacy and vastness of the cosmos. We are not the Big Deal; God is. Until we get this straight, we will find ourselves feeling entitled, and prideful, and defiant of the One who has given and sustains our lives at every moment rather than grateful, awestruck and joyful.
Upvote
0