Bible Question:
I was in a discussion yesterday with someone of the Jehovah's Witness faith. He made a statement that God could not have known that Adam was going to sin. If so, then why would God condemn Adam for disobeying. He said that would mean that God was not a loving God. Therefore, God did not know Adam would sin. I disagreed. This would be limiting God's power if He did not know something would happen. I believe that God knew Adam would sin. But He gave him the freedom to choose for himself whether to obey God. Just like we warn our children against some things and tell them the consequences of disobeying, God does the same with us. God, as well as parents, have to follow through on our words or they are ineffective. I believe God is an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present God. It is us that fall short. I would appreciate your views on this matter. |
Bible Answer: Limiting God's power is like putting a fence around infinity. You just can't do it. God knew that Adam and Eve would sin, just like He knew Lucifer would crave the praise and worship that would rightly belong to God. In order to look at God's relationship with us, like you stated, we must look at the relationship between a loving parent and His kids. What would be proven if God made everyone follow Him? The amount of free will that we would have would be severely diminished, and the amount of rebellion against God would (arguably) be a lot more than it is today, totally taking the God we know and love out of character. It would completely undermine Jesus' sacrifice, reducing its value to something worldly instead of something Heavenly. When I spoke to a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses a bit back, they tried to convince me that God, if He was truly a loving God, wouldn't let people suffer; to which I responded "Suffering builds character" (this was before I was TRULY saved). In fact, let's take it to another level: If Adam had not sinned, how could we have truly appreciated God's grace and mercy? Would we thank Him everyday for sending His Son to die for our sins? We'd be just as confused as a child in a mall who doesn't know where Daddy is. Just like a parent who wants what's best for his children, God will not force us to follow Him; He wants us to seek a loving relationship with Him. It may seem simple for us Christians, but sometimes it's great to sit back and think about how great God is and how His foresight is beyond our comprehension. Ask that Jehovah's witness this: If God didn't know Adam would sin, then how could He have foretold Jesus' coming? (Gen 3:15, for those who are taking notes, hehe)The point is that God knew Adam and Eve would disobey, just like He knows He's going to win in the end. That, my friend, is where our ultimate victory lies and others' failures will be ultimately determined. If you ever have to deal with that again, hit 'em with 1 Corinthians 10:13. I know I'm long winded, but how can you NOT be when faced with God's awesomeness? |