If God knew Adam and Eve would sin, why did He test them?

Scripture:
If God knew Adam and Eve would sin, why did He test them? Parents do not get a written guarantee that their children will not always listen. Love takes risks. God doesn't make robots, but takes the risk by giving them a free will.
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Caller:  My question was about God knows everything, so why, in the first place, did He make Adam and Eve?  Why did He test them?

Pastor Doug:  Ok you’ve asked two questions.  One is if God knew everything and if He knew that Adam and Eve might sin or would sin, why did He make them.  Can I ask you a personal question?

Caller:  Yes.

Pastor Doug:  Are you a parent?

Caller:  No.

Pastor Doug:  You’re not.  Ok.  Then I’ll have to do the illustration second person.  Do you know people who are parents?

Caller:  Yes.

Pastor Doug:  Ok.  Do they always get a written guarantee their children are going to listen to them before they choose to procreate and have children?

Caller:  No.

Pastor Doug:  They take a risk.  Matter of fact, most parents know that at some point along the way their children will not listen.

Love takes risks.  Even if you’re going to date somebody and get married, you know there are going to be days where there will be conflict but love takes risks.  And God the Father – He does not only create the children and creatures that will obey Him – He doesn’t have robots – He makes all of His creatures with a free will.  And that means He needs to take the risk that some will choose not to love Him and not to obey.

And one of the greatest evidences of God’s power of love and the freedom of will He gives us is that He did create creatures such as Lucifer and Adam and Eve and others that chose to rebel.  He makes His creatures free and then He appeals to their love and their senses and reason but He never forces.  And God does not have a cookie cutter where He only makes robots that say, “I love you God, I love you God.”  He wants us to choose to love Him.

Caller:  Well yeah but, I don’t know – it’s just like He created – well He just like wants to give people the freedom of choice just to…

Pastor Doug:  Well all of His creatures have a great gift, and it’s called a free will.  He does not force.  That’s why He says, “Choose you this day who you will serve.”  He appeals to us, and the devil pulls us one way and God pulls us the other, and we get to vote and that’s a lot of love to give us that kind of freedom.

Caller:  Yes.

Pastor Doug:  And you asked another question:  why did God allow them to be tested.

Caller:  Yeah.

Pastor Doug:  Well, once again, you know I’m a father of five children and one grandson, and so I always relate it back to God said He made us in His image and we procreate in our image.

I learned more about God once I became a parent than any other school you could ever go to.  Sometimes you have to allow your children to learn through experience.  God told Adam and Eve if you eat from this tree, you’ll be in paradise and everything will be fine but don’t eat from that tree or you’ll die.  And He wanted to find out would they listen to Him.

Caller:  Yeah

Pastor Doug:  God knew of course – but the other creatures in the universe were also observing – would you listen to me, or will you listen to the enemy?

Now because Adam and Eve chose to listen to the devil who said, “eat it”, and God said, “don’t eat it”, the devil set up his headquarters here in this world and the conflict between good and evil is being acted out on the stage of planet earth.  Paul says our world is a theater to the universe.

Caller:  Ok.

Pastor Doug:  So you know, it’s a big picture, but just trust that God is love and that He’s doing everything because He loves us.

Caller:  Ok.

Pastor Doug:  The Cross is the best place to see Christ’s power of love and the devil’s love for power.

Amazing Facts’ Resource Number:  800-835-6747

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