In view of the fact that God knew that so many people would end up lost (Matthew 7:13-14), why did God create mankind? Why would He put so much creative energy and wisdom into beings that would inevitably betray Him, abandon Him, and, for the most part, ignore Him? The same question seems to apply to us when we weigh the dangers and risks of having children, getting married, starting a business, buying a home, or going on vacation. In spite of the potential catastrophes, we still go through with it. We believe the rewards outweigh the dangers and open ourselves up to creative disappointment. No doubt, the rebellion of our world has disappointed God to no end. Yet even with His foreknowledge, He still gives each and every person a chance, “not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Indeed, He knew Adam and Eve (or at least somebody along the way) would sin, for 1 Peter 1:19-20 states that Jesus Christ was foreknown before the foundation of time. This short series of articles will seek to answer the question of why God created us, in spite of our seemingly inevitable unfaithfulness.

Playing It Safe

One of the most common quandaries that Christian philosophers face is the question of whether or not God should have just played it safe and sent us straight to Heaven before we could have a chance to sin. Others have propounded the possibility of God simply making us into “machines” with no free will. The “great thinkers” of mankind have asked, in sheer disrespect for the ultimate wisdom of God, “Why, if God so loved the world, did He not simply create us without free will? If He knew we would sin, then why set us up for failure?” Yet, the most profound response to this error is to look at how God has not set us up for failure, but has given us every opportunity to succeed. We may have free will, which leads us to choose sin at times, but we also have:

  • The Bible, which has the power to save (Romans 1:16), and is a guide unto every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17);
  • The church, which serves as a spiritual organization of followers who assist each other, watch our for each other, and pray for each other. We build each other up, and if people do not see the beneficence of the church in God’s plan of salvation, then they are not giving Him (or other Christians) enough credit;
  • An Advocate before the Father (1 John 2:1), who speaks on our behalf and confesses us before Him (Matthew 10:32-33);
  • A Propitiation (1 John 2:2), Jesus Christ, who underwent excruciating physical and spiritual trauma that we might live;
  • Grace, which acknowledges our weaknesses and gives us forgiveness before the Father.
  • We are not set up to fail, but set up to succeed. It is because people choose the broad way (Matthew 7:13) that they fail. With just a little effort on our parts, we have just as much ability and potential to choose the narrow way and live as we do to laze our way down the broad way to condemnation.

There should not be any risk when it comes to salvation. God has done so much to make success available to all people – it is our own faults that we fail so often. Some people truly resent the fact that God created them with the potential for sin. Others even take it to the point that they say, “Well, this is just how God made me. If He didn’t want me to commit this sin, then He shouldn’t have given me free will.” But that is a very defeatist attitude. It assumes that God has made salvation too difficult to accomplish, and free will too unpredictable to manage properly. Consider, however, the fact that the terms of salvation are very clear (Mark 16:15-16). It is no mystery that salvation is open to all who accept the commands. “He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). The sacrifice of Christ is so powerful that it can get past free will indiscretion. Not only that, but the love of God is so dramatically potent (John 3:16), that nobody has a good excuse for missing out on eternal salvation. If you go to Hell, it is not for lack of effort on God’s part.