If God knows the future, then He must have known that Satan would deceive Eve. So, if God is good, why didn’t He stop it?
Now we’re getting into philosophical questions that people have been asking for ages. But let’s dive in for a little bit and see where swimming in this sea gets us. What did God want humanity to do? Weren’t they given a royal mandate to “subdue” and “rule over” the “beasts of the field,” including the serpent (Gen. 3:1)?
We pointed out earlier that Adam and Eve’s first mistake was failing to subdue and rule over the serpent. Should God have stepped in and interrupted the encounter between the devil and Eve? If what God wanted was for humanity to rule the earth, then what would it mean for God to interrupt their reign to prevent them from making mistakes? In some sense, wouldn’t this mean that God was not “letting” (Gen. 1:26) them rule, which would be violating His own stated will and intentions?
One might say, “Maybe God could have warned them. Even if He didn’t stop it, He could have stepped in and provided some oversight.” But God had warned them that the earth would need subduing, and His instructions to them regarding the Tree were very clear. Afterward, God gave humanity the freedom to rule, and He was willing to live with the consequences of their decisions.
Yet, sometimes we might wish that God would have acted differently. We might say that what we want is a god who steps in and prevents bad things from happening. But is that really what we want? When human parents are like that with their children, we call them helicopter parents—those parents who are always hovering over their kids to make sure nothing bad happens. Is that really what we want God to be like? Do we want a god who micromanages? We certainly don’t like that in humans. How much worse would it be if God—Who knows your thoughts before you do—was like that?
The Scriptural narrative is pretty clear on what God is like in this regard. He gives directions and commands for our good, and then He gives people the freedom to decide what to do. There are a few examples that might seem to contradict this pattern (Pharaoh, Balaam, Jonah). Maybe we can discuss those at another time. But by and large, this is how God operates, providing the freedom of choice to mankind (and supernatural beings) and then honoring the choices we make. (Determinism is also something for another time.)
But with that said, why death as a consequence? It seems to be a pretty dire punishment for eating some fruit.
Up Next: The Problem of Pain: 10. Why death?
Epic Gospel 