“Did God know that Adam and Eve would sin when He created them?” The question touches on the foreknowledge of God—that is, His power to know all future events. God is omniscient. His knowledge of all things (past, present, and future) is “perfect and eternal” (Strong’s Systematic Theology). God knows everything. Isaiah describes God as the One who declares “the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done” (Is. 46:10). Therefore, because of His perfect knowledge, God knew that Adam and Eve would sin even before He created them.
Although God knew from the beginning all things that would happen, including the sin of Adam and Eve, this does not make Him responsible for their sins. Nor, is He responsible for the sins we commit. God made us with the capacity to choose between good and evil. Otherwise, our service would consist of little more than programmed response—a robot-like devotion to God. Service without choice is not true devotion. Because God desires devotion from the heart, He is willing to risk our decision to choose evil instead of good.
Every day, people all around us are making wrong choices. Sometimes wrong choices result in harm to innocent victims. Does this make God responsible for man’s bad decisions? Not at all. As we have said, the removal of free moral agency would eliminate loving service to God.
God called Cyrus by name to be His chosen instrument for releasing Judah from bondage over 150 years before his birth. Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him (Jn. 6:70-71). God knew before Paul’s birth that he would become His chosen vessel through whom the gospel would be preached to the Gentiles (Gal. 1:15-16). These are but a few examples of the foreknowledge of God. The next time you think about an uncertain future, remember that God knows the future and holds it in His hands.
–Glen Elliott–