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Question: If God so loved the world why did he create us imperfect
sinners? If you believe the story in the Garden of Eden, then you have to admit
that God set us up for failure. What kind of loving God would do such a thing?
What kind of God would stand by and allow something like the holocaust to occur?
The fact is that whether or not there is or is not a God, it doesn't really
matter.
Answer: The Bible does not teach that God created man imperfect or
sinful. As a matter of fact, the Bible clearly teaches than man was originally
created good and upright. "Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made
man upright; but they have sought out many inventions" (Ecclesiastes 7:29).
“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good”
(Genesis 1:31).
Something happened after creation that ruined the image of God in us.
Like God, we were created holy and righteous; but that image was defaced by sin.
Man voluntarily chose to disobey God, even though he had been warned about the
terrible consequences that would follow. The first man, Adam, sinned. He could
choose to obey and disobey. He freely chose to disobey the Creator. It is his
fault, not God’s.
Moreover, since Adam is our head and father, he is the representative of all
the human family. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”
(Romans 5:12). We repeated and ratified his sinful choice a million times.
The diseases, trouble, decay, the holocaust and death are the consequence of
our sin. It is our responsibility, and we deserve worse than that. Indeed,
unless God is merciful to his rebellious creatures, we will all perish in Hell
forever.
What kind of God would stand by and allow something like the holocaust to
occur? The same God who stood by His beloved Son while he cried out, "My
God, My God, why have thou forsaken me!" God did that for the love of
sinners who would believe in Him; God gave His Son to liberate His enemies from
the debt and penalty of their sins, which were transferred to Jesus on the
cross. God so loved the world!
Is God irrelevant in the face of the cruelties and injustices in our world?
This thought is as foolish as it is arrogant. On the contrary, the existence of
an all-powerful and just God is the sure guarantee that one day justice will
prevail, just as He promised. Moreover, God is the hope of redemption from
personal guilt and the miseries of this world and the world to come, to them
who, instead of accusing God, admit their sinfulness, repent and trust His
beloved Son.
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