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Question/Comment:Did God know Satan was going to tempt Adam and Eve? Did He know or ordain the Fall? Response:This is a great question because the
answer helps us understand our God better. We want to start by asking
what is God like. One the first questions I ask myself is, "What
do we know about Him that can help answer the question?" Well, we
know that God is omniscient and sovereign.
God Knows Everything. We know that God is
all powerful and we sometimes forget He knows everything (1 John 3:20).
Maybe the most interesting passage in the Bible about what God knows
is Psalms 139:1-4. Here we learn that God,
. . . searches us to know us (v. 1)
. . . knows when we sit and lay down (v. 2)
. . . discerns when we go out and get up (v. 3)
. . . God knows our every thoughts - WOW! (v. 2)
. . . knows everything about us (v. 3)
. . . completely knows the next word on our tongue (v. 4)
What do we know about God? We know that He knows everything about us
and according to Job 38-41 God knows everything about our universe. So
did God know that Satan was going to tempt Adam and Eve? Yes ! Did He
know the Fall would occur? Yes!
God Does Not Control Everything. Before
leaving Psalms 139 look at verse 5. The passage says that God "Hems
me in - behind and before." The passage says He is in control. Daniel
2:21 gives us another interesting view of God by indicating that He changes
the seasons and puts kings on their thrones and removes them. Daniel
4:28-35 reveals that made King Nebuchadnezzar act like an animal for
seven years - the king was insane. Yet, God does not absolutely make
every decision for us. Look at the following verses: So they ate and were well filled, For He gave them their own desire. (NIV) Ps 78:29 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. (NIV) Ps 81:12 And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul. (NIV) Ps 106:15 You hem me in - behind and before. (NIV) Ps 139:5 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. (NIV) Acts 14:16 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. (NIV) Acts 17:30 God controls every event in my life but He does not limit us. In the
verses presented above, Ps 78:29; 81:12 and Rom 1:16 clearly says that
God allows us to do all the sinning we want. He does not control that.
James 1:13 tells us that God does not tempt anyone and God cannot be
tempted. So what can we conclude about God? He is in control but when
it comes to our desire to sin He lets do what we want within limits He
has determined. So did He ordain the Fall? Has He ordained my every thought
and action? No, He decided to allow it.
Conclusion:Yes, God knew Satan was going to Adam and Eve and He knew about the Fall. No, God did not ordain the Fall. God allowed man to do what he wanted to do. |
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