Did God know Adam and Eve would sin? The answer is yes, but it is a hard answer for some to accept, for they cannot understand how mankind could keep from sinning if God foreknew they would sin. Did they, Adam and Eve, have free will; that is the question being asked? If God knew we were all going to need Jesus and his blood for salvation even before our existence, what choice did any of us have but sin?
That question does not bother me. Why not? Because God by definition is supernatural. His understanding is infinite. What seems impossible with man is possible with God (creating the universe, the virgin birth, raising the dead to life again, walking on water, walking through closed doors, knowing man's thoughts without being told, disappearing into thin air, etc.). "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Gen. 18:14 NKJV) "Is there anything too hard for me?" (Jer. 32:27) "His understanding no one can fathom." (Isa. 40:28 NIV) Because a matter is too deep for my own understanding does not mean it is too deep for God.
Now for the scriptural truth that God did indeed know Adam and Eve would sin, I will just quote the appropriate scriptures and leave it with you.
In 2 Tim. 1:9 the scripture says God has "saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began." (NKJV) You did catch that, did you not—"before time began"? John refers to Jesus as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev. 13:8 NKJV)
In Eph. 1:4 Paul says we Christians were chosen "in him before the foundation of the world." (NKJV) The prior verse (verse 3) makes it clear Paul is speaking of "in Christ." In the same book, we read of "the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Eph. 3:11 NKJV) If it was eternal, it was before the earth was created.
The kingdom was prepared for us "from the foundation of the world." (Matt. 25:34 NKJV) Paul speaks of "the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory." (1 Cor. 2:7 NKJV) Did this wisdom have anything to do with Jesus and salvation from sin? So, yes, this wisdom that was ordained before the ages dealt with the salvation of man.
We read in Titus 1:2 of the "hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began" (NKJV), but, of course, eternal life depends on Jesus and his sacrifice for man, so again, the answer is yes; God did indeed know man would sin before creating man.
Finally, we close with Peter who says Christ was "foreordained before the foundation of the world." (1 Peter 1:20 NKJV)
Our duty before God as believers is to believe and not fret about how God can do things that seem impossible to us. God knew we would sin before we were created. But, don't you think God also knew mankind could love? "God is love." (1 John 4:8 NKJV) We were made in God's image (Gen. 1:26). Perhaps, just perhaps, we were created in part to be loved by God and to love God back. "We love Him because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19 NKJV) Every person desires to be loved. Is God any different?
Jesus said the first commandment, the one with top priority, is, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30 NKJV) Perhaps love is of such great and wonderful value as to be worth some pain. God knew some would reject him and continue on in sin, but he also knew some would love him and be loyal to him. To love God is a wonderful thing. Just maybe it was worth creating man.
I conclude by saying I cannot know God's motives in creating man, and so I have speculated. Take it as that. But, I have to believe that God saw value in the creation of man, or he would not have created us. And, I also know, God could have created a robot rather than a man had he desired to do so. A robot has no choices about love, or hate, or anything else. A robot cannot receive love or give love. It can give no satisfaction to the hearts of spiritual beings.
This is making a case for free will. A robot, I suppose, could be programmed to go through the motions of loving you, but it would all be artificial, programmed into the wiring, without choice. We love God because he chose us (1 John 4:19). We love our husbands or wives because they chose us. That was and is very meaningful. They didn't have to do it. We were not the only man or woman on earth. Their choice of us was special. It had and has real meaning. So, God had to give us a choice if there was to be a meaningful relationship with him. That meant some would not choose him. But for those who did and do, that is special.
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