[Scripture John 1:14-18]
“Why did God allow the Fall?” This is a question that I’ve heard many times from people. When I was to serve as a young adult pastor in a Korean Church, my niece asked me this question seriously.
Why did God allow the Fall? One popular answer that I’ve heard is that Adam and Eve fell because of the free will that God gave them to use. Many people tend to blame God and say if God did not give them free will, they would not have eaten from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, this blame is superficial and not biblical.
God gave Adam and Eve free will because He made us in His image, and free will is an element of His image. God has that same free will in His own nature, yet he does not abuse it. “Having free will does not necessarily entail the possibility of doing evil.”
Free will is God’s gift for all humanity. Your circumstances, your character, and your weaknesses are God’s gifts for you to use to glorify God. God allows you to have those things so you can be sanctified and make yourself better and more humble before God.
Jesus Christ had free will, and He was tempted in the garden of Gethsemane. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus used his free will for the possibility of great good to glorify God. He cried and prayed because of his pain, sorrows, and His limitations.
Jesus worked through His pain and sorrows to save all humanity. Do not stop fighting with the temptations that attack your weaknesses.
God did not create us to be programmed robots, so Adam and Eve needed the free will to have moral virtues in order to have a meaningful and cooperative relationship with God. God has allowed us to use our free will for good.
A psychologist shared that there are 4 styles of parenting. The four main parenting styles are permissive, authoritative, neglectful, and authoritarian. “Research suggests that authoritative parents are more likely to raise independent, self-reliant, and socially competent kids.”
Authoritative parents set clear rules and expectations for their kids while practicing flexibility and understanding. They “communicate frequently: listen to and take into consideration their children’s thoughts, feelings and opinions.”
Authoritative parenting looks similar to how God dealt with Adam and Eve and the free will of God. God’s free will is not bad; self-indulgence is the problem.
Creation to Redemption
In Genesis chapter 3, it says, “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Adam and Eve broke the Word of God. They ruined God’s creation plan because they abused their free will.
After that, God’s creation story turned into a redemption and restoration story in the Bible. Genesis 3:21 says, “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” That was the first sacrifice of an animal which was to cover the shame of Adam and Eve. It was a snapshot of the redemption story. Someone must die for us to cover our shame. In the Old Testament, redemption was accomplished by sacrificing animals to pay for one’s sins. In the New Testament, all humanity needed the blood of Jesus.
After their broken relationship with God, Adam and Eve could not stand in the same place with God because of their shame, so they tried to hide from God. So, God decided to let them out of the garden to protect them. Being kicked out of paradise was not a disaster; it was God’s protection plan for them. God began the process of redemption to dwell with His creation again.
John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
- God revealed himself in visions and dreams. Genesis 15:1 says, “God came to Abraham in a vision.”
- God sent angels to communicate with Abraham in Genesis 18.
- Exodus 19:11, says, “He came to Sinai in the sight of all the people.” God came on the top of the mountain and called to Moses to come up to see God, and God said to Moses to go and tell the people of Israel that He was God of Almighty. He would bring them out of Egypt, and they would worship Him on the mountain, but the others couldn’t come near.
In Exodus 29:42, says that God came to the Tabernacle and said, “I will meet with you and speak to you.” Then God said to Moses to build the tabernacle as a sanctuary and that He would dwell among them. God came down from the top of the mountain to the sanctuary among people in the desert. They didn’t have to go Mt. Sinai to worship God because God built the sanctuary in the midst of the camp.
After that, God asked David to build a temple so that He could dwell among people and stay close to people in the city. God came into the temple in Jerusalem.
Even though God dwelled in the temple in the city of Jerusalem, only one person could enter the Most Holy Place once a year. It symbolized that the people were still alienated from the presence of the living God because of sin. So, God decided to send His only Son to die on the cross to redeem us and wash away our sin.
After Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us” (Hebrews 10:19). And in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
It is God’s ultimate desire that God wants to build His dwelling place in our hearts. Some Bible commentators say that God makes his nest in our hearts to dwell in us.
When Jesus Christ needed to ascend to heaven to the right hand of God almighty, He sent His Spirit to possess our heart for his own. The Holy Spirit filled us to make our bodies temples of the Holy Spirit.
Apostle Paul said in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
There is one condition for the Spirit of God to make his dwelling place in our heart and fully occupy and intercede in us until Jesus Christ comes again.
Revelation 21:3 says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’” This is God’s plan for fully restoring us back into a new heaven and a new earth.
Now what do we need to do? We do not have to make the same mistake that Adam did while waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ. We should utilize our free will to glorify God and praise his name for His glory. We have the choice to do good. Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” This passage tells us that it is our choice to do good.
2022.01.16. Pastor Cloud Poy
@ Photo on Unsplash
