Note: Original article was first posted here.
When I started re-reading the book of Genesis last December 2013, I decided to write down all the questions I have that do not have any answers. Among the questions I have written down were the following: 1) Why did God allow the serpent (Satan) to enter the Garden of Eden and tempt Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and 2) Why did God not come earlier so that He could have prevented Eve from eating the forbidden fruit?
All of these questions meant a lot to me because I already had an idea that all the pain and suffering we are experiencing in this world is due to our sinful nature. I used to blame Eve and Adam for eating the forbidden fruit, because if they had not done so, we could all still be living in the Garden of Eden by now. These questions haunted me and even when I am already reading a different book, there are times when I would stop because I could not understand why God who loves us so much would just allow something like that to happen. I just kept on reminding myself that God will reveal the answers to my questions in His perfect time, and all I have to do is wait.
God did not make me wait long. Since CCF and Pastor Peter Tan Chi is discussing the book of Genesis since the start of 2014, I finally got the answers to my questions, and much much more. Before “The Fall” of Adam and Eve, God did not put any restrictions on them, and this includes being exposed to Satan’s ploy and temptation. The enemy is bent on separating man from God and he would do anything in his power in order to achieve this goal. This answers my first question. Now my second question is a bit more difficult to answer, since it basically challenges God’s intentions and capability. Translated, what I am really asking was if God loved us so much, why did He allow us to be separated from Him, and if He is really powerful and all-knowing, He should have known what Eve was going to do and should have stopped her from eating the fruit. My last premise also questioned God’s sovereignty.
During the message, I realized that my second question is totally wrong. I was too proud to question three of God’s qualities – His sovereignty, His omniscience, and His lovingkindness. The main point of Adam and Eve’s fall is not about why God did not stop it; it was all about the disobedience of Adam and Eve to God’s rules. God did not create us to become robots or zombies; He created us in order to love us and so that we can worship Him. He created man in His own image, thus giving us the ability to decide for ourselves.
My greatest learning from last Sunday’s message is this: Satan aims to make us focus on the things we do not have instead of being thankful for the things we have. God did not promise that we will know everything. He promised that He will be with us if we obey His commands. I’m sure that as I read the other books of the Bible, I will have more questions. But instead of letting this questions hinder me from getting the most of what I can from God’s Word, I will just focus on the things that God wants me to know and understand. He even made it clear in the book of Job that we will never understand everything, because we were not there when He created the heavens and the earth, and we will not be alive long enough to learn everything. However, God has revealed the most important truth, which is our salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. Knowing that and accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior is the first step towards getting to know God more.
For those who would like to watch a video of the worship service at CCF last February 16, 2014, please click the link below:
Assume Responsibility: Follow God’s Instructions (link to CCF Website)
