Transcript
ADAM, EVE & THE SERPENT
Q&A 06: If God Already Knew, Was Adam’s Fall His Destiny?
QUESTION
Was it not already known beforehand that Adam would eat the fruit? If God knew what Adam would do, was the fall not simply his destiny?
RESPONSE
God’s foreknowledge did not become Adam’s compulsion. Knowing a choice beforehand is not the same as forcing that choice. Adam had God’s direct command, an active conscience, sufficient wisdom, dominion, authority, and the capacity to obey. God’s warning treated the act as a genuine and accountable choice. Foreknowledge did not turn disobedience into obedience, nor did it erase Adam’s gratitude, loyalty, or responsibility. The fact that God knew Adam could fall was precisely why the warning was given so seriously: “You shall surely die.”