Why did God allow sin into the world?
Although this
question originates with a deep-seated rebellion against the Creator, it is
often asked; therefore, it deserves an answer. The Bible explains that God is
love and love can only be given and received on a free will basis. God
presented man with a choice right from the beginning: “...Of every tree of the
garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17). At that point in time, man was perfect,
sinless, and had complete fellowship with his Creator. But all of that changed
when the deceiver, who manifested himself in the form of a serpent, entered the
picture and challenged God's Word: “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every
tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1). This first religious discussion about God's
Word ended in a sinful act that carried lasting consequences: “And when the
woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the
eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave
also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Genesis 3:6). Man has been
separated from fellowship with the living God since that day. Man made a
conscious decision to disobey God and fell prey to Satan's temptation.