Did God miss the mark?
What could God have done to ensure that His creation would never know the depths of His love, reconciliation, and grace? All He would have needed to do was create them perfect, never needing His love, reconciliation, and grace. Hence, God’s creation would never know nor need the depths of God.
A Christian once told me that we know God loves us because He sent His Son to die for us. Well, if Christ’s appearing and subsequent death is such a great expression of God’s love, then how could God show this love if ‘sin’ did not exist? Without sin, there is no need for a Savior. Therefore without sin, we would not know the full extent of God’s love.
The religious world attempts to relieve God of His responsibility in the creation of sin. However, in doing so, they actually make God a sinner.
Let us first define ‘sin’ in scripture:
hamartanó (Strong’s 264): to miss the mark, do wrong, sin Original Word: ἁμαρτάνω Definition: to miss the mark, do wrong, sin
So, sin has a literal definition of ‘to miss the mark.’ Any mistake, failure or inability to hit a target is sin. When you miss a free throw in basketball…its a sin. When you shoot an arrow that misses the intended target…you sin.
Now, of course there is moral sin as well. Such as committing adultery or lying, perhaps failing at a relationship with a family member, spouse, or friend. Either way, sin is missing the mark. So, if I’m a potter making a vase that falls apart the moment I put flowers in it…did I sin in making that vase? Of course I did because the vase did not hold the flowers like it was intended to do. So, I sinned in making that vase.
If a science fiction movie soon became reality and Artificial Intelligence created by man goes rogue and destroys humans, would you blame the AI or man? Man would be to blame because the creation had the capacity to do horrible things.
So I ask…Did God sin when He created Satan? I can answer this question no better than A.E. Knoch in his book ‘The Problem of Evil and the Judgements of God:’
Did God sin in creating the Adversary? The answer will depend entirely upon the object He had in view. Was it God’s intention that sin should invade the universe or was it due to an error on His part? Remembering our definition of sin, if sin’s entrance was a mistake, then God sinned! -Problem of evil p. 21
The bottom line is this: If God created man ‘not to sin’ and they did, then God missed the mark and sinned. If God intended for man to sin and they did, then God remains the perfect God of the universe. Many people credit Satan or mankind as the source of sin. However, if sin is needed for God to show His great love then are these same people going to credit Satan in introducing Christ to the world? Of course not!
In fact, Satan and sin and all evil are creations of God that will eventually glorify God in a greater way than would have been possible if they never existed.
Well, the answer of sin shocks the Christian but it is this: God intended that sin should invade His universe. Without sin, there is no need for a loving Savior to die for unworthy sinners and thus…showing all creation the depths of God’s love.
Christians want to sing of God’s love shown through Christ but want to ignore the stage that was set in order for this love to occur. The ‘deceived’ person will credit God with love but deny that God had anything to do with setting up that love.
So, did sin create the need within God to love and save His creation? Or did God love His creation first, then created ‘sin’ in order to reveal that love through His Son? As if God didn’t think about loving and saving His creation until sin entered the universe. As if God said, “SIN! What is the meaning of this…how did this happen? Wait! This gives me an idea…maybe I can show my love by sending my son.”
Nonsense!!!
Christ was slain before Adam and Eve sinned, from the disruption of the world. God planned how He would show the world His love by killing Christ, before sin entered the scene. THIS MEANS THAT GOD PLANNED FOR SIN TO OCCUR!
8 And all who are dwelling on the earth will be worshiping it, everyone whose name is not written in the scroll of life of the Lambkin slain from the disruption of the world. – Revelation 13:8
In 2 Timothy 1:9, Paul says that grace and Christ Jesus is given to us BEFORE TIME EVEN BEGAN! Why would we be given grace and Christ Jesus before time began if SIN wasn’t planned by God. There would be no need for God to give us grace and Christ Jesus before time began if ‘sin’ was not in the works.
9 Who saves us and calls us with a holy calling, not in accord with our acts, but in accord with His own purpose and the grace which is given to us in Christ Jesus before times eonian, – 2 Timothy 1:9
Before everyone gets huffy and puffy about ‘sin’ and accuse me of calling God evil…hear this: Man sins according to God’s plan and man will be held accountable and corrected for this behavior. It will give man a deeper joy and character having experienced this sin once He is filled with God and perfected. All these sins will be dealt with and have been dealt with by Christ!
God, however, does not sin because He uses man’s sin to fulfill an ultimate, good purpose. So, God uses sin for good. Therefore, when man sin’s, he is evil. But, God is not. I’ll end with an example to illustrate my point.
Acts 4: 27-28 says this:
27 For of a truth, in this city were gathered against Thy holy Boy Jesus, Whom Thou dost anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the nations and the peoples of Israel,
28 to do whatever Thy hand and Thy counsel designates beforehand to occur.
Herod, Pilate, the Jews, and the gentiles did terrible things and sinned by murdering Jesus. No doubt, killing Jesus was a horrible thing they did and judgement is coming. However, God planned this as His counsel designated beforehand for this to occur. God caused these evil actions in order for Jesus to be killed so that all creation will eventually be saved. So, even though man was evil in doing this…God purposed it for Good in that ALL CREATION was saved.
Though man is evil, God is not. Though God causes evil actions, He purposes it for an eventual good. God is the only Being that can do this because He is not a man…He is God. The evil that a man does is simply evil.
Need God’s own words to prove this?
How about Genesis 50:20? I’ll even use the KJV and NIV:
New King James Version
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
New International Version
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
God created evil and sin to fulfill His purpose of love. Once God’s plan is complete and all are saved, evil and sin are done away with forever. Oh, my prayer is that we believe these words in 1 Corinthians 15:
21 For since, in fact, through a man came death, through a Man, also, comes the resurrection of the dead. 22 For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified.
23 Yet each in his own class: the Firstfruit, Christ; thereupon those who are Christ’s in His presence; 24 thereafter the consummation, whenever He may be giving up the kingdom to His God and Father, whenever He should be nullifying all sovereignty and all authority and power.
25 For He must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemy is being abolished: death. 27 For He subjects all under His feet. Now whenever He may be saying that all is subject, it is evident that it is outside of Him Who subjects all to Him. 28 Now, whenever all may be subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him Who subjects all to Him, that God may be All in all.) – 1 Corinthians 15: 21-28
All enemies are abolished and put under Christ’s feet once creation is perfected. This includes sin and evil. Jesus Christ’s death for sin, His entombment, and His resurrection will save every single man, women, child, and creature that has ever lived.
Grace and peace to you all!
Saved ignoble 
Leave a comment