God knew that not all of humanity would accept Him, so why did He create us?
When God created humanity, He considered it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). God’s assessment can be difficult to understand, considering what people have done against God from the start.
You and I, as objects of His love, have been created to worship and enjoy God, who is worthy of all praise. Though God desires that every person would be saved, as it says in 1 Timothy 2:4, He leaves the choice to us. So why did God create us, knowing that many would reject Him?
The Right Question?
The reason God made us has less to do with his foreknowledge of our individual response, and more to do with His nature and His ultimate end to receive glory.
Allow me to explain. From cover to cover, the Bible is about God. Specifically, Scripture tells the story of God being glorified.One of the primary ways that God is glorified is through His gift of salvation to humanity (Ephesians 1:4-6, 12). But we must recognize that salvation is just one side of the coin. Salvation is always delivery from something. This “something” is judgment.
So for salvation to work, there must be a fork in the road: one path leading to salvation — and the other to judgment. Both options must be real, if God is to be glorified through our salvation (Romans 9:22-23).
Humanity Given Free Will
This is where our free will comes in. God gifted all of humanity with free will, so that every person could personally choose his or her salvation — or judgment. God knew that many would reject Him, certainly. But God also knew that many would cherish Him as their friend and Savior. Our free will also makes it possible for us to gift God with glorify as we worship. If we had no free will, our worship would be forced. It wouldn’t be genuine.
God receives the maximum glory for creating a world in which He became our salvation from judgment. If you have yet to receive Christ, take the next step below. If you received God’s merciful gift, give Him praise! You can live free from shame as you look forward to spending eternity in His presence!
NEXT STEPS
- Interested in knowing God personally? Get started with this really good info.
- To grow your knowledge of the Bible, read 77 FAQs about God and the Bible by Josh and Sean McDowell.
- Also read Josh and Sean’s recently revised apologetics classic, Evidence That Demands a Verdict.
- Or you can start by reading through our year-long blog series on Evidence. Learn why Jesus and the Bible are true!
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