Was the fall of man inevitable? [closed]

Question

Given that:

1. Life of man continued in eternity in Eden
2. During this time the tree of knowledge was present
3. At any given point in time, man had the free will to make the choice: I will eat the forbidden fruit

it seems like a mathematic inevitability that the probability of eating the fruit = 100% as time → infinity?

I might be thinking of this too naïvely or simplistically but it seems like regardless how figurative or literal you take the account, the core issue still stands?

Unless 1. is not as simple as it seems and eternity is a more complex notion than simply time continuing indefinitely as we understand time now? Or 2. is debatable, i.e. the tree could have only been a one-time test which would not have continued into eternity?

Answer 1

Well, let's have a look at the actual text.

Genesis 2: 16-17

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

17 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.

Verse 17 is particularly interesting. "In the day that thou eatest thereof" is not an "if" statement but a "when" statement. This makes me think that yes, it was part of the plan, and that Satan's temptation did not consist of getting them to eat the fruit per se, but of getting them to do it before they were ready (whatever else that would have consisted of.) Unfortunately, the Scriptures are silent on any further details.

Answer 2

I think this question reflects a common error in our thinking which I call temporal lock - that is, we have a great tendency to reason about the eternal things of God from a temporal and limited perspective.

God is the great "I Am" - the eternal present. God's eternity certainly is more complex than time continuing forever; it's timelessness. God is not bound by time; he does not exist within time as we know it - our time was created by him when he created the universe: Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning..." (emphasis mine).

It's clear from the laws of physics of this universe that it was never designed to exist eternally. The laws of thermodynamics ensure that the universe, much less this planet, cannot sustain life indefinitely. Equally, consider what was to happen once mankind had fulfilled the command to multiply and fill the earth - then what? It seems apparent from the creation itself that this entire universe is an interim endeavor. While it is feasible that God could have stepped in and done something supernatural, it's more reasonable to postulate that this creation is temporary and is designed for a purpose, which once achieved, will negate the reason for its existence.

It's not so much that mankind would inevitably sin, but that in God's experience, there is no other reality. God knew from all eternity that man would sin and what he would do about it - the plan of salvation was in the heart of God before (whatever "before" means in God's dimensional existence) this creation ever was.

If one reasons this through to its logical conclusion, in the face of a perfect eternal being, one must conclude that this creation, the fall and Christ's redemptive action is a necessary interim step in God's ultimate plan for our eternity. An eternity in which mankind has perfect communion with God, has free-will and the capability to love, and yet is incapable of sinning.

Answer 3

If we read the story literally, God comes out of it very poorly. An omniscient God knew what the consequences of putting the tree in the garden must inevitably be. He still put it there; so he deliberately engineered human disobedience. To then punish all humans through all generations, because their earliest ancestor failed a test that God knew he must fail before he even set the test is the act of a God whom we might worship out of fear but who is certainly not worthy of our love.

The Fall story is a myth. That doesn't mean that it is not true. It means that it is not about one historical event. It is about eternal truths that happen in each of our lives. We each acquire moral sense (a knowledge of good and evil), we each have to come to terms with our mortality, we each have to take responsibility. Have you ever thought of the Garden of Eden story in relation to childhood? The young child is kept safe. Its needs are met. It plays and has no worries. It happily runs around naked because it isn’t self-conscious. It’s innocent. Then we grow up. We become self-aware and we gain knowledge. We realize that people get ill and die and that those we love and we ourselves will suffer and die too. We have to take increasing responsibility for ourselves and we get things wrong. We go though the difficulties of puberty and adolescence, which often involves challenging parental authority as we seek self-determination, and most of us have to leave the nest and work for a living. Eventually we may have families of our own.

Answer 4

"And you shall call his name Jesus, and He save his people from their sins" Matthew 1

The real, eternal name of G-d is Jesus, or perhaps some 1st-century Hebrew or Aramaic variant thereof. The point is, the very N-me of G-d means, "He who saves from sins". The N-me of G-d is eternal and cannot change. The fact that a saving deity exists makes it inevitable that somebody, somewhere will sin and will require saving. So yes, the Fall was inevitable.

But is that bad? Consider the contrapositive: if sin never happened, then, logically, G-d as we know Him would not exist.

What if Job was never tested? His faith would have never been proven. And likewise, G-d's love would have never been proven if Jesus had not been sacrificed, a la Abraham and Isaac at the mountain.

What if Adam and Even had never sinned? Your life would be a lot easier, certainly, and you could easily improve yourself and let go of irresponsible and bad habits without difficulty. More significantly, you would be surrounded by perfect, idyllic, flawless people. You would never be able to bless those who curse you, because nobody would curse you. You would not be able to love your enemies, because you would have no enemies. Consequently, you would not be able to reflect the glory of G-d in the way He intended. The creation of the universe, and the creation of man, would have ultimately been a fruitless endeavor.

But G-d didn't create you for that.

Just as it was necessary for Job, and Abraham, to be tested, it was necessary for G-d H-mself to be tested. Jesus was tempted as we are, and never sinned. He was not simply tempted by the devil in the wilderness, but he was tested every day of His Life. I will love my enemies. I will share the truth. I will be willing to lay down my life. Not my will, but Yours be done.

"All who dwell on the earth will worship the beast, whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world." Rev 13:8