The opening chapters of the Bible tell us what happened when Adam and Eve committed the first sin – but they don’t tell us exactly why God allowed it to happen. We must be careful, therefore, not to blame God for something that is ultimately beyond our understanding.

At the same time, the Bible does tell us two very important truths about Adam and Eve’s sin. First, it tells us that they were completely free to love God – or to reject Him. In other words, they weren’t robots! God’s warning was clear: “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

But what if they had been robots – that is, what if they didn’t have any will of their own, and all they could do was love God? Then their “love” for God wouldn’t have been love at all – because love always involves a choice or a decision on our part. God took a great risk in creating them with a free will – but only then could their love for Him be real.

The other truth the Bible tells us, however, is that while sin’s consequences were great – God’s love is even greater. The proof is that He sent His only Son into the world so we could have our sins forgiven. Have you turned to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness and new life you need?