When God created,did He know He was going to make you and me in the future, and what we would choose?

Naomi Purdom, Age 8, Springdale, AR

 

Dear Naomi,

That is a very interesting question! God is the Creator of all things—including time. To God, there is no past, present, or future as we understand them (2 Peter 3:8). God is omniscient (om-NI-shent), which means that He knows everything, including what we call the future. We see things only as they happen, but God knows everything that has ever happened or ever will happen. So, while God did not miraculously make us individually, He knew all along that you and I were going to be born. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you… (Jeremiah 1:5; also read Psalm 139:13-16). He knew who our parents were going to be, what color hair we would have, even what school we would go to. And yes, God even knows the choices that we will make. However, even though He knows what we will do, He never forces us to do anything. God gives each person the freedom to choose between right and wrong.

From the very beginning of human existence, God knew that man would sin and need a Savior—so He planned for Jesus to come to Earth and die for our sins. And, He gave us the Bible as a guidebook for our choices, so we would know what to do (read 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:3). As the song says: "The Father up above is looking down in love," so we should be careful in everything we do.

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