And did He design and consign us to be sinners?
If so, why does He condemn what He chose for us?
If God laid the groundwork for the need of a Savior by creating Lucifer, destined by God to fail in his devotion and sin against his Creator, then God would be responsible for Lucifer's sin not Lucifer. But that is not the case. Lucifer, an angel, had free will and chose to use it against God, who quoted him, in Isa.14:13-14, as having said, "I will" five times in opposition to God. Lucifer chose, by his own free will, to sin and seal his destiny.
The same is true of Adam and Eve and their descendants. Humans, like the angels, were given free will as one of the "likenesses" of God, but in baby sized portions as a human baby has likenesses to his parents.
"This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him." Gen. 5:1.
Whereas God's attributes are many and infinite, human "likenesses" to those attributes are fewer and finite. The three most often quoted are Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence. I am forced to add another, Omnivolition, meaning God has infinite free will to do what He will, without limits. He will not therefore, by His own Omnivolition, choose to sin or tempt anyone to sin. Both Lucifer, angels, and humans have limited free will to do, or try to do, as they please.... good or bad, rape, steal, kill, and lie, but will give an account for their choices. Therefore, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." James 1:13. Also, God will not invalidate the free volition "likeness" of Himself which, in his Omniscience, He instituted in we human beings. We are responsible for our own decisions and choices.
"Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." Ecc. 8:11. (Evil is their free will choice, not God's. RB)
God clearly distinguishes the nature and opposition between the the human body of flesh, which is spiritually dead, and the eternal spirit which God breathed into that body at creation, and is reborn when the Spirit of Christ enters that lost spirit bringing eternal life and righteousness to it.
"And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." Rom. 8:10.
So the complexity of our two-fold nature in some ways reflects the act of our totally spiritual Christ taking upon himself a human body of flesh by means of a human mother and thereby experiencing the temptations we too have to deal with.
"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Heb.4:15.
The conclusion: We may do as we will ... but God will judge us.
"Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." Ecc.11:9
A final aspect of the subject, which is overlooked, is 1 John 3:9 which clears up a lot of confusion about sin in a Christian's life. Getting this straight clears up a lot of supposed contradiction of doctrines. It is this....
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." 1 John 3:9
The clear fact is that the spiritual part of us which is "born of God does not commit sin". Notice that it does not say, "should not or must not" but "does not sin". What??? "does not sin"! Because "His seed (Christ) remaineth in us and we CANlNOT SIN, because only our spirit, our eternal self, not our fleshly body, is born of God. The Apostle Paul made this truth plain in Romans 7 .... the entire chapter, but here is the crux of the matter.... and he was probably the greatest Christian who ever lived. Yet he gives this honest confession of himself.
14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. (That is the whole purpose of the law)
17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (in my body. RB)
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (That is, in my flesh. RB)
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
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It is our self-serving, lustful flesh that is tempted to sin, not our eternal, born again, spiritual self, or soul. The born again part of Christians does not sin because it cannot sin, because that is where the Spirit of Christ dwells. Our flesh is weak, sweats, gets sick, grows old and dies, then rots in the grave. It is not born again... yet. Its life, spirit, soul is gone. But one day Christ will resurrect what is left of our bodies, glorify it and reunite it with our eternal, spiritual selves and we shall then be "like Him" fully born again, body and soul.
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
1 John 3:2
"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matt.26:41.
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