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Why did God create the tree of the knowledge of good and evil if he foreknew the fall? Guessing divine motives is risky, but free will and genuine love require real choices.

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 13) 00:52:28 – 00:54:30

Question from Reggie LQ about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and divine foreknowledge.

Winger cautions against projecting motives onto God from limited human reasoning. He offers the free-will theodicy: without the ability to disobey, Adam and Eve could not genuinely love or choose God; beings with free will are better kinds of beings than automatons. Analogy: a marriage proposal means more if the other person could have said no. Second analogy: a teacher's foreknowledge that students won't do homework does not make the teacher responsible for their failure. He is careful to note that God may have additional motives beyond what he can theorize.

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