If God desires everyone’s salvation, as stated in 1 Timothy 2:3-4, why doesn’t He grant salvation from the get-go? Well, because He wants us to go through a process.
God is omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipotent (possesses full control), which enables Him the ability to avoid mistakes. So, why didn’t He just create us with perfect abilities from the outset? Why were we made mentally and emotionally challenged, with limited skills, knowledge, and understanding? Did He design us to err? Why were we destined to live in a world with sin and commit sins ourselves? And please don’t argue that “we used to be perfect.” The creation was made ‘good,’ not perfect. The only thing perfect is God. Besides, ‘perfect’ is a finished product.
Is life a contest or a journey?
What kind of process is life? If it is a context, then at its culmination, one either wins the award and is granted salvation, or loses, facing eternal punishment and torture.
But if it’s a journey, then much like a game, it is the process itself that holds paramount significance because we learn through the process. It’s not just the destination but the path taken. If God designed life in advance to be a challenging journey (which implies the inevitability of sin), then certain elements are intrinsic to its essence. After all, without wood, there’s no bonfire.
Is God trying to impart a lesson to us? Can humanity only grasp the concepts of forgiveness, grace, compassion, and empathy by first experiencing sin? In other words, can we only learn to love if we first experience sin? If we truly think about it, we’ll reach the conclusion that sin is an unavoidable part of our process.
Because we, human beings, are still learning things such as spiritual growth and what love is, the journey, the learning process, is the essence of life. This tremulous voyage from nonexistence to an infinite union with the God of Israel is pivotal. Spiritual entities require a process, and that implies growth and change. This evolution is unattainable without encountering adversity, which demands the existence of sin. If God had endowed Adam and Eve with immediate perfection, their growth process would be redundant. Furthermore, if there’s no process with ups and downs, that would render their free will mostly worthless.
True comprehension, the ability to really know something, often requires firsthand experience. That’s why physicians don’t only learn in theory but also must practice and experience. Pain and sorrow are genuinely understood only after one confronts sin. Likewise, the essence of forgiveness becomes apparent only after we ourselves err and experience forgiveness from others.
Spiritual beings are granted free will, giving them the liberty to either embrace righteousness or stray. While they aren’t necessarily predestined to face evil, the potential for poor decisions remains inherent until we finish the process and achieve divine perfection.
Questioning why God didn’t craft us already perfected or why sin exists in His creation is akin to pondering the possibility of a square circle. It contradicts the inherent growth trajectory of spiritual beings. Our core identity lies in our progression from nothingness to divinity.
I don’t know how it will be done, but somehow, the bible promises that a time will come when not just a few but EVERY knee will bow out of their genuinely free will, recognizing and celebrating God’s love in worship:
“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11)
My Soteriology
I guess for me, our Father is like the best father ever. I, too, am a father. Will it harm our relationship if my son sins against me or somehow offends me and refuses to apologize? Certainly. Would I be excited to take him out for ice cream or buy him nice gifts when he won’t make amends and continues misbehaving? Probably not. But will he ever stop being my son? Never! Would I harm, let alone kill him, if he refuses to apologize? Of course not! As long as he wants me as his father, I’ll do what I can to be there for him, even when he falls.
And our heavenly Father is a much better father than I ever was or will be. He is not offended by our journey; he uses it to allow us to grow.
As a believer in Jesus, let’s say I live in sin. God might reject my prayers, withhold His blessings and protection, and discipline me. I could end up in jail and even lose rewards in the afterlife. However, I don’t believe even for a moment that because I’m that stupid, He will cast me to hell to be tortured forever.
In summary, I’m an imperfect and finite being. I lack knowledge, often judge poorly, and sometimes react emotionally. Thus, sin is an inherent part of my existence in this world. Sin is a significant problem, but I believe it’s secondary to faith. Faith is what God truly seeks. And faith itself is a journey (of learning how to love God and others with all our heart), one that’s long and fraught with challenges. We all have our highs and lows. Sometimes, we might take the wrong path or misunderstand our belief’s essence (like being unable to forgive or struggle with greed). Yet, while I believe we do suffer from our sins, I don’t believe they will ever cause God to reconsider our eternal destiny as believers in Christ.
That’s my soteriology.
P.S. If my thoughts are not too scary for you, then I invite you to continue this exploration in my book: ‘The “Gospel” of Divine Abuse.‘
