Why did God create Adam & Eve with the ability to sin?

Hi,

yeah these are questions that get pondered and raised a bit. Firstly, to begin, the Bible is clear that God knows all things, even before they come about. 

The book of Job says that God is 'perfect in knowledge':
Job 37:16  Do you know how the clouds are balanced, Those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?

The Psalmist said that God understanding is infinite:
Psa 147:5  Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.

God spoke through the prophet Isaiah saying that He knows the end from the beginning:
Isa 46:9-10  Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.  (10)  I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

The Apostle John simply said that He knows 'everything':
1Jn 3:20  ...For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

So clearly God knew that mankind would fall even before He created them. And yet He did so anyway. So why? We could even go back further than the creation of mankind and ask the same question of the angelic realm. God created the angels knowing that 'Lucifer' the blameless anointed cherub (Ezek 28:14), would fall and take 1/3 of the angelic realm with him (Rev 12:4) in his rebellion against God. So why did God create them knowing that would happen? 

We need to think what the alternative is. If you don't give mankind or the angelic realm the ability to rebel or sin, if they so choose, then you have to remove free will and choice itself. You are then essentially left with a programmed robot that simply responds how it has been coded to respond. Robots can be pretty cool but they can't express love because love requires choice. I'm not sure if you are a mother, but if so imagine if your child had no ability whatsoever to rebel against you. None. Great you say! : ) Whatever you ask, their only ability is to respond positively and obey what your every wish. Do you they love you? You wouldn't know for that choice has been removed. Their obedience isn't coming from a heart that loves you and desires to please you. God is love the Bible says and He desires our love... but it must come from a heart that desires Him. So that is the first point. 

The second point is to do with creation trying to understand an infinite God. How do we learn about the incredible character of God? God could say that He loves us, but how would we experience it? Who would have thought that His love was so great that He would come and die for a fallen sinful creation that had rejected Him? He could have wiped us out and started again had He so desired. But He didn't. It is through the fall and the cross that we start to grasp what type of love God has for us and who God is. And it is not just His love. The cross teaches us about the holiness of God. It teaches us about the justice and judgment of God. It teaches us about the amazing grace of God... to those that didn't deserve any of it! 

The fact is that even before the creation of the world God not only knew that mankind would fall, but He also knew what He would do. That is why scripture speaks of Jesus as 'the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world'. I'd encourage you to read the following study which goes into this and other things in the heart of God before the creation of the world:

https://jesusplusnothing.com/series/post/Theplanfromthebeginning

In terms of why you have to be born with sin... well, its because you are human! We all inherit the consequences of what Adam did for he was humanities representative head. But if we were to think that we would have done better, think again. If you or I had been in the garden instead of Adam and Eve, the result would have been the same!. The wonder of it all of course is that there is another 'representative head'... Jesus. And all 'in Him' are blessed beyond measure because of what He did just as we suffered through what Adam did. This is what Romans 5 is all about (amongst other scriptures):

Rom 5:12-18  Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--  (13)  for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.  (14)  Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.  (15)  But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!  (16)  Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.  (17)  For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.  (18)  Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.

The other thought linked to this is that when the Lord returns we will forever be free from the desire and even capacity to sin. Scripture even says we will be like Him (I John 3:2) and have a body like His glorified body (Phil 3:21). Now is the time of proving, trial and testing. But that is over when He returns and then we shall never struggle with sin ever again. Bring it on! : ) 

I hope this helps. 

God Bless!