The Decrees of God Pt 5

Q.12 What special act of providence did God exercise toward man when He created him in his initial state?
A.12 When God created man, He entered into a covenant of life with him, that upon condition of perfect obedience, man was forbidden to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good & evil, upon pain of death (Gal 3:12; Gen 2:17).

We understand from the word of God, as we have also examined in our catechism (cat 10), that Adam was formed from the dust of the ground (Gen 2:7), that He was created in God's image (Gen 1:27), & THAT, being created in knowledge, righteousness, & true holiness (Eph 4:24; Col 3:10).

With this background, the question is often posed to us by others (& perhaps we have thought this very thought ourselves): "If God knew Adam was going to fall, then why did He create him in the 1st place?" Why, indeed? But you see, this question is wrong in its essence, for not only is it the wrong question to ask, it's asking something that presumes a very falsehood at its core. The question presumes that God had nothing to do with the fall of man, but was only a casual, even helpless, observer. The question that should be asked is this: "If God is sovereign & in control of all things, then how did Adam fall?"

ANSWER: God's decree executed through the work of providence.