Why Did God Allow Sinful People To Be Born? | By Emory Cooper

THUS ENDS THE STATE of Paradise, and thus begins the state of Adam's fall. In Books 10 and 11 of Paradise Lost, the effects of the first transgression are made plain: from Adam and Eve's shameful encounter with God the Son, to the curse on Satan and his legions; from the entrance of Sin and Death into the garden, to the news of man's impending banishment from it; and finally, the vision of the depravity of Adam's descendants. All of these scenes demonstrate that, into God's untainted world, the fall brought sin and misery.

In light of the hereditary nature of these hardships, it is easy to understand the conflict Adam and Eve felt in this story about whether or not they should reproduce. The conflict is made evident when Eve says to her husband, "What thoughts in my unquiet breast are risen,...Our own begotten, and of our loins to bring/Into this cursed world a woeful race...Food for so foul a monster [death], in thy power/It lies yet ere conception to prevent/The race unblest, to being yet unbegot." (Book 10, lines 975-988.) And also, when Adam has beheld the murder of his son, and cries over the diseases of his own progeny: "O miserable mankind! To what fall/Degraded, to what wretched state reserved!/Better end here unborn." (Book 11, lines 500-502.)

Why should the human race have continued? With Milton's portraits of our first parents, I think this is not an innapropriate question to ask ourselves. In attempting to answer this question, here are a few points I have considered. First, the mandate for man to "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28) was given before the fall, but God knew that the fall would take place. So even though man would commit crimes and rebel against Him, it was still God's will that man continue. Why? In answer, here is my second point. For God to delay the death penalty for the sin of Adam and Eve and remain perfectly just, His wrath had to be appeased by a substitution, a propitiation, a perfect and suitable atonement. This atonement had to be Jesus Christ, who had to become human; so he had to be the Seed of the Woman, Eve (Genesis 3:15). Thus, here is my third point: God allowed the sinful race of Adam to endure so that He could save His chosen people, of whom I believe Adam and Eve were, from their sin; this is the race of Christ.

[I commented on the posts of Emma Kate Patterson and Samantha Tedder.]

Comments

  1. Lily CaswellSeptember 28, 2021 at 8:00 AM

    I love your post, Emory! I definitely agree that God allowed mankind to continue so He could give them redemption later on. I think that God allowed the fall to happen so that He could send His son to die for us on the cross.

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  2. Breanna PooleSeptember 28, 2021 at 8:08 AM

    I enjoyed reading your post! That is a question I have often asked myself -- why do we continue to give birth to new humans when they will be introduced to a sinful world? I can imagine for Adam and Eve this was an even more troublesome question. Jesus has saved humanity from their sins, thus creating the race of Christ and the saving of all people. -- Breanna Poole.

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  3. Emma Kate PattersonSeptember 28, 2021 at 8:22 AM

    I think it is interesting that you pointed out that they questioned about whether to reproduce or not. This is not a concept seen often or talked about. I wonder what factors contributes to this unsureness about whether to have a child or not. Was it selfish intent from the consequences of eating the fruit that caused a painful childbirth or was it a selfless intent from the lack of innocence.

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