Why does God create people who he knows will wind up in Hell?

Question

I'm a Christian, but I've had this one question for a while. It's not wrong to ask questions is it?

God created all people and gave them free will, but he also gave each person their individual will, right? He knew what circumstances we would each go through in our life and he knew before he created us whether we would go to Heaven or Hell. Why would he create someone who He knew would wind up in Hell? Furthermore, why would he create Lucifer knowing that he would betray him and eventually become the Devil? God is often compared to having a relationship with us that is most comparable to humans with their children. He loves us and wants to forgive us. I, however, could not see having my child eternally tortured even if they said they hated me and didn't believe in me.

Please keep in mind that I am a Christian seeking Christian opinions. I suspect that it can't really be answered until we meet God in Heaven and for that reason I'll just turn it over to Him. God bless.

I found this and I believe it's probably the best way to answer my question.

http://www.gotquestions.org/did-God-create-evil.html

I am not struggling with my faith or seeking non-Christian answers. I simply had a question about my faith. Thank you for all your answers.

Answer 1

Same reason he created people he knew he was going to drown, sicken and torture with Plagues, and slaughter. Same reason he created people and then commanded his followers to hurt and kill them. He's evil. There's really no need for a devil.

Answer 2

Go to Exodus and read the story of Moses confronting Pharoah. Somewhere in there, you will read, "And God hardened Pharoah's heart." You don't believe me, but it's there. In Ephesians 1, you can read how God predestined some to be called to Christ. In Psalms, there are verses saying "What man can order his own ways?" or something to that effect. The idea is clear that it is GOD who determines a person's destiny, and we have no control over it. The Bible does not teach free will. The phrase "free will" does not appear in the Bible except in a few places talking about a free-will offering...a different thing entirely. You are either called to obey God, or he uses you as an example of his power, and not in a good way; again, see the Moses-Pharoah story, and also read how God deliberately led the Egyptians into the Red Sea so he could demonstrate his power by drowning them. Humans are just game pieces on a board, as far as God is concerned. At least, that's the impression I get from the Bible.

"I, however, could not see having my child eternally tortured even if they said they hated me and didn't believe in me."

You should ask yourself how you could enjoy heaven knowing that someone you love is being tortured for all eternity just for not believing in God. Is this God really worth living and dying for?

Answer 3

Yes God has given us the holy book as our life guide.God gives us a free choice what we will do whether the good doings in line with the right path or the bad doins as a wrong path.We will receive our own consequences.God determined our fates but ewe did not know exactly whsat will be happende to us.So we should try to do our best in line with our heart or common sense.
God created humans and also satans or iblis or devils for tempting and testing us whether we have a strong faith or the weak faith.Someone who can be tempted by satans he/she will
be punished by God.So we should ask God for showing us the right path and be forgiven so we can not be tepmted by satans if we want to get to heaven..
We must strengthen our faith and do not make an ally for God.The sin of making ally is an unforgiven sin until we died.God has no son and no wife so believing that God has a son is making an ally for God.

Answer 4

Your question, your link, and the majority of the responses you received, have all assumed that even through the fall of Adam, mankind remains innocent, or at least not so guilty that he cannot look to God for salvation. If this is correct, then you are also correct in that the question is unanswerable "until we meet God in heaven". And the link is also correct, with the possibility of a larger plan, lack of free will only creates robots, God must allow evil to exist in order to show his goodness, and the answer that "ultimately, there is not an answer to these questions that we can fully comprehend." Your responses for the most part have reflected this,

In my opinion, if none of these answers are satisfactory, then we have to go back to whether mankind is a neutral creature with a choice and decide whether this is correct -- because everything else follows from whether we have this ability, this free will, to seek out God on our own.

I think we have to put down our pride for a second and look at this free will we are so desperately trying to claim. If mankind is sinful, then he is already a robot for the ways of the world, a slave to sin and Satan, and in need of redemption. Yes, this would put God in the position of leaving many in their sins, but does this make God evil? No, he would in fact be fully righteous in condemning all of humanity, because this is what we deserve!

And if we do not have the ability to choose God, and would righteously be left in our sins and condemned accordingly, then the only possible answer to all of this is that He must choose us, he sent his son to die for us "while we were yet sinners", and the action of the Holy Spirit in our hearts gives us our faith (we don't take it or choose it, it's given), and we enjoy a permanent relationship with him, chosen before the foundations of the world.

This implies salvation from eternity to eternity for God's chosen people, exactly the way Israel is in the Old Testament, nothing to be proud of it because it's nothing that we did for ourselves. God alone gets the glory, and if you still want to call relationship a robotic one, then I'm happy robot, a servant of Christ rather than a slave to the ways of the world.

Answer 5

Well this is where I stumble into problems, they're like question cycles, paradoxes, and these paradoxes seem to exist within the theory of god.

This question is similar to me as the "If god could make a rock so big he couldn't lift it" question, except not as old, and more complicated. I do not know how to best answer these questions in a satisfying way, because I have not yet stumbled upon an answer that is satisfying for it. Good luck on solving this question though, I'm sure you'll do better than I have.

Answer 6

I think its all part of God's plan for each of his children. It would be like going to fortune teller and having her tell u that the next child u have will commit huge sins....do u then not have the child? God knew before we were born whether or not we would end up in heaven, I think that as part of his plan we still had to come to Earth to go through the tests and challeges, and temptations from Satan. He also knew that Satan who was an angel would "fall" and turn against him, which he allowed to happen, because again it was all part of the plan. If Satan didn't exist then we as humans here on earth would not be tested and tempted by him, and then we all would not be able to grow as much as we would have if we hadn't had the trials and temptations that Satan promotes. These are my thought, I hope it helps.

Answer 7

God created people that will serve Him voluntarily (by free choice) and not like robots. Remember not all people are going to hell and He did not create it for humans but for Satan. So if choose to follow God we will go to heaven and if we don't choose God we go to where Satan will end up which is hell.

It is a great question for anyone to ask - christian and non-christian alike. I serve God because I want and not because have to. God bless you all.

Answer 8

It is certainly not wrong to ask questions not at all in fact God wants us to be informed.That is why he has put all the Answers down for us in writing in his Word the Bible so that we can find answers to our questions.
Scientists are hard at work to try to find genetic causes for alchoholism, homosexuality, promiscuity, violence, other aberrant behaviour, and even for death itself. Would it not be a relief to find that we are not responsible for our actions but are merely victims of biology? It is human Nature to blame something or someone elsefor our errors.
If the genes are to blame Scientists hold out hope for changing them, eliminating undesirable traits through genetic engineering.
The recent success in maping the entire human genome has given such aspirations new impetus.
The scenario however, is based on the premise that our genetic endowment is, indeed the villain responsible for all our sins and errors. Have the scientific detectives found enough evidence to make the case against our genes? Obviously the answer will profoundly affect how we see ourselves and our future.
Before examining the evidence, though, a look at mankind's origin will prove enlightening.
Most people are familiar with, or at least have heard of, the account about the fall of the first human pair, Adam and Eve, in the garden of Eden. Were they made with some intrinsic defect in the genes right from the start, a sort of design flaw that predisposed them with sin and disobedience ?
Their Creator Jehovah God, whose works are all perfect,proclaimed that his crowning earthly creation was very good."(Genesis1:31; Deutronomy32:4) As further evidence of satisfaction with his work, he gave the first couple his blessing and instructed them to be fruitful, to fill the earth with human creatures, and take charge of his earthly creation,-- hardly the actions of someone uncertain of his handiwork(Genesis1:28)
Regarding the creation of the first human pair, the Bible tells us:"God proceeded to create him; male and female he created them."(Genesis1:27) This does not mean that humans were made to resemble God in physical appearance, for God is a Spirit."(John4:24)Rather it means that human creatures were endowed with godly qualities and a sense of morality, a conscience.(Romans2:14,15) They were also free moral agents, capable of weighing a matter and deciding on the action to take.
However, our first parents were not left without guidelines. Rather they were warned of the concequences of wrongdoing.(Genesis2:17) So the evidence indicates that when Adam was faced with a moral decision, he chose to do what to him seemed expedient or advantageous at the time. He followed his wife in wrongdoing indtead of considering his relationship with his Creator or the long- term effects of his action. He also later tried to shift the blame to Jehovah, saying that the wife he had provided misled him.(Genesis3:6, 12; 1Timothy2:14)
God's response to the sin of Adam and Eve is revealing. He did not try to correct some 'designflaw' in their genes. Rather, he carried out what he told them would be the concequences of their actions, wich led to their eventual death.(Genesis3:17-19) This early history sheds much light on the nature of human behaviour.
Should each person accept responsibility for his or her decisions and actions, behaviour?

Answer 9

God has determined to make himself known. He has demonstrated his mercy by choosing to redeem some. He has chosen to demonstrate his wrath by bring his judgment upon others.

I know that this offends our human sensibilities. However, that isn't because there is something wrong with God. Rather, there is something wrong with us. For now we trust that what God does is right. And when we are with God in the eternal state, we will recognize his goodness in all that he brought to pass.

Answer 10

To glorify Himself. Doesn't make sense, huh?

Consider that God desired to demonstrate his attributes of justice and mercy, so He created a species that through its rebellion against God and His holiness deserves destruction. To demonstrate His mercy, he chose to save some members of this rebellious creation instead of giving them the due penalty for their sin.

In speaking of the Gospel, Peter writes that the "angels long to look into these things", because they were never shown the mercy that he is offering to mankind. When they rebelled they saw judgment. What they are seeing through mankind, and what mankind will see is God's mercy being revealed.

In order for his mercy to be real, there must be a real wrath. Not everyone will be saved, or that would nullify His mercy. Paul writing to the church in Romans tells us that mankind was created for destruction to make the glory of His mercy known.

He writes... "What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory..."