Why did God create me if he knew I would spend an eternity in hell?

[Peter167]

Lets say that I reject God and choose to spend an eternity in hell. He knew I would make this choice, and yet he still made me.

If he loved me so much, why would he make me knowing that I would spend an eternity away from him?

Articles on omniscience, predestination, or this exact topic would be loverly.

 

[George_Stegmeir]

The answer is very simple: God loves man so much that he intrusted man with free will. This enables man to accept or reject salvation. It is one of the few absolutes of human existence. PERIOD!!!

 

[Peter167]

Yes, he gave me free will, but he is also omniscient, so he knows what I’m going to do with my free will - therefore - he knew before I was ever created that I would ultimately choose hell.

If I knew that my actions would cause someone else to go to hell, I would abstain from that action. Am I not morally obliged to abstain from that action? If not, why not?

God’s action is creation. Why did he create man if he knew that many of us would spend eternity without him?

Thoughts?

 

[Rolltide]

God’s omnipotence works something like this, and I realize that this is an odd and very imperfect analogy:

Think of God as an NFL official who is also a football commentator for ESPN. It is the end of the season, and the Super Bowl is over. God is giving a report on the season in review.

Since all the games have been played, God knows every score, every play, and the outcome of every down. He knows who caught the ball, and who failed to make a tackle. He can analyze every aspect, or watch it in slow motion. God has knowledge of everything that happened that season.

As an NFL official, God also constructed the rules of the game. He picked the people who would officiate, and used the “instant replay” when necessary to overturn a few bad decisions, in order to make sure that the rules that he set came out the way they were intended.

Now, that said, God did not actually interfere in any of the plays, nor did he play the game for the people. Each coach, and player could have made any decision they chose. In a given situation, a quarterback could have opted to run the ball, make a pass, take a knee, or, heaven forbid, even throw the game. God did not make any of these decisions. He granted the players free will to play however they desired. This, however, does not in any way impact the fact that God still knows what happened, since it’s the end of the season, nor does it change the fact that God provided the rules to the game.

Eternity is a difficult concept, and it works a bit like that. Imagine God sitting at the end of time looking back at everything that has happened and knowing the outcome. He was able to construct rules… a plan… but still give us free will. It is a daunting concept to wrap one’s mind around.

 

[davidv]

Yes, he gave me free will, but he is also omniscient, so he knows what I’m going to do with my free will - therefore - he knew before I was ever created that I would ultimately choose hell.

If I knew that my actions would cause someone else to go to hell, I would abstain from that action. Am I not morally obliged to abstain from that action? If not, why not?

God’s action is creation. Why did he create man if he knew that many of us would spend eternity without him?

Thoughts?

Because of the many, or maybe only a few, who give over their wills to His in obedience and Love, and join Him in Heaven.

 

[Peter167]

It is a very difficult concept. Hence my question. And thank you for your answer, but I suppose my main problem is this.

In football there is a winner and a loser. No big deal for the loser - he still gets to go home to his loved ones. So lets add a twist to your scenario. The losers of the football game get executed.

God knows that 60 players will lose their lives at the end of the game. Why did he decide to have a game at all?

 

[davidv]

It is a very difficult concept. Hence my question. And thank you for your answer, but I suppose my main problem is this.

In football there is a winner and a loser. No big deal for the loser - he still gets to go home to his loved ones. So lets add a twist to your scenario. The losers of the football game get executed.

God knows that 60 players will lose their lives at the end of the game. Why did he decide to have a game at all?

Why would you deny the winners their glory? Besides, in God’s “game” there are no “sides” to compete against. That there be losers is not a requirement of the rules of life.

 

[Peter167]

Because of the many, or maybe only a few, who give over their wills to His in obedience and Love, and join Him in Heaven.

But he didn’t have to create any souls. If he knows for a fact that any percentage of his creation (and he does - omniscience) is going to go to spend eternity wailing and gnashing their teeth, then how could you create any of us?

 

[davidv]

But he didn’t have to create any souls. If he knows for a fact that any percentage of his creation (and he does - omniscience) is going to go to spend eternity wailing and gnashing their teeth, then how could you create any of us?

Why would God withhold from His creation what they desire? Those in hell have deliberately, with full knowledge have chosen to be separate from God.

 

[Ignatius]

Lets say that I reject God and choose to spend an eternity in hell. He knew I would make this choice, and yet he still made me.

If he loved me so much, why would he make me knowing that I would spend an eternity away from him?

Maybe it’s because of the many thousands of your descendants who will be drawn to Christ.

 

[Kyrby_Caluna]

That’s a stupid question with a nonsense scenario. It’s not our problem to save our souls. It’s God problem how to save us. Our problem is how to faithfully serve Him. After all, if you really love God, going to heaven or hell doesn’t really matter. What matters most is to show God how you love him so much without thinking about any reward for doing it. So it’s not about where we are going. It’s about finding true meaning in life by loving God. Yes! Without expecting any reward.

 

[JerryS]

Lets say that I reject God and choose to spend an eternity in hell.

Right. God does not will you to be separated from Him forever. It is your choice.

If he loved me so much, why would he make me knowing that I would spend an eternity away from him?

A couple of possibilities come to mind.

First, you may not end up in hell. You are presuming that you can go to hell if you choose to. That’s all up to God, and who knows if you get a last chance to repent?

Alternatively, God may work good out of your rebellion. God can take evil and bring good out of it. Perhaps your evil will prompt others to see the folly of a life without God and cause them to turn to Him. He loves them just as much as He loves you, you know. If you’re sending yourself to hell anyway, He may use it for good. I expect that He grieves over the loss of even one of His children, but He gave you every chance to turn to Him. That’s the risk of giving us free will. It’s a wonderful but terrible gift. God must have thought it worth the risk, even if some of His children might choose to spend eternity separated from Him.

This is the classic problem of evil. How can there be evil in the world if God is both omnipotent and good? The way you’ve expressed it calls into question God’s goodness. It can be expressed to question God’s omnipotence instead. But God is both, so our understanding must be imperfect.

 

[Peter167]

That’s a stupid question with a nonsense scenario. It’s not our problem to save our souls. It’s God problem how to save us. Our problem is how to faithfully serve Him. After all, if you really love God, going to heaven or hell doesn’t really matter. What matters most is to show God how you love him so much without thinking about any reward for doing it. So it’s not about where we are going. It’s about finding true meaning in life by loving God. Yes! Without expecting any reward.

Its not nonsense at all. God is omniscient, therefore he knows what the outcome of his action are before they come into existence.

This is a great mystery that many philosophers have asked, how could a loving God knowingly create something that will suffer for all eternity?

 

[Peter167]

This is the classic problem of evil. How can there be evil in the world if God is both omnipotent and good? The way you’ve expressed it calls into question God’s goodness. It can be expressed to question God’s omnipotence instead. But God is both, so our understanding must be imperfect.

I agree

 

[Peter167]

Why would God withhold from His creation what they desire? Those in hell have deliberately, with full knowledge have chosen to be separate from God.

I didn’t desire to be created. God created me, and he knew I would go to hell. Free will aside. I Understand free will. I get to choose, but the fact is, God knows the outcome. He knows the path that my free will takes me, so why create something if you know it will fail?

 

[Peter167]

Maybe it’s because of the many thousands of your descendants who will be drawn to Christ.

Is one life created to suffer in hell for eternity worth thousands of descendants? May we do evil that good may come?

 

[Kyrby_Caluna]

Its not nonsense at all. God is omniscient, therefore he knows what the outcome of his action are before they come into existence.

This is a great mystery that many philosophers have asked, how could a loving God knowingly create something that will suffer for all eternity?

Then you are one of those nonsense “great” philosophers. As I said, if you truly love God whether you go to heaven or hell will never be an issue. You will love him without expecting any reward. That’s what love is. And you will just go crazy to continue asking that stupid questions. Why? Because as you have said, its a great mystery. So don’t ask. Just wait until God give you the answer someday. Again, don’t be stupid. You will never be able to understand God until he reveals Himself to you by HIS OWN WILL.

 

[Qoeleth]

Lets say that I reject God and choose to spend an eternity in hell. He knew I would make this choice, and yet he still made me.

If he loved me so much, why would he make me knowing that I would spend an eternity away from him?

Articles on omniscience, predestination, or this exact topic would be loverly.

I will propose (but do not support) three heretical answers to your question:

1. How are you sure anyone spends eternity in Hell. Origen, and many others, have argued that eventually everything (even the Devil) will be reconciled to God, since God will to save all creation, and His will is omnipotent. A modern philosopher, Camus, argues that in the pains of death, every person will atone for any sin they may have committed. Does the Bible say anyone will spend eternity in Hell. It says hell is “eternal fire” a few times, but does it actually say anyone spends eternity there?? The idea of universal salvation lead to Origen being declared a heretic.
2. How are you sure that the “Creator” of “this world” is in fact the loving God, the God of Jesus? If the Garden of Eden was ontologically different from our present existence, it follows that we came into our present existence as the product of sin. In this sense our life/existence in this world, is the creation of the Evil One. In support of this, you could quote John’s Gospel, which calls the Devil the “Lord of this World”, as well as Jesus instruction to “hate our lives in this world”. This would not make much sense if God was the creator of “this” world. This is the heresy of the Cathars.
3. Sin, the possibility of damnation, came into the world contrary to God’s will, as a consequent of the serpent. How do you know that God created the serpent? Why would a good God create a evil being? Perhaps the Devil (the evil deity- the Lord of this World) existed also eternally, so there is a genuine struggle between good and evil forces (hence Jesus’ exorcisms in which he struggles with evil spirits)? This is the heresy of the Manichees.

A more orthodox answer is that hell, evil, sin, dmanation are NOT part of God’s creation or plan, because, in fact, they are really non-existent things. All creation is good, as it is from God, but evil is in fact an absence or negation of creation/order. This is St. Augustine’s answer.

 

[Spock]

If he loved me so much, why would he make me knowing that I would spend an eternity away from him?

That is the cruical question. God’s love is agape, not some emotion. Agape is acting in someone’s best interest. To have “me” created, while knowing that my ultimate destination is eternal suffering and torment, is NOT in my best interest. This contradiction cannot be resolved.

 

[benedictus2]

Is one life created to suffer in hell for eternity worth thousands of descendants? May we do evil that good may come?

That does not exactly address Ignatius answer.

Firstly, God creating you was not an evil act. It was a supreme good.

The choice was entirely yours to go to hell.

In creating you for say your descendants. both acts and intent was good because His intent was for you to spend eternity with Him.

Allowing evil is not the same as doing evil.