Response to: When God created man as a free moral agent, didn't He take a chance that man would choose to sin? Hadn't He previously taken a chance when He created other, higher beings as free moral angels?

That phraseology only makes sense from a human perspective. When I leave money out in the open, I'm "taking a chance" that it will be stolen in the sense that I have increased the risk of the event happening, but I can only guess or predict that it might happen. I have no ability to see the end from the beginning, and so for me, whatever happens afterwards is up in the air.

What appears to us as randomness cannot be viewed in the same manner when considering God. Chance implies, nay requires, uncertainty, and we know that God's knowledge is altogether complete. It is true that by allowing free will, God allowed for the possibility that some of His creation would choose not to serve Him, but it is equally true that He knew what that result would actually be, and put into place a vast and intricate plan to address it.

We cannot expect to easily assimilate all of the nuances or implications related to free will and salvation, considering that we will spend an eternity learning more about it.

The very concept of free will is bound up with risk, chance and uncertainty for every being except God. And I have no more trouble accepting that premise than I do the premise that God has always existed, regardless of what weird implications are suggested from a human perspective.

Responses:

• God's Perspective Related To Our Knowledge