JUNE 15, 1936
Could not God have made man so that he could not
sin, and thereby have prevented so much suffering?
Of course, God, béing all-powerful, could have made a
creature and called him man and made him so that it
would have been impossible for him to sin. The fact
that he did not do so is of itself proof that he had a
good and sufficient reason for not so doing. The record
is that God made man in his own image and likeness.
That means that man was endowed with wisdom,
justice, love and power. It was meant that man should
use these faculties; otherwise God would not have en-
dowed him therewith.
God created man with a body, mind, will and affec-
tions; and he desired man to use all the faculties with
which he is endowed. To use his will would mean that
man must determine to do or not to do that which was
presented to him. Man was informed that to obey God
is good, that to disobey him is sin and results in death.
Sinee man was possessed with will power, it follows,
then, that Adam must choose to do good or evil, and
take the conseqnenees, Suppose God had ereated him
so that he could not choose evil, but was compelled to
do good; then he would have been merely a machine,
with no freedom of intelligent action,
God ercatud man perfect and created him for Tis
own pleasure, (Rev. 4:11) God takes no pleasure in
wieked things. (Ps. 5:4) Neither docs God eompel any
creature to do good. ILlis purpose is that happiness and
life shall result to those who do good, and suffering
and death to those who do evil, Had God made man
so that he eould not commit evil, that would have been
equivalent to compelling him to do good. Compulsory
obedience docs not bring real happiness to the Creator
or to the creature.
God is love, and is therefore the perfect expression
of unselfishness, Ie desires his intelligent creatures to
love him and to serve him because of love for him. Such
could not be the result unless the service is voluntary.
Man must be like God in order to be happy; which
means he must be unselfish. Why, then, dtd God pun-
ish disobedience, if he is unselfish? Because God is
good; and everything opposed to him is wicked; and
he who refuses to obey God allics himself with wicked-
ness, which brings unhappiness both to himself and to
the Creator. Love, or unsclfishness, means looking out
for the welfare of others, and had God refused to
punish disobedience it would have been to the detri-
ment and not for the good of man.
If God should exercise his power to compel man to
obey, then he would be inconsistent ; and it is impossi-
ble for God to be inconsistent. Why would he be in-
consistent? Because to compel man to obey him would
be selfish ; and God cannot be selfish, because he is the
complete expression of unselfishness. He desires his
creatures to be like unto himself, to wit, prompted by
love or unselfishness. Ife does not exercise his power
to compel obedience, but he exercises his power to
punish disobedience for the good of the one who dis-
She WATCHTOWER.
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obeys. The creature who loves the Creator and who
loves him supremely will obey him. Fer this reason
his rule is announeed by Jesus, his beloved Son, thus:
‘““He that hath my commandments, and kcepeth
them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and
will manifest myself to him. Jesus answered and said
unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words:
and my Father will love him, and we will come unto
him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me
nct keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye
hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.’’—
John 14: 21, 23, 24.
For the same reason it is written: ‘‘Love is the ful-
filling of the law.’’ (Rom. 13:10) That means that he
who is prompted by unselfishness in his devotion to
God, and who obeys for that reason, meets every re-
quirement of God’s law. Dad Adam exercised love
toward God he would have obeyed him. Adam was sel f-
ish and desired to serve himself, His wife was a part
of himself, and for selfish reasons he wanted to be with
her; hence he disobeyed God.
Jehovah never has done anything contrary to love,
and never will. Ile gave this commandment to the
Tsvaclites: ‘‘And thou shalt love the Lord thy Cod
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy might.’’ (Deut. 6:5) Some may ask: Was not
this a rule compelling the Israclites to love hin, and
was it not prompted by selfishness on the part of Je-
hovah? No! The Israelites were then imperfect. God
was their true and only Friend. Obedience to his com-
mandments meant life to them. They could obey only
if they loved Jchovah; therefore Jehovah gave com-
mandment, not because of selfishness on his part, but
for the good and well-being of the Israelites. This an-
nounces the unchangeable rule of Jehovah that he who
would enjoy life and happiness must love the Lord
Jehovah with all his heart, mind, and soul or person.
To be completely happy man must exercise his own
will freely, and always be prompted in so exercising
it by love or unselfishness. Experience bears out that
if he is prompted by selfishness and does wrong, hie
suffers. If he is prompted by unsclfishness and does
rieht, he is blessed.
There may have been many reasons why God did
not make man so that he could not sin, and why he has
permitted wickedness to have sway over such a long
period of time; but it is certain that there are at least
three good and sufficient reasons which appear, and
these are: First, to prove that he ean put ereatures on
this earth who, under conditions of temptation and
stress, will maintain complete integrity and devotion
toward him; second, to afford ample time for the selee-
tion and development of the new creation, through
whom wickedness is to be eradicated and the blessings
of life and happiness brought to the people in due
time; and, third, to afford ample time for Satan the
Devil to remain and vo his limit in wickedness to try
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