Why did God create us, knowing we would sin?

from the old testament

• God created the universe and all that is in it to display His glory (Psalm 19:1).
• The culmination of God’s creation came when He created humanity on the sixth day of creation (Genesis 1:26–27). God uniquely made humanity, creating Adam and Eve in His own image and with specific purposes: “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth’” (Genesis 1:28). Unlike anything else He had made, God created humanity to resemble and reflect Him, to have relationship with Him, and to have the role of stewarding and having dominion over the earth.
• The creation of Adam was the only aspect of creation that God said was not good, which is why God created Eve (Genesis 2:18).
• Being made in God’s image includes having creativity, rationality, and the ability to have relationships (Psalm 8:4–5; see Romans 2:14–15). Human beings, unlike other creatures, are able to execute justice, steward and manage, think abstractly, reason morally, and reflect on complex concepts. This rationality also includes the ability to make decisions.
• God is omniscient (Psalm 139:1–6), and He knows the future (Isaiah 46:10). He knew Adam and Eve would sin, but He created them anyway and gave them the ability to make decisions. With this “free will,” they chose to sin. God gave humanity free will, knowing this meant the possibility of rebellion. Yet, He valued our relationship with Him so highly that He allowed this risk. God wanted us to freely choose to love Him and to reflect His love back, knowing it would bring Him glory (Joshua 24:15; see Matthew 22:37–38). A genuine relationship is not coerced or programmed. Love that is forced is not truly love, and for love to be meaningful, it must involve a choice.
• From the very beginning, God knew humanity would sin. Yet, He also had a plan for redemption through Jesus Christ (Genesis 3:15; see John 3:16).

from the new testament

• The fall did not catch God by surprise, nor did it derail His ultimate plan. Rather, it set the stage for the greatest act of love and grace the world would ever know—Jesus' sacrifice on the cross (Romans 5:8).
• In allowing the possibility of sin, God could show His justice and righteousness by dealing with sin, as well as His incredible grace and mercy by providing the way of salvation from sin through Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23–26).

implications for today

By creating us in His image, with the capability of making decisions and allowing us to fall, God displayed His mercy, grace, forgiveness, and sovereignty. Redemption through Christ shows us the depth of God’s love and commitment to restoring the relationship. It serves the purpose of establishing God’s sovereignty over sin, death, and Satan. God used the fall for His sovereign purposes and plan for creation and mankind. He also used the fall to reveal His character and glory.

God deemed it best to create us, knowing we would sin, because He knew it would best bring Him glory—best reflect Him to the world (Isaiah 43:7). The world that best displays His glory is the one He created—a world that was allowed to fall (Romans 5:12), a world that was redeemed (Ephesians 1:7), and a world that will be restored to its original perfection when God destroys sin, death, and Satan (Revelation 20:7–10; 21:4–5). Through our struggle with sin and the journey of redemption, God’s character and glory are revealed (2 Corinthians 12:9–10). We see His patience, His kindness, and His justice (Romans 2:4). Our failures and God’s interventions teach us dependence, humility, and the power of grace (James 4:6). The entire process, from creation to redemption, and ultimately to glorification, magnifies God’s glory (Romans 11:36). He is not glorified by our sin but by how He transforms brokenness into something beautiful and powerful through His redemptive work (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Overall, God created us, knowing we would sin, to reveal the fullness of His character and love, to demonstrate the power of His redemption, and to invite us into a relationship that brings Him glory. The fall was not the end of the story, but the beginning of God’s divine narrative that displays His glorious character and purposes to redeem and restore to the world. Through our journey, God’s purpose unfolds, revealing that His grace is sufficient even in our weakness and failures (2 Corinthians 12:9). As He draws us into a relationship with Himself, we see that His plan is always perfect—using even our imperfections to display His glory and to bring us into a deeper, everlasting fellowship with Him (Romans 8:28–30).