Is There Room for Error in God’s Design?

It seems people look at God’s creation as an overly strict or rigid system, one where error is not just frowned upon but summarily condemned. Reading the Old Testament tends to reinforce this thought. Do not eat or you die. Obey; otherwise, you perish.

Doesn’t God put too much confidence in humans or do we simply fail to live up to our God-given abilities? Shouldn’t we be living in Paradise or in Heaven if He expects us to behave like super-beings? Perhaps we should -- or should have been. Wasn’t that the original plan? The fact that we do not, does not excuse us from behaving like we were not God’s children. For we really are.

God’s love and justice do not remove whatever potentials we had before we failed Him in Eden. Alright, the Earth was cursed for our sake. We grow old because of our human frailty. And we die for our sins. Yet, we know that whatever errors humans inputted into God’s design, He is able to forgive them and then to reform and to renew us.

So why does God still expect us to behave like heavenly beings in a fallen world? In a Universe governed by gravity and carnality, the only way is down into the black-hole of sin. In a world ruled by the rich and the powerful, to be born poor and powerless often seems worse than death. In a society where materialism and depravity negate moral values, to live upright comes close to being a crime. God’s Son Himself became a victim of the world’s crooked standards.

Perhaps the answers do not exist here at all. Or in the present. The only possible answer we can think of now is the fact that God lives and continues to rule the Universe and that in spite of the “imperfections” of the world, His standards do not change and that they still apply. Why should God change for the errors of humans?

Better the stars and the planets which obey physical laws in precise galactic harmony. Inanimate or unthinking as they seem, they do not follow any moral standards. Better the animals and the plants which follow the laws of nature in its complex diversity. Neither do they worry about right or wrong. In the Physical Universe, there are no such things as imperfections or errors. Meteor showers, solar flares, earthquakes and storms are part of the natural celestial rhythm.

But humans have to deal with their rightful dominion over creation, with moral issues, with matters of honor and justice or with simple traffic rules. Did God not give only one command in the Garden? But later on, He gave humans 10, then more than 600 more afterward. The more sins, the more laws. The better for us to realize how much we need God to set us right. But that system didn’t seem to work either.

Jesus Christ is the final and perfect answer. He is the Way to total human freedom.

In Christ, we return to two commands which in reality are but the one commandment of Love. Think of this: Was the command not to eat of the forbidden fruit just another way for God to say, Love me and love your self? Meaning, if you obey (if you do not eat) you express your love for Me and for your self. Why choose death when you can easily choose to live with me here in Paradise? Why do something that is not for your own good?

Alas, the serpent who now rules the present world (whereas he was but a squatter in the Garden) makes the big difference! He holds the great power of deception. His magic works wonders to lead humans to defy or reject God. Evil seeks to bring creation to a standstill. Progress in the human being is a Divine Design. Death and decay are Satan’s handiwork. Although part of nature’s processes, death need not be the lot of humans. Yet, in Christ, even death results in salvation. Game, set, match! Victory for humans!

To be perfect is to seek to remain as a citizen of Heaven where the Living God reigns. To choose then to remain in a fallen state is, well, a total rejection of one’s ingenious humanity. For to know you are in error and not to seek correction is an abandonment of one’s divine heritage and destiny.

Tears were made to cleanse the soul. Knees were made to bend our pride. We were made to reflect God’s image. Surely, we can be perfect like Him. Of what use is His power to create?

For humans, therefore, God’s creative power targets two primary goals: To put newness into our lives and to mold us gradually into the Divine Image. Even if we make mistakes, He could never be wrong in dealing with us. And, God never fails.

Manariwa!

(Photo above: A small vendor holds his own against the gigantic Mall of Asia along Manila Bay.)