Was Adam compelled to do as he did, because God had already planned out the Atonement? Was the Atonement intended only for Mankind, and not for angels, etc.? Was Judas compelled to betray the Lord, just because something was foretold about a traitor? If there are very clear and obvious signs and indications that tomorrow is going to be very wet, does the rain fall because I have predicted it? God's holy goodness, manifested in His Son, had apparently created within Judas some opposition, instead of loyalty and worship, which developed into Judas permitting Satan to enter into his heart. No human being can be forced to give way to Satan unless he consents to receive Satan.
"Adam and Eve were tested in the garden under ideal conditions, and failed." Agreed, because God cannot act dishonourably. God could not force or compel them to do wrong. But if God intended the Fall to happen, then the conditions were anything but ideal. No good parent would intend his or her child to adopt an evil life of crime, but might foresee the possibility of either a good life or a bad life. If God in any manner used superior force to corrupt Eve, she could have complained that she had been tricked. But God gave adequate warning that a certain tree must be avoided, and thus sought to protect Eve.
Alexander Thomson
