Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes."
Ecclesiastes 7:29
Why are things the way they are? To be more precise, why are there bad things? Solomon hit the nail on the head. God didn’t create mankind sinful. He created us without sin. Solomon’s words about our “many schemes” are about the overarching reason we sin: our schemes are evidence that we think we know better than God!
Though God did not create us as sinful creatures, He created us with the potential to sin. This is obvious due to the fact that Adam and Eve did sin, and so have everyone of their offspring—including every one of us!
Sin is a universal aspect of the human experience. True, God knew that we would sin. Our sin was part of His eternal plan to display His grace by forgiving sinners. But that in no way makes God responsible for our sin, or for any evil, pain, and suffering in the world. That is on us. Lessons?
First, don’t blame or even question God’s righteousness, since God is never the author of sin. We bear that responsibility ourselves.
Second, let us learn to stop thinking we know better than God. Our sin is never a better or more correct choice than obeying God.
Third, thank God for His grace. After all, His allowance of our sin is for the express purpose of putting His grace on display.