Although it might surprise those who understand the seriousness of man’s sin problem, there are those in the world who may ask why God is so concerned with the condemnation of sin in the world. Without understanding the tragic impact of sin, some assume God is seeking simply to be “controlling” or that God is simply a “downer” not wanting them to have any fun.
In life perhaps there is nothing man understands paradoxically both better and less than sin. Man is familiar with what sin offers in the form of temporal pleasure, seemingly positive temporal benefits, etc. in a legion of ways, going so far as to actually create new and evermore depraved ways to engage in sin. Man knows sin intimately by encouraging its practice and showing wholehearted approval to its furtherance (Rom. 1:32).
Sometimes a seemingly simple question can become more complicated when consider its real life application. The question of how God could forgive the sins of mankind prior to the sacrifice of Jesus can be one of those questions. The difficulty arises in attempting to understand forgiveness and sacrifice within the restraints of a timeline.
Since 1887, it has become an American tradition to have our weather forecast for the coming weeks decided by the most unlikely of creatures. Every year on February 2^nd^, people gather in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (which is about 75 miles NE of Pittsburgh) to see whether a groundhog (named Punxsutawney Phil) will see his shadow. According to the tradition, if Phil sees his shadow (which he “sees” 90% of the time), we will have six more weeks of winter.
This is a very old question – possibly as old as man himself. This question has been confronted in the Book of Job, in the psalms such as Psalm 73, and in several other Biblical passages. This has also been a great topic of discussion in philosophy and literature. It is not the purpose of this article to answer all possible questions, nor to create a synopsis of what has already been written.