A podcast listener named Brandon writes in Pastor John in your book Spectacular Sins.

Your main point is that God can and does ordain that sin happen in order to accomplish

his glorious purposes of which I agree.

But it raised a question in my mind.

Since God uses sin to accomplish his purposes, is it true to say that there are some of

God's plans that only sin can fulfill?

Does this mean that there is a need or a necessity for sin in his ultimate plan?

My answer is yes.

In God's ultimate plan, sin has a necessary place.

And I'll try to explain why from the Bible.

But first, let me say that the word necessary does not mean that God is somehow constrained

or trapped by forces outside himself that necessitate that he includes something in his plan

which he doesn't really choose to include.

Get that whole constellation of thoughts around the word necessity out of your head.

Beware of picturing God as forced or necessitated to do what he doesn't really choose to do.

What we are saying is that God has planned the very best world for the accomplishment

of his goal to magnify the fullness of his glory.

And I say, that's the ultimate goal of the creation of the world and the governance

of the world, to magnify his glory because of Rowan's 920 to 23, which I'll let people

look up.

So why do I say that in God's ultimate plan sin has a necessary place?

And I say it because of three passages of Scripture for starters, and there are others.

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