Why did God allow sin into the world?

Although this question originates with a deep-seated rebellion against the Creator, it is often asked; therefore, it deserves an answer. The Bible explains that God is love and love can only be given and received on a free will basis. God presented man with a choice right from the beginning: “...Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17). At that point in time, man was perfect, sinless, and had complete fellowship with his Creator. But all of that changed when the deceiver, who manifested himself in the form of a serpent, entered the picture and challenged God's Word: “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1). This first religious discussion about God's Word ended in a sinful act that carried lasting consequences: “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Genesis 3:6). Man has been separated from fellowship with the living God since that day. Man made a conscious decision to disobey God and fell prey to Satan's temptation.