The Works Of God
References for Further Study:
Berkhof, Reformed Dogmatics, I, pp. 62–81; McPherson, Christian Dogmatics, pp. 139–162; Hodge, Outlines of Theology, pp. 164–199;
Orr, Side-Lights on Christian Doctrine, pp. 37–51; Steenstra, The Being of God as Unity and Trinity.
THE WORKS OF GOD
THE DIVINE DECREES IN GENERAL
A. The Nature of the Divine Decrees. The decree of God is His eternal plan or purpose, in which He has foreordained all things that come to pass. It is but natural that God, who controls all things, should have a definite plan according to which He works, not only in creation and providence, but also in the process of redemption. This plan includes many particulars, and therefore we often speak of the divine decrees in the plural, though in reality there is but a single decree. For the material contents of His decree God drew on the boundless knowledge which He has of all kinds of possible things. Of this great store of possibilities He embodied in His decree only those things which actually come to pass. Their inclusion in the decree does not necessarily mean that He Himself will actively bring them into existence, but means in some cases that, with the divine permission and according to the divine plan, they will certainly be brought to realization by His rational creatures. The decree covers all the works of God in creation and redemption, and also embraces the actions of His free moral beings, not excluding their sinful actions.
But while the entrance of sin into the world and its various
manifestations in the lives of angels and men were thus rendered certain, this does not mean that God decided to effectuate these
Himself. God's decree with reference to sin is a permissive decree.
B. The Characteristics of the Divine Decree. The decree of God has several characteristics:
1. IT IS FOUNDED IN DIVINE WISDOM. This is implied in the statement that God's purpose is "according to the counsel of His will," Eph. 1:11. Though there is a great deal in it that we do not understand, it is certain that God formed His plan with wisdom.
2. IT IS ETERNAL. This does not merely mean that the decree was formed before the beginning of time, but also that, while it relates to things which come to pass in the course of history, its formation is and remains an act within the divine being, and therefore in the strictest sense eternal.
3. IT IS EFFICACIOUS. The fact that God made a divine plan does not mean that He has decided to bring to pass by His own act all that is included in it; but it does mean that what He has decided will certainly come to pass, and that nothing can thwart His purpose, Ps.
33:11; Prov. 19:21; Isa. 46:10.
4. IT IS UNCHANGEABLE. Man often changes his plans for various reasons. It may be that on second thought he considers them unwise, or that he is wanting in the power to carry them out. But neither the one nor the other is conceivable in God. He does not change His plan, because He is faithful and true, Job 23:13, 14; Isa. 46:10; Luke
22:22; Acts 2:23.
5. IT IS UNCONDITIONAL. The decree is not in any of its particulars dependent on anything outside of it, as, for instance, on the free
actions of God's moral and rational creatures, on their foreseen disobedience or foreseen faith. God has determined not only what will come to pass, but also the conditions under which it will be realized, Acts 2:23; Eph. 2:8; 1 Pet. 1:2.
6. IT IS ALL-COMPREHENSIVE. It includes the good actions of men, Eph. 2:10, their wicked actions, Prov. 16:4; Acts 2:23; 4:27, 28, contingent events, Gen. 45:8; 50:20; Prov. 16:33, the means as well as the end, 2 Thess. 2:13; Eph. 1:4, the duration of man's life, Job
14:5; Ps. 39:4, and the place of his habitation, Acts 7:26.
7. WITH REFERENCE TO SIN IT IS PERMISSIVE. The decree of God with reference to sin is usually called a permissive decree. It renders the future sinful act absolutely certain, but this does not mean that God will by His own act bring it to pass. God decreed not to hinder the sinful act of the creature's self-determination, but nevertheless to regulate and control its result, Ps. 78:29; 106:15; Acts
14:16; 17:30.
C. Objections to the Doctrine of the Decrees. Outside of Reformed circles the doctrine of the decrees meets with very little favour.
Pelagians and Socinians reject it as un-Scriptural and unreasonable, and Arminians either ignore it altogether, or represent the decree of God as based on His foreknowledge. There are especially three objections to the doctrine:
1. IT IS DECLARED TO BE INCONSISTENT WITH THE MORAL
FREEDOM OF MAN. If God has decreed all the actions of man, then man must necessarily act as he acts and do what he does, and cannot be held responsible for his actions. But the Bible teaches not only that God has decreed the free acts of man, but also that man is none the less free and responsible for his acts, Gen. 50:19, 20; Acts 2:23;
4:27, 28; and it makes no attempt to reconcile the two. We may not
be able to harmonize them, but that does not necessarily mean that they are inherently contradictory. Some conceive of the freedom of the will in a way that makes it inconsistent with the divine decree, but theirs is not the proper conception of the free agency of man.
Moral freedom is the power of man to determine his moral actions freely in harmony with his previous thoughts and judgments, with his inclinations and desires, and even with his very character. This freedom has its laws, and the better they are understood the more certain it is what a man will do under certain circumstances. God fully understands these laws, and therefore it is quite conceivable that He should determine the future actions of man in such a way as not to impinge on the moral freedom of man, even if we do not fully understand how this can be done.
2. IT IS SAID TO ROB MEN OF ALL MOTIVES FOR SEEKING
SALVATION. If all things happen as God has decreed, people will naturally feel that they need not give themselves any concern for the future, nor make any efforts to obtain salvation. If their destruction is predetermined, they will be lost in spite of their best efforts; and if their salvation is decreed, they will be saved, though they neglect all the means of salvation. In answer to this objection it may be said, (a)
That the hidden decree of God cannot possibly be man's rule of action; this is found only in the law and the gospel. (b) That God has not only decreed the final destiny of man, but also the means leading up to it. It was absolutely certain that all who were in the vessel with Paul were to be saved, but it was equally certain that, in order to secure this end, the sailors had to remain aboard. (c) That, since the decree connects means and ends together, and ends are decreed only as the result of means, it encourages effort instead of discouraging it,
Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:13.