Systematic Theology I
Fall 2015
THEOLOGY PROPER — Lesson 5:The Decrees of God
Before anything was, God existed.Before anything could exist, God had to decide to have it happen.These “decisions” of God are called His decrees.The decrees of God are “God’s decisions concerning all things outside Himself.” (Buswell)God has a purpose for all that He does and He sovereignly directs all things to accomplish that purpose.
“There is no erratic power or action or motion in creatures but they are governed by God's secret plan in such a way that nothing happens except what is knowingly and willingly decreed by Him.” – John Calvin
God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears his wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree.
Although God knoweth whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions, yet hath he not decreed anything, because he foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.
– London Baptist Confession of Faith, Ch. 3 paragraph 1,2
I.Definition of the decrees of God
A. Traditional definition - God’s eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His own will, whereby for His own glory, He has foreordained whatever comes to pass.“The decrees of God are the eternal plans of God whereby, before the creation of the world, He determined to bring about everything that happens.”
– Grudem, 332.
This doctrine is similar to the doctrine of God’s providence.
“We may define God’s providence as follows:God is continually involved with all created things in such a way the He 1) keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them; 2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do; and 3) directs them to fulfill His purposes.”– Grudem, 315.
Q:What are the decrees of God?
A:The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.
–Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question #7
B.Distinctions
1.Election and predestination are particulars of the decrees.
“By predestination we mean the eternal decree of God, by which He determined with Himself whatever He wished to happen with regard to every man” – John Calvin
“[P]redestination is the general term for God’s sovereign ordaining, while election is the specific term for God choosing us in Christ before the foundation of the world. That is, predestination is the broader category of which election is the smaller subset. Calvin defined predestination as “God’s eternal decree, by which he compacted with himself what he willed to become of each man…For Calvin, predestination encompasses the entire eternal decree. Election and reprobation, then, represent two different aspects of the decree.” – Kevin DeYoung, What is the Difference Between Election and Predestination?
2.But the decrees involve all things, not just salvation.
“While the name does not matter so much, what is important is that the decree of God encompasses all things, not just the determination of the eternal state of rational creatures (predestination), but the ordering and ranking of all things without exception.” – Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 2:375
C.Scriptural support
Isaiah 14:26-27 This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?
Daniel 4:35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
Acts 15:17b-18 (ESV) says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.
Acts 15:17b-18 (KJV) saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
Ephesians 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will
Note both the singular (the purpose) and plural (all things) in this last verse.
Question:Why does the existence of prophecy require that there be divine decrees?
“History-past and future-is the outworking in time of his extra-temporal sovereign decree. This decree extends not only to every natural event (earthquakes, eclipses, electron orbits), but also to his own free actions and even to the morally culpable actions of moral agents. …God announces through his prophets what he has determined to bring about (Pharaoh hardening his heart, Assyrians despoiling Israel, Cyrus restoring the Babylonian exiles), and then holds those very agents responsible for bringing it about. Human responsibility and God's determinate decree (and determinate knowledge of the future outcome) are clearly compatible in the Bible. It isn't necessary to abandon God's sovereign knowledge of the future in order to maintain human responsibility.” - William C. Davis, Does God Know the Future?
II.Distinctives of the decrees of God
James Boyce:A Doctrinal Study of the Decrees of God
A.They are all-encompassing, universal
“If there is one maverick molecule in all the universe, then God is not sovereign.And if God is not sovereign, He is not God.” –R.C. Sproul
1. The stability of the material universe
Psalm 119:90-91Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants.
2. The seasons and boundaries of nations
Acts 17:26And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
Daniel 2:21 He changes times and seasons;he removes kings and sets up kings;he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding
Daniel 2:37-42 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.
3. The rise and fall of rulers
Romans 13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
4. The duration of man’s life
Job 14:5Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass
“My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me."- Stonewall Jackson
5. The circumstances of each life
James 4:13-15 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
Lamentations3:37-38 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?
6. The manner of one’s death
John 21:19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
7. The good acts of men
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Isaiah 44:28 who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”
8. The evil acts of men
Genesis 50:20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
Acts 4:27-28 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
Acts 2:23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
“There is no reason for people to excuse their sins and failing, from the doctrine of the divine decrees. Wicked men, when they commit some wicked or atrocious crime, might attempt to excuse themselves, saying, ‘Who can help it? God would have it so; it was appointed for me before I was born, so that I could not avoid it.’ This is a horrid abuse of the divine decrees, as if they might constrain men to sin. This is impossible. The decree is an immanent act of God, and so can have no influence, physical or moral, upon the wills of men, but leaves them to the liberty and free choice of their own hearts; and what sinners do, they do most freely and of their own choice. It is a horrid and detestable wickedness to cast the blame of your sin upon God's decree. This is to charge your villainy upon him, as if he were the author of it.” – Thomas Boston
God has foreordained all of the things that have come to pass—including God's decree of evil, in that He knew that free, morally responsible agents would choose evil. By permitting man to sin, the blame and responsibility for evil must never be placed upon God, but on those beings who chose evil.
A sovereign God's ability to accomplish all of His purposes does not result in fatalism. God can maintain sovereignty through morally responsible beings freely choosing according to their desires, establishing man's responsibility, while accomplishing the good and perfect will of God in accordance with all that God decrees. Man is not forced to act against His will in choosing evil, but has freely acted, unknowingly resulting in the fulfillment of the decrees of God.
9. The salvation of sinners
2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
“This purpose, or decree of God, is the fountainhead of our spiritual blessings. It is the impulsive cause of our vocation, justification, glorification. It is the highest link in the golden chain of salvation. What is the reason that one man is called, and not another? It is from the eternal purpose of God. God’s decree gives the casting voice in man’s salvation.” – Thomas Watson
10. The judgment of ungodly
1 Peter 2:8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
11. The world’s greatest events
Revelation 13:8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
12. The most trivial circumstances
This includes even those events which seem random or matters of chance.
Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
13. All things
Ephesians 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
John Piper:Has God predetermined every detail in the universe, including sin? (video, 6:08)
B.God is absolutely free in making His decrees
“God was alone when He made His decrees, and His determinations were influenced by no external cause. He was free to decree or not to decree, and to decree one thing and not another. This liberty we must ascribe to Him who is supreme, independent, and sovereign in all His doings.” – A.W. Pink
1.No internal compulsion—He needs nothing
Acts 17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
2. No external compulsion
Psalm 135:6 Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.
Isaiah 40:13-14 Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
C.God’s decrees are unchangeable(although they may have had an inception at a point in time, once God decides, that’s it.)
“Although Gods eternal decree does not change, it does ordain change. It ordains a historical series of events, each of which receives Gods evaluation. God evaluates different events in different ways. Those evaluations themselves are fixed in Gods eternal plan. But they are genuine evaluations of the events. It is not wrong to describe them as responses to these events.
“Furthermore, we have seen that God is not only transcendent beyond time and space, but also immanent in all times and spaces. From these immanent perspectives, God views each event from within history. As he does, he evaluates each event appropriately, when it happens. Such evaluations are, in the most obvious sense, responses.
“Does such responsiveness imply passivity in God? To say so would be highly misleading. God responds (both transcendently and immanently) only to what he has himself ordained. He has chosen to create a world that will often grieve him. So ultimately he is active, rather than passive. Some may want to use the term impassible to indicate that fact.” – John Frame
1.Omniscience requires this.
2.Omnipotence requires this.
3.Prophesy requires this
4.Scriptural support
Ephesians 3:11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Psalm 33:11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
D.The purpose of the decrees:the decrees of God are for His glory
--Whatever God has decreed (which includes whatever has actually happened), produces the greatest glory for God than any other possible event or outcome.
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints
Ephesians 2:7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.