Tough Questions About Sovereignty Part II

I will try and give a Biblical answer to each of the questions posted under comments from part 1 for your consideration.

“All scripture is God breathed and useful for teaching etc…” so the best way to get a handle on any issue is to see the entire teaching on the subject throughout both the old and new testaments. We would then compare all the texts (in context), search out the historical settings, customs etc. and come up with what God has to say on the matter. You have to remember that Israel only had the OT by which to know God. In the previous article you will see quotes from the entire Bible in order to give a fully rounded perspective. The old and new covenants never contradict each other. I also intentionally left out many new testament verses as they might have been construed so as to accuse me of pushing a reformed perspective, which this issue is certainly not. For example, Romans 9 says “God will have mercy on whom He will have mercy and the rest He will harden”.

I do not believe that man is a robot or is “forced” to do things he does not wish to do. Actually, the fact that we make sinful choices is proof of our sinful nature. We are free to make choices and do as we wish, but not everything we wish. The reason for that is due to our finite abilities and circumstances which we do not control. Simply put, man is free within the scope of his nature. That means that I am free to do or choose whatever I wish within my abilities to do it. For example, I may wish to fly but my nature is not that of a bird so if I jump off the building frantically flapping my arms I am still going to hit the ground. My desire to fly is hindered by my nature. I may wish to go surfing today but get a flat tire so my plan is thwarted by circumstances beyond my control. The insurance companies get it and call these “acts of God”.

A man might want to change the day of his death, hinder the second coming, prevent the crucifixion etc. all of these things are controlled by God and not men. There is only one being who can do whatever He wants, however He wants and whenever He wants and that is God. This is because He is Almighty. If a man wills one thing and God wills another it is obvious whose will is going to be done.

Just because God allows us to make decisions that we think are totally free does not mean that 1) He doesn’t know them and 2) He had no part in the controlling of the circumstances that influenced them. To say either of these is untrue is to believe in unbiblical theology like Modalism or some form of deism that states God started everything and then left it to its own devices. Otherwise you have a God who doesn’t know all things and that is a far bigger issue. The Truth Project does a good job on this and it is always one of the lessons that gets the most debate (the other being Who Is Man)

In light of this, a common objection is "If God controls all things, then why should I do anything? We don't control history anyway. Therefore, we can just sit back and do nothing." The objector is saying that the logical outcome of belief in the absolute sovereignty of God is what we will call "indifferent fatalism"--the view that we should do nothing since God controls everything.

Why doesn't belief in God's sovereignty lead to indifferent fatalism? And if God is absolutely sovereign, how can our choices have real meaning? These are very good questions that a proper understanding of God's sovereignty will answer.

First we need to understand the difference between fatalism and what is called compatibilism. Compatibilism is the view that God is absolutely sovereign (as explained above) and yet our choices have real meaning and we are responsible for them. The Bible is clear that God is in control and we are responsible for our actions because we willingly do them. Fatalism, on the other hand, teaches that no matter what you choose or do, things will turn out the same. For example, if it is determined that Bill will get an "F" on his test tomorrow, then no matter how hard he studies or how well he knows the material, he will fail. His choices do not really affect what will happen.

Compatibilism, in contrast to fatalism, says that our choices really do affect the future, and that if different choices had been made, the future would have been different. On this view, if Bill doesn't study, he will fail. But if he does study hard, then his studying will be the means that brings about a good grade. In regards to God's sovereignty, this means that God does not just ordain the ends and then say "this will happen no matter what." No, God also ordains the means to His planned end (for example, God ordains that Bill will study as the means to the good grade).

Our decisions are each links in the chain of means ordained by God to bring about His planned ends. If different decisions had been made, the consequences would have been different. But God works to ensure that the means He has ordained will most certainly occur so that none of His purposes can fail. This makes human decisions truly significant and vital. This is exactly what the scripture means by “God works in you to WILL and to DO for His pleasure” Phil. 2:13. It should now be more clear why the absolute sovereignty of God does not amount to fatalistic indifference. In short, Bill should study because that is the means that God uses to bring about his good grades.

The second reason to reject fatalistic indifference is that it is self-contradictory. The person who is fatalistically indifferent would be saying "Because God decides what will happen, I will stop making choices." But the choice to stop making choices is itself a choice! The other option is God has no plan and leaves everything up to us hoping things work out. That is ridiculous and nobody who names the name of Christ believes it.

God made us in a way that we are decision-making beings. We will always make one choice or another in any given situation--we cannot help but to make choices when confronted with alternatives (we have no choice in the matter!). For example, when confronted with the option to eat either a piece of pie or a piece of cake, it is impossible for me to not make some sort of choice. I will either have the pie, the cake, or neither. If I refuse to make a choice, I am still making a choice--the choice not to eat. Indifferent fatalism is false because it is impossible--it self-destructs in a self-contradiction. Impossibilities are entirely un-applicable, for trying to apply fatalistic indifference is to deny it. For this reason it cannot be the logical application of belief in God's absolute sovereignty.

Clearly, God's sovereignty does not remove the need for and reality of our choices. But what if a person "modifies" their position of fatalistic indifference and tries to use God's sovereignty as an excuse to remain in sin?

One could take God's sovereignty and (mis)apply it this way. That would be sin. But just because a teaching can be misapplied does not make it false. Shall we also conclude that the truths of eternal security and justification by faith alone are false because some people try to use them as an excuse for sin? (See Romans 6:1-2 for how Paul would respond to such a misapplication of these truths.) A person could decide to not seek God or not obey Him because "everything is up to Him anyway." But does that make indifference and passivity the logical outcome of believing in God's sovereignty? Couldn't belief in God's sovereignty be taken just as easily in the other direction and be properly applied to encourage zealous obedience instead of indifferent fatalism? Since we must make a choice either to live righteously or live sinfully, on what basis can one say that God's sovereignty leads logically to a choice of human laziness/sinfulness instead of a choice for human godliness? Paul says something applicable here: "And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say), `Let us do evil that good may come'? Their condemnation is just" (Romans 3:8).

Instead of saying "God is sovereign, therefore I will not bother to seek Him and do righteousness" one could with equal logical consistency say "God is sovereign, therefore I will zealously obey Him at all times because I know He will most certainly bless my obedience with great fruit. And I know that He will victoriously uphold me with His strength and perseverance since He is not only in control but also a holy, merciful God who loves righteousness." One path or the other will be chosen. We cannot not choose.

But how are choices made? Answering this question will take us to the real issue at stake. As humans, we make choices according to our greatest desire of the moment--we choose what we think is the best option at the time. This means that our choices reveal our character, since it is our character which produces our desires and therefore determines what we will consider the best option. A good character will generally desire good things, and a bad character will desire bad things. What we choose therefore reveals the condition of our heart.

Therefore, if we use God's sovereignty as an excuse for sin, it reveals the wickedness in our heart. If we correctly apply this doctrine, however, and see the freedom it gives us to diligently obey, it reveals the goodness that God is working in our hearts. If we try and use God's sovereignty as an excuse for sin, we need to go to Him and repent instead of concluding that God is not really sovereign after all.

God's sovereignty is actually a very freeing doctrine for us. It frees us to obey with joyful trust, security, and peace. As a believer, we should think like this: "Since God is sovereign, no obedience can harm my relationship with God and therefore no obedience, no matter how "foolish" it looks to the world and no matter the consequences, can ultimately harm me." Isn't that how Paul used the doctrine in Romans 8:28-36 ? He said "all things work together for good to those who love God" in verse 28 and then proceeded to explain the security this gives us through zealous, risk-taking obedience because "nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ."

Look at the way Paul applies the sovereignty of God to our obedience in Philippians 2:12-13: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." According to Paul, the foundation of our obedience is the fact that God is ultimately the one who puts in us the willing and working of obedience. Paul did not say "God puts the willing and working in you, therefore stay in bed." On the contrary, he saw the sovereignty of God as deep, encouraging reason for risk-taking obedience!

Having understood how we make choices, we are now in a position to understand how God can control all things, and yet bring about His plan in a way that preserves human accountability and freedom. Proverbs 16:9 says "The mind of the man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." This verse seems to affirm human freedom and God's absolute control over our freedom--in the same breath. How can this be consistent?

As we saw earlier, we always choose according to our greatest desire--we always choose the option that we most prefer. This makes every choice determined (it is determined that I will choose the option that I find most preferable), yet free (since we are not being forced to choose, but are choosing what we want to). Furthermore, the act of choosing is always accompanied, subconsciously or consciously, with the process of thinking through the situation and the desires we have in order to realize which option we want the most. Once we realize which option we most prefer, we will then always decide upon that option. For example, when given the option of chocolate or white cake, I cannot and do not spontaneously determine that I will desire the white cake. Rather, I thoughtfully recognize that my greatest desire is for the white cake. Our choices are free and truly our choices because we think through the situation for ourselves and come to the conclusion about which choice is best through our own thought processes. Thus, "the mind of the man plans his way."

God, however, can still be ultimately in control and thus "direct our steps" by regulating our situations and thus the information that we base our choice upon. Since we will always choose the option that our mind finds most preferable in light of the situation, God can simply make the circumstances such that the option we find most preferable (and thus the option we will choose) is the choice that He ordained for us to make. Our choice is free and truly ours since it is a result of our own reasoning and thought processes ("the mind of the man plans His way"), but God still controlled it because He ordered and directed the information our thought processes were based on to ensure that the choice we make is what He had willed ("the Lord directs His steps").

If someone ever tries to use God's absolute sovereignty as an excuse not to seek God or obey Him, the solution is not to tell them that "God really is not sovereign--you have the freedom to choose against God's eternal purposes." Sinners, the Bible says, by nature flee from God and seek any excuse to justify their flight. An attempt to use God's sovereignty as an excuse to continue in sin reveals the persons' sinfulness and need for God's grace. God's sovereignty is not the cause of indifference--sin is the cause. We should not lay blame where it does not belong.

So what we must do is not appeal to freedom in an attempt to convince the person that they must obey, but point out their sin to them and go to our knees and pray "God, I know you control all things. Therefore I pray that you would change my friend's heart and cause him to seek you. Please give him a desire for you." God is the answer to an unbeliever's flight from God, not anything else. The sovereignty of God is not a persons’ problem, it is their only hope.

It has been my prayer that this will be helpful to you and shed even a small bit of light on these issues. How this relates to Salvation is another story that everyone has an opinion on but both sides should agree with this part. So I would say this for your two questions:

1) A person is responsible for their sin because they choose it willingly. Grace by definition is not owed to mankind therefore if God withholds grace He has wronged no man. God could have prevented the crucifixion but He didn’t. The people betrayed Him freely and are thus guilty, yet the Bible is clear this was God’s plan. The fact Jesus forgave his disciples (and us for that matter) for abandoning Him is a testimony to His grace.

2) The law was a tutor to point us to Christ. Redemption is probably the greatest illustration of this.. Jesus said “be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect”. That is an impossible command regardless of how much I try. It is given to show me the need for righteousness, which is not in me but must be imputed if I am to stand before God blameless. Again, He gives us what He commands. He put us in His family, He made us acceptable, He forgave us, He commands us to love each other….we fail through sin and rebellion but He works back in us to will and to do so we repent etc…. The expert on the matter is Jesus Himself who said "apart from me you can do nothing!"

Blessings to all who belong to the Lord,