Old Testament Week Six & Seven Reflection on the Nature of God
11-12 Edition
Table of contents Course Syllabus Preface to the Study of Theology.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The Nature of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Attacks By Atheists Against God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Some Essential Definitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Foreknowledge of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Scriptures that might support the view that God foreknows all the future as certainties.. . . . . 9 Scriptures that reflect the idea that God foreknows future certainties as certainties and future possibilities as possibilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Nachem: Repent.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 God's Repentance and His Immutability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Four Views of God's Activity and His Knowledge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The Will of Man.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Some Things That Happen Are Not God's Will. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 The will of God can be resisted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 God responds by repenting of the judgment He pronounced when people repent.. . . . . . . . . . . . 16 God’s Love Respects Human Significance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 What About Prophecy?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 (1) Absolute prophecy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 (2) Conditional prophecy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 (3) Extrapolative prophecy.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 (4) Prophecy by parallelism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Problems Arising from Not Recognizing the Various Kinds of Prophecy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Jesus died for the salvation of the whole world.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 What is the nature of God's Absolute Foreknowledge?.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Foreknowledge and the Will of Man. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Foreknowledge and God's Character. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 The Divine “Perhaps” & The Divine “If”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 God is Actively Interacting During the Process of History:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 People's Wills and God's Control of the World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 How God is Thoroughly Qualified and Capable to Deal With the Future Even Though There are Contingencies Regarding it? .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 The Problem of Evil.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Sovereignty of God:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Judas Iscariot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 NT Passages Concerning Foreknowledge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Divine Timelessness (The Eternal Now Idea) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Scriptures showing God is a God of Experience and Time is an Aspect of His Experience.. . . . 42 Predestination.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Analysis of Romans 8:28-29. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 1 Peter 1:1-2.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Predestination and the Will of Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 View One: GOD ORDAINS ALL THINGS (DETERMINISM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 -I-
View Two:
GOD ORDAINS ALL THINGS, YET PEOPLE STILL HAVE FREE WILL (SOFT-DETERMINISM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 View Three: GOD PREDESTINES SOME TO BE SAVED BASED ON HIS FOREKNOWLEDGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 2 Peter 3:9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Psalm 139:13-16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 The Book of Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Psalms 147:5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Lexicon Study of Strong’s #4557: "Infinite". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Is Predestination an Eternal Decree to Save Some and Damn the Rest? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 What about Acts 13:48?.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Notice how this lines up in agreement with the sequence of Eph.1:13.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Thoughts on Foreknowledge by Various Authors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 MONTESQUIEU:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 BOSWORTH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 JOHNSON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 ROGERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 BLAIKIE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 BOETTNER:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Doctrine of Immutability:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 What about Immutability?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Free Grace, A Sermon by John Wesley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 The Need for a Scriptural, and Therefore a Neo-Classical Theism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Biblical Principles: The Sovereignty of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Concepts of Time and the "Eternal Now". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Tozer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Blaikie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Allen.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Aquinas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Rushdoony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Olson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Locke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Lucas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 A Treatise on Time and Space by J. R. Lucas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 The Eternal Now: From Pro and Con. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Omniscience: An Outline for Teaching and Study.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
The Truth Concerning God’s Nature Essentials That We May Know Him by Gordon C. Olson. . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 A Few Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Eternity of Being.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Omnipresence.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Omniscience.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 God has absolutely perfect knowledge of all that is taking place at the present time .. . . . . 105 The Bible reveals that God knows as a certainty a multitude of future choices, actions, and mass reactions that people will make in the future.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Many events and future plans that God has decided upon and prophesied as certain to come to pass appear to be associated with the idea of causation.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 -ii-
Many Bible passages, when taken in their natural meaning, appear to indicate that God has foreknowledge of future certainties as certainties and foreknowledge of future possibilities as possibilities... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Omnipotence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 God’s Sovereignty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Philosophical Influences in Early Church History.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
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Course Syllabus The Nature and Character of God Credit:
2 semester credits
Course Description The course is designed to introduce a clear understanding of the nature and character of God as presented in Scripture.
Course Objectives Affective (attitudes): The student will experience: 1. A greater assurance of a personal God who is actively involved in the affairs of this world and of all men. 2. A greater appreciation of the love of God that He invests in those He has created in His image. 3. A deeper affection for God, with the resulting desire to please God. Cognitive (knowledge): The student will be able to: 1. Discuss the personality (intellect, will, and emotions) of God. 2. Identify the various attributes of God’s character and nature. 3. Research the Bible regarding the scriptures on the Trinity of the Godhead, and compare his findings with the historical development of the doctrine. 4. Examine the concept of eternity as it applies to the Godhead, and the various historical and theological viewpoints of the doctrine. 5. Reflect on the nature of God in relation to eternity, salvation, election, predestination, foreknowledge, prophecy, and man’s will. 6. Define the theological concept of "antinomy". Conative (skills): The student will be able to: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Defend the righteousness of God in relation to His dealings with the world. Present a clear picture of God to those to whom he ministers. Study and interpret the Bible with greater accuracy and apply it more effectively in life and ministry. Inspire greater love for God in the hearts of others. Effect a transformation in the lives of others. Counsel more effectively.
Course Requirements 1. 2. 3. 4.
Complete all assigned readings. Complete all daily and weekly written assignments. Keep a notebook of all lectures and handouts. Complete the final examination.
Course Syllabus
2 Course Evaluation 1. 2. 3. 4.
Interaction with reading materials Homework assignments Class Participation Exams Total
10% 20% 20% 50% 100%
Preface to the Study of Theology Finite minds, unless they are asleep or stultified by prejudice, must advance in knowledge. The discovery of new truth will modify old views and opinions, and there is perhaps no end to this process with finite minds in any world. True Christian consistency does not consist in stereotyping our opinions and views, and in refusing to make any improvement lest we should be guilty of change, but it consists in holding our minds open to receive the rays of truth from every quarter, and in changing our views and language and practice as often and as fast as we can obtain further information.... I hold myself sacredly bound, not to defend these positions at all events, but on the contrary, to subject every one of them to the most thorough discussion, and to hold and treat them as I would the opinions of anyone else; that is, if upon further discussion and investigation I see no cause to change, I hold them fast; but if I can see a flaw in any one of them, I shall amend or wholly reject it, as further light shall demand. Charles G. Finney, 1846 From the Author's Preface to Finney's Systematic Theology
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The Nature of God We must understand the difference between the nature of God and his character. All moral creatures (those that have a choice between good and evil) have both a nature and a character. Nature is what the person is by their very existence. It is an ability of existence. For example, people have hands and feet which give them certain abilities. They did not choose to have these abilities; they are simply abilities of existence. Likewise, people did not choose to have abilities of personality (mind, will, and emotions), and they are limited (they don’t know everything and can’t do everything). Character, on the other hand, is the description of what we do with our existence; it describes how we live. Character is that set of principles and goals and ways that we have chosen to live by. What we are by nature is neither good nor evil morally. However, what we do with those natural attributes can be either good or evil. It we choose to use our abilities to hurt others, to steal and murder, our character is evil. If we choose to use our abilities to love others, to serve and bless them, our character is good. The same is true for God. His nature is what he is by existence. They have attributes of existence: • God exists as a Trinity. • God is Eternal • Having personality (Intellect, Will, and Emotions) • Omniscient • Omnipotent • Omni-present God’s character is what he chooses to do with his abilities of existence. Although people sometimes use the word “nature” to talk about character (as in “he is very good-natured”), for the purposes of this discussion, we will use the word “nature” to refer to attributes of existence and “character” to refer to moral attributes.
Objections of a Skeptic There is one fact that seems to be overlooked by many of the "I'm a Christian so I'm right" people in this group. They seem to assume that the only reason some of us aren't Christians is that we don't believe in their God. This is, at least in my case, a misconception on their part.
second thing would be to abolish disease, right? This doesn't take "infinite mercy", just normal compassion. God's supposedly infinite mercy is apparently the same thing as no mercy at all. Suppose you were god and there were other gods. What would you do? What I would try to do is the same thing I do as a person among other people--try to make friends or at least truce with as many of them as possible. The Judeo-Christian god does rather the opposite. Or suppose you were a god and there were no others. What would you do? Perform a continual sequence of verifiable miracles to keep people from delusion. No such luck in the case of Jehovah. He demands absolute fidelity without any demonstration of his existence beyond, perhaps, some manifestations of the sort that you can get from any religion.
If I had undeniable proof of the existence of Yahweh, a.k.a. Jehovah, a.k.a. Adonai, a.k.a. El Shaddai, a.k.a. Yahweh Elohim, the father of Jesus and the ancient leader of the Semitic peoples, I still would not worship the bastard. If an angel appeared to me and removed my appendectomy scar so I could never deny its reality, I still would not be a Christian. My primary reason for not being a Christian or Jew has nothing to do with my lack of belief in their god. My primary reason is that the Bible is a disgusting book describing the behavior of a god without the morality of an average high school student.
What would you think of a man who saw that a deadly mission needed to be done, that this mission would require suffering beyond endurance and a hideous death, and decided to send his son on the mission instead of going himself, when he was just as fit? I doubt that you would think very highly of him. Enough said on the point.
As Bob Langdon admits, this God does what he wants, when he wants, without even an attempt at self-justification, and all for what reason? According to Bob, all for his own greater glory. Oh, how charming. For his own glory he condemns billions to eternal torment, drowns millions of innocent beasts and thousands of children, orders the slaughter of entire cities down to the last man, woman, and child, creates a race that he knows is flawed and will hurt itself (so that in their pain they can worship him better), refuses to deal with any other god on a friendly basis, restricts the normal expression of the sexual function, rains doom on those who dare to try to be as knowledgeable as he is, and so on. Jesus preaching love in no way atones for these many hideous crimes; lest we forget, it was at this time that he created Hell. Please don't embarrass yourself by claiming otherwise; it is at no time mentioned in the Old Testament, and the wrathful and threatening god of the Old Testament would hardly omit any chance to terrify his worshipers.
One thing in particular would keep me from worshiping this god. That is the fact that he desires worship. The only reason why this would be is that he gets something out of worship, perhaps power, perhaps just pleasure. In the former case, it would be totally unjustifiable for me to increase the power of this hugely arrogant and malefic being. In the latter, well, I don't LIKE this deity, and I don't think it deserves such a reward for its heinous career. I can see the responses to this now. "You can't judge God by the same standards as man." In that case, why is it that I keep getting told that God is good? Are there two meanings of the word "good", one of which forbids murder, deliberate starvation, infecting people with disease, and so on, and another which allows these things? I suggest that there is already a word for the second meaning. That word is "evil". If you think that it's OK to worship an evil god, that's your business, but you can't expect me to do the same.
The simple fact is that most of us, given omnipotence, would be able to do a far better job. What would you do if given omnipotence? If your answer is anything other than "abolish world hunger", there's something a little skewed in your perception of mankind. There is no question that this is the greatest evil in the world today. The
"Everything God does is really good, even though we can't always see that it is." Well, you'd
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Objections of a Skeptic
have to do an awful lot of good to counterbalance the perpetual starvation of the human race. Maybe we Americans have it so good that we can't see this, but most of the people in the world are starving. Children are dying by the truckload, not for any sin, but just because there isn't enough food for them. If you could see these children, and you had food, you would give food to them. (Either that, or you are an unfeeling monster.) Not so with the god you worship. He sees their bellies bloat, sees them run out of nutrients and rot alive, sees their brains dying, and doesn't do a single thing, despite the fact that he has an unlimited supply of food to give. Another example of his mercy. "Don't ask such questions." People who say this
are cowering slaves beneath my notice. They would as soon serve the devil as god in their blindness and faith. No amount of evidence could convince them that the devil was bad; their basic assumption is that they are correct, so they are untouchable by any rationality. I do not believe in the reality of Jehovah, except as a psychological phenomenon, but if I did believe I would not worship that horror. It could send me to the Hell it's made for those it dislikes, and I would walk in proudly, knowing that I was no slave to be broken down by force. From the overworked keyboard of Tim Maroney.
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Atheistic Attacks Concerning God Accusers question the relationship between God’s foreknowledge and man’s free will. They ask, “If one believes in an omniscient being, how one cannot consistently hold that man has volitional control over his actions. If God knows the future with infallible certainty, the future is predetermined, and man has no power to change it.” However, if people do not have the ability to choose, how can any idea of morality have any meaning? Can a person be worthy of either blame or praise for an action over which he has no control? Without the ability of choice how can the idea of the Christian's salvation be real. Men are predestined for either heaven or hell, and they have no voice in the matter. Why does the Christian bother to proselytize, since men cannot help what they believe anyway? How can an event be "free" if God knows as a certainty the result of a conditional event before the conditions have been met which are necessary for the result to be certain? Some say this is not a problem for God because He does not exist in time at all. There is another irritating problem with the idea of omniscience; it contradicts the attribute of omnipotence. If God knows every detail of the future with infallible certainty, he cannot change it - in which case he cannot be omnipotent. If God can change the future, however, he cannot have infallible knowledge of it prior to its actual happening - in which case he cannot be omniscient. This is similar to the issue of in what sense, if any, God can be said to have free will. Does God know his own future decisions? If so, how can those decisions be free? Perhaps God does not make decisions. If so, how can the idea of God having a will apply to a being with no decisions - and hence no choices - to make? Also, what about God’s love? To be all loving, God must be capable of evil but always choose the good. If God deliberately chooses evil, he is immoral. The question now arises: Why is there sin in the world of an all loving God? If God does not know there is evil, he is not omniscient. If God knows there is evil but cannot prevent it, he is not omnipotent. If God knows there is evil and can prevent it but desires not to, he is not all loving. If, as the Christian claims, God is all-knowing and all-powerful, we must conclude that God is not all-good. The existence of evil in the universe excludes this possibility.
Some Essential Definitions time n., an indefinite continuous duration, sequence, succession, perpetuity. past n., the memory of what once was, not a place from which we came. future n., anticipated possibilities, not a place to which we are going. present n., actual experience in the temporal immediate. Note: We cannot change the past, nor can we make the future happen. temporal adj., having limited duration, i.e. duration for a season; having a beginning and an end. 2Cor. 4:1618 eternal adj., having unlimited duration; having no end (and, in God's case alone, having no beginning). 2Cor. 4:16-18 natural attributes or attributes of nature or attributes of existence n., traits or qualities occurring by virtue of one's very existence; e.g.: God is said to be eternal by existence, or omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent by existence. Since one generally has no control over his natural attributes, these attributes are amoral - neither morally good, nor morally evil; they merely describe one's existence. moral attributes or attributes of character n., traits or qualities ascribed as a direct result of one's choices; e.g.: A man is said to be a good man, or a truthful man, or an evil man, or a liar, etc. Since one has direct control over his choices, these aspects are, by definition moral - either good or evil. The sum of one's moral attributes comprises his character, hence the synonym attributes of character. personality n., the quality of possessing certain abilities necessary to personhood, among these, the ability to originate new actions, the ability to reason and think, and the ability to experience feelings, or emotions. God is an acting agent (a person). act v., to affect a change in the external world. immutability n., the quality of being unchanging; e.g.: God is said to be immutable in His existence and in His character. Caution: When we speak of the immutability of God, we must take care in our definition of immutability to preserve our perception of God's nature as eternal, personal, and dynamic. God is immutable in His fundamental being (essence), in His moral character, and in the purpose to which He has committed Himself with absolute faithfulness--the pursuit of the highest good of the universe (all people, including Himself). However, if we extend our understanding of His immutability too far, we make God out to be a static, unchanging, impersonal being who never experiences emotions in His relationships and who is unaffected by the choices we make. common sense or common understanding n., that knowledge of the general nature of things, universally held by and applied to all men by virtue of the powers of reason which God has set in every man. miracle n., literally, a wonder or wonderful thing; but appropriately, an event or effect contrary to the established course of things, or deviation from the known laws of nature. Miracles make a free will claim for the Almighty, who created the universe and is active in the affairs of men for their blessing. Psalm 95:10"for forty years..."
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The Foreknowledge of God God is omniscient. Omniscience means that God perfectly understands reality as it actually is. Whatever reality is like, that is exactly how God knows it to be. He is not ignorant, confused, nor deceived. His understanding is perfect. This is amazing. God perfectly understands every detail of the past; He perfectly understands the present; and He perfectly understands the future according to the nature of the future. God’s understanding of the future is called His foreknowledge. The discussion of God’s foreknowledge becomes so fascinating because people (with our limited abilities and knowledge) have such a struggle with our thoughts about the nature of the future. Some people suggest that every detail regarding the future are already fixed certainties to God. Others suggest that there are certainties regarding the future, but that there are things about the future that are possibilities and not yet fixed certainties. Thus, God in His foreknowledge knows future possibilities as possibilities, and He knows future certainties as certainties.
Scriptures that might support the view that God foreknows all the future as certainties Gen. Num. Deut. 1Sam. 1Ki. Ps. Isa. Jer. Zech. Mal. Mat. Mark Luke John Acts Ro. 1Co. Ga. Eph. 2Th. 1Tim. 2Tim. Heb. James 1Pet. 2Pet. Jude Rev.
15:13-15, 16:12, 17:20, 25:23, 23:19, 31:16-21,29 (21, 27) 15:29 13:2 (2Ki.22:1, 23:15-16) 22:16,17, 69:21 44:28-45:7, 46:9-11, 52:13-15, 53:1-12 1:5, 25:11,12, 29:10-14 12:10 3:6 16:21, 17:22-23, 27, 18:7, 20:17-19, 24:36 (the Father) 26:2, 21, 31-34, 56, 75, 27:9-10, 35 8:31, 9:31, 10:32-34, 13:32 (the Father) 14:27, 30, 68-72, 15:28 9:22, 44, 17:1-2, 25, 18:31-33, 20:14, 22:10-13, 34, 37, 55-62, 24:25-27, 44-46 6:64, 70-71, 8:28, 9:3, 12:32-34,37-41, 13:11,18-19,26,38,17:12, 18:4,17,25-27,31-32, 19:24, 21:18-19 1:16, 2:23 (3:13), 8:28, 32-33, 13:29,48, 15:18, 18:10, 27:10,22,24,34, 28:28 8:28-30,33, 11:2,5,7,29 2:7 3:8 1:4-5,11, 2:10, 3:11 2:3-4,13 1:9-10 1:9-10 4:3 1:17 1:2,20, 2:8 1:4, 3:8 1:4 1:7, 2:10, 4:1 (6:17) (15:3) (16:5-7) (17:7) 7:4-8,9,14, 8:1, 9:20-21, 11:2,3,7-11, 12:7-9,12, 13:1-8,11-18, 14:1,4,20 16:9,11, 17:8,12 19:19, 20:78-8,9-10 (22:6)
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Scriptures that reflect the idea that God foreknows future certainties as certainties and future possibilities as possibilities Gen. Ex. Num. Deut. Judg. 1Sam.
1:5, 31, 2:17, 3:3, 5:5, 6:5-7, 17, 18:20-21, 22-33, 22:12 16:4, 32:7-14, 30-35, 33:1-5 (compare Ju. 2:18- 3:5) 11:1-2, 14:11-24, 27-35, 16:20-35, 44-48 8:2, 9:13-14,18-19, 20, 25-29, (10:10), 13:1-3 2:18 – 3:4, 10:13-16, 32 2:30, (3:12-14), 13:13-14, 15:11, 23, 26, 35, (28:17-18, 8:7-9, 10:18-19, 24, 12:12-13, 17, 19-20) 2Sam. 7:10-11,3 12:22 (12:14), 24:12-16, 25 1Ki. 9:3,4-9, 11:11-13, 21:27-29 (21-22) 2Ki. 20:1-7, 23:26-27 (1Ki.9:3) 1Chr. 17:9-10, 21:7-15 2Chr. 7:16, 12:5-8, 32:31 Job. 2:3 Psa. 14:2, 53:2, 78:21-22,58-61, 106:23,44-45 Isa. 5:3-7, 38:1-5, Jr 3:6-8, 18:7-10, 26:2-6, 12-13, 18-19, 32:35 Ezk 12:1-3, 20:8-9, 13-14, 15-17, 21-22, 22:30, 24:14 Hos. 8:5 Joel 2:12-14 Amos 5:14-15, 7:1-3, 4-6 Jonah 1:2, 3:2,4-10 Zech. 8:14-15 Mat. 10:2,4-5,16,20,22,25,40, 19:8, after Jn.6:70, 24:36 Mark 3:14-15, 19, 6:7,11-12, 13:32, 14:10,43,15:34 Luke 6:12,13,16, 8:1, 9:1-2,5-6, 10:20, 18:31, 22:3-6,48 John 6:70, 12:4-6, 13:2, 15:16, 18:2-3, 19:11 Acts 1:7, 17, 25, 15:7 Ro. 9:14 1Jn. 2:18 Rev. 3:5, 13:8, 20:15, 21:14,27, 22:18-19
Nachem: Repent
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Nachem: Repent God repenting or changing his mind: The Bible uses the same Hebrew word nachem which means to repent, to be sorry, to be comforted when it speaks of God repenting or changing His mind as well as when it speaks of people repenting. The Bible, in 33 different verses speaks of God repenting or changing His mind or plans. Gene 6:6 The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The Lord said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." Exod 13:17 Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, "The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt." Exod 32:12 "Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, `With evil [intent] He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your burning anger and (change Your mind) about [doing] harm to Your people. Exod 32:14 So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people. Numb 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; 1Sam 15:11 "I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands." And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the Lord all night. 1Sam 15:29 "Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind." 1Sam 15:35 Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel. 2Sam 24:16 When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, "It is enough! Now relax your hand!" And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Job 42:6 Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes." Psal 106:45 And He remembered His covenant for their sake, And relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness. Psal 110:4 The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." Isai 57:6 "Among the smooth [stones] of the ravine Is your portion, they are your lot; Even to them you have poured out a drink offering, You have made a grain offering. Shall I relent concerning these things? Jere 4:28 "For this the earth shall mourn, And the heavens above be dark, Because I have spoken, I have purposed, And I will not change My mind, nor will I turn from it." Jere 8:6 "I have listened and heard, They have spoken what is not right; No man repented of his wickedness, Saying, `What have I done?' Everyone turned to his course, Like a horse charging into the battle. Jere 15:6 "You who have forsaken Me," declares the Lord, "You keep going backward. So I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am tired of relenting! Jere 18:8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Jere 18:10 if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it. Jere 20:16 But let that man be like the cities Which the Lord overthrew without relenting, And let him hear an outcry in the morning And a shout of alarm at noon; Jere 26:3 `Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.'
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Nachem: Repent
Jere 26:13 "Now therefore amend your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will change His mind about the misfortune which He has pronounced against you. Jere 26:19 "Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and entreat the favor of the Lord, and the Lord changed His mind about the misfortune which He had pronounced against them? But we are committing a great evil against ourselves." Jere 31:19 `For after I turned back, I repented; And after I was instructed, I smote on [my] thigh; I was ashamed and also humiliated Because I bore the reproach of my youth.' Jere 42:10 `If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I will relent concerning the calamity that I have inflicted on you. Ezek 24:14 "I, the Lord, have spoken; it is coming and I will act. I will not relent, and I will not pity and I will not be sorry; according to your ways and according to your deeds I will judge you," declares the Lord God.' " Joel 2:13 And rend your heart and not your garments."
Now return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil. 14 Who knows whether He will [not] turn and relent And leave a blessing behind Him, [Even] a grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God? Amos 7:3 The Lord changed His mind about this. "It shall not be," said the Lord. Amos 7:6 The Lord changed His mind about this. "This too shall not be," said the Lord God. Jona 3:9 "Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish." 10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do [it]. Jona 4:2 He prayed to the Lord and said, "Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my [own] country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.
Summary Statement A careful reading of each listed passage in 2. The presuppositional problem: its immediate context will demonstrate that God • If God is omniscient, and has perfect has repented (changed His mind) in many foreknowledge, according to the common situations. When all the evidence is taken understanding, repentance becomes together (greater context) the argument for unnecessary. God's being able to change His mind is very strong. • Therefore repentance, as pertaining to God, God has repented (changed His mind) in is often called an anthropomorphism, many situations, in that some thing which He defined as "the ascription of human form to had established or stated is negated, and a new God," or by anthropopathism, defined as course of action is started. Some possible "the ascription of human feelings, passions, reasons for the problem of understanding the emotions, and suffering to God."1 (Note: repentance of God are summarized below. There are legitimate anthropomorphisms in the Bible, but I doubt if there are any 1. The hermeneutical problem: • Pulling the statement out of its immediate and greater context. 1 Pfeiffer, Charles F., Vos, Howard F., Rea, John, The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, Moody Press, 1975, p. 104.
Nachem: Repent
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anthropopathisms. CONCLUSION Repentance, as pertaining to God, is easily accepted on the basis of two conditions: 1. God is unchangeable in His character and purposes, and therefore He can wisely repent (change His mind) when men, in their freedom and responsibility, fail to fulfill their responsibility in a particular stream of God's purposes. God's change of mind will then result in a real change in what otherwise would have been.
2. If we understand that God is living and interacting with men in time, and that many things in the future are not fixed, but depend upon the cooperation between God and a man, or between God and a (large or small) group of men, then we easily understand why God changes His mind and His actions in response to the actions of men.
GOD'S REPENTANCE AND HIS IMMUTABILITY When God repents, that means He changes. The word, immutable, means changelessness. So in what ways does God change and in what ways is He changeless? God is immutable • Unchanging in His attributes of existence (omnipotence, omnipresence, eternal existence, and in infinite capacity to know) •
Unchanging, immutable (steady as a rock) in His absolute commitment of faithfulness to His character of love and resulting holiness.
•
Unchanging in the character that He has eternally committed himself to be.
God is continually dynamic • •
in their thoughts and emotions, and continually active in making decisions and doing things.
Yet this change and dynamics of personality occurs consistently within the boundaries of God's unchanging character which He has eternally committed himself to be. Notice especially the following scriptural passages illustrating that God changes his mind in certain situations: Amos 7:3, Jonah 3:10, Ps.106:45, 2Ki.20:1-7, Ge.6:5-6, Ex.32:12-14, 1Sam.2:30 1Sam.13:13-14 2Sam.24:16, Jud.2:18, Jud.26:10-16, Jer.26:16-20, 1Sa.8:6,7, 1Chr.21:11-15, Ex.33:1-2 & Jud.3:5,
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Hasker: Metaphysics The reflections that people have suggested concerning God’s foreknowledge fit into four views. These four views are:
Four Views of God's Activity and His Knowledge Predestination 1. God decrees 2. People do not have the power to do anything contrary to the will of God 3. Therefore, God knows what He has determined to do. Questions 1. Explain how God is not responsible for sin. 2. W hy are people guilty? 3. Does evil exist by the will of God? 4. Is God good?
All is God's will 1. Sin is not the will of God but occurs because people have a will and disobey. 2. God knows as a certainty all that ever will occur. 3. These two ideas are said to be only apparent contradictions — antinomies. Questions: 1. How can people have freedom to choose when God's will is all that can happen? 2. If something is an antinomy and therefore I cannot know it for certain, how can I know anything about God for certain?
Eternal Now 1. Divine timelessness: All of time is eternally present before God. 2. Therefore, God knows things regarding the future that would seem as only possibilities to us. 3. Men have a will; yet God knows ahead of time what our choices will be. Question: 1. D oes G od ha ve a personality able to think, reason, choose, experience and change emotions from grief to joy, do definite acts at definite times, walk with m e n, rest, forgive, be provoked to anger, repent, change his plans, and make new decisions? There is no way for any of these things to o c c u r w ith o u t g e nuine sequence.
God knows all reality 1. God's knows certainties as certainties 2. God knows contingencies as contingencies 3. A human being has a free will 4. Everything that happens is not the will of God. Questions: 1. How does God keep the world under control? 2. W hat is the nature of God's knowledge of the future? 3. How is prophecy possible if the future has contingencies? 4. W hat is the nature of predestination?
Reflection upon the nature of God’s foreknowledge raises issues regarding human freedom. If God already knows what a person will do in any given situation, then how is that person free to do anything but what God knows he will do? But if man is free, then how can God maintain his chosen direction of human history? What sort of view a person takes on the foreknowledge of God is very significant. Many people draw comfort from the thought that when bad things happen, God knew it would happen. Others wonder why God allows bad things to happen at all if God knows beforehand that they will. Why, for example, if God knows which persons will never get saved and therefore, spend eternity in hell, why does He not then make it impossible for those people to be born? If parents knew ahead of time that their two-year-old child was going out into the street and would be killed, they could act on that knowledge and prevent their child’s death. If the parents did not act on such knowledge, they would be guilty of negligent homicide or manslaughter.
Evaluating these Four Views To examine these four different views, we need to consider the ideas of • The will of man • The nature of time • The nature of predestination
• • • •
The nature of omniscience The ideas of necessities, certainties, contingencies, and possibilities The nature of foreknowledge The nature of prophecy
The Foreknowledge of God
•
The nature of the Sovereignty of God
All these ideas are all intricately intertwined together. The Will of Man The Bible declares that people have a will. God told Cain,"If you do well, will not [your countenance] be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."2 God told the Israelites: "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live."3 Joshua declared, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."4 Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long [will] you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him."5 God told
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Gen.4:7. Dt.30:19. 4 Josh.24:15. 5 1Kings 18:21. 3
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people, "If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; 20 "But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword." “Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken." Isaiah 1:19. God spoke through Ezekiel in Ezekiel 18:31,32: "Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord God. "Therefore, repent and live." In John 7:16,17 Jesus declared, "My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. "If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching." He said in Revelation 3:20, `Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." The Bible affirms that people have the ability to originate their own actions. People have the ability of self caused action. Therefore, the choices of any one specific individual are not certain until he makes them. Before that time, his choices are possibilities but not certainties. Therefore, they could be known as a possibility, but they could not be known as a certainty. Humans are responsible for their actions.
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The Foreknowledge of God
Some Things That Happen Are Not God's Will Jr.32:34-35 (Lv.18:21) "But they put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. "They built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through [the fire] to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
God did not plan for Judah to do such an abomination. People genuinely have the ability to originate their own actions and in rebellion have used those abilities to do great evil. The Bible affirms that it is the will of God for every single person in the whole world to become Christians.
Jesus died for the salvation of the whole world Ezk.33:11 "Say to them, `As I live!' declares the Lord God, `I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?' "We see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone." (Heb.2:9.) "All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him" (Is.53:6.) Every living person has gone astray, but God laid the iniquity of every person who has ever lived on Jesus."Behold, the Lamb, who takes away the sin of the world!" (Jn.1:29.) "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through Him" (Jn.3:16,17.) "Truly, truly ...he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life" (Jn.5:24.) "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh" (Jn.6:51.)
"God is not one to show partiality" (Acts 10:34.) "For there is no partiality with God" (Ro.2:11.) "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all..." (2Co.5:14.) "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all... (1Tim.2:3-6.) "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men..." (Titus 2:11.) Acts.17:30 Those times of ignorance God viewed with indulgence. But now He commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 seeing that He has appointed a day on which, before long, He will judge the world in righteousness 1Jn.4:14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son [to be] the Savior of the world. "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world" (1Jn.2:2.) If this verse refers only to the elect, then all it says is “"And He Himself is the propitiation for the sins of the elect; and not for the elect only, but also for those of the whole elect. God desires unanimous response from every person in the world 1Tim.4:10 For it is for this we labor and
The Foreknowledge of God
strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. Jn.1:29 The next day he(John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!� Ro.5:18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 2Co.5:14-15 For the love of Christ
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controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Mt.11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Grace is the offer of a free gift, not the imposition of God’s will upon a person. It is the nature of a gift that it can be rejected. It is the nature of love that it can be resisted and ignored.
The will of God can be resisted Acts 7:51 "You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Hb.10:29 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on [the testimony of] two or three witnesses. 29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
2Pt.2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Mt.23:37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
God responds by repenting of the judgment He pronounced when people repent Jr.18:7-10 "At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy [it]; 8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. 9 "Or at another moment I might
speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant [it]; 10 if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it.
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The Foreknowledge of God
God’s Love Respects Human Significance Jonah 4:3 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do [it]. 4:2 Therefore Jonah prayed: "Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my [own] country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. Divine love respects human significance to the extent of even allowing humanity to be utterly irrational and perverse so as to reject the infinite intelligence and perfect love of God, and such people end up in eternal punishment. In this view people have the ability to originate their own actions. Therefore, the results of a person's choices are not certain to be that way until the person actually makes that choice. A certainty is an event which without question will occur. A person’s actions are not certain to occur until after the person actually makes the choice. A contingency is an event which may or may not occur. Whether or not it happens depends upon other conditions. Its
actual occurrence depends upon something else which must happen. There would be two aspects regarding the future. Some things about the future have already been decided upon and thus are certain to happen just exactly that way. Other things will occur according to particular choices that are not yet made. This means that the future also has possibilities. Some things are certainties because they have already been decided upon. Other things are possibilities because what happens depends upon the choices that will be made. Is it possible that God knows future certainties as certainties and future possibilities as possibilities? Everything regarding the future would not be eternally certain. A person would bring about changes by his actions. Such events are contingent upon the choices made. God would have absolute foreknowledge of the certainties of the future. Could God be a great enough Being to take care of things if the future had possibilities in regard to it? Could He in His infinite wisdom and omnipotence according to His wise and loving purposes, perfectly manage contingencies as they arise?
What About Prophecy?
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What About Prophecy? A Look at Prophecy in its Relation to Divine Foreknowledge and Man's Free Will The prophets were spokespersons for God to their own contemporaries. Exo. 3 and 4 introduce the function of a prophet. Richard Rice describes this function in his discussion of conditional prophecy [one of the types we will look at in the following pages], "A salient feature of conditional prophecy needs to be applied to prophecy in general. Conditional prophecy summons people to a relationship with God. It vividly reminds them that the future depends on their response to Him...Biblical prophecy is never presented merely as a source of information for the detached or disinterested observer. It always involves a call to decision. It is always an invitation to respond to God in the present."6 "The prophets were covenant enforcement mediators."7 God and His people were in a covenant relationship, and Lev. 26:1-13, Deut. 4:32-40; 28:1-4 describe the kind of corporate blessings which will follow Israel's obedience to God's law (the covenant conditions). But if they disobey, the blessings will cease, and the corporate "curses" which will follow are described in Lev. 26:14-39; Deut. 4:15-28; 28:15-32:42. It is necessary to study the immediate historical context and the greater historical context in order to understand the prophets. The immediate historical context of much of the prophetic writings is found in the historical books of the Old Testament. This is one reason we have so many different understandings of the prophetic meaning of much of the Old Testament and the book of Revelation. THE MEANING OF PROPHECY
modern readers of the (Biblical) Prophets stems from an inaccurate prior understanding of the word pro-phecy. For most people this word means what appears as the first definition in most dictionaries: "foretelling or prediction of what is to come." It often happens, therefore, that many Christians refer to the Prophets only for predictions about the coming of Jesus and/or certain features of the New Covenant age--as though prediction of events far distant from their own day was the main concern of the Prophets. In fact, using the Prophets in this way is highly selective. Consider in connection the following statistics: Less than 2 % of Old Testament prophecy is Messianic. Less than 5 % specifically describes the New Covenant age. Less than 1 % concern events yet to come. "The prophets did indeed announce the future, but it was usually the immediate future of Israel, Judah, and other nations surrounding them that they announced, rather than our future. One of the keys to understanding the Prophets, therefore, is that for us to see their prophecies fulfilled, we must look back upon times which for them were still future but for us are past."8 It is a mistake to think that every Old Testament passage quoted in the New Testament was given as a specific prediction of that event many years before. VARIOUS KINDS OF PROPHECY (1) Absolute prophecy, where God has already determined what He is going to do, and it depends only on God's action; or Providential prophecy, where God establishes a mental preference, such as when He hardened Pharaoh's heart in the manner in which Pharaoh would carry out the rebellion against
"The primary difficulty for most 6
Rice, Richard, God's Foreknowledge and Man's Free Will, Bethany House, 1985, p. 81. 7 Fee, op. cit., pp. 151ff.
8
Fee, Gordon D. and Stuart, Douglas, How to Read The Bible for All Its W orth, Zondervan, 1982, pp. 149-150.
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What About Prophecy?
God which he himself had already committed himself to. An Example is Isa. 46:8-11. Verse 10 says God is Declaring...from ancient times things which have not yet been done." (This is the only thing we normally think prophecy is.) "I will accomplish all my good pleasure." Verse 11: "I will bring it to pass...Surely I will do it." The implication seems to be that God will do whatever He has planned to do, not necessarily just what He sees in the future, or what He has purposed from eternity. Absolute Prophecies then, are things God has determined to do. Fulfillment depends only on God's purposes and decisions. Nothing is normally said about how God is going to bring about His purposes. (2) Conditional prophecy where God says (Jer.26:3) "Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds." Another example is Jonah 1-4. This is a conditional prophecy where the prophecy is contingent upon man's response, involving a call to obedience. Conditional prophecy summons people to relationship with God. It vividly reminds them that the future depends on their response to God. It is an admonition to respond to God by repenting. Such prophecies, then are not certainties, but rather contingencies. A contingency is a happening or event that depends on something that is uncertain. Some things, like the return of Christ and the new world are certainties to God. But other items are considered contingencies. The fulfillment of His conditional prophecies depends upon how we respond. It is clear that Exodus 33:1-2 (a promise, or prophecy of God) is a conditional or contingent prophecy. We see that when we contrast it with Jud.2:20 - 3:6. It is obviously conditional or contingent prophecy. God did not in fact drive out all the other nations as He said He would do because Israel didn't meet the required conditions. Israel turned and transgressed God's covenant; so God allowed them to live among the Canaanites, Amorites, etc. to test them.
(3) Extrapolative prophecy, where God declares what will occur because he knows the hearts of the people long before their external action is carried out. For example he knows the mass reactions of selfish, sinful people, and so He knows absolutely that they will reject Jesus when He comes to earth. Deut. 31:14-21-Here is an example of foreknowledge, or prediction, based upon God's present knowledge of the hearts of a specific group of people. (The context is Dt.31:14-22) We see God knew the people of Israel were going to forsake Him because He knew their national characteristics (for I know the intent which they are developing today.) Thus God gives an extrapolative prophecy. Other examples -- Dt.31:20-21, 1Ki.8:39 (4) Prophecy by parallelism. These prophecies are New Testament applications of an Old Testament event (also called by some authors analogous situations). Specific situations are identified as situations in which God takes a previous experience or universal principle and re-applies it to a similar situation occurring at a later period in history. Look at other New Testament illustrations of prophecies by parallelism. Mt.2:17-18 with Jr.31:15. After the birth of Jesus, Herod slaughtered all male children surrounding Bethlehem. Matthew writes, "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be comforted, because they were no more." The historical plight parallels the Babylonian captivity in 587 B.C. when the Lord declares, "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted ... because they are no more." As it was in the days of the Babylonian captivity, so it was in the days of Herod's destruction of the children. Actually Rachel lived about 1200 years before the time of Jeremiah. Jeremiah uses her as symbolic of the grief of all righteous mothers over the suffering of their children. Jeremiah draws a parallel between
What About Prophecy?
the captivity in Babylonia with Israel's suffering in slavery in Egypt. Matthew reapplies the words of Jeremiah to the mothers of Bethlehem. Mt.13:10-16 with Is.6:9-10 Jesus explains why he speaks in parables to those who refuse to believe. He says, "in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled..." Isaiah prophesied to the Northern Kingdom when their destruction by Assyria was quickly to befall them. The Lord told Isaiah, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.' Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed." It appears God will not bring judgment until every person's heart has been rendered insensitive. Just as Jesus pursued Judas until there was no possibility of his turning back, so God had pursued Israel (and probably there were many individuals who had heeded the warning and had fled to Judah,) but the nation was rendered hard, insensitive, imperceptive, without understanding, having dull ears, dim vision, and refusing to understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. Jesus applies this historical situation to his day, declaring that His teaching is having the same effect on the unbelieving in his day. Mt.15:7-9 with Is.29:13 Jesus said, "you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines, the precepts of men.'" The legalism and condition of heart of the Pharisees was the same as the people to whom Isaiah had prophesied. Therefore, these words of Isaiah applied to the Pharisees as well. Jesus draws the parallel and applies Isaiah's words to his day. Acts 13:45-47 with Is.49:6 After Paul and Barnabas preached in Antioch, the Jews saw the crowds. They
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became filled with jealousy and started contradicting the things Paul was teaching. Thus, they were blaspheming. So Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first, since you repudiate it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the gentiles. For thus the Lord has commanded us, 'I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles, that you should bring salvation to the end of the earth.'" Isaiah had testified of himself, "Now says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, in order that Israel might be gathered to Him ... He says, 'It is too small a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved one of Israel; I will also make you a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.'" That which applied to Isaiah also applied to Paul. It applies to every Christian likewise. 1Cor.9:1-10 with Dt.25:4 Paul teaches the principle that it is just and right for a minister of the gospel to be supported by his ministry. He declares, "For it is written in the Law of Moses, 'You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.' God is not concerned with the oxen, is He? Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope..." Paul drew a parallel between God's concern for an ox who is laboring, and reapplies it to it his laboring in ministry. 1Cor.14:21 with Is.28:11 "Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be babes, but in your thinking be mature. In the Law it is written, 'By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers, I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,' says the Lord. So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers, but to those who believe." God spoke through Isaiah, "To whom
22 would He teach knowledge? And to whom would He interpret the message?" Those of Isaiah's day were babes. God could not release wisdom to them for they were not of a disposition to understand. He therefore, would confront them through miracles and brings forth Assyria. Through them, "Indeed, He will speak to this people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue..." Paul applies the principles of this historical situation to teach the Corinthians about God's purpose of using miracles to confront the unbeliever, while God uses prophecy to teach believers. Problems Arising from Not Recognizing The Various Kinds of Prophecy 1. It makes the future appear as though locked in (fatalism). 2. It makes the work of the Holy Spirit either false or ridiculous. It is not wise for God the Holy Spirit to strive with that part of the human race which He already foreknows are going to be lost. 3. It makes logical interpretation of the Bible impossible. 4. It makes prayer meaningless. 5. It means that Jesus didn't die for the whole world, but only for a limited few. 6. It blames God for all the sin and
suffering in the world. Results of a proper view of God's foreknowledge: God is shown to be blameless concerning the existence of all sin and suffering in the universe. The result is a vindication of the justice of God in ordaining and permitting natural and moral evil. SUMMARY STATEMENT Misunderstanding of the historical context of the Old Testament greatly reduces our ability to understand many Old Testament prophecies as they were understood by their hearers. This, in turn, greatly reduces my ability to say what a particular predictive, or double meaning, prophecy, means to us as regards to our future. This hindrance is illustrated by the broad range of understandings of the future, expressed by the terms, pre-tribulation, posttribulation, pre-, post, and a-millennial. One of the things that I want to be very careful of is that I don't miss the truth of what God is saying and doing in our time, as the Scribes and Pharisees (the orthodox Bible students of that day) missed the recognition of the coming of the Messiah.
23 Jesus Died for the Salvation of the Whole World Ezk.33:11 "Say to them, `As I live!' declares the Lord God, `I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?' "We see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone." (Heb.2:9.) "All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him" (Is.53:6.) Every living person has gone astray, but God laid the iniquity of every person who has ever lived on Jesus."Behold, the Lamb, who takes away the sin of the world!" (Jn.1:29.) "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through Him" (Jn.3:16,17.) "Truly, truly ...he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life" (Jn.5:24.) "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh" (Jn.6:51.) "God is not one to show partiality" (Acts 10:34.) "For there is no partiality with God" (Ro.2:11.) "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all..." (2Co.5:14.) "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who
gave Himself as a ransom for all... (1Tim.2:3-6.) "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men..." (Titus 2:11.) Acts.17:30 Those times of ignorance God viewed with indulgence. But now He commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 seeing that He has appointed a day on which, before long, He will judge the world in righteousness 1Jn.4:14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son [to be] the Savior of the world. "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world" (1Jn.2:2.) If this verse refers only to the elect, then all it says is “"And He Himself is the propitiation for the sins of the elect; and not for the elect only, but also for those of the whole elect. God desires unanimous response from every person in the world. 1Tim.4:10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. Jn.1:29 The next day he(John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Ro.5:18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 2Co.5:14-15 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Mt.11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Grace is the offer of a free gift, not the imposition of God’s will upon a person. It is the nature of a gift that it can be rejected. It is the nature of love that it can be resisted and ignored.
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What is the Nature of God's Absolute Foreknowledge? Whatever God knows, He knows it absolutely. Therefore, God has absolute foreknowledge. He has a perfect perspective of reality. He has unlimited capacity to know all existing knowledge. Since God knows all knowledge, He truly is omniscient. That means as we think about the nature of God's foreknowledge, the question we really face is: What is the nature of reality, and what is the extent of knowledge? These are tough questions. Certainly when we think about God, we recognize He is a perfect Being. He has perfect knowledge. Consider the true nature of perfect knowledge. Perfect knowledge must reflect its object perfectly. If God's knowledge of the world is perfect, it must correspond precisely to the course of creaturely events. God's perfect knowledge thus perfectly grows and God continues to remain perfectly omniscient as people make the choices they make. If, however, God's knowledge is changeless, then the object of His knowledge must itself be changeless. The view that God's knowledge of the world is changeless thus requires the
conclusion that reality too is changeless. It is fixed. Nothing could be other than the way it will be. The events of my life were totally determined before I existed to make any choices. If every detail of the entire future is foreknown as a certainty, then, it is just as definite and just as settled as if God had planned it down to the last detail. Perfect knowledge is knowing all existing reality. Anything which is not real is illusion, and God's mind is not filled with illusion. He has perfect knowledge of what actually exists. He also knows what is already certain to occur in the future. Those things have already been made certain either because of past and present decisions and circumstances or else because of events which He has already decided that He will cause to occur at the appropriate time. God's understanding is perfect, and it remains perfect. His absolute foreknowledge knows every future certainty as a certainty and every future possibility as a possibility. His perfect understanding matches reality exactly as it is.
Foreknowledge and the Will of Man One Alternative What if God does not foreknow future possibilities as possibilities but instead foreknows the future possibilities as certainties? If God foresaw every future event of the universe as certain because He had decreed to create, then His determination to create involved also a determination of all the actual results of that creation; or, in other words, God decreed those results. The actions of people would not take place because they are foreseen, but they are foreseen because they are certain to take place... God would know the destiny of every person, not merely from the instant the person has made his choice in this life. God would foreknow future possibilities as certainties — instead of the way things really are. God would be wrong unless the future has no possibilities — only
certainties. Since God would know people's destiny before they are created, and then proceeds to create, it is plain that the saved and the lost alike fulfill His plan for them; for if He did not plan that any particular ones should be lost, He could at least refrain from creating them. We conclude, then, that the Christian doctrine of the foreknowledge of God proves also His predestination. Since these events are foreknown, they are fixed and settled things; and nothing can have fixed and settled them except the good pleasure of God... freely and unchangeably foreordaining whatever comes to pass.
25 Another Alternative We need to examine further the possibility that predestination is a destiny God had chosen for His creation, but predestination does not cause them to fulfill it. Notice that the Bible calls for personal decision: Dt. 30:19, Josh. 24:15, I Ki 18:21, Ge. 2:16, Ex. 20:3-17 Isa 55:6,7, Mt. 11:28, Eccl. 12:13, Ezk. 18:14,19,20. The ability of will requires: 1. The absence of causation. That which is caused is not free. 2. The existence of genuine alternatives. Significance of choice requires real alternatives from which a person may choose. If the possibility of doing evil does not exist, then there is no meaning and significance to love. Thus God provided a framework in which love ought to be chosen out of the realization of the value of whom God is, and out of the realization of the intelligence and goodness of what He has commanded us to do. Our relationship with Him is because He has reached out in love to us, and we have acted freely in response to Him. "We love, because He first loved us."9 Love is a free act. A free act makes something definite that was previously indefinite. Our decisions make genuine contributions to reality; we change things by what we do. Thus, freedom entails indefiniteness. That means the contributions we make to the future are contingent upon our decisions. There are real possibilities of what may occur. It is not certain that those contributions will occur until they have been chosen and those actions done. Before they are chosen, God in His absolute foreknowledge, would know them as possibilities. After they are chosen, their effect that will come about in the future moves from the ream of possibilities into the realm of certainties. Then God foreknows them no longer as possibilities, but as certainties. Reality has been affected by our lives. Knowledge has changed, but God has remained omniscient. He 9
1 John 4:19.
always understands the full extent of knowledge. God maintains a perfect perspective of reality, recognizing future possibilities as possibilities and future certainties as certainties. Suppose that one thousand years ago, God knew that next Tuesday at 11:37 A.M., I will eat an onion. Then it is certain that I will eat an onion next Tuesday at 11:37 A.M. It must be the way God knows it will be; it couldn't be different or else God wouldn't really know. But I didn't exist one thousand years ago to decide to eat the onion. Yet if it was already certain that I would do it before I existed to decide to do it, then it has already been caused to be that way by something else — not by me. It is not a selfcaused action. I don't even have the possibility to do differently from what God knows it will be like. It has to end up that way. Otherwise, God was wrong. It is already definite; I am caused to eat that onion. Things are going to be however they are going to be, and I have no freedom to make things different from the way God knows they are going to be. In such a case, there would be no significance to the idea that people have a will. They would really have no choice at all! There would be no such thing as freedom of opportunity to choose good or evil. If it wasn't I that was the cause of whatever sin or evil I bring about, then I am not responsible; I'm not accountable; I'm not guilty. I can't be guilty for what I didn't cause. A person may say that if God's absolute foreknowledge did not know future possibilities as certainties, then how could God give prophecies of what people will do? Yet even people can prophesy what other people will do. People can predict another person's decisions with a high degree of accuracy provided you are well acquainted with him. An attentive man may know that his wife will choose cotton over polyester. He may know that his son will choose to play baseball rather than soccer. However, think about the problem of making these kinds of predictions one thousand years before a person was born. His existence a thousand years later is only a possibility — not a certainty. If God knows what I will do a thousand years before I do it, then I can't make it any
26 different when I come along a thousand years later and try to change things with my choices. People must all marry the right people in order for me to come into existence. This may or may not happen. It can't be known with absolute certainty until it has actually been chosen. Thus absolute foreknowledge must know future possibilities as possibilities — not as certainties. There can't be certain knowledge of what may or may not be. Why is the view that God knows future possibilities as certainties incompatible with the will of man? For God to know future possibilities as certainties rather than as possibilities, people would be left with no room for the possibility of choice. The things that God sees as future and
believes cannot be changed; they are already certain. If these are certain before my choice over the matter, then I have no opportunity to choose regarding those things. Ge.22:12. God gave Abraham a test to evaluate his heart (intention and understanding) to see what his reactions (choices) would be in regard to sacrificing Isaac. Did Abraham love God supremely or was he serving God ultimately for the blessings God would bring to him? Abraham's response revealed that he loved God supremely; the angel of the Lord responded, "now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." This shows that God knows our future choices when we decide them or purpose them in our heart. (He.4:13)
FOREKNOWLEDGE AND GOD'S CHARACTER The attribute of love would indicate that God knows future possibilities as possibilities. To illustrate: A father who loves his little boy has a genuine interest in and concern for him. He is sensitive to the experiences his son goes through. He will be affected differently by the different experiences of his child. While the father is always concerned, the actual experience he has will vary with what his boy is going through. (Hosea 11:1,3,4,8, Lk.15. Mt. 10:2930.) God has the marvelous quality of experiencing things along with us. But this wouldn't be possible if God knew future possibilities as certainties. God must know contingent things as contingencies. Otherwise, He knows in full detail the contents of His own experience. And if He knows everything that has already happened in the future, He also knows how He will respond; He already has had the experience. The human experience of the events makes no new contribution to His experience. However, the Bible plainly presents a contrasting picture. God is having experiences with us in response to what we are doing. "The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice
over you with shouts of joy."10 For [as] a young man marries a virgin, [So] your sons will marry you; And [as] the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, [So] your God will rejoice over you."11 His experiences over people are significant to Him. While God would exist even if we didn't, and while the Father and Jesus and the Holy Spirit have loved one another in absolutely perfect relationship for all eternity, and while God isn't dependent upon the world even though all His creation is dependent upon him, yet God is excited that we do exist. He delights in our responses of love to him and to one another, and He lavishes His love upon us. His experiences with people are new, fresh, and real, not simply the rerun of an infinite memory like an old movie. God wouldn't be able to really love if He already knew as certainties all the results of His own experiences, and how we would respond. No new contributions could be made to His experience.
10 11
Zeph.3:17. Isa.62:5.
Hos.5:13-15 “Ephraim went to Assyria But he is unable to heal you, . . . 14 For I [will be] like a lion to Ephraim . . . 15 I will go away [and] return to My place Until they acknowledge their guilt and
seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.” God said he expected that they would earnestly seek Him, but they did not.
The Divine “Perhaps” & The Divine “If” The Divine “Perhaps” in the court of the Lord's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah . . . Do not omit a word! 3 `Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.'
Perhaps — God said “perhaps.” Jr.36:1-3 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim this word came to Jeremiah: 2 "Take a scroll and write on it all the words which I have spoken to you concerning Israel and concerning Judah, and concerning all the nations, 3 "Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the calamity which I plan to bring on them, in order that every man will turn from his evil way; then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin." God knew the possibility that they may not repent, but perhaps they would.
Jere 51:7 (NASU) Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord, Intoxicating all the earth. . . . 8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken; Wail over her! Bring balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed. Luke 20:9 (NASU) And He began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time. 10 "At the [harvest] time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him [some] of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 13 "The owner of the vineyard said, `What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.'
Ezk.12:1-3 “Then the word of the Lord came to me: 2"Son of man, you live in the midst of the rebellious house, . . . 3 "Therefore, son of man, prepare for yourself baggage for exile . . . Perhaps they will understand though they are a rebellious house.” Jere 26:2 (NASU) "Thus says the Lord, `Stand
The Divine “IF” Jere 7:3 (NASU) Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. 5 "For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, 6 [if] you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, 7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.
Jere 26:4 (NASU) "And you will say to them, `Thus says the Lord, "If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you, . . . 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse to all the nations of the earth." ' " Why does God use the word, “If” with man if God knows as a certainty what is going to happen? For a full list of verses containing the divine “if”, see Section 2 of the endnotes.
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God is Actively Interacting During the Process of History: Important Related Scriptures God observed the hearts and thoughts of the people in the days of Noah and His response was He was grieved and sorry that He made man on the face of the earth. Why would God be grieved if He knew as a certainty that this situation was going to occur? Ge.6:5,6 God tested the hearts of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and pronounced judgment after they had failed the test. Ge.18:20-21 God tested Abraham and after Abraham passed the test, God declared, “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Ge. 22:12 God tested the Israelites in the wilderness. As they were tested through the way God provided, they had to make choices. The outcome was contingent upon those choices. The condition of their hearts became certain through the process: Then the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.
obstinate people. 10 "Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation." 11Then Moses entreated the Lord his God, and said, ‘Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about [doing] harm to Your people.’ Moses was willing to take responsibility to lead them despite their sinful spiritual condition. As a result his choices provided a basis for God to be able to wisely extend mercy and, 14 “ the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people” The future contained at least two possibilities. The outcome was not certain until after Moses responded in intercession.
Ex.16:4 God gave a conditional prophecy to Israel saying, “I will send an angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite.” Ex. 33:2 (NASU) This is an actual possibility of what could have happened. However, they disobeyed and because they did not fulfill the conditions, God declared: “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant . . . I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died,”. . . Now these are the nations which the Lord left . . . the Philistines . . . Canaanites, Sidonians, Hivites, . . . . They were for testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the Lord, . . . 5 The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites;Judg 2:20, 3:1-5 (NASU)
Dt.13:1-3 “the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul”.Deut 13:3 (NASU, emphasis added) .
Dt.8:2 God tested the Israelites. Through that process, possibilities became certainties and God then knew their condition in regard to each particular situation no longer as a knowledge of possibilities, but of certainties: “God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”Deut 8:2 (NASU)
1Chr.21:4-13 There is a dynamic interaction between God, David, and Israel. God changed the way He dealt with Israel through that process. God knew the possibilities of things that could be, but the situation of what God did became a certainty through interaction of God and David. David had decided to number the people and David’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore, Joab went throughout all Israel, and (numbered the people) 7 God was displeased with this thing, so He struck Israel. . . . (and) Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the Lord, `Take for yourself 12 either three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes [you], or else three days of the sword of the Lord, even pestilence in the land, 13 David said, please let me fall into the hand
Ex.32:14 While Moses was up on Mount Sinai, Israel built a golden calf and The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an
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of the Lord, for His mercies are very great. 14 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel; 15 . . . . but as he was about to destroy [it], the Lord saw and was sorry over the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, "It is enough; now relax your hand." 17David said to God, "Is it not I who commanded to count the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned . . . O Lord my God, please let Your hand be against me and my father's household, but not against Your people that they should be plagued." 18 Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” 1Chr 21:4 (NASU) 2Chr.7:16-19 God told Solomon that He intended for Solomon’s temple to never be destroyed: "For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. . . . 19"But if you turn away and forsake My statutes . . . then I will uproot you from My land which I have given you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight 2Chr 7:16 - 20 (NASU) God expresses that both are possible. If God knew as a certainty that He was going to have to destroy the temple, He would be deceptive in declaring that He had chosen it for His name to be there forever. 2Chr.12:5-7 God’s judgment was altered when the people humbled themselves. God would have known as a possibility but not as a certainty that the people would humble themselves. So God said to them: “You have forsaken Me, so I also have forsaken you . . . " 6 So the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The Lord is righteous." 7 When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, "They have humbled themselves [so] I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some [measure] of deliverance, and My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by means of Shishak. 2Chr.12:5-7(NASU) 2Chr.32:27-31 God knew as a possibility how Hezekiah would respond when tempted to boast over his riches. But as God placed Hezekiah in places where he had to make choices, he established his heart condition and it became known as a certainty to God: “Now Hezekiah had immense riches and honor; . . .And Hezekiah prospered in all that he did. 31 Even [in the matter of] the envoys of the rulers of
Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him [alone only] to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.” 2Chr 32:27 (NASU) 1Sam.2:27-30 God knew as a possibility that Eli could sin in his office as judge over Israel. However, God spoke to him intending for Eli’s blessing. However, when Eli sinned, it changed a detail of knowledge from the realm of possibility to the realm of a certain, and God brought forth a change in the way He dealt with Eli: God had declared, “Did I [not] indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt [in bondage] to Pharaoh's house? . . . 29 `Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded [in My] dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, . . . 30 "Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, `I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever'; but now the Lord declares, `Far be it from Me — those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.”1Sam 2:27-30 (NASU) 1Sam.13:11-14 God had plans for King Saul. Samuel told Saul, . . . “the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.” What God knew to be the possibility concerning Saul did not end up being the certainty. When Saul moved in rebellion, Samuel gave Saul the Word of the Lord: 14“But now your kingdom shall not endure.”1Sam 13:13-14 (NASU) 1Ki.9:1-7 God told Solomon: 3"I have heard your prayer and your supplication, I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My name there forever, . . . 6 "But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them . . .” 1Ki.11:4-11 However, 4 when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God . . . 11 So the Lord said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you” 1Ki.21:25-29 God spoke a severe judgment against King Ahab because 25 Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, . . . 26 He acted very abominably in following idols.
God is Actively Interacting Through History: Important Related Scriptures . . 27 However he humbled himself, put on sackcloth and fasted, and went about despondently. 28 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 "Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days,” So God changed what He did in response to Ahab. His foreknowledge of Ahab was one of possibilities; it did not become a certainty until Ahab made it a certainty by his humble response before God. And time was an aspect of God’s experience in dealing with Ahab. At one moment God had declared one judgment and then changed it when Ahab responded. Ps.14:2 The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men — To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God. God sets up tests that people face which forces people to have to decide in what direction they shall go. This process brings what before were possibilities into a situation of certainties. Our response makes an actual change in the nature of reality. And thus knowledge (the understanding of the nature of reality) changes. God remains omniscient, remains perfect in knowledge because He continues to understand reality moment by moment as it actually is. Ps.106:19-23 When the Israelites in the wilderness made the golden calf, 20 Thus they exchanged their glory For the image of an ox that eats grass. 21 They forgot God their Savior, 23 Therefore (God) said that He would destroy them, Had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, God told Moses what He was about to do. That is what would have happened if Moses had not interceded and met whatever conditions God knew were necessary in order to be able to extend mercy to them. The mercy was not certain to occur until after Moses had interceded. Ps.106:44-45 Many times He would deliver them; They, however, were rebellious in their counsel, And [so] sank down in their iniquity. 44 Nevertheless He looked upon their distress When He heard their cry; 45 And He remembered His covenant for their sake, And relented according to the greatness of His loving-kindness. God responded to their cry. Their cry was not certain to occur, so there is only foreknowledge of the possibility of God showing leniency. It was not a certainty until after they cried out to God.
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Is.5:3-7 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge between Me and My vineyard. 4 "What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected [it] to produce [good] grapes did it produce worthless ones? 5 "So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed; I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground. 6 "I will lay it waste; It will not be pruned or hoed, But briars and thorns will come up. I will also charge the clouds to rain no rain on it." The people of Israel bought forth evil instead of “good grapes.” As a result, God responded toward them differently: So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard: Jr.3:6-7 Then the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king, "Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. 7 "I thought, `After she has done all these things she will return to Me'; but she did not return. . . God intended that Israel would return; Israel did not. God would not have intended it if it were not a real possibility. Therefore, the outcome was not foreknown as a possibility, but it was not foreknown as a certainty until after Israel refused to return. Jer.7:1-7 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 "Stand in the gate of the Lord's house and proclaim there this word and say, `Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the Lord!' " 3 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. . . . 5 "For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, 7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. God would not have proclaimed to them the possibility of their continuing to dwell in the land if God already knew it was certain that they would be going into Babylonian captivity. Jr.26:2-6 "Thus says the Lord, `Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have come to worship [in] the Lord's house all the words that I have commanded you to speak to
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them. Do not omit a word! 3 `Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.' God would not tell Jeremiah “perhaps they will listen� if God knew it was already certain that they would not respond. Jer.26:18-19 "Micah prophesied in the days of Hezekiah: "Zion will be plowed [as] a field, . . . 19 "Did Hezekiah put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord
and entreat the favor of the Lord, and the Lord changed His mind about the misfortune which He had pronounced against them? But we are committing a great evil against ourselves." Hezekiah recognized that history has possibilities involved in what may occur. God works with nations, knowing the possibilities, but what He does depends upon what the people do. Their response leads to the certain end. When things become certain, God knows these certainties as certainties.
People's Wills And God's Control of The World Charles Hodge stated, "God's government of the world would be precarious if He does not foresee all future choices." And Charnock writes, "If all the free acts of men were unknown beforehand to God, such contingencies may happen as to perplex His affairs, put Him upon new counsels and methods for obtaining His ends." How does God's providence work? Providence is the act of making provision for the future. We must see the difference between: 1. God's ultimate objectives for the world and 2. The way God works to reach them. The plan of salvation represents an aspect of God's original, comprehensive preparation for human life. God formulated this plan in view of the possibility of sin. He implemented it in response to the actuality of sin. God had perfectly prepared for every possible development, including this most unfortunate one. God is moment by moment sensitive to the experiences of His creatures, and at the same time, maintains the controlling course of history. Since liberty is essential for man to fulfill His created purpose, God directs history to deliver man from bondage. The hand of God is thus seen in every event which moves history toward liberty. The events of history are not accidents. While history reveals the acts of the powers of darkness as well as the acts of men, still God is most powerful, infinitely wise, and eternal. People have the ability to originate their own actions. They are responsible and held accountable by God to do good and not evil. Yet man's activities are ultimately not the final word. Social order, moral progress, and a Christian civilization demand a provision and adjustment of causes keener and mightier than man's forethought and intelligence. There are influences which man can wield, and should control righteously. There are others which God alone originates and shapes. There are also many events which are significant by their timing. They are brought about by God's invisible, interposition and overruling care, which only become recognized after many generations have passed away. God's hand is seen in the starting, speeding, retarding, and matching of these coincident and colliding influences. From God's activity comes the progress of history. It is important to note three things concerning this progress:
a. During each person's life, God has the capacity to anticipate perfectly what that person will do in various situations. (Ge. 22:12, Ge.18:21) God knows the range of options available to everyone. Furthermore, He is infinitely superior to His creatures. God retains sufficient control to ensure the ultimate realization of His objectives. God can formulate and implement a course of action perfectly appropriate to every situation. The particular course of action which He selects depends upon the choices of His creatures. b. History will ultimately fulfill God's objectives for humanity. But this does NOT mean that everything that happens is His will. People disobey God; they sin. When they do, they live contrary to God's loving design and purpose for them. The Bible says that God desires the salvation of all men (Isa 53:6, Jn. 3:16, 1 Tim 2:3,4, II Pet. 3:9, 1Jn.2:2,15-17) But not all men will be saved. Many will eventually be lost. Consequently, while a person may not prevent the realization of God's overall purposes, he may certainly interfere with God's intentions for his own life. c. God uses infinite resourcefulness as He works for good in every situation. Imagine a sculptor at work on a block of marble. Suppose his original plans are interrupted when his chisel uncovers a streak of discoloration running through the block. Yet he continues, carefully modifying his plans for how he will use the block of marble. When he is finished, the inherent flaw in the material is perfectly incorporated within the design. Instead of detracting from the beauty of the overall composition, it actually enhances it. This capacity to modify one's goal in the middle of things calls for a higher kind of creative genius. Ro. 8:28 reveals that God, the Great Master, wisely incorporates every circumstance into His plan for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. He creates a positive value to every experience. While there are things we experience which God did not intend to happen to us, once they occur, God nevertheless, responds to them in a way that benefits us. Things that happen to us in spite of God's will can make a positive contribution to our life because God brings beneficial results out of it. This means that anything, no matter how negative in itself, becomes the occasion for good as a result of
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God's infinite resourcefulness. God wastes nothing as He cares for those who love him and are obeying Him. God meets every emergency, no matter how great, how sudden, or how complicated. He has the power, the wisdom, the skill, and the ability to act anywhere instantaneously, and everywhere simultaneously. Can He not instantaneously manage every emergency that can possibly arise in the brief experiences of the world? He can counteract evil influences; rebels can't escape his authority. Rebellion will never push Him from His throne. Nothing can drift beyond the sweep of His arm, or the power of His wrath, or the glance of His eye. Human greatness is most clearly seen when overmastering unforeseen adversities. Such mastery is considered superior human skill and wisdom. Why should we deny to God any similar arena for the display of His infinite perfections and for the exercise of His boundless resources of wisdom, skill, power, goodness, and expediency? How can it detract from the Divine perfections to declare that God has the opportunity and ability to meet and overrule for good all catastrophes that may occur, and as they occur, while He lovingly cares for the human family? God is good in the face of existing evil. God is good because He doesn't purpose for there to be evil. Furthermore, He has never, does not, and never will do anything evil. Where evil occurs, it occurs because of sin; God however, takes evil and works it around for good. Though God allows evil to occur, God is not evil. First of all, God does not intend that there should be evil. Secondly, the evil doesn't have to occur. And finally, for God to prevent man from doing that which is evil He would have to remove man’s will. People then would no longer have the capacity to fulfill their created purpose; they would be reduced to insignificant robots. God is not at all threatened by man. In His infinite wisdom, God plans and acts to confront the rebellion and stupidity of man precisely with what is needed in light of man's decisions. Man's situation is just as perfectly cared for, managed, and directed, and God's character and sovereignty is as perfectly upheld, without every future detailed being known as a certainty as they would be upheld with it. One of Arthur Maxwell's stories about children illustrates this point. A frail girl found her only pleasure in playing a simple piece on the piano in the lobby of a hotel her father managed. Her repetition of the tedious tune predictably irritated the hotel guests. One day they were about to stop her when
they suddenly heard beautiful music coming from the piano. As they looked into the lobby, they saw the little girl still pounding out her simple tune. But beside her sat a professional musician. He was watching her hands carefully and accompanying her notes with magnificent chords. Their combined efforts produced a skilled performance. The extent to which God can work for good in a person's life largely depends on the person's willingness to learn from God's instruction. People from the same family may respond to the same tragedy in quite different ways. Whether they grow bitter or stronger depends on their response. The reality of sin occasions a display of God's love and resourcefulness that would not have been possible in a sinless world. But even so, the world as a whole is not better off because of sin. The overall results, the net effects, are ultimately negative, for evil involves irrecoverable loss. Evil remains evil in spite of God's creative response to it. Some people try to maintain an uninterrupted awareness of God's care for their lives by assuming that everything that happens to them was precisely prescribed by God. This leads to the harmful conclusion that God's intentions lie behind everything that happens to us. The effect of such thinking makes God the author of evil. We are to "in everything give thanks", but we should do so because God never forsakes us, not because He plans everything that happens to us. Providence distinguishes between ultimate sovereignty and determinism. On the grand scale, God directs the course of history. However, He is not responsible for everything that actually happens. Other agents make their contributions too. Providence recognizes both the infinite resourcefulness of God and the essential nature of evil. God works and brings about good no matter how desperate the situation. But the net effect of evil is exactly that: evil. Nevertheless, God's regulation of the world NEVER becomes uncertain and unstable. God very well knows that He never can have anything to fear from any rivals. Nothing can ever occur in any part of God's universe which would be overwhelming to His infinite attributes and perfections. God is fully able to meet any and every emergency no matter how great, how sudden, or how complicated. Being all-powerful, omniscient, and omni-present, He can instantaneously manage every emergency which arises? He will defeat every evil rebel. No matter what occurs, or however complicated or alarming things become, nothing will ever overwhelm the capacities of His brilliance, and His power.
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How is God thoroughly qualified and capable to deal with the future even though there are contingencies regarding it? Notice the difference between a certainty, a necessity, and a contingency. A certainty is the insurance that an event will happen. A necessity is an event must take place. A contingency is an event which may or may not occur because whether or not it happens depends upon conditions being right. If something may or may not happen, then it is only a possibility. It can be known as a possibility, but it cannot be known as certain to occur until the conditions are right which make it certain to occur. Contingencies do not limit God's ability to govern His universe and to maintain control of the direction and purposes of history. He is the Master of events; He has a long range view and eternal purpose. He uses the splendor of His abilities and
His dynamic personality to conquer all. He works based on His omniscience, His omnipotence, His omnipresence to wisely carry out His activities in our world. He has no problem acting anywhere, instantaneously, and simultaneously throughout the entire universe. No one can escape His authority and control. He has the capacity to anticipate perfectly what every living person will do in their various situations, and God is absolutely competent to lovingly and wisely manage every affair. He is infinitely resourceful! He knows how to bring good out of evil. And God, being eternal, can work with infinite patience, never fearing that He will run out of time.
The Problem of Evil David Hume asked, "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is NOT omnipotent. Is He able, but not willing? Then He is malevolent. Is He both able and willing? Whence then is evil?" Alvin Plantinga, in defense of the belief that people have a will: “A world containing creatures who are significantly free is more valuable, all else being equal, than a world containing no free creatures at all. God can create free creatures, but He can't cause them to do only what is right (or they are no longer free). For if He does so, then they aren't significantly free after all; they do not do what is right freely. To create creatures capable of moral good, therefore, He must create creatures capable of moral evil; and He can't give these creatures the freedom to perform good and at the same not allow the possibility of their doing evil. As it turned out, sadly enough, mankind
went wrong in the exercise of their freedom; this is the source of moral evil. The fact that sin occurs however, counts neither against God's omnipotence nor against His goodness; for He could have forestalled the occurrence of moral evil only by removing the possibility of moral good. And this would end the purpose for which people were even created. Thus, he would then eliminate the purpose for which He created us.” To recognize that God's absolute foreknowledge sees future possibilities as possibilities is to recognize that man's rebellion is contrary to God's infinite goodness. People's evil choices truly disappoint and grieve God. His tender sensitivity grieves over the sin of His creatures as they violate the loving purpose for which He had predestined them.
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A Witnessing Situation Suppose you were witnessing to a person who has been taught that everything that happens is God's will, and then lists terrible things which have happened to him and to his family. What will be the basis of your answer to him? The basis of my answer would be that evil occurs because of the will of man and the devil. In order to prevent evil, God would have to remove man's opportunity to choose, but this would at the same time also eliminate people's capacity to love because love is also a choice. People couldn't participate in relationships; While eliminating the occurrence of evil, God would simultaneously have eliminated His purpose for creating people. People are so significant that God would rather allow a man to be a man, even though a lost man spends eternity in hell, than to take away people's will, thus reducing us to insignificant robots. God's splendid purposes meant He must create creatures in an environment that would allow the possibility of people rebelling against Him and doing evil. The choice to love therefore is a choice of tremendous significance and value. Sin and its resulting evil occurs because of man's selfishness. God commanded people to obey
Him. If they rebel, God will end His leniency when absolute wisdom says He must, and He will bring judgment. God always upholds what is the highest good out of His infinite love and wisdom. He is manifesting His love (Ro.5:8), exercising His goodness and kindness (Ro.2:4), and revealing His truth (Ps.19:1, Ro.1:18-20, Jn.8:32, Jn.16:13). God has done all He can wisely do; people are guilty of rebellion. To sin and bring its resulting destruction and evil is utter stupidity. People are truly guilty for rebelling against God's intelligent and loving will. God is even more grieved than anyone else for the needless destruction and suffering that people in rebellion have caused. In Summary: 1. God created people for the glorious purpose of love relationship with Him. 2. That purpose requires that people have the capacity to choose. 3. For people to have the capacity of choice, therefore allows the possibility that a person may choose sinfully and do evil things. 4. God then faces the problem of opposing evil in such a way that He does not eliminate the very purpose for which God created people.
Sovereignty of God: God is the supreme authority. Every single person is held accountable to His will. He holds people responsible for their action, and every single person will be judged by God. God maintains control of the direction and purpose of history. God rules over the world in such a way that He upholds His purpose in history. God's sovereignty does not mean
that He has to cause every last detail in history. God could have created a world in which He caused every last detail, but then there would not be any opportunity for people to choose to love Him. (Ps.103:19.)
Judas Iscariot 1. After a whole night of prayer, Jesus chose the 12 disciples. "And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples; and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles" Lk.6:12,13 2. The 12 disciples were called for a purpose Mk.3:14-15; Mat. 10:1 • that they should be with him • that he might send them forth to preach • to have authority to heal sicknesses • to cast out demons. (Mt.10:1) Notice here that Jesus here teaches His priority, order, and importance of ministry activity. 3. Jesus stated, "A house divided against itself cannot stand."12 Jesus makes it clear that Satan will not divide his kingdom. Obviously, Jesus would never divide His. When Jesus sent Judas forth to preach, heal, and cast out demons, if Jesus was knowingly sending forth a wolf in sheep's clothing, then Jesus would be deceitful in choosing Judas, because he would be presenting to the other disciples and to the world a mockery; He would be presenting one who is evil as though he were good. 4. Scripture says Judas "became a traitor."13 a. Notice that the scripture does not say that Judas was (ην) a traitor, but it says he became (εγενετo) a traitor. b. The definition of a betrayer is someone who has been faithful and then turn. No one can become a traitor without first being a friend. c. Jesus told the 12 disciples, "when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."14 Judas had a throne. • Judas had a ministry, but he fell from it. Therefore, the apostles chose Matthias "to take part in this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell..."15 5. Jesus was totally aware of exactly when Judas changed from being a friend and became a traitor. Jesus said, "the words that I speak to you are spirit and life but (αλλα) there are out of you some who are not
believing. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they (plural) are who were not believing and who they are who would betray him. Jesus knew who the betrayers were from the beginning, the beginning of what? Let's look at how scripture uses the phrase 'from the beginning.' a. Jn.8:25. "Then said they unto him, 'Who are you?' And Jesus said to them, 'Even the same that I said to you from the beginning." Here the phrase refers to the first time Jesus began teaching them. b. Acts 11:15 Peter testifies of his time with Cornelius: "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as on us at the beginning."Here Peter uses 'from the beginning' to refer to the first time the Holy Spirit was outpoured at Pentecost (in Acts 2:4.) c. 1Jn.3:11 "For this is the message that you heard from the beginning (of your Christian life), that we should love one another." d. Jn.6:64 "There are some of you who are not believing For Jesus knew from the beginning (of the rebellion being born in Judas' heart at the very first instance of Judas' mental struggles.) 6. What about Old Testament prophecies? a. In Jn.13:18 Jesus is having the last supper with the twelve. He has just finished washing their feet. He teaches them that they must serve one another because the servant is not greater than his master. The he says, "Not concerning all of you am I speaking. I have known, and still do, who I have called out, but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eats bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me." • The Scripture refers back to Psalms 41:9. This is the account of the betrayal of David by Ahithophel. David said, "Even my close friend, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me."16 Ahithophel had been one of David's most trusted advisors. Yet was Bathsheba's grandfather. It may be that he never forgave David because he committed adultery with
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Mt.12:22-26,10:5-6,Lk.10:17 Lk.6:16 10 Mt.19:27,28 11 Acts 1:25
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Judas Iscariot
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Bathsheba. In any case, when Absalom tried to overthrow David, Ahithophel betrayed David and joined with Absalom. Jesus refers back to this historical situation and draws the parallel to Judas with him. As Ahithophel betrayed his friend, David, so also Judas betrayed the greatest friend of all time. Acts 1:20 Judas "was counted among us, and received his portion in this ministry. (Now this man acquired a field with the price of wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his homestead be made desolate, and let no man dwell in it'; and 'his office let another take.'" This scripture refers back to Ps.69:25 and Ps.109:8. Notice Ps.69:25. It does not name Judas by name; it does not even refer to one man, but rather to a whole group of adversaries. It then pronounces the judgment they should receive: May their table before them become a snare When they are in peace may it become a trap May their eyes grow dim So they cannot see Make their loins shake continually. Pour out indignation upon them And burning anger overtake them May their c a m p b e c o m e desolate May none dwell in their tents For they have persecuted him whom You have smitten And they tell of the pain of those You have wounded Add iniquity to their iniquity May they not come into Your righteousness May they be blotted out of the book of life May they not be recorded
with the righteous Luke, in Acts 1:20, identifies this category of judgments that comes upon the adversaries of righteousness and points out that it happened to Judas, Just as prophecy declares. Join the group of adversaries of the Lord, and you will experience God's judgment. God is specific about what the judgment will be. Psalms 109:8 refers to a typical adversary of the righteous man. Verses 1-5 speak of his wickedness and guilt. Verses 6-13 speak of the consequences that will happen to him. v.6 Appoint a wicked man over him. Let an accuser stand at his right hand v.7 Let judges find him guilty. Let his prayer become sin v.8 Let his days be few Let another take his office v.9 Let his children be fatherless Let his wife be a widow v.10 Let his children wander about and beg v.11 Let the creditor seize all that he has Let strangers plunder the product of his labor v.12 Let there be none to extend loving-kindness to him v.13 Let his posterity be cut off
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Judas became the adversary of the Most Righteous man who ever l i ve d . Ac cordin gl y, J u d a s experienced what was prophesied would happen to the enemies of the righteous. There is not a single verse in the Old Testament where Judas is prophesied about personally. Certain Old Testament prophecies come to apply to him because he did what he did (placing himself in the category of betrayers and thereby receiving the consequences of what the scripture prophecies will happen to betrayers. Acts 1:16 Peter stood up and declared, "Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth
Judas Iscariot of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus." What was the scripture? Scriptures nowhere prophesied that Judas has to betray Jesus. Scriptures, however, do prophecy what must happen to a betrayer who becomes an adversary of a righteous man. This judgment had to be fulfilled concerning Judas. Therefore, his days were few, there was not lovingkindness extended to him, his posterity was cut off, and his homestead was made desolate so that no man dwelt in it, and his office another man took. The Holy Spirit prophesied such judgment upon adversaries of the righteous through the mouth of David, and Judas experience what was foretold would happen to a betrayer. Acts 1:16 "Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled" is not written in the imperative in the Greek. The Holy Spirit had spoken through David, "for he was counted among us, and received his portion in this ministry." In referring back to Psa.69:25 and Ps. 109:8, it is clear that Judas is not mentioned as a person, but simply to an adversary of a righteous man. This situation fits the experience of Jesus with Judas. Psalms 69:25 refers to a whole group of betrayers. • Jn.17:12 Jesus, after having the Last Supper with His disciples, went out and prayed for them, and expressed to the Father, "While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You had given Me; and I guarded them, and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled." The first thing to notice about this scripture: there is no Old Testament scripture it refers back to. There is no scripture anywhere that makes it necessary that Judas must betray Jesus. In historical fact, Judas became a convenience to the enemies of Jesus; through Judas, they were able to take
39 Jesus at night when there was no crowd around. The clause, 'that the Scripture might be fulfilled' is a Greek clause. What kind of a Greek clause is it? It is called a hina clause because it begins with the word hina (ινα). A 'hina clause' may express a purpose clause (telic) or a result clause (ecbatic). A telic clause (purpose) says something happens in order that something else may happen. An ecbatic clause (result) says something happens with the result that something else then occurs. Whether a 'hina clause' should be translated as telic or ecbatic depends upon the context. The 'hina clause' often signifies that once again we have an illustration of something uttered on a different occasion which again finds pertinent application. Everywhere throughout the Scriptures the catastrophes of a later date are described in symbolic language that is taken from the literal facts of earlier times. It does not mean that the former words spoken were intended to apply to the present situation. However, the former words appropriately express the reality of the present situation, and therefore, may be applied to it. The 'hina clause' may be used to express historical and typical parallelisms. So what is Jesus expressing in Jn.17:12? He tells us that He guarded His disciples and none were lost except Judas. He acknowledges that Judas betrayed him with the result that he became a son of perdition. As a consequence, he is lost just as scripture prophesied would happen to the adversaries of the righteous. Judas becomes another example of the fulfillment of the prophecy that declares the end that comes upon an adversary of the righteous. God's prophecy is fulfilled upon Judas.
Judas Iscariot Summary Discussion Questions and Answers 1. How does the view that Judas was caused to betray Jesus explain the case of Judas' betraying Jesus and Jesus therefore having foreknowledge of it? State the difficulty of this view in handling scripture. If God caused Judas to betray Jesus because God decreed Judas to be the traitor to bring
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Judas Iscariot
forth God's plan for salvation, then God fixed this situation. God created a human being and controlled and damned him for the sake of some other men going to heaven. 2. How the "eternal now" view explain the case of Judas' betraying Jesus and Jesus having foreknowledge of it? State the difficulty of this view in handling scripture. Another group of Christians would say God knew in advance Judas wasn't going to persevere in the way. Therefore, it was certain from all eternity that he was going to betray Jesus. The contradiction is that Jesus specifically picked the 12 disciples to sit on 12 thrones and rule the 12 tribes of Israel, and Acts 1:20 says that Judas by transgression, from his office fell. Jesus is arbitrarily preparing a throne for Judas when He knows all the time that Judas won't make it. And the integrity of Jesus is brought into question because Jesus would be presenting to the people a person whom he knows to be evil, but presenting him to them as though he were good.
NT Passages Concerning Foreknowledge 4267: proginoskw (aor. proegnwn) know already, know beforehand
Roma 11:2 God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in [the passage about] Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 1Pet 1:20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 2Pet 3:17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,
Acts 26:5 (NASU) “since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived [as] a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion.” Roma 8:29 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined [to become] conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;” 4268: prognwsiv, εως f foreknowledge, purpose
1Pet 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
Acts 2:23 (NASU) this [Man], delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put [Him] to death.
"God's eternal plan for man is known from the beginning to the end, and what He plans to bring to pass on earth He has power to do. But concerning people and their free actions, He does not know beforehand as a certainty what they will do before they come to exist and choose it. But He has made a plan for all to be saved alike and all who freely conform to His plan are blessed with the predestined blessings. Those who willfully rebel will be cursed with the predestined punishments according to the plan. It is the plan that is known from beginning to end, not the individual conformity to it by each specific person. It is left up to each person to choose his own destiny. God wills for every person to be saved, but if a man does not choose to be saved, He is truly accountable for His rebellion. God's Plan for Man, by Finis J. Dake, p. 62
Divine Timelessness (The Eternal Now Idea) of time altogether. God doesn't live his life moment by moment, as we do; Instead, God has no past or future, but only a single, eternal, present moment -the "eternal now." God exists, but there is no time at which he exists, nor does he exist at all times. It is vital to see that God's "present" is not our present moment: God's "now" is not identical with any moment of our time. God exists, but there is no time at which he exists, nor does he exist at all times.
The Concept of "Timelessness," ("Eternal Now") is the view that God exists without durations of time and sequence. God is said to exist outside of time -- past, present, or future. To God, all reality is seen as "now." (My birth, disobedience, forgiveness, God's grief over my sin, and his joy over my turning from sin, my death, and King's David's killing of Goliath) all are eternally "now" to God. This idea proposes that God is timeless, out
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NT Passages Concerning Foreknowledge
But Eternal NOW would best be diagramed as the following:
Past Present Future <-------------------X-------------------->
To illustrate the idea with time lines, God would not perceive time as we do: past, present, and future. Past, present, and future are all the same to God. The past is the same as the future, and the future the same as the past. To God, He can never go to the future and never has had a past. And His now is not our now. His is a timeless now. We are creatures of time, and often fail to take into consideration the fact that God is not limited as we are. That which appears to us as "past," "present," and "future," is all "present" to His mind. It is an eternal "now." He is the "high and lofty One that inhabits eternity," (Isa. 57:15). "A thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night," (Psalm 90:4). Hence the events which we see coming to pass in the process of time are only the events which He appointed and set before Him from eternity. Time is a property of the finite creation and is objective to God. He is above it and sees it, but is not conditioned by it. Just as He sees at one glance a road leading from New York to San Francisco, while we see only a small portion of it as we pass over it, so He sees all events in history — past, present, and future — at one glance. The complete process of history is before Him as an eternal "now," If God is timeless, it will not be literally true to say that God knows things before they happen; rather He knows them timelessly. Then God timelessly believes that next Tuesday at 11:35 a.m., I will eat an onion. A difficult question facing this view is the personality and the personalness of God. The Bible says people are made in God's image, so that our experiences are tiny parallels to the nature of His experiences. The Bible says God reasons, grieves, becomes angry, does not strive forever, rejoices over us, He forgives, comforts, delights, listens to men, repents, changes His plans, and makes new decisions. Perhaps some of these things could coexist
simultaneously, but not all of them (just reasoning alone can't exist without sequence). Can personality exist apart from duration? God is living and active, continuously doing things. Does not time exist simply because God exists as a living, active Being? Time would exist simply because it is an aspect of God's experience. Time then would be a record of what occurred, the order in which things occurred, and how long the experiences lasted. God's unending time, eternity, then would be an eternal record of an unending sequence of activities, involving choice, thinking, reasoning, acting, feeling, and interacting with others in genuine experiences. The 'eternal now' idea implies no personality for God because His experiences would be nothing like our experiences. We could bring no new joy to Him. God is locked into changeless humdrum. Our prayers wouldn't be effective because to God they would be but a cog in the machine which would be eternally before Him. Nothing could ever change from the way it is in the 'eternal now.' Further, the Bible declares there are times when God has repented (nachem) — that is God declared one thing, but then taken a different course of action because of a particular response of a person or a nation. Such a change would indicate that God experiences sequence. Thus, time is an aspect of God’s existence. Time exists because God exists. Yet because God is eternal, time does not become an enemy to God like it appears to us because we often feel frustrated because we face situations where we do not have enough time available to us. (It seems in the final analysis that time is not our enemy; rather our enemy is death. Accordingly the Apostle Paul wrote, 1Cor 15:55 (NASU) "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law[.]
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Some Scriptures showing God is a God of Experience and Time is an Aspect of His Experience 2 Kings 20:1-6 In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, "Thus says the Lord, `Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.' " 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord: 3 "Remember now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 5 "Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, `Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David, "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you. 6 "I will add fifteen years to your life,” Conclusions What is the relationship of time to God's existence? God is a Trinity, and God is a Living God. Thus, there has always been interaction within the Trinity. This is a sequence of experiences and an order (chronology) and a length (duration) to them. Time is a record of this sequence, order, and duration. Thus, just as power exists because God exists, time exists because God exists. Time is an aspect of God's existence, just as His power, knowledge, and omnipresence are. God is a Trinity; there has been eternal interaction between the members of the Trinity before the creation of the universe (Psa. 90:2 (NASU) Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.) The Trinity is eternally interactive; time is a record of that sequence of God's experiences. Thus, God is a Living God (Deut 5:26, Josh 3:10, 1Sam 17:26 , 1Sam 17:36, 2Kin 19:4, 2Kin 19:16 , Psal 42:2, Psal 84:2, Isai 37:4, Isai 37:17, Jere 10:10, Jere 23:36, Dani 6:20, Dani 6:26, Matt 16:16, Matt 26:63, Acts 14:15, Roma 9:26, 2Cor 3:3, 2Cor 6:16, 1Tim 3:15, 1Tim 4:10, Hebr 3:12, Hebr 9:14, Hebr 10:31, Hebr 12:22, Reve 7:2). God's interaction continued when Jesus walked the earth (for example, as illustrated by John 5:19, John 11:41, John 13:3, John 14:23, John 17:1, John 20:21, Roma 1:7, 1The 3:11, 2Joh 1:3-4) Notice, the conclusions indicated by God’s interaction with Hezekiah:
a. Time: The Lord spoke through Isaiah to Hezekiah twice. This shows a succession of events during a period of time. God was interacting with Hezekiah and responding and changing according to Hezekiah's reaction. Time is an aspect of God's experience here. Time is needed for God to act sequentially. What is the nature of the future? b. While God has determined to bring about incredible direction over the future, making sure that a multitude of events are certain to happen, still some aspects of the future are conditional. Hezekiah had the opportunity to know that his life was in jeopardy. Hezekiah’s response was one of the essential aspects to the outcome of his immediate future. This means that there are indefinite possibilities which are transformed into certainties through the process called choice. Here is the sequence and conditions: * God declared "You are going to die." * God was NOT lying. Hezekiah was going to die. * Hezekiah prayed. * God responded. * The future changed. Thus, there are aspects of the future that are conditional. Thus, the nature of the future also contains possibilities. The passage indicates that such possibilities also exist as possibilities for God. c. What kind of prophecy was given here? * Isaiah delivered the prophecy to Hezekiah to set his house in order for he was going to die was a contingent prophecy. The fulfillment of this prophecy dependent upon how Hezekiah chose to respond to it. d. Prayer changes things. *Prayer is an appeal to God to change or intervene on someone's behalf to bring about a righteous end. * Hezekiah knew the Lord deals presently with man's affairs and knew his fate wasn't fixed. * The Lord heard his prayer and healed him, adding fifteen years to his life. e. Dt.18:21-22 is true. God is not a liar. He knows absolutely what He will do to fulfill His purpose in man contingent on man's responses. In the case of Hezekiah, God sent the same prophet (Isaiah) back with another prophecy in response to Hezekiah's prayer which Isaiah had no way of
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God is a God of Experience and Time is an Aspect of His Experience
knowing about except God told him. Jr.26:12-13 God declared, “Now therefore amend your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will change His mind about the misfortune which He has pronounced against you.” Ezk.20:7-8 Thus says the Lord God: “I said to them, `Cast away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.' 8 "But they rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me . . . Then I resolved to pour out My judgment on them” Ezk.20:12-13 “Also I gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. 13 "But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances . . . Then I resolved to pour out My judgment on them” Ezk.20:21 `Sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.' 21"But the children rebelled against Me; . . . So I resolved to pour out My judgment on them” It was not until after they rebelled that God resolved to pour out judgment. Ezk.22:30-31 "Therefore, say to the house of Israel, `Thus says the Lord God, . . . 31 "When you offer your gifts, when you cause your sons to pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O
house of Israel? As I live," declares the Lord God, "I will not be inquired of by you.” This is true sequence. Time is an aspect of God’s experience. God is living out history, even through the midst of his rebellious creation. Am.7:1-3 Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, He was forming a locust-swarm when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop [was] after the king's mowing. 2 And it came about, when it had finished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said, "Lord God, please pardon! How can Jacob stand, For he is small?" 3 The Lord changed His mind about this. "It shall not be," said the Lord. Am.7:4-6 the Lord God was calling to contend [with them] by fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the farm land. 5 Then I said, "Lord God, please stop! How can Jacob stand, for he is small?" 6 The Lord changed His mind about this. "This too shall not be," said the Lord God. Jonah 3:10 — 4:2 “When God saw their deeds (of Ninevah), that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do [it]. 4:1 But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord and said, "Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my [own] country? . . . for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.”
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Predestination One view of predestination is that God in His sovereign wisdom, effectively determines everything which takes place. God decrees that certain things shall happen. God decides the actions of his creatures. Augustine said, "The will of God is the necessity of things." God has effectively determined everything that shall happen, and no creature has the power to act otherwise than God has decreed. A difficult question for this view is explaining how a person is responsible for his actions when he was unable to act otherwise. Further, how is it that God would not be responsible for evil, when His decrees necessitate everything which occurs? It is quite clear that this view of predestination entails determinism: specifically, theological determinism, God has effectively determined everything that shall happen, and no creature has the power to act otherwise than God has decreed. Thus one has the very difficult problem of explaining how a person is responsible for his actions when he was unable to act otherwise. And there is the additional problem of explaining how God himself is not responsible for human wrongdoing, even though it is God's decrees which necessitate that the wrongdoing occurs. Just what is Determinism? DEFINITION: The philosophical doctrine that every human, social, and historical act is the inevitable consequence of what occurred before a person's choice and completely independent of the human will. People are caused to do whatever they do. “... Determinism,” William James said, ... implies that the world we have is the only possible world and that nothing could have been other than it was; he declared this to be incompatible with reasonableness or regret and other basic moral sentiments. In the course of his argument he drew a very useful distinction between what he called
"hard" and "soft" determinism. By soft determinism he meant all those theories, like those of Hobbes, Hume, and Mill, which affirm that determinism is true and then, by means of what he considered so p h i s t i c a l a n d c o n to r t e d definitions, somehow try to preserve a semblance of certain moral notions like liberty and responsibility. William James declared that such impossible. Hard determinists, on the other hand are those who affirm what their theory entails––namely, that no man can help being what he is and doing what he does and that moral distinctions are therefore irrational and ought never to be applied to men or anything else. (The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Vol II, pp. 359-373) God foresaw the future events of the universe as certain, because He had decreed to create; but this determination to create involved also a determination of all the actual results of that creation; or in other words, God decreed those results. Foreknowledge must not be confused with foreordination. Foreknowledge presupposes foreordination, but is not itself foreordination. The actions of free agents do not take place because they are foreseen, but they are foreseen because they are certain to take place... God knows the destiny of every person, not merely before the person has made his choice in this life, but from eternity. And since He knows their destiny before they are created, and then proceeds to create, it is plain that the saved and the lost alike fulfill His plan for them; for if He did not plan that any particular ones should be lost, He could at least refrain from creating them. We conclude, then, that the Christian doctrine of the foreknowledge of God proves also His predestination. Since these events are foreknown, they are fixed and settled things; and nothing can have fixed and settled them except the good pleasure of God...freely and unchangeably foreordaining whatever comes to pass.
Predestination — An Alternative View An alternate way of viewing predestination is that God had a purpose for mankind — a reason or destiny for people before He created people — a prior destiny, a pre-destiny. So He predestined people for love relationship with Him and with their
fellow man. However, genuine love relationship is only possible if people choose it; otherwise they would only be robots. Therefore, it is possible for people to rebel against their predestination and never fulfill the purpose for which they have been created.
46 They were predestined to be in Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family, but never came to experience the warm, tender reality of friendship with God that God destined them for. Thus, we see, predestination is purposeful, but not causative. Later, we will examine related scriptures to see if such a view would line up with Biblical revelation. Men Choose But God Still Knows the Future. Another view of God's activity is that since God is Sovereign, nothing happens except the will of God. Therefore, God knows every detail of the future because only His will occurs. God knows as a certainty all that ever will occur. In this view, the phrase, "God is in control" means that God would only allow to occur what is His will. However, sin occurs, and it is not God's will that people would sin. Sin occurs because people have a will and disobey. The questions then arises, "How can people sin when God's will is all that can happen? This view holds that though this sounds like a contradiction, it must be only an apparent contradictionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;an antinomy. Antinomy is the name given to two ideas accepted as true that contradict each other. They are declared not to be contradictions but that they only appear as contradictions. Both are accepted as true because they are both thought to be equally logical, reasonable, or necessary. If something is an antinomy and therefore I cannot know it for certain, how can I know anything about God for certain? If I can't trust my mind about one thing it seems to me the Bible teaches, how can I know when to trust my mind as I read the scripture
and when not to? Another difficult question facing this view is: "How can a person choose contrary to what God knows will happen? If God, one thousand years ago, knew that next Tuesday at 11:35 a.m., I would eat an onion, then I am going to eat an onion next Tuesday morning at 11:35 a.m. It can't occur differently from the way God knew it would occur; otherwise God didn't know after all. It is certain to occur just the way God knows. But I didn't exist one thousand years ago to choose to eat that onion. What will happen is determined before I existed to choose it. Therefore, I can change nothing. It would have to occur the way it was known to occur before I existed to make it that way. The event is already settled. It will have to occur the way God knows it will occur. I could not possibly make it different from that when I come into existence. What will happen is determined before I existed to choose it. Therefore, I can change nothing. I cannot change what God has always known that I will do. It is not in my power to refrain from eating that onion next Tuesday morning at 11:35 a.m. To summarize: I cannot now change what God has always believed about what I will do, nor is it possible for me to act in a way that would contradict God's belief about me. So I have no choice in this case, or in any other. It is impossible for God to believe I will act one way and for me to act in another. If a thousand years ago, God knew as a certainty that I would eat that onion, then I am caused to eat that onion. I did not exist then to choose that action. Something else, not my choice, caused me to do it.
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Analysis of Romans 8:28-29 Regarding Foreknowledge and Predestination Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:28 Literals 28 but we have known, and still do, that to those who are loving God all things are working together to good to those according to purpose being called 29 because whoever He before came to know also He did before choose (for them to be) conformed to the image of His Son, for to be Himself the firstborn among many brethren; 30 but whom He did before choose, those also He did call; and whom He did call, those also He did justify (declare righteous); but whom He did justify, those also He did glorify, render excellent (or make glorious)." Verse 28 is one sentence with four verbs expressing present continuous action; 1.We are knowing, 2. God is causing, 3. those who are loving, 4. those who are being called... while verses 29 and 30 have aorist tenses with only the verb "to be" referring to the present. He foreknew He predestined He called He justified He glorified. Verses 28 & 29 form a unit; οτι connects them. This conjunction, meaning because, since, tells why God is working things together for good. "God is working all things together for good"- This statement is the central theme. The 1st aorist verb: "foreknew" is προγιϖνωσκω (proginosko) to have knowledge of beforehand; and comes from πρό , before, and γινώσκω, (ginosko) to learn, to know, to come to know, to obtain knowledge of. γινώσκω is used to express intimacy and love;
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Analysis of Romans 8:28 - 29
in I Cor. 8:3 if anyone loves God, he is εγνωσται known by Him and Gal. 4:9. But now gnonte "that you have come to know (ginosko) God, or rather" γνωσθεντε "be known (ginosko-ed) by God." Of others Jesus said, "I never εγνων knew (ginosko-ed) you", never had any acquaintance with you, Matt. 7:23 (Thayer). γινωϖσκω (ginosko): to know, understand, perceive; to know a person, his character, mind, plans (Jn.1:48-49; 2:24; II Tim. 2:19); a knowledge grounded in personal experience COMMENTS: God’s great love removed all the barriers to man's salvation except man's repentance. The man himself must beat his breast and pray, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Lk. 18:13-14), God meets him and he begins to experience his intimacy with God, and God experiences intimacy with him. God is pleased to use the word "know" to describe this new intimacy; while to those who are lost, Christ shall someday say, Ουδεποτε τε εγνων υµα" "I never knew you." In contrast to this, God knew the Christians in Rome. Paul writes Romans 8 to living Christians in Rome. He is writing to those whom God proegnw, before came to know", or those with whom God previously had come to know in intimate personal experience, for He had accepted their genuine repentance and gave them the blessings of the Gospel. However, these Roman Christians are presently going through a time of suffering. But Paul says, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (8:18). He says “the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now (v.22). But “the Spirit helps our weakness; . . . the Spirit Himself intercedes for [us] with groanings too deep for words.” Though they are enduring difficulties, Paul said, “We know that to those who are loving God, He is working all things together for good.” Before they had entered into their present difficulties, God had already decided what He was going to build in their lives, and He was using their difficulties for good unto that end. Those whom God previously had come to know in intimate personal experience (before their present suffering--prior to the time of adversity which they were then experiencing) This is the same usage of proginosko, as used in Acts 26:5. The Apostle Paul declared concerning the Jews: Acts 26:4 (NASU) "So then, all Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my [own] nation and at Jerusalem; 5 since they have known (proginosko) about me for a long time (anothen), if they are willing to testify, that I lived [as] a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion. (proginosko me = previously known me) (anothen = for a long time) or foreknown me for a long time (had experiential acquaintance with Paul for years) Likewise, those whom God experientially knew prior to the time persecution came to the Roman church, these: 29 He also prowrisen predestined (decided before their present suffering— actually purposed for them – this destiny is for all, a destiny that God longs for all of mankind to experience) to be conformed to the image and likeness of His blessed Son, that they might dwell with the elder Brother, Jesus. (creatively using their present distress as an instrument for developing their character, until their character was conformed to the character of Jesus.)
Analysis of Romans 8:28 - 29
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They had been ekalesen (called, named, invited; summoned) into the very heart of God to partake of the blessings and mercies of the Son of God and the Holy Spirit in salvation. These whom He invited, He also edikaiwsen justified. They experienced forgiveness from their sin. God declared them to be free from the load of guilt of their past sin. They had already experienced forgiveness and had been made right with God. God does this whenever people respond, for v.33 says, God is the one who is justifying (God justifies people as they enter into salvation. There were those who had been justified (aorist tense--v.28) and those presently being forgiven and made right with God, (present tense-- v.33.) Just as others had been justified, now nearly 2000 years later, people are still responding to the invitation of the Holy Spirit and God is justifying. And glory to God, God did not pardon them in the heavens while leaving them filthy on earth. A changed life always comes at the same time that God forgives. These whom He justified, He also edoxasen glorified (rendered excellent and filled with glorified joy unspeakable (I Pet. 1:18.) There is no position before God that is not matched by the way we are living. The sinner is purified and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. These are the glories of the text that describe the reality that those living in God’s presence had entered into. 31 What then shall we say to these things? No matter what persecution or sufferings others bring against us, If God [is] for us, who [is] against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? How do we know Paul is referring specifically to them? ... because Paul is using the aorist tenses, describing past experiences. It is sometimes said that these verses teach that God knows as a certainty every individual who shall ever be born, and particularly of everyone who shall ever be saved. If we insist that the phrase "whom He foreknew", refers to every person that will ever get saved, we would end up with some very great difficulties: 1. No person’s eternal destiny could ever be different from what God appointed or predestinated. It would have to be as God appointed it. Then how does any person have any choice in the matter? How can the will choose when the outcome is already a certainty before there was even a chance to choose? 2. From the present tense of the word "being called" in v. 28, we see that some are still being called; thus the same word in v. 30, were called, cannot refer to everybody who ever would get saved, -- to all those who ever shall be called. If it did, then v. 28 would contradict v. 30. Can it be true that God already has called all those who ever shall be saved, and yet God is still calling those same people? 3. We further would have the absurdity that some of those who have been called from eternity are now living in vileness and sin. “See that wicked sinner cursing and blaspheming God? He may be one that God has already called, justified, and glorified (revealing the majestic splendor of God.)" 4. But above all, "whom He did call, those also He did justify". Forgiveness of sins is an act of God that happens during a process of time. There was a period in a person’s life when his sins were not forgiven, and then there came an instant in which they were forgiven. Now if language means anything, it is incorrect and meaningless to say that a person’s sins were always forgiven, and yet that they may at some instant, instantly become forgiven. 5. If God had already justified all He will ever save, then God would already have justified some who are now living in sin. A wicked sinner may today be gratifying his lusts as much as he wants, but still be justified because God forgave him before the foundation of the world! He would even be forgiven before he ever even committed his sins! 6. There would not even be a need for grace because there had not yet even been an accumulation of guilt for grace to act upon. 7. If God has justified all who will ever be saved once and for all, God would not be at this time being moved with compassion, and tenderly extending mercy. This wars against Scriptures that say God is filled with wrath, then pondering people’s repentance, then grants forgiveness. 8. Verse 33, says, (using the present tense) that God "is justifying". If God once and for all justified all who ever shall be saved (in v.29), verse 33 contradicts it because it says that God is now
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Analysis of Romans 8:28 - 29 continuing to justify people. We end up with an interpretation that does not make sense. God would be justifying those whom He already justified from the foundation of the world. This further would contradict Rev.13:8 that says “the names were being written” (perfect tense) during a process of time -- not aorist tense (not all at once). The names are being written as people respond to the calling or invitation of the Holy Spirit, as they repent, and are justified (made righteous – delivered from their past guilt as God forgives them.) 9. Those spoken of have not only been justified, but also glorified. It contradicts reason to say that some are still in their sins, others are not yet even born, but yet they are right now "rendered excellent." God predestined, called, and justified as specific acts, and people actually experienced it. Likewise, the people must also be glorified as a specific, actual experience also. 10. Further it can’t be explained away as an aspect of the “eternal now” because the Bible says God is a living Being who walks and interacts with men, does definite acts at definite times, rests, observes, thinks, is reasoned with, remembers, is grieved, is jealous, angry, compassionate, forgives and comforts, delights and rejoices, responds to the appeals of men, repents, changes His purposes, etc. All of these things involve sequential activity. Thus, time is an aspect of God's experience. Time exists eternally simply because God is an everlasting, interactive Trinity. The Trinity has had an infinite eternity of time during which they have lived in fellowship together in the infinite delight of perfect "oneness" in countless activities of love and creativity. This Trinity fellowship never comes to an end. This glorious interaction and Divine experiences within the Trinity and with mankind would not be possible if God were an “eternal now.”
1 Peter 1:1-2 1Pet 1:1 Πetrov {N-NSM} apostolov {N-NSM} Ιhsou {N-GSM} Χristou {N-GSM} Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ eklektoiv {A-DPM} parepidhmoiv {A-DPM} diasporav {N-GSF}`Πontou {N-GSM} Γalatiav {N-GSF to elect aliens of a dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Κappadokiav {N-GSF} Αsiav {N-GSF} kai {CCK} Βiyuniav {N-GSF} Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithinia 2 kata {PA} prognwsin {N-ASF} yeou {N-GSM} patrov {N-GSM} according to foreknowledge (or “a previously thought out plan”) of God Father en {PD} agiasmw {N-DSM} pneumatov {N-GSN} eiv {PA} upakohn {N-ASF} kai {CCK} rantismon {N-ASM} in Holy Spirit into obedience and sprinkling aimatov {N-GSN} Ιhsou {N-GSM} Χristou {N-GSM} cariv {N-NSF} umin {P-2DP} kai {CCK} eirhnh {N-NSF} plhyunyeih {V-APO-3S} of blood of Jesus Christ, Grace to you and peace be multiplied
Thayer’s: (4268) prognwsin (prog'-no-sis) 1) foreknowledge 2) forethought, pre-arrangement
The context of First Peter is that the church was scattered due to persecution. Peter was encouraging them in their suffering to help them get through that trying time without turning away from their faith. He also stressed purity and holiness. He told the exiles that the dispersion was according to God’s previously thought out plan to spread the Gospel to the world. If they responded correctly, it would develop them in a life of purity and holiness. The key to the accomplishment of this goal was for them to have a heart of submission and obedience to God, to governmental authority, and to their spiritual leaders (see 1 Peter 5). In other words: God knew these believers before they were dispersed and were aliens, and the dispersion was according to His previously thought out plan. The persecution and suffering were sure to come because of the clash between good and evil. Therefore, God, in forethought, purposed the way He would use the adversity of dispersion and suffering. Note the use of the preposition εις. It means into from without, followed by the word obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus. Through the suffering of the dispersion, they were moving into obedience from a state when they were not obedient. Now look at the larger context of the above verses: To these elect aliens scattered throughout these regions according to the forethought of God, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure. God knew they faced suffering. Peter’s heart is, (I want to help you get through this persecution.)
God wants them living a life of Purity and holiness: (The dispersion is according to God's previously thought out plan (to spread the gospel to the world) and if you respond correctly, it will develop you in a life of purity and holiness. Every Christian must live a life of submission and obedience. (The key to these things being accomplished is for you to have heart of submission to God, to governmental authority, and to your spiritual leaders (1Pet.5) and obey the will of God. God knew these believers before they were dispersed and were aliens, and the dispersion was according to His previously thought out plan. (fore-thought) The foreknowledge of God purposed the way He would use the adversity of dispersion and suffering. The persecution and suffering were sure to come because of the clash between good and evil. SUFFERING Through the process of the dispersion God is bringing you out of sin and into a life of purity 51
1 Peter 1:1-2
52 and obedience. EK
(dispersion)
EIS ---------> OBEDIENCE & PURITY The dispersion is the tool God is using SANCTIFIED: the Holy Spirit using dispersion as an instrument. Be ye holy for I am holy."(1:16) Living stones, chosen and precious in the sight of God. (2:4) I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul (2:11) 3 euloghtov {A-NSM} o {T-NSM} yeov {N-NSM} kai {CCK} pathr {N-NSM} tou {T-GSM} kuriou {N-GSM} hmwn {P-1GP} ihsou {N-GSM} cristou {N-GSM} o {T-NSM} kata {PA} to {T-ASN} polu {AASN} autou {P-GSM} eleov {N-ASN} anagennhsav (5660) {V-AAPNSM} hmav {P-1AP} eiv {PA} elpida {N-ASF} zwsan {V-PAP-ASF} di {PG} anastasewv {N-GSF} ihsou {N-GSM} cristou {N-GSM} ek {PG} nekrwn {A-GPM}
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to His great mercy, having birthed us into a hope living through resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Having birthed us a. Into a living hope b. for a possession imperishable and pure and unfading (permanent), being kept under guard tethrhmenhn__áßßÕâÐ in heaven for you -- these things in the power of God are being guarded through faith into salvation ready to be revealed in the last time ( tethrhmenhn__áßßÕâÐët keep, observe, obey, pay attention to; keep under guard, keep in custody; keep back, hold, reserve; maintain, keep firm) 13 Therefore, 1. prepare your minds for action, 2. keep sober [in spirit], 3. fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 4. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts [which were yours] in your ignorance, 5. but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all [your] behavior; 16 because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." 1Pet 1:17 (NASU) And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay [on earth]; W HY? Because you were REDEEMED NOT BUT with precious blood 1) with gold or silver (perishable things) BUT NOT by the Lamb 2) by futile, empty traditions a. unblemished and spotless b. known by God before people existed c. has appeared in these last times for the sake of you d. through Him (we) are believers in God, God a. Raised Him from the dead b. Gave Him glory c. (God did this) so that your faith and hope are in God.
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Therefore, because of the incredible sacrifice of the Lamb that God gave for us, it is imperative that we obey Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s command, â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, W e have been purified by obeying the truth for the purpose of love
Ăż So "fervently love one another!"
Verse 18-20 says that our redemption is supremely precious because it was brought about by Jesus who was foreknown (4267) (intimately, experientially known beforehand by God since Jesus eternally dwelt with the Father before the incarnation), and that Jesus appeared in these last times for the sake of (us)... that we might intimately, experientially know Him too. W ord study of 4267 proginosko: to know beforehand, COMES FROM: 4253>pro, pro; a prim. prep.; "fore", i.e. in front of, prior (fig. superior) to: above, ago, before, or ever. In comp. it retains the same significations. AND 1097>ginosko, ghin-oce'-ko; experiential knowledge (like to know the taste of ice cream.) USAGE: 5 verses found: Acts 26:4,5 "So then, all Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my [own] nation and at Jerusalem; having known beforehand (4267 proginosko) me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived [as] a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion. 2Pet. 3:17 You therefore, beloved, knowing beforehand (4267 proginosko) these things, be on your guard
so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 1Pet. 1:20 W ho verily was <foreknown> (experientially, relationally known beforehand by the Father) before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Rom. 11:2 God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in [the passage about] Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? Rom. 8:29 For whom he did <foreknow> (those he experientially knew beforehand), he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
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Predestination and the Will of Man Some Theological Views View One: GOD ORDAINS ALL THINGS (DETERMINISM) Determinism vs. Indeterminism 6. Indeterminism holds that a person is free if he is not caused. Despite the direction in which influences appear to incline a person's will, he can still choose contrary to those influences, since they do not force a decision 7. Determinism says that for everything that ever happens there are pre-existing conditions, given which, nothing else can happen. Consequently, a person cannot do otherwise than he is predetermined
to do by those given conditions. Therefore, if one knew all the conditions prior to a person's action, he could predict what must happen. Determinism in the Natural Sciences (Physical Realm) vs. the Human Sciences (Moral Realm) 8. Because the laws that govern the physical realm are the description of how things must always occur within that realm, the physical realm is in fact governed in a deterministic manner. 9. But the laws that govern the moral realm (i.e. the actions of people) are merely the description of how things ought to occur (how people ought to act) rather than of how they must occur: man's will is ever the independent variable. The conditions surrounding a person's decisions are so complex that one could never write all the rules needed to predict what a person will do. Therefore the moral realm can never be governed by determinism. Determinism as opposed to Fatalism 10. Fatalism says that there is an inherent necessity in the way things are so that they could not be any other way. Fatalists who believe in God claim that even God had no choice but to create the world the way he did. (Fate is greater than God, so to speak) 11. Determinism asserts that once God made certain choices, certain things followed irreversibly as a
consequence (God determined fate). For example, it was not absolutely necessary that Adam sin in the sense that there was no other Adam God could have created. Consequently, it was not absolutely necessary that God decide to send Christ as redeemer. However, once God made Adam (being created certain to sin), then it was necessary for God to send Christ as redeemer. Freedom and Determinism 12. A constraining cause is one which forces a person to act against his will. On the other hand, a non-constraining cause is one sufficient to bring about an action, but they do not force a person to act against his will. (non-constraining cause is simply another word for an influence which a person has decided to follow.) Suppose I decide that Charlie Student must leave the classroom. There are at least three ways I can accomplish that. First, if I were physically strong enough, I could carry him out. Second, I hold a gun to his head and tell his to leave or lose his life. (This didn't work when Rome told the Christians to declare supreme allegiance to Caesar or else they would be martyred in the Coliseum.) Or lastly, I can try to persuade him that he would be wise to leave. This latter persuasion involves no threats. Instead, reasons are presented for why it would be beneficial for him to leave. This reasoning is merely influence or appeal to a person's choice. The person will either say "yes" or "no" to such an appeal. So how does this apply to salvation? Does God talk a person out of getting saved because he isn't predestined? 13. God's sovereignty and human freedom. Determinism says that God can guarantee that His goals will be accomplished freely even
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when someone does not want to act, because God's predetermining decree includes not only God's chosen ends but also the means to such ends. Given the sufficient conditions, the person will do the act. The problem here is that the Bible reveals that God wills for all people to be saved,17 however not all are being saved, are they? The conclusion is people are responsible because they have the power of contrary choice. This is essential to free agency. A person may always act contrary to any influence not destructive to his freedom, that may be brought to bear on him. Satan did this in heaven and, thus was the origin of sin.18 The case was the same with people.19 Secondly, ability limits responsibility. Men are responsible only so far as they have adequate power to do what is required of them. They are not held responsible for things outside the control of their will. Can God be the creator of every action and will for all things to be as they are, and not be the author of sin? Biblical and Theological Discussion 14. Eph.1:11 Read context beginning in verse 3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, (Is.53:6, Jn.3:16, 1Ti.2:3,4, 2Pet.3:9, 1Jn.2:2 indicates that God had predestined or purposed this for the entire world) ... also we have obtained an inheritance (because we have responded to God), having been predestined according to His purpose who
17
See Jesus Died for All People: The Case in Scripture for A General Atonement, p.13 of this notebook. 18 Ez. 28:11-19; Is. 14:12-14 19 Gen. 1:26-27; 2:16-17; 3:1-24.
works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ (the rest of scripture indicates God longs for all the rest of mankind to hope in Christ) should be to the praise of His glory. Paul writes to the first century Christians: "...we who were the first to hope in Christ..."
we are blessed with every spiritual blessing God created us to be holy, blameless God’s eternal purpose was that we would be adopted God predestined that we would dwell together with the Godhead in their Trinity relationship.
What Paul wrote is true for all Christians:
we are blessed with every spiritual blessing God created us to be holy, blameless God’s eternal purpose was that we would be adopted God predestined that we would dwell together with the Godhead in their Trinity relationship.
It is available for all people and God purposed it for all people, but His predestination is not a causation. People reject their predestination and never experience what God, in His love and intelligence desired for them. Luke 7:30 (NASU) “But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.”
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God wants to bless all with every spiritual blessing. God created all to be holy, blameless God’s eternal purpose was that all would be adopted. God predestined that all would dwell together with the Godhead in Their Trinity relationship.
The logic circles above graphically display: 15. God’s predestination is available for the entire world. It is specifically applied to those (us) at that time in history when they believe, and to anybody who believes. 16. v. 4 God created man to be holy, blameless 17. v. 5 God’s eternal purpose: that we would be adopted (we who are not naturally God), 18. God predestined that we would dwell together with the Godhead in their Trinity relationship. 19. us: those at that time having been restored to relationship with God are already experiencing adoption 20. It came first to (Notice v.12: "...we who were the first to hope in Christ...") as sons through Jesus by God's kind intention 21. v. 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace 22. v. 11 God, in creation, predestined (planned, purposed, pre-decided before making man) for all people to be in relationship with God. 23. WE (those living at that time in relationship) had already obtained that inheritance for which they were created. 24. v. 12 we who were THE FIRST to hope in Christ Eph.1:4,5,11 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us (just as He longs to bless all people) with every spiritual blessing... just as He chose us (just as He chose all people) in Him before the foundation of the world (before He created the world, His purpose for all people was that they would be in Christ. God had the purpose in mind and created us to fulfill that purpose. The Bible says God is grieved over the rebellious who are refusing to be in Christ. He wants us to be in Christ — and all people ought to be in Christ...) that we might be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us (just as His eternal purpose for all people is to be in relationship with Him, though we were not eternally part of the Trinity, He purposed us...) to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will... (v.11 therefore...) we (those at the time Paul was writing, and now a multitude since then) have obtained an inheritance (having actually entered into relationship that God wanted for all mankind) having been predestined (God's purpose for having created people) according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will ... In contrast, according to a deterministic view where God decrees all that happens, this verse (Eph.1:11) indicates that what occurs is foreordained by God, and nothing external to God such as the foreseen actions or merits of God's creatures determines His choices. God deliberates, chooses and accomplishes all things on the basis of His purposes. How does God accomplish all things? Some are done directly and exclusively by God without use of other agents, but most are accomplished through the agency of others. Such a view leaves no room for human freedom. If God allowed human freedom, God could not guarantee his decisions will be carried out.
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Predestination and the Will of Man
In contrast to determinism, Gordon Olson writes that in accordance with human freedom, “The word elect means to pick out or choose.... The great majority of Scriptures referring to election very naturally imply that the choice spoken of was either made at the time of the context, within the generation of those living, or in the more distant past (as in the instances of our Lord, the general plans of redemption, and non-personal choices). . . . (Concerning Ephesians 1:4), the entire passage from verses 3 – 14 constitutes a single sentence. Verses 3 and 4 may be translated as follows: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, He who did bless us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ, even as He did choose us out for Himself in Him before the world's foundation, to be ourselves (continually) holy and without blemish before the face of him in love.... “Now it appears that the theme of the whole passage is contained in the first phrase, a blessing pronounced upon the Father. The verses quoted appear to be the first natural division of the long sentence, and indicate that the Father is to be blessed in the first place because He did bless us . . . in Christ. This He did before the foundation of the world in or through Christ. The question arises as to whether the blessings spoken of are the original blessings bestowed upon Adam before the fall, or the blessings of redemption in foreknowledge of the fall. It may be said that the phrase, in Christ limits the application to redemption, but this is not at all necessarily so. There are a series of passages which ascribe the creation and sustenance of man and all of natural existence to Jesus Christ as follows: Jn.1:3,10; 1Cor.8:6; Col.1:16,17; Heb.1:2,10; and Rev.3:14. In Colossians we read, ...in Him were all things created...all things have been created through Him and unto Him; and He is before all and in Him all things consist. “Now these statements do not relate at all to redemption, but teach that man as God's creature was intended to be in Christ in all phases of His existence. It may be said then in perfect harmony with Scripture, that God did choose mankind out of all His creatures for the remarkable privilege of being in Christ, dwelling holy and without blemish before His face in love and holy pleasure of association. No wonder the Apostle exclaimed, blessed be the God and Father for devising such kind benevolence.” 25. In contrast, if God decrees all that ever happens, then God has omniscience in the light of determinism: God decreed all that will ever happen. Therefore, he knows as certainty, all that will ever happen. What God knows it must occur. He allows nothing else. 26. In this view of God’s rigid control, God’s in His sovereignty declares that salvation does not depend on man’s desire nor willingness to be saved, but only God’s mercy.’ Therefore, ‘God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.’” 27. In contrast, Gordon Olson writes of Romans chapters nine through eleven: “Chapters 9 through 11 of Romans form a unit and deal with the nation Israel in the plan of God. The Bible presents an unconditional and sovereign election of individuals and nations to fulfill particular parts of God’s plan in dealing with mankind. . . .” To continue on in paraphrase, Olson stresses that the passage deals with God’s choice in how He uses people in accomplishing His purposes. It is not dealing with the subject of salvation. The conditional election of people to salvation is an entirely different matter. Salvation is the restoration of relationship. No one, not even God, can cause relationship. Relationship is the expression of love in response to love. But in regard to accomplishing jobs for God on earth, God unconditionally chose Jacob to follow Abraham and Isaac in the line of promise, without ever referring to Jacob as being saved or to Esau as being lost. The Apostle Paul adamantly declares in v.14, “There is no injustice with God.” The Pharisees complained that God could not show mercy to the Gentiles. Paul reminded them that God told Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will
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have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” When God brought Israel out of Egypt, Pharaoh hardened his heart in opposition to God’s will. Still, God used Pharaoh to get His purposes accomplished. He said of Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” So then God “. . . has mercy on whom He desires (the Christian Gentiles), and He hardens whom He desires (the Jews who rejected Jesus)” Therefore, Paul writes in Ro. 11:17-23 to the converted Gentiles, “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again.
View Two: GOD ORDAINS ALL THINGS, YET PEOPLE STILL HAVE FREE WILL (SOFT-DETERMINISM) 28. Some people say that God’s will is always done in every detail, yet people still have a will and can disobey God. These ideas (on the human level) appear to be contradictory ideas. Thus, two ideas appear to be contradictory. One idea is that God knows all the future as a certainty and everything that happens is God’s will. The other idea is that people have wills and are responsible for their actions, being able to decide what they will do. However, some respond that these two contrasting ideas are not really a contradiction, but rather an antinomy. An antinomy is defined as an apparent contradiction between accepted conclusions which seem equally logical, reasonable, or necessary. An antinomy is the idea that there can be a pair of principles side by side which both contradict each other, yet both are understandable. Supposedly, a person should simply accept both ideas as being true. 29. J. I. Packer writes, “What should one do, then, with an antinomy? Accept it for what it is, and learn to live with it. Refuse to regard the apparent inconsistency as real; put down the semblance of contradiction to the deficiency in your own understanding; think of the two principles as, not rival alternatives, but, in some way that you do not grasp, complementary to each other. Be careful, therefore, not to set them at loggerheads, nor to make deductions from either that would cut across the other (such deductions would, for that very reason, be certainly unsound). Use each within the limits of its own sphere of reference... Teach yourself to think of reality in a way that provides for their peaceful coexistence, remembering that reality itself has proved actually to contain them both. This is how antinomies must be handled ....”20 30. Does the truth of God's sovereignty and the truth of man's will need to be an antinomy? Not if we understand God’s Sovereignty to mean that God is the Supreme Authority, and therefore, that he holds all people accountable to do His will. God has established His throne in the heavens and all people will be judged by Him. He created people with the ability to originate their own actions because His eternal purpose of love relationship required that people have that capacity. Therefore, interaction in relationship requires both God's choice and human choice. If a person refuses to live in his created purpose (as Luke writes of the Pharisees who rejected the purpose of God for them. (Lk.7:30) God is Sovereign because as the
20
J. I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, (Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL 60515), p.18 ff.
Supreme Authority, He will call every rebellious person to account for His actions. Further, God takes whatever measures He must take in order to maintain control of the direction and purpose of history. However, God's will is not being done in the life of every individual. Jesus being heart-broken over his lost prodigal children, therefore, taught us to intercede for God's will to be done on earth as it is done in heaven. 31. Some declare that God’s Sovereignty means that God is in complete control of all that happens, including the salvation and condemnation of all people. They also assert that Scriptures stress that the responsibility for moral action rests squarely with free moral agents and not with God. They present, Jn.6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away, as an expression that God causes people to have to get saved, rather than that God uses influence and leads those people into salvation who respond to Him: Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?Roma 2:4 (NASU)
View Three: GOD PREDESTINES SOME TO BE SAVED BASED ON HIS FOREKNOWLEDGE 32. Some evangelicals believe that God knows in advance (by his omniscience) just what choices everyone will make, whether they will accept or reject salvation. Hence, on the basis of their foreknown free choice to accept Christ, God chooses to save them. Thus humans are totally free to accept or reject God, being under no coercion from him. But if God's choice to save was based on those who chose him, then it would not be based on divine grace but would be based on human effort. (On the contrary, the choice to turn from rebellion and to submit to God's authority earns nothing. All that happens is that Slimy Sinner becomes willing to live according to the purpose for which he has been created. He deserves no "brownie points" for doing what he should have been doing all the time. He should receive a response from God of, "Well, it's about time; what took you so long?" But instead God reaches out with His arms of love and receives him in the graciousness of His heart, uttering no words of harshness nor condemnation. And Slimy experiences the transforming presence of the Holy Spirit and enters into the relationship made possible by God's grace through the atonement of Christ on the cross.) 33. Some emphasize that God knows everything, including the end from the beginning (Is.46:10). He is God who cannot change (Mal.3:6), not even in the slightest (Jas.1:17). Others respond that while Is. 46:10 says God declares the end from the beginning from ancient times; it does not say what end from what beginning, and it does not say when this knowledge first became a certainty so that it could be known by Him. The context of the passage is talking about what God is bringing forth. He knew what He had in mind when He called Abraham forth to form from Him the nation, Israel, and God knows what the end is that He is bringing about. 34. Some stress Mal. 3:6 – For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. They apply this to mean that nothing changes in God’s knowledge, nor His emotions, and that He does not interact in any way with His creation, because any interaction would mean a change in God. However, others say that this verse is declaring God’s unchanging faithfulness to maintain His character. He deals with every generation by the same standards, holding all accountable to the same standards of righteousness. In the constancy of His character, God declares, Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me," says the Lord of hosts.Mala 3:5 (NASU) Nevertheless, God has remained unchanging in His faithfulness to be merciful. As a result: O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. If God were not like that, Jacob would have been wiped out long before in judgment. James 1:17 also refers
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Predestination and the Will of Man
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to God's faithfulness; God is so faithful that there is not even a shadow of turning in His love, and commitment to bring about His marvelous purposes for those in relationship with Him.
Questions to answer if there are no possibilities regarding the future but that God knows every detail of the future as a certainty 35. Did God foreknow the Devil would sin? If so, why did He make him? 36. If God foreknew mankind would sin, so that "He was sorry that He made man on the earth, and He was grieved at His heart," (Ge.6:6), why did He make man? 37. If God knows what men will choose, why does He "strive" and plead with them to be different when He knows that it is already certain that His striving and pleading will not change anything? 38. Is the sensible conclusion that everything regarding the future is a fixed certainty, or are there also some things regarding the future that still exist as possibilities, and that future choices of God and future choices of people will change future possibilities into certainties? In Secular Christianity and The God Who Acts, Robert Blaikie writes: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It seems to me that by creating man 'in His own image', God conferred upon man a sort of freedom and a responsibility for action which necessarily preclude the possibility that He should foreknow with certainty what any man in his freedom will in fact choose to do . . . Being omnipotent, God could of course eliminate man and again know all things (as a certainty): but the existence of other 'personal agents' is impossible without His self-limitation in this matter.â&#x20AC;?21
21
Robert Blaikie, Secular Christianity and God Who Acts, p.247-248.
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2 Peter 3:9 2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing (strong’s# 1014, βουλοµgνοs – PLANNING OR INTENDING) that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (not planning that any should perish but that all should come to repentance).
Strong’s #1014> (βουλοµαι) boulomai, boo'-lo mi: 39. To plan or intend, 40. To choose or decide, 41. To give direction or counsel or advise Used in 25 verses found.
Word Study of 1014> (βουλοµαι) TO PLAN MATT. 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just [man], and not willing to make her a public example, was <minded> to put her away privily. ACTS 5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? And, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and <intend> to bring this man's blood upon us. ACTS 27:39 And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were <minded>, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship. ACTS 27:43 But the centurion, <willing> to save Paul, kept them from [their] purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast [themselves] first [into the sea], and get to land: I CO. 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he <will>. II CO. 1:15 And in this confidence I was <minded> to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit; I TIM. 2:8 I <will> therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
I TIM. 6:9 But they that <will> be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. HEB. 6:17 Wherein God, <willing> more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath: JAMES 1:18 Of his own <will> begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. II PE. 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not <willing> that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ----------------------------------------------------TO CHOOSE, TO DECIDE MATT. 11:27 "All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and [he] to whomsoever the Son <will> reveal [him]." LUKE 10:22 "All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and [he] to whom the Son <will> reveal [him]."
63 MARK 15:15 And [so] Pilate, <willing> to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged [him], to be crucified. LUKE 22:42 Saying, "Father, if thou be <willing>, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." JOHN 18:39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: <will> ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? ACTS 18:15 But if it be a question of words and names, and [of] your law, look ye [to it]; for I <will> be no judge of such [matters]. ACTS 18:27 And when he was <disposed> to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: JAMES 3:4 Behold also the ships, which though [they be] so great, and [are] driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor <listeth>. JAMES 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore <will> be a friend of the world
is the enemy of God. II JOHN 1:12 Having many things to write unto you, I <would> not [write] with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. III JOHN 1:10 Wherefore, if I come, I <will> remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that <would>, and casteth [them] out of the church. JUDE 1:5 I <will> therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. ----------------------------------------------------TO GIVE DIRECTION, TO COUNSEL, TO ADVISE I TIM. 5:14 I <will> therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. TIT. 3:8 [This is] a faithful saying, and these things I <will> that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
Analysis of and Commentary on Psalm 139:13-16 v. 13 "For thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb." v. 14 "I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are thy works, my soul knows it very well." v. 15 "My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth," v. 16 "Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them."
its function of template reproduction of the pattern provided by the parents) in the lowest (or least seen) parts of the earth (God originally made the dust of the earth--the basic elements--then man's body from those elements, and then the marvelous ability to multiply that body)." v. 16 "Thine eyes did see `my substance yet being unperfect' (all one word, meaning embryo, in the original; note the embryo is not imperfect, but unperfect, still in the process of being completed); and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance (literally which days--that is, all the days of development and growth were planned from the beginning) were fashioned (same word as formed, used in Genesis 2:7 for the formation of Adam's body) when as yet there was none of them (the whole amazing process was written into the genetic code even before actual conception)."
Exegesis: The formation of every human body is a marvelous testimony to the power and wisdom of the Creator of the first human body, as is His provision for its reproductive multiplication into the billions of bodies of distinctive individuals who have lived through the ages. "I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:14). The 139th Psalm contains a remarkably beautiful and scientifically accurate description of the divine forethought in the processes of heredity and embryonic growth. Verses 15 and 16 of this psalm (with explanatory comments interspersed) are as follows:
Creation and the Virgin Birth, Impact #30, by Henry M. Morris, PhD., Institute for Creation Research, 2716 Madison Avenue, San Diego, California 92116.
Conclusion Ps.139:16 "my substance yet being unperfect" (an embryo) "and in thy book (the DNA code, genetic, hereditary characteristics) all my members were written (all the days of development and growth being preplanned) when as yet there was none of them. It was already established in that one celled-embryo what my arms, legs, eye color, hair, etc. would be like when as yet there was none of them.
v. 15 "My substance (literally, my frame) was not hid form thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought (literally embroidered--probably a foregleam of the intricate double - helical structure of the DNA molecule as it carries out
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The Book of Life Ex. 32:32-33 But now, if thou wilt, forgive their sin--and if not, please blot me out from thy book which thou hast written! And the Lord said to Moses, whoever has sinned against me, I will blot him out of my book. Ps. 69:28 Let them be blotted out of the Book of Life, and with the righteous let them not be written down. Mal. 3:16-17 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written be-fore him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name. "And they will be mine," says the Lord of hosts, "on the day that I prepare my own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." (also Lk 10:20, Phil 4:3) Re. 3:5 He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life... Re. 13:8
wn ou gegraptai ta onomata en th biblw thv zwhv Of whom not has been written the name of him in the book of the life tou arniou esfagmenou apo katabolhv kosmou of the lamb the having been slain one from foundation of world.
And all who dwell upon the earth will worship him (the beast), everyone whose name never came to be written through a process of time in the book of life of the lamb having been slain, a record beginning from the foundation of the world. (This corresponds to Rev. 17:8.)
"from the foundation of the world" modifies the Book of Life, not the names that were being written.
Re. 17:8 wn ou gegraptai ta onomata epi to biblion thv zwhv apo katabolhv kosmou Of whom not has been written the name upon the book of the life from foundation of world.
Re. 20:12 o estin thv zwhv kai ekriyhsan oi nekroi ek twn gegrammenwn en toiv biblioiv W hich is the life one and were judged the dead out of the having been written things in the books
Re. 20:15
Re. 21:27
kai ei tiv ouc ureyh gegrammenov and if anyone not was found in the book
en th biblw
of the life having been written
ei mh oi gegrammenoi en tw bibliw tou arniou if not the having been written ones in the book of the life
(except)
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thv zwhv
thv zwhv of the lamb.
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The Book of Life
All the perfect tense verbs are in bold.
The Book of Life
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The Greek perfect tense has three factors: (1) Linear or continuous action in past time, (2) a definite completion of the action at some point in the past, and (3) the results of the past action still exist at the present time. How carefully this tense describes the recording of the names of the redeemed in the Book of Life, not all at once, (in which case the aorist tense would have been used) but gradually, one by one through the centuries "from the foundation of the world" as souls were being pardoned. The word is in every case in the passive voice. Conclusion: on Rv.13:8. This verse doesn't refer to the predestination of the elect, but rather the "lamb slain" "from the foundation of the world" It does not refer to "the names written". The names written is: 42. in the perfect tense, 43. indicating that in the future at the time of the beast, it will be possible to look back at past history and see that throughout history there were names being written, but a process which had been completed before the coming of the beast. 44. So the names were written over a process of time; the names were not on the book all at once from the foundation of the world.
Psalms 147:5 5 Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite. (4557) (goes beyond what people can measure.). The word study reveals that infinite means that God’s understanding is beyond tiny man’s ability to measure, (like the snowflakes which are more numerous than any man can count.
Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is beyond measure. Lexicon Study of Strong’s #4557: "Infinite" When we take a look at the Hebrew words that have been translated in the Old Testament as infinite, we see that the idea that the Biblical writers wanted to convey was that: Infinite means bigger or greater than people can count or measure.
9 verses found. Translated as “abundance” or “innumerable 1CH 22:4 Also cedar trees in <abundance>: for the Zidonians and of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David. JOB 21:33 The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, and man shall draw after him, as [there are] <innumerable> before him. PS 40:12 For <innumerable> evils have compassed me about: mine have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me. PS 147:5 Great [is] our Lord, and of great power: his understanding [is] <infinite>(goes beyond what people can measure.). ECC 2:3; ECC 5:18;ECC 6:12 JER 46:23 They shall cut down her forest, saith the LORD, though cannot be searched; because they are more than the grasshoppers, and [are] <innumerable>.
H4557 micpar, mis-pawr'; from 5608; a number, def. (arithmetical) indef. (large, innumerable; small, a few); also (abstr.) narration:-+ abundance, account, X all, X few, [in-] finite, (certain) number (-ed), tale, telling, + time. 110 verses found. NUMBER GEN 41:49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very until he left numbering; for [it was] without <number>. 2CH 12:3 With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand and the people [were] without <number> that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians. (More people than one can count came up with him from Egypt.)
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Is predestination an eternal decree to save some and damn the rest? What about Acts 13:48 (NASU) – When the Gentiles heard this, they [began] rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. Let’s look at the context. Acts 13:39 says, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. Here personal choice, personal responsibility, and individual response is involved in the present tense: everyone who is believing Likewise in Acts 13:43 – Now when [the meeting of] the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God. The message is for everyone who is believing. Here personal choice, personal responsibility, and individual response is involved in the present tense. Jews and God-fearing proselytes followed, and Paul was urging them to continue in the grace of God. Acts 13:45, 46 (NASU) – But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and [began] contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming. Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate (Strong’s #683) it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. Notice the strength of this word: 683 apotheomai (αποθεοµαι) (Thayer’s Lexicon) 1) to thrust away, push away, repel 2) to thrust away from one's self, to drive away from one's self 2a) repudiate, reject, refuse Acts 13:46 strongly expresses human choice and responsibility – Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you thrust away the word, reject it, refuse it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. It declares some Jews thrust away, reject, refuse the Word. They judge themselves unworthy. Therefore, Paul declared, We are turning to the Gentiles Likewise Acts 14:1-2 – In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks. But the Jews who disbelieved (Strong’s #544) stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren. Notice: Strong’s #544 apeitheo (απειθεω) (Thayer’s Lexicon) 1) not to allow one's self to be persuaded 1a) to refuse or withhold belief 1b) to refuse belief and obedience 2) not to comply with Thus Acts 14:2 is emphatic – But the Jews who refused to believe and obey, stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren. Each of these preceding verses stress
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70 • • • • •
personal choice, personal responsibility, and the reality of individual response. Some Jews and Gentiles responded to the Gospel. Other Jews thrust it away, rejected it, and refused the Word. They judged themselves unworthy. They refused to believe and obey. People divided themselves into two “camps” – Some for, some against the message , by their favorable or unfavorable disposition toward the message. In light of this notice how Acts 13:48 is translated in the Living Bible – When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and rejoiced in Paul’s message; and as many as wanted eternal life believed. Is it translated correctly? The significant question with this verse is: Who does the appointing? The Living Bible presents that it is the people themselves, by choosing to believe. Yet others refused to appoint themselves by refusing the message, refusing to believe, obey, and conform to God’s will. Other significant question are: What does it mean to be appointed? When does it happen? Under what circumstances? Who does the appointing? The word for appoint is: Strong’s #5021. tassw, tassô; Look at its usage: verse
usage
who did it
when
notes
Luke 7:8
For I also am a man placed under authority
By a superior officer
during the officer’s lifetime
Ro. 13:1
there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
By God
in a past time
Acts 22:10
‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.’
By God
?
Refers to ministry, not salvation Paul choice necessary to the appointment (Acts 26:20 – “I did not prove disappointment to the heavenly vision” The appointment was not determinism
Acts 28:23
When they had set a day for Paul
By the Jewish leaders in Rome
at that time
Middle voice: set for themselves, (designated for themselves, chose for themselves)
Acts 15:2
the brethren determined (purposed, resolved) that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem
By the Antioch church
at that time
1Co. 16:15
th e y hav e d e v o te d themselves for ministry to the saints
they appointed themselves
at that time
They τασσω-ed themselves
71 They τασσωed themselves 1. Something both God and man can do, personal action. 2. Not always about human salvation. 3. Can be a choice involving one or more alternatives In Acts 13:48 When the Gentiles were hearing εξαιρον they were rejoicing(V3PIAI) εδοξαζον they were honoring(V3PIAI) the Word επιστευσαν they believed(V3PAAI) as many as ησαν (V3PIAI) they were τεταγµενοι (VRM/PPMPN) appointed (devoted, resolved) to eternal life All four of these verse are continuous action right at that time. How does τεταγµενοι (VRM/PPMPN) fit into this? If it is Passive voice: If Middle voice:
they were (appointed, devoted, resolved, committed) by somebody they were (appointing, devoting, resolving, committing) themselves
Definition of the Middle voice: "The middle voice describes the subject as participating in the results of the action...the subject participates in the outcome. While the active voice emphasizes the action, the middle stresses the agent... never used without some sort of reference to the subject.” Dana & Mantey Intermediate Grammar, 156-158. The type of Greek construction used is called a paraphrastic construction. ησαν (IAI) τεταγµενοι (perfect participle) used with the Imperfect tense. Periphrastic Construction:
Imperfect tense used in conjunction with a perfect participle in this case, with the middle voice:
V3PIAI VRMPMPN ησαν τεταγµενοι They were (doing something) themselves 1. Emphasizes continuous “recurring actions.” 2. Therefore “appointing” could not have been a one time event in eternity past. 3. Ongoing action consistent w/the IAI of the passage In an imperfect, paraphrastic construction, what does "appointed” mean? • Not an eternal decree • It is happening at the same the time as the rest of the context • The middle voice carries an active sense – • “they were (placing themselves, appointing themselves, designating themselves, choosing themselves, determining for themselves, purposing for themselves, resolving for themselves, committing themselves)” • Perhaps “committing themselves” fits best.
72 When? They were committing themselves at the time of the passage. Under what circumstances? It is describing a continuous action, or “recurring incidents,” not once for all. This matches the continuous interaction of the passage. They were hearing, rejoicing, honoring, and committing themselves. This led up to: they believed. Reflecting upon: • the context with its continuous activity and emphasis upon human choice • the semantic range of τασσω, tasso • the use of imperfect periphrastic construction with the middle voice • the emphasis of the Bible (Rev.3:20, as a summary verse: Behold, I (have continued to) stand at the door and knock; if anyone (should) hear My voice and (should) open the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.Reve 3:20 • Acts 13:48 would read: God directed Paul to the Gentiles, `I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.' " When the Gentiles were hearing this, they were rejoicing and honoring the word of the Lord; and as many as were committing themselves to eternal life, believed. Notice how this lines up in agreement with the sequence of Eph.1:13. 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, First: they listened Second: they believed Third: they were sealed It is not something done once for all before the foundation of the world.
Thoughts on Foreknowledge by Various Authors be certain then, it is a contradiction to maintain that there can afterwards be any opportunity to choose differently.
MONTESQUIEU: It is not possible for God to foresee things which are determined by the decision of a free cause, because what has not yet happened does not exist, and in consequence cannot be known, since nothingness has no properties and cannot be perceived. God cannot make out an act of will which does not exist, or, in a soul, see something which is not there, for until the soul has reached a decision the action by which it is determined is not in it. God put Adam in the terrestrial paradise on condition that he will not eat a certain fruit, a requirement which would be absurd in a being who knew the future decisions of the soul; for after all, could such a being attach conditions to the favors he bestows without making them meaningless? It is as if someone who knew about the capture of Baghdad were to say to another person: 'I will give you a hundred dollars if Baghdad is not captured.'22
BOSWORTH: It appears to me that predestination, or what is equivalent to it, cannot be avoided, if we hold to unlimited foreknowledge of God. JOHNSON: Why Sir; does not God every day see things going on without preventing them? BOSWORTH: True, Sir, but if a thing be certainly foreseen, it must be fixed, and cannot happen otherwise; and if we apply this consideration to the human mind, there is no free will, nor do I see how prayer can be of any avail.
DR. CLEMENT ROGERS: If the idea of unlimited foreknowledge is still a trouble to us, if we cannot reconcile it with our idea of free will, we are at liberty to say that He does not know, that His knowledge of the future is limited by the free will He has given us. For, after all, we recognize that His power is limited by it. But it is a self-limitation, one He has imposed on Himself. Most believers in unlimited foreknowledge lay great stress that it is not anything like human knowledge; our knowledge of the future is always from the past; we argue from what has happened to what will happen, and therefore what we foreknow must always be determined and inevitable. But God sees the future not in the past but side by side with the present. If this means that there is in God a miraculous and to us completely incomprehensible knowledge which can be aware of future facts without affecting their contingency, it may perhaps be right to bow before it as before another mystery of faith. But it seems to me that we must admit it is a mystery; knowledge, in any sense we understand it, is not compatible with contingency; indeed they are opposite conceptions;
A DIALOGUE BETWEEN BOSWORTH AND JOHNSON23 BOSWORTH: Let us consider a little about unlimited foreknowledge. It is certain that I will either be at home tonight, or not. Such a certainty does not limit my freedom: because the liberty of choice between the two is compatible with that certainty. But if one of these events be certain now, I have no future power of will. If it be certain that I will be home tonight, I must be at home. JOHNSON: If I am well acquainted with a man, I can judge with great probability how he will act in any case, without his being restrained by my judgment. God may have this probability increased to certainty. BOSWORTH: When it is increased to certainty, freedom ceases, because that cannot be certainly foreknown, which is not certain at that time; but if it 22
Persian Letters, Montesquieu, Harmondsworth, England: Penguin books, 1973, pp.145-6. 23 The Life of Dr. Johnson, James Boswell, London: J.M. Deut & Sons, 1923 (1st ed., 1791), pp.209-10,376.
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the contingent is just what cannot be known.24 DR. ROBERT BLAIKIE: Let me confess here that I am very conscious, while writing of the need for the Church to think clearly and with integrity, that I myself am at present unable to accept the doctrine that God knows the outcome of every detail of the future as an absolute certainty. I believe God recognizes future possibilities as possibilities. It seems to me that by creating man 'in His own image', God conferred upon man a sort of freedom and a responsibility for action which necessarily preclude the possibility that He should foreknow with certainty what any man in his freedom will in fact choose to do. In the creation of man, therefore, as in the Incarnation, God in some measure `emptied' Himself and accepted certain self-limitations, which are the necessary complement of the personal powers given to man. As omnipotent, God could of course eliminate man and again know all things: but the existence of other 'personal agents' is impossible without His self-limitation in this matter. It is the rejection of the concept of timeless eternity that has closed to me the escape route normally taken by theologians when faced with the problem of fitting together the idea that man has freedom with the idea that to God, the future is only fixed certainties. Everything is a certainty in His eyes. He sees no possibilities. It therefore happens that as a consequence of my intense conviction that the fundamental presupposition of the Bible is simply and supremely true -- that is, God is a living personal Agent who created man in His own image for fellowship with Himself -- therefore, I am unable to accept the traditional doctrine of the omniscience of God with respect to my own and any other particular man's actions in the future. In this I am trying to be faithful to the Bible as I understand it. But if my Church were to declare (perhaps at someone's request for a decision in the matter) that in this respect the doctrine of God's omniscience is to be regarded as 'fundamental doctrine' in terms of the ordination vows I took, then I sincerely believe I would have the integrity to resign my office
24
Rodgers,...
Creation and Predestination, Dr. Clement
as a minister, and would honor the Church all the more highly for fulfilling her God-given responsibility in speaking up for truth as she sees it.25 DR. LORAINE BOETTNER: Loraine Boettner writes in his book, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, “What God foreknows must, in the very nature of the case, be as fixed and certain as what is foreordained; and if one is inconsistent with the free agency of man, the other is also. Foreordination renders the events certain, while foreknowledge presupposes that they are certain. “Now if future events are foreknown to God, there cannot be any possibility of taking a turn contrary to His knowledge. If the course of future events is foreknown, history will follow that course as definitely as a locomotive follows the rails from New York to Chicago. The Arminian doctrine, in rejecting foreordination, rejects the theistic basis for foreknowledge. “The Socinians and Unitarians, while not so evangelical as the Arminians, are at this point more consistent; for after rejecting the foreordination of God, they also deny that He can foreknow the acts of free agents. They hold that in the very nature of the case it cannot be known how the person will act until the time comes and the choice is made.” . . Others have suggested that God's omniscience may imply only that He can know all things, if He chooses, just as His omnipotence implies that He can do all things, if He chooses. . . Yet to ascribe ignorance to God concerning these is to deny Him the attribute of omniscience. This explanation would give us the absurdity of an omniscience that is not omniscient. When the Arminian is confronted with the argument from the foreknowledge of God, he has to admit the certainty or fixity of future events. Yet when dealing with the problem of free agency he wishes to maintain that the acts of free agents are uncertain and ultimately dependent on the
25
Secular Christianity and God Who Acts, Dr. Robert Blaikie, pp.247-8.
choice of the person, which is plainly an inconsistent position. A view which holds that the free acts of men are uncertain, sacrifices the sovereignty of God in order to preserve the freedom of men. (end of quote. taken
from: The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, by Loraine Boettner, The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., Philadelphia, PA, 1965. Excerpts from Chapter VI, entitled "The Foreknowledge of God.")
Doctrine of Immutability: Possible Points of Conflict 1.
2.
boundaries of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unchanging character which He has eternally committed himself to be. Notice especially the following passages where God changes His mind in certain situations: Amos 7:3; Jonah 3:10; Ps.106:45; 2Ki.20:1-7; Gen.6:5-6; Ex.32:12-14; 2Sam.24:16; Jdg.2:18, 26:10-16; Jer. 26:10-12; 1Sam.8:6,7; 1Chr.21:11-15; Ex.33:1-2 in contrast to Jdg.3:5.
Immutability. Some stress that there is nothing about God which is dynamic, but rather God is eternally frozen in changelessness in every tiniest detail. But another possible view sees God as being a dynamic active Being, responsive in His personality, yet changeless in: (a) in His personality functions (eternally possessing intellect, will, and emotions), (b) in His uncreated existence, Š in His absolute commitment or unswerving faithfulness to eternally and lovingly act in wisdom, righteousness, loving-kindness, truthfulness, and holiness. The Bible speaks 33 times of God repenting or changing His mind regarding what He would do in response to things people do. When God repents, that means He changes. These changes by God would then allow Him to wisely be merciful and not bring the judgment which He had declared He was going to bring upon them. Thus the Bible declares that God has changed in His response in some situation. So we need to look at the question: In what ways does God change and in what ways is He changeless? God is immutable, changeless, 1. In His attributes by existence (Eternal existence, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, and in His personalness, having abilities of intellect, will, and emotions. He is also perfectly unchanging in His constant (steady as a rock) commitment of absolute faithfulness to His character of love and life of holiness. 2. But the personalities of the Godhead are continually dynamic, alive and active, in their thoughts, emotions, as they continually make decisions and do things. Yet these changes of dynamic activity occurs consistently within the
God is unchangeable in His loving character and purposes, and therefore, He can wisely repent (change His mind) when men, in their freedom, do something or else fail to meet their responsibilities, and God redirects His activity accordingly so that He continues to uphold the highest good. If we understand that God is living and interacting with men, and many things in this world require a cooperation between God and a man or group of men, then we can understand why God changes His mind if a situation arises where He must in order to continue to pursue what is most valuable. 1Sam.15:29 says though that regarding allowing Saul to remain as Israel's king, God would not repent or reconsider. He holds to principle; He is not like men who are tempted to compromise and give in to ungodliness. And while Balak sought Balaam to pronounce judgment on Israel, God told Balaam to pronounce blessing saying, "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor the son of man, that He should repent (while men can be pressured into compromising and deceiving with lies, God never will.) God would not repent of His commitment to bless Israel in spite of Balak's pressure. Sovereignty. One view presents God as the Supreme authority who brings about everything precisely as He wants it because He is omnipotent. Therefore, everything
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4.
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Another view presents God as the Supreme authority to which all people are accountable for what they have chosen to do, and will be judged accordingly. His sovereignty is not to be understood as being like a puppet master pulling strings, but rather as One who deals with each individual according to what they choose. He maintains control of the direction and purpose of history, and invites people to work with Him in accomplishing His loving and intelligent objectives. If they do, He blesses them; if they don't, He judges them. God is sovereign inasmuch as He has power to exist in himself and power to call forth the universe out of nothing by his Word. God could create a world in which he determined every last detail in it, but he is not compelled to do so, and in the case of our world he did not do so. Whatever autonomy people posses, they have as a gift from God. God then honors that degree of autonomy which he gave people. God and time. One view presents God as being an Eternal-now, not having a past or future, not experiencing sequence, but instead everything being eternally PRESENT to Him. Another view presents God as being living and active. He thinks, reasons, remembers and forgets, writes and erases names from the book of life, experiences emotions, repents of what He would have
done because conditions have changed, makes new decisions. All these things are sequential, where one thing ends and another begins. God's knowledge. One view is that God is all knowing, there can be no increase or diminution of His knowledge. If, for example, God is ignorant of the decisions I will make tomorrow, then God will know more tomorrow (after my decisions are made) than He does today. But an understanding which is infinite cannot, by definition, increase. How can absolute perfection become more perfect? Viewing God as an eternal-now, God would be able to know about me in advance of existing. God could look down through time and see what I will choose. Another view is that God has an unending capacity to know, and He has an absolutely perfect knowledge of every tiniest detail of all existing reality. But as I live, through the choices I make, I bring about changes. Yet God is instantaneously aware of my every thought, intention, and action. He, therefore, masterfully deals with me, and all people, and brilliantly directs and controls history to accomplishes His purposes. If I choose contrary to his purposes (which are always loving and intelligent), then God deals with me appropriately along the way. The Godhead thus always possess a perfect understanding and perspective of presently existing reality, and His perfect knowledge always remains perfect.
What about Immutability? Introduction George Smith in Atheism: The Case Against God, writes, If we wish to discover the nature of the Christian God, the National Catholic Almanac offers us a generous assortment of attributes from which to choose. According to this source, God is "almighty, eternal, holy, immortal, immense, immutable, incomprehensible, ineffable, infinite, invisible, just, loving, merciful, most high, most wise, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, patient, perfect, provident, supreme, true."1 It was Augustine who first declared God is immutable in the strong metaphysical sense, timeless in his eternity, and impassible (or having no ability to experience feelings.) Immutable means changeless. Yet the Bible tells us that God repents. When He repents He has changed. Therefore, God is not immutable in every conceivable sense. Yet the Bible does declare God is changeless in certain aspects.2 So in what ways does God change and in what ways is He changeless? God does not change in His fundamental being. He always remains eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and personal. God is also changeless in His loving moral character as He faithfully follows the path of infinite wisdom, righteousness, loving-kindness, truthfulness, and holiness. He holds absolutely true to His moral character and purpose of love to faithfully uphold the highest good. To this He has committed Himself never to change. God is never morally changeable. We have every reason to trust His absolute faithfulness. He is the God who is our strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. All these beautiful qualities are true. Yet while God remains changeless in these things, He is living, active, and dynamic in His interactions with men as He brings forth infinitely wise and loving purposes in history. The Scriptures reveal the exciting beauty of God's exquisite nature as He interacts with rebellious creature. Yet God never departs from His moral virtue. He wisely redirects His actions depending upon how people respond to Him. God has declared, At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or
concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it. If that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will repent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it. There are 33 such verses that speak of God repenting.3 He changed what He did because people changed. When people repent, God may find opportunity to be merciful and not bring the judgment He said He would. God repents or changes His mind. Why should He ever need to except that there are contingencies regarding the future? God does not see every tiny detail of the future as already definite and fixed in its final outcome. People may change. If they do, God changes in the way He deals with them. God repents. He doesn't do what He had planned to do. Some have said God cannot repent because 1Sam.15:29 and Number 29:13 declare that He can't. Let us look together at these verses in their context. 1Sam.15:29 says the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind? Here God declares that He will no longer allow Saul to remain Israel's king. God would not repent or change his mind about that decision. He holds to principle; He is not like men who may compromise and give in to ungodliness. Though men may give in to silly sentimentalism, God will never violate principle. Saul's heart was not right and God never turned from His decision to remove him as king. However this verse is not a universal statement declaring that God never repents. Only a few verses earlier, God says I repent that I have made Saul king for he has turned back from following Me. In verse 35 God says the Lord repented that He had made Saul king over Israel. All three verses use the same Hebrew word. Numbers 23:19 says, God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? This declaration by Balaam includes a prophecy for Balak, king of Moab, who wanted Israel to be cursed. However God instructed Balaam to "speak only the word that I (God) shall speak unto you"4 Thus instead of cursing Israel,
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Balaam must bless them according to God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and others. Balaam declared God would not lie concerning what He was going to do and He would not repent of His commitment to bless Israel. Balak could never change that, nor get God to change. When we look at the total Bible message, we see this is what these verses mean. Yet people often divorce them from their context, This ignores other Biblical evidence. Some think it would be impossible for God to repent. They say if God is changeless, He would never be able to "repent (change His mind, grieve)" because then God would be changing.5 A simple reading of scripture reveals that God has repented in various situations.
Conclusion The immutability of God does not mean He is eternally frozen in changelessness. No. He deals personally with every person individually in the full dynamics of personal experience. In the case of King Saul, God turned and rejected him as the rightful king of Israel. This became the appropriate response of love and holiness. The scripture clearly presents God living and interacting with men. Time is an aspect of God's experience. Therefore, there are things regarding the
future that are not yet now certainties, but only possibilities. They depend upon the cooperation between God and a man, or between God and nations. We have the biblical record of times where God repented of one course of action and took another because of what people did. Some have said if God is not absolutely changeless, He would be terribly disappointed and unhappy. Yet sin does grieve and disappoint God. God said, "How I have been hurt by your adulterous heart that has departed from me."6 The Bible says God repented that He had made mankind because of their great wickedness.7 God's emotions changed from joy over his creation to deep emotional pain and grief over the whole human race because of sin.8 Further we know of the dynamics of God as Jesus came to earth and the Word became flesh. Here is a mysterious change that God did in His glorious freedom. Some say God can do anything and then deny that He does the very things the Bible says that he can and does do! Changing is something that God can do. God has made incredible changes for the sake of our salvation. Within the boundaries of God's unchanging character, the Trinity are dynamic and changing in their thoughts, emotions, and continually active in making decisions and doing things.
Why the Problem? One reason people misunderstand God's immutability is because they have not considered all of scripture. Another reason is a philosophical problem. Some have assumed that since God is omniscient, having perfect foreknowledge, God would not need to repent. Yet this overlooks the reality that there are contingencies regarding the future. Although Scripture plainly teaches God's constancy and reliability in His commitment to moral virtue and purity, nowhere does it teach immutability in a strong metaphysical sense. On the contrary, many verses tell us of God's responses and actions. The idea that God must be unchangeable in every conceivable sense is completely foreign to the Bible. It comes from Greek philosophy instead.9 Pelikan traces the rise of this idea in early Christian theology, drawing attention especially
to the difficulties that it created for Christology.10 It was Plato, not the apostles, who taught God could not change. We must reject this false Greek idea. It11 clouds over the clear truth of scripture. It takes what is historical and personal at its core and replaces it with something anti-historical and impersonal. While scripture tells us God is personal, Greek philosophy paints an ugly, strictly changeless face on Him. It locks God into a timeless present where He can feel no compassion for the sufferings of his creatures. Greek philosophy clashes with the Bible's message. It warp, twists, and destroys its beauty. We must stand on biblical truth over any and all philosophical influences. Let the Bible bring the true picture, unhindered by outside assumptions. It is not as if we had some more authoritative metaphysical
intuition than Scripture. God became flesh in Christ despite Greek immutability. He suffers with us regardless of the Greek notion that God cannot experience feelings. And He has interacted with people throughout history no matter what Plato speculated about time. God freely does all these things. There is no reason to be disappointed
that God falls short of some people's philosophical absurdities. People have tried through unbiblical speculations to inspire a greater sense of awe about God, but have ended up seeing Him less than He is. Let's simply believe what the Bible says about God. Our motto ought to be, Let God be God!
Free Grace A Sermon by John Wesley Published in August, 1739 Page-Indexed to Life of Wesley, Vol. I
p. 180 How freely does God love the world! While we were yet sinners, "Christ died for the ungodly." While we were "dead in sin", God "spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all." 1 And how freely with Him does He "give us all things!" Verily, free grace is all in all. The grace or love of God, whence cometh our salvation, is free in all, and free for all. First, It is free in all to whom it is given. It does not depend on any power or merit in man; no, not in any degree, neither in whole, nor in part. It does not in any wise depend either on the good works or righteousness of the receiver; not in anything he has done, or anything he is. It does not depend on his endeavors. It does not depend on his good tempers, or good desires, or good purposes and intentions; for all these flow from the free grace of God; they are the streams only, not the fountain. They are the fruits of free grace, and not the root. They are not the cause, but the effects of it. Whatsoever good is in man, or is done by man, God is the author and doer of it. Thus is His grace free in all; that is, no way depending on any power or merit in man, but on God alone, who "freely giveth us all things." But is it free for all, as well as in all? To this some have answered, "No, it is free only for whom God hath ordained to life; and they are but a little flock. The greater part of mankind God hath ordained to death; an it is not free for them. Them God hateth; and therefore, before they were born, decreed they should
die eternally. And this He absolutely decreed, because so was His good pleasure-because it was His sovereign will. Accordingly, they are born for this-to be destroyed body and soul in hell. And they grow up under the irrevocable curse of God, without any possibility of redemption; for what grace God gives, He gives only for this, to increase, not prevent, their damnation." This is that decree of predestination. But methinks I hear one say, "This is not the predestination which I hold: I hold only the election of grace. What I believe is no more than this– that God, before the foundation of the world, did elect a certain number of men to be justified, sanctified, and glorified. Now, all these will be saved, and none else; for the rest of mankind God leaves to themselves. So they follow the imaginations of their own hearts, which are only evil continually, and, waxing worse and worse, are at length justly punished with everlasting destruction." Is this all the predestination which you hold? Consider; perhaps this is not all. Do not you believe God ordained them to this very thing? If so, you believe the whole decree; you hold predestination in the full sense which has been above described. But it may be you think you do not. Do not you then believe God hardens the hearts of them that perish? Do not you believe He (literally) hardened Pharaoh's heart; and that for this end He raised him up, or created him? Why, this amounts to just the same thing. If you believe Pharaoh, or any one man upon earth, was created for this end–to be damned–you hold all that
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has been said of predestination. p. 181 And there is no need you should add that God seconds His decree, which is supposed unchangeable and irresistible, by hardening the hearts of those vessels or wrath whom that decree had before fitted for destruction. Well, but it may be you do not believe even this; you do not hold any decree of reprobation; you do not think God decrees any man to be damned, nor hardens, irresistibly fits him, for damnation; you only say, "God eternally decreed that all being dead in sin He would say to some of the dry bones, Live, and to others He would not; that, consequently, these should be made alive, and those abide in death-these should glorify God by their salvation, and those by their destruction." Is not this what you mean by the election of grace? If it be, I would ask one or two questions: Are any who are not thus elected saved? or were any, from the foundation of the world? Is it possible any man should be saved unless he be thus elected? If you say, "No," you are but where you was; you are not got one hair's breadth further; you still believe that, in consequence of an unchangeable, irresistible decree of God, the greater part of mankind abide in death, without any possibility of redemption; inasmuch as none can save them but God, and He will not save them. You believe He hath absolutely decreed not to save them; and what is this but decreeing to damn them? It is, in effect, neither more nor less; it comes to the same thing; for if you are dead, and altogether unable to make yourself alive, then if God has absolutely decreed He will make only others alive, and not you, He hath absolutely decreed your everlasting death; you are absolutely consigned to damnation. Call it, therefore, by whatever name you please, election, predestination, or reprobation, it comes in the end to the same thing. The sense of all is plainly this-by virtue of an eternal, unchangeable, irresistible decree of God, one part of mankind are infallibly saved, and the rest infallibly damned; it being impossible that any of the former should be damned, or that any of the latter should be saved. But if this be so, then is all preaching vain. It is needless to them that are elected; for they, whether with preaching or without, will infallibly be saved. Therefore, the end of preaching –to save souls–is void with regard to them; and it is useless to them that are
not elected, for they cannot possibly be saved. They, whether with preaching or without, will infallibly be damned. The end of preaching is, therefore, void with regard to them likewise; so that in either case our preaching is vain, as your hearing is also vain. This, then, is a plain proof that the doctrine of predestination is not a doctrine of God, because it makes void the ordinance of God; and God is not divided against Himself. A second is that it directly tends to destroy that holiness which is the end of all the ordinances of God. p. 182 I do not say none who hold it are holy (for God is of tender mercy to those who are unavoidably entangled in errors of any kind); but that the doctrine itself — that every man is either elected or not elected from eternity, and that the one must inevitably be saved, and the other inevitably be damned— has a manifest tendency to destroy holiness in general; for it wholly takes away those first motives to follow after it, so frequently proposed in Scripture, the hope of future reward and fear of punishment, the hope of heaven and fear of hell. That these shall go away into everlasting punishment, and those into life eternal, is no motive to him to struggle for life who believes his lot is cast already; it is not reasonable for him to do so, if he thinks he is unalterably adjudged either to life or death. You will say, "But he knows not whether it is life or death." What then?–this helps not the matter; for if a sick man knows that he must unavoidably die, or unavoidably recover, though he knows not which, it is unreasonable for him to take any physic at all. He might justly say (and so I have heard some speak, both in bodily sickness and in spiritual), "If I am ordained to life, I shall live; if to death, I shall die; so I need not trouble myself about it." So directly does this doctrine tend to shut the very gate of holiness in general–to hinder unholy men from ever approaching thereto, or striving to enter in thereat. As directly does this doctrine tend to destroy several particular branches of holiness. Such are meekness and love–love, I mean, of our enemies–of the evil and unthankful. I say not, that none who hold it have meekness and love (for as is the power of God, so is His mercy); but that it naturally tends to inspire or increase a sharpness or eagerness of temper, which is quite contrary to the meekness of Christ; as then specially appears, when they are opposed on this head.
Free Grace And it as naturally inspires contempt or coldness towards those whom we suppose outcasts from God. "O but," you say, "I suppose no particular man a reprobate." You mean you would not if you could help it; but you cannot help sometimes applying your general doctrine to particular persons; the enemy of souls will apply it for you. You know how often he has done so. But you rejected the thought with abhorrence. True; as soon as you could; but how did it sour and sharpen you spirit in the mean time? You well know it was not the spirit of love which you then felt towards that poor sinner, whom you supposed or suspected, whether you would or no, to have been hated of God from eternity. Thirdly, this doctrine tends to destroy the comfort of religion, the happiness of Christianity. This is evident as to all those who believe themselves to be reprobated, or who only suspect or fear it. All the great and precious promises are lost to them; they afford them no ray of comfort, for they are not the elect of God; therefore they have neither lot nor portion in them. This is an effectual bar to their finding any comfort or happiness, even in that religion whose ways are designed to be "ways of pleasantness, and all her paths peace." p. 183 And as to you who believe yourselves the elect of God, what is your happiness? I hope, not a notion, a speculative belief, a bare opinion of any kind, but a feeling possession of God in your heart, wrought in you by the Holy Ghost, or the witness of God's Spirit with your spirit that you are a child of God. This, otherwise termed "the full assurance of faith," is the true ground of a Christian's happiness. And it does indeed imply a full assurance that all your past sins are forgiven, and that you are now a child of God. But it does not necessarily imply a full assurance of our future perseverance. I do not say this is never joined to it, but that it is not necessarily implied therein; for many have the one who have not the other. Now, this witness of the Spirit experience shows to be much obstructed by this doctrine; and not only in those who, believing themselves reprobated, by this belief thrust it far from them, but even in them that have tasted of that good gift, who yet have soon lost it again, and fallen back into doubts, and fears, and darkness-horrible darkness that might be felt. And I appeal to any of you who hold this doctrine, to say,
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between God and your own hearts, whether you have not often a return of doubts and fears concerning your election or perseverance. If you ask, "Who has not?" I answer, very few of those that hold this doctrine; but many, very many of those that hold it not, in all parts of the earth-many of those who know and feel that they are in Christ to-day, and "take no thought for the morrow"; who "abide in Him" by faith from hour to hour, or, rather, from moment to moment; many of these have enjoyed the uninterrupted witness of His Spirit, the continual light of His countenance, from the moment wherein they first believed, for many months or years, to this day. That assurance of faith which these enjoy excludes all doubt and fear. It excludes all kinds of doubt and fear concerning their future perseverance; though it is not properly, as was said before, an assurance of what is future, but only of what now is. And this needs not for its support a speculative belief, that whoever is once ordained to life must live; for it is wrought, from hour to hour, by the mighty power of God, "by the Holy Ghost which is given unto them." And therefore that doctrine is not of God, because it tends to obstruct, if not destroy, this great work of the Holy Ghost, whence flows the chief comfort of religion, the happiness of Christianity. Again, how uncomfortable a thought is this, that thousands and millions of men, without any preceding offence or fault of theirs, were unchangeably doomed to everlasting burnings. How peculiarly uncomfortable must it be to those who have put on Christ, to those who, being filled with bowels of mercy, tenderness, and compassion, could even "wish themselves accursed for their brethren's sake." Fourthly, this uncomfortable doctrine directly tends to destroy our zeal for good works. And this it does, first, as it naturally tends (according to what was observed before) to destroy our love to the greater part of mankind, namely, the evil and unthankful. For whatever lessens our love, must so far lessen our desire to do them good. p. 184 This it does, secondly, as it cuts off one of the strongest motives to all acts of bodily mercy, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and the likeviz., the hope of saving their souls from death. For what avails it to relieve their temporal wants, who are just dropping into eternal fire? "Well, but run and
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snatch them as brands out of the fire." Nay, this you suppose impossible. They were appointed thereunto, you say, from eternity, before they had done either good or evil. You believe it is the will of God they should die. And "who hath resisted His will?" But you say you do not know whether these are elected or not. What then? If you know they are the one or the otherthat they are either elected, or not elected-all your labor is void and vain. In either case, your advice, reproof, or exhortation is as needless and useless as our preaching. It is needless to them that are elected, for they will infallibly be saved without it. It is useless to them that are not elected, for with or without it they will infallibly be damned; therefore you cannot, consistently with your principles, take any pains about their salvation. Consequently, those principles directly tend to destroy your zeal for good works; for all good works; but particularly for the greatest of all; the saving of souls from death. But, fifthly, this doctrine not only tends to destroy Christian holiness, happiness, and good works, but hath also a direct and manifest tendency to overthrow the whole Christian revelation. The point which the wisest of the modern unbelievers must industriously labor to prove is, that the Christian revelation is not necessary. They well know, could they once show this, the conclusion would be too plain to be denied, "if it be not necessary, it is not true." Now, this fundamental point you give up. For supposing that eternal, unchangeable decree, one part of mankind must be saved, though the Christian revelation were not in being, and the other part of mankind must be damned, notwithstanding that revelation. And what would an infidel desire more? You allow him all he asks. In making the Gospel thus unnecessary to all sorts of men you give up the whole Christian cause. "O tell it not in Gath. Publish it not in the streets of Askelon, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice;" lest the sons of unbelief triumph. And as this doctrine manifestly and directly tends to overthrow the whole Christian revelation, so it does the same thing, by plain consequence, in making that revelation contradict itself. For it is grounded on such an interpretation of some texts (more or fewer it matters not) as flatly contradicts all the other texts, and indeed the whole scope and tenor of Scripture. For instance, the assertors of this doctrine interpret that text of Scripture, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated,"
as implying that God in a literal sense hated Esau, and all the reprobated, from eternity. Now, what can possibly be a more flat contradiction than this, not only to the whole scope and tenor of Scripture, but also to all those particular texts which expressly declare, "God is love?" p. 185 Again, they infer from that text, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy" (Rom ix. 15), that God is love only to some men, viz., the elect, and that He hath mercy for those only; flatly contrary to which is the whole tenor of Scripture, as is that express declaration in particular, "The Lord is loving unto every man; and His mercy is over all his works" (Psalm cxiv.9). Again, they infer from that and the like texts, "It is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God who shows mercy," that He shows mercy only to those to whom He had respect from all eternity. Nay, but who replies against God now? You now contradict the whole oracles of God, which declare throughout, "God is no respecter of persons" (Acts x.34): "There is no respect of persons with Him" (Rom ii.11). Again, from that text, "The children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth; it was said unto her," unto Rebecca, "The elder shall serve the younger;" you infer, that our being predestinated, or elect, no way depends on the foreknowledge of God. Flatly contrary to this are all the Scripture, and those in particular, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God" (1 Peter 1:2); "Whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate" (Rom viii.29). And "the same Lord over all is rich" in mercy "to all that call upon Him" (Rom x.12). But you say, "No, He is such only to those for whom Christ died. And those are not all, but only a few, whom God has chosen out of the world; for He died not for all, but only for those who were 'chosen in Him before the foundation of the world' (Eph.i.4)." Flatly contrary to your interpretation of these Scriptures, also, is the whole tenor of the New Testament; as are in particular those texts: "Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died" (Rom xiv.15)-a clear proof that Christ died, not only for those that are saved, but also for them that perish; He is "the Savior of the world" (John iv.42); He is "the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world" (i.29); "He is the propitiation, not for our
Free Grace sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John, ii.2). "He," the living God, "is the Savior of all men" (1 Tim, iv 10); "He gave Himself a ransom for all" (ii 6); "He tasted death for every man" (Heb ii.9). If you ask, "Why then are not all men saved?" the whole law and the testimony answer, First, Not because of any decree of God; not because it is His pleasure they should die; for, "As I live, saith the Lord God," "I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies" (Ezek xviii.3,32). Whatever be the cause of their perishing, it cannot be His will, if the oracles of God are true; for they declare, "He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter iii.9); "He wills that all men should be saved." And they, secondly, declare what is the cause why all men are not saved, namely, that they will not be saved. So our Lord expressly, "Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life" (John v.40). "The power of the Lord is present to heal" them, but they will not be healed. p. 186 "They reject the counsel," the merciful counsel of God, "against themselves", as did their stiff-necked forefathers. And therefore are they without excuse; because God would save them, but they will not be saved. This is the condemnation, "How often would I have gathered you together, and ye would not" (Matt. xxiii.37). Thus manifestly does this doctrine tend to overthrow the whole Christian revelation, by making it contradict itself; by giving such an interpretation of some texts, as flatly contradicts all the other texts, and indeed the whole scope and tenor of Scripture-an abundant proof that it is not of God. But neither is this all, for, seventhly, it is a doctrine full of blasphemy, of such blasphemy as I should dread to mention, but that the honor of our gracious God, and the cause of His truth, will not suffer me to be silent. In the cause of God, then, and from a sincere concern for the glory of His great name, I will mention a few of the horrible blasphemies contained in this horrible doctrine. But first, I must warn every one of you that hears, as ye will answer it at the great day, not to charge me (as some have done) with blaspheming, because I mention the blasphemy of others. And the more you are grieved with them that do thus blaspheme, see that ye "confirm your love towards them" the more, and that your heart's desire, and continual prayer to God be, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!"
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This premised, let it be observed that this doctrine represents our blessed Lord "Jesus Christ the righteous, the only begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth, " as a hypocrite, a deceiver of the people, a man void of common sincerity. For it cannot be denied that He everywhere speaks as if He were willing that all men should be saved; therefore, to say that He was not willing that all men should be saved, is to represent Him as a mere hypocrite and dissembler. It cannot be denied that the gracious words which come out of His mouth are full of invitations to all sinners: to say, then, that He did not intend to save all sinners is to represent Him as a gross deceiver of the people. You cannot deny that He says, "Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden!" If, then, you say He calls those that cannot come, those whom He can make able to come, but will not, how is it possible to describe greater insincerity? You represent Him as mocking His helpless creatures, by offering what He never intends to give. You describe Him as saying one thing and meaning another; as pretending the love which He had not. Him, in whose mouth was no guile, you make full of deceit, void of common sincerity; then especially, when drawing nigh the city, He wept over it, and said, "O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, and ye would not!" Now, if you say they would, but He would not, you represent Him (which who could bear?) as weeping crocodile tears over the prey which He had doomed to destruction! Such blasphemy this, as one would think, might make the ears of a Christian tingle! But there is yet more behind; for just as it honors the Son, so doth this doctrine honor the Father. p. 187 It destroys all His attributes at once; it overturns both His justice, mercy, and truth. Yes, it represents the most holy God as worse than the devil; as more false, more cruel, and more unjust! More false, because the devil, liar as he is, hath never said he wills all mankind to be saved; more unjust, because the devil cannot, if he would, be guilty of such injustice as you ascribe to God, when you say that God condemned millions of souls to everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, for continuing in sin, which, for want of that grace He will not give them, they cannot avoid; and more cruel, because that unhappy spirit seeks
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rest and finds none. So that his own restless misery is a kind of temptation to him to tempt others; but God rests in His high and holy place, so that to suppose Him, out of His mere motion, of His pure will and pleasure, happy as He is, to doom His creatures, whether they will or not, to endless misery, is to impute such cruelty to Him as we cannot impute to the great enemy of God and men. It is to represent the most high God (he that hath ears to hear, let him hear!) as more cruel, false, and unjust than the devil. This is the blasphemy clearly contained in the horrible doctrine of predestination. And here I fix my foot. On this I join issue with every asserter of it. You represent God as worse than the devil; more false, more cruel, more unjust. But you will say you will prove it by Scripture. Hold! What will you prove by Scripture? that God is worse than the devil? It cannot be. Whatever that Scripture proves, it never proves this; whatever be its true meaning, it cannot mean this. Do you ask what is its true meaning, then? If I say I know not, you have gained nothing; for there are many Scriptures, the true sense whereof neither you nor I shall know till death is swallowed up in victory. But this I know, better it were to say it had no sense at all than it had such a sense as this. It cannot mean, whatever it mean beside, that the God of truth is a liar. Let it mean what it will, it cannot mean that the judge of all the world is unjust. No Scripture can mean that God is not love, or that His mercy is not over all His works; that is, whatever it prove beside, no Scripture can prove predestination. This is the blasphemy for which I abhor the doctrine of predestination; a doctrine, upon the supposition of which, if one could possibly suppose it for a momentâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;call it election, reprobation, or what you please (for all comes to the same thing)â&#x20AC;&#x201C;one might say to our adversary the devil, "Thou fool, why dost thou prowl about any longer? Thy lying in wait for souls is as needless and as useless as our preaching. Hears thou not that God hath taken thy work out of thy hands, and that He doth it more effectually? Thou, with all thy principalities and powers, can only so assault that we may resist thee; but He can irresistibly destroy both body and soul in hell! Thou can only entice; but His unchangeable decree, to leave thousands of souls in death, compels them to continue in sin till they drop into everlasting burnings. p. 188
Thou tempts, He forces us to be damned, for we cannot resist His will. Thou fool! why goes thou about any longer, seeking whom thou may devour? Hear thou not that God is the devouring lion, the destroyer of souls, the murderer of men? Moloch caused only children to pass through the fire, and that fire was soon quenched; or the corruptible body being consumed, its torments were at an end; but God, thou art told, by His eternal decree, fixed before they had done good or evil, causes not only children of a span long but the parents also, to pass through the fire of hell; that fire which never shall be quenched; and the body which is cast thereinto, being now incorruptible and immortal, will be ever consuming and never consumed; but the smoke of their torment, because it is God's good pleasure, ascendeth up forever." Oh, how would the enemy of God and men rejoice to hear these things were so! How would he cry aloud and spare not. How would he lift up his voice and say, To your tents, O Israel! Flee from the face of this God or ye shall utterly perish. But whither will you flee? Into heaven? He is there. Down to hell? He is there also. Ye cannot flee from an omnipresent almighty tyrant. And whether ye flee or stay I call heaven, His throne, and earth, His footstool, to witness against you; ye shall perish, shall perish eternally! Sing, O hell, and rejoice ye that are under the earth! for God, even the mighty God, hath spoken and devoted to death thousands of souls, from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Here, O death, is thy sting! Here, O grave, is thy victory! Nations yet unborn, or ever they have done good or evil, are doomed never to see the light of life, but thou shalt gnaw upon them forever and ever. Let all those morning stars sing together, who fell with Lucifer, son of the morning. Let all the sons of hell shout for joy, for the decree is past, and who shall annul it? Yes, the decree is past; and so it was before the foundation of the world. But what decree? Even this: "I will set before the sons of men life and death, blessing and cursing;" and "the soul that chooseth life shall live, as the soul that chooseth death shall die." This decree, whereby whom God "did foreknow, He did predestinate," was indeed from everlasting; this, whereby all who suffer Christ to make them alive, are "elect according to the foreknowledge of God," now standeth fast, even as the moon, and the faithful witness in heaven; and when heaven and earth shall pass away,
Free Grace yet this shall not pass away, for it is as unchangeable and eternal as the being of God that gave it. This decree yields the strongest encouragement to abound in all good works, and in all holiness, and it is a wellspring of joy, of happiness also, to our great and endless comfort. This is worthy of God. It is every way consistent with the perfection of His nature. It gives us the nobles view, both of His justice, mercy, and truth. To this agrees the whole scope of the Christian revelation, as well as all the parts thereof. To this Moses and all the prophets bear witness, and our blessed Lord and all His apostles. p. 189 Thus Moses, in the name of his Lord, "I call heaven and earth to record against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that thou and thy seed may live." Thus Ezekiel (to cite one prophet for all), "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear (eternally) the iniquity of the father. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked be upon him." Thus our blessed Lord, "If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink." Thus His great apostle, St. Paul, "God commandeth all men,
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everywhere, to repent." All men, everywhere; every person, in every place, without any exception either of place of person. Thus St. James, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." Thus St. Peter, "The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." And thus St. John, "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, and He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world." Oh, hear ye this, ye that forget God! Ye cannot charge your death upon Him. "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God. Repent and turn from your transgressions, so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby you have transgressed; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God. Wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?"
The Need for a Scriptural, and Therefore a Neo-Classical Theism by Clark H. Pinnock This paper was commissioned to be presented in the shadow of Carl F. Henry's address, also printed here, to explore some of the intellectual issues pertaining to classical Christian theism from a similar but not identical vantage point to his. It was my assignment to draw attention to certain inadequacies in classical theism and to indicate, if I could, the direction for overcoming them. It is my conviction that the form of theism received from great theologians like Augustine and Anselm is not completely faithful to Scripture and has adopted certain philosophical notions, Greek in their origin, and therefore does not stand beyond criticism from a Biblicaloriented evangelical. W hen I call for a "neo-classical" theism, the reader is not to identify my view with process theism, often called by that name, but simply understand me to be appealing for an exposition of theism which would go beyond traditional theism and hence be fairly called "neo-classical" in an unprejudiced use of that term. In fact, I am not calling for process theism which in my opinion subverts Biblical theism even more seriously than classical theism does, by allowing in it's case modern monistic, philosophical ideas to mute the Biblical witness. Nevertheless I do agree with much of the process critique of traditional theism and in that negative sense at least would express my admiration for it. David R. Griffin, for example, registers most telling criticisms in his book, God, Power, and Evil (Philadelphia:Westminster, 1976). Before launching into the argument it is essential to define for the reader what is meant by "classical theism". It is that form of theistic belief which came to full flower in Augustine according to which the deity, in addition to other perfections I will pass over, is taken to be immutable in the strong metaphysical sense, timeless in his eternity, and impassible in relation to the experience of any feelings. I limit myself to these three aspects of the classical model because they are of central importance and enable me to limit the scope of the paper. 1. The Classical Synthesis Classical theism according to friend and foe alike was forged out of materials both Biblical and philosophical. It is in fact a synthesis of revelational and rational elements. For that reason also it is open to criticism and correction from the side of evangelical theology which confesses the primacy of Scripture over philosophy. H. P. Owen, defender of the synthesis, writes: "So far as the western world is concerned, theism has a double origin: the Bible and Greek philosophy."1 Needless to say, critics of classical theism are quick to argue the same point. Brunner not only recognizes this to be the case, but contends that the resulting synthesis is a subversion of Biblical faith.2 He detects an abstract notion of God entering theology through the Fathers
1 H.P. Owen, Concepts of Deity, New York: Herder and Herder, 1971, p.1. 2
E. Brunner, The Christian Doctrine of God, Philadelphia: Westminster, 1950,
pp. 151-156
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NOTES:
Theism is the teaching which acknowledges that there is a God, as opposed to atheism which teaches that there is no God. Process Theism is a theological position that teaches that God has two natures and that he is endlessly involved in the processes of nature. It is more philosophical than biblical. Pinnock is making the point that he does not agree with that position, but he does want to reconsider the theology that has come down to the church through the early theologians who had been heavily influenced by the Greek philosophers. M etaphysical Immutability means unchanging in mental state. That means that God can never have a new thought. Impassible means “incapable of pain, passion, or suffering; that cannot be affected with pain or uneasiness” (Webster’s 1828 Am erican Dictionary of the English Language). Pinnock’s point in this section is that classical theism (which came to us through Augustine, etc.) was a product of what the Bible said about God and what Greek philosophy taught about God.
87 which is at odds with the Biblical conception. W hether or not we agree with him, as I do, the fact that classical theism is a synthesis of the Bible and certain Greek ideas seems to me undeniable. Let me refer now to the three perfections I listed in my earlier definition. In regard to the immutability of God, although the Scriptures plainly teach God's constancy and reliability in the moral and religious sphere, nowhere do they teach or imply immutability in the strong metaphysical sense which was adopted in the classical tradition. On the contrary, there are innumerable texts in which God's responses and actions are described so as to convey real and dynamic change in Him. The idea that God must be unchangeable in every conceivable sense is completely foreign to the Bible, while being axiomatic in Greek thought.3 Pelikan traces the rise of this concept in early Christian theology, drawing attention especially to the difficulties which it created for Christology.4 It was Plato, not the apostles, who taught that God was not subject to change from within or from without (Republic II 380-381). Regarding timelessness, it was Augustine who was the first thinker to propose in a systematic way that we should think of God as existing outside the temporal sequence altogether. He borrowed the idea, no doubt thinking it a good and useful one, from Platonic thought according to which God, if he were temporal in any way, would be limited on that account. Going beyond the Bible, which is satisfied to declare that God is everlasting, Augustine decided to consider him to be timeless, a negative notion deriving from Plato and defined later by Boethius, despite the fact, obvious to us, that such an idea presents no small threat to the Bible's depiction of God as an historical agent and actor. The impassibility of God is an even clearer case of a category applied to God which is emphatically Greek and not Biblical in origin. It is indeed, as Owen candidly admits, "the most questionable aspect of classical theism." 5 In each of these three cases we see an example of the synthesis which classical theism is, being the product of Biblical revelation and Greek reasoning. It would therefore be quite wrong to speak as if Biblical theism and classical theism were just the same thing, or, as if nonclassical forms of theism are automatically non-Biblical or sub-Christian. Classical theism is not a revealed model of deity beyond criticism and correction. It must stand under the light of Scripture equally along with competitive theories.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Fathersâ&#x20AC;? here refers to the so-called Church Fathers (for example, Augustine, Anselm, Origen) who formed the theology of the early church which has been passed down to us. Strong metaphysical immutability also means that God cannot change in his experience; therefore, he cannot experience anything new or change in his thinking regarding a particular situation or in his will. Axiomatic in Greek thought: The Greeks all held to a human philosophical idea that God never changed in any way, nor any detail. They thought that if a perfect god changed in any way, He would no longer be perfect. Pinnock presents the possibility that a perfect God would change in a perfect way in the context of interacting with His creation so that He would continually remain perfect. The problem that immutability raises for Christology is that since Christ was not human before the incarnation, therefore, if he is God, the experience of becoming human must have been a new experience and God changed. If God is timeless, it is very difficult for us to understand how he can also be active in history. To the mind of a Greek philosopher, if God experiences emotions and can be touched by pain or suffering, God is vulnerable and thus weak.
3
cf. Rem B. Edwards, "The Pagan Dogma of the Absolute Unchangeableness of God", Religious Studies 14 (1978) Sept. pp 305-313.
4
J. Pelikan, The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1971) pp 22, 52, 198, 229-231. H. P. Owen, op. cit., p. 24.
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88 2. The Basic Inadequacy If it were true that classical theism borrowed from Greek sources only ideas which were compatible with Scriptural theology there would be no problem. Measured by Biblical revelation, Greek thought is right on some points and wrong on others, just as all human culture is. Unfortunately, some borrowing of Greek ideas foreign to Scripture and contradicted by it took place in the early period and quite serious tensions arose in each of the three categories I have selected for this paper. Karl Barth was correct to substitute the term "constancy" for the term "immutability" in his superb treatment of the perfections of God,6 because immutability in the strong Greek sense contradicts the Christian faith and is sub-evangelical. The Fourth Gospel says that the W ord became flesh in the incarnation, to mention only one example of many texts which indicate God's ability to change in his glorious freedom. How ironical for classical theism to claim that God is unlimited, and deny that he is able to do the very things the Bible says that he can and does do! Changing is something that God can do, and more wonderfully it is something God wills to do for the sake of our salvation. W e have to say that the Greek idea of utter unchangeableness in God is false and misleading when measured by the Scriptures. Rahner is right: "If we face squarely and uncompromisingly the fact of the Incarnation which our faith in the fundamental dogma of Christianity testifies to, then we have to say plainly, God can become something." 7 In response to these texts, classical theists will often declare them to be anthropomorphic and figurative speech, having no real application to how God is in himself. Scripture may "say" that God changes or repents, but they assure us it does not really "mean" that. But how then is it that they decide when the Scriptures are speaking literally and when figuratively? The criterion employed here is simply the Greek ideal of perfection. The meaning of Scripture is not then determined from within Scripture, but on the basis of a higher standard, the requirements of adopted philosophical assumptions. It is this criterion which tells them that Scripture is figurative when it ascribes change to God and literal when a text appears to deny it. Belief in God's absolute unchangeability becomes the dogma by which Scripture is controlled and it's teachings filtered. As for timelessness, not only is it a Platonic category, it is also one which seriously jeopardizes the reality of contingent and significant history and makes the central Biblical symbol of God as personal agent very difficult to accept. It is not that we cannot think up some useful pastoral and philosophical implications stemming from the idea. The difficulty rather is that this extra-Biblical notion (I see it nowhere in the Bible) casts up serious problems we would be better off without,8 the most obvious of which is the way future contingent events are frozen into a timeless simultaneity and the way God's agency in the sphere of time is rendered so unnecessarily problematic. The negative notion of timelessness is just not rich enough to handle the requirements
6 7 8
K. Barth, Church Dogmatics II/l (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1957). pp 491-522. K. Rahner, Foundations of Christian Faith (New York: Seabury, 1978) p 220. Nelson Pike has pointed out most of them. God and Timelessness (New York: Schocken Books, 1970).
Regarding impassibility, the question is: Is the ability to experience emotions a weakness or a strength?
John 1:14 – And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . . Anthropomorphism refers to the idea that a quality from creation is attributed to God (such as the idea that God has feathers, hands, an arm, feet, also emotions, and personal responsiveness to man, such as repenting (or turning from a judgment in response to man’s repentance. See. Jonah 3:10.) The presupposition of those who defend classical theism is the Greek idea that perfection requires complete unchangeableness. Contingent and Significant History means history in which human choices actually make a difference. Pinnock’s point here is that to insist that God is timeless is to make all of God’s interactions with man in history, unnecessarily complicated. Yet the Bible consistently presents God as interacting with man. To call these figurative (anthropomorphic) expressions makes them meaningless statements that say nothing. x
89 that future events be truly contingent, and not in name only, and that a temporal dimension be recognized within the life and being of God himself. The Bible speaks temporally of God, and the theologian or philosopher has no right to declare such language improper or merely figurative. God's eternity according to the Bible refers to his everlasting existence without beginning and without end, but does not teach a simultaneity of past, present and future in God all at once. Impassibility, as we noted earlier, introduces the most serious distortion of all. For Owen to say that God cannot experience sorrow, sadness or pain sounds incredible to the reader of the Bible. For Anselm to declare, "when Thou beholdest us in our wretchedness, we experience the effect of compassion but Thou dost not experience the feeling", our eyes blink in astonishment.9 All our evangelical instincts cry out that it is not so. Imagine declaring that God cannot do precisely what the Bible boldly declares he can and does do! He hears the cry of his suffering people, feels their anguish along with them, and is deeply concerned (cf. Exodus 2:23-25). His ability to suffer and his willingness to do so, far from being a difficulty to explain, is the glory of the gospel. As Moltmann argues with such force, the cross compels us to reject a metaphysics that does not permit God to suffer.10 I believe he is right. The notion of impassibility is a singularly inappropriate notion to be applied to the God who reveals Himself in the Bible. Where then does the difficulty lie? It is a doctrinal problem. The classical synthesis does not square with the requirements of Biblical revelation. There is a logic at work in the borrowed Greek notions that obscures the gospel. The problem arises from the attempt to interpret a message which is historical and personal at its core by means of metaphysical categories which are a historical and impersonal at their core. It cannot work because there is a basic incompatibility operating. Scripture on the one hand presents a God who is a personal agent relating dynamically to history, whereas Greek philosophy bequeaths an image of deity which is strictly changeless, locked into a timeless present, and incapable of sharing the sufferings of his creatures. The dynamic ontology of the Bible clashes inevitably with the static ontology of the Greek thinkers, so that when the two visions of reality are brought together, Biblical teaching becomes warped and twisted and the resultant synthesis doctrinally objectionable. 3. The Needed Corrective If I am right to suppose that classical theism is a synthesis, and a synthesis not altogether wise, let me conclude by indicating the corrective that is needed from an evangelical standpoint. In this I am conscious of concurring with Dr. Henry's chief concern too. We must allow revelational norms to exercise control over any and all philosophical influences, and allow Scripture to create its own impression on us unhindered by outside assumptions. If, for example, Scripture uses the language not only of "being" but also of "becoming" as it does in reference to God's nature, we will gladly accept it. It is not as if
9
cf. C. Hartshorne and William L. Reese, Philosophers Speak of God (Chicago:
10
University of Chicago Press, 1953) p 99. J. Moltmann, The Crucified God (London: SCM, 1974), pp 267-278.
Exodus 2:23-25 – “Now it came about in [the course of] those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of [their] bondage rose up to God. So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice [of them].” Ontology is the study of the nature of being – in this case, Pinnock is saying that God is basically a being who can change. Static Ontology is the view of God’s being which says that he is fundamentally a being who cannot change in any way. For Pinnock the problem with classical theism is the attempt to marry two worldviews – the Biblical world view that God is actively involved in history responding both emotionally and intellectually to people – and marrying that to the Greek worldview that God is unchanging. All Biblical
we had some more authoritative metaphysical intuition than Scripture which declares the language of being acceptable and the language of becoming unacceptable. That would be to subject Scripture to the primacy of philosophy, and to treat philosophy as a second revelational light. God gives himself to be known in the Bible as One who becomes flesh in Christ despite Greek immutability, who suffers with us and for us despite Greek impassibility, and who enters easily into history despite Platonic timelessness. He is free and at liberty to do all these things and we acclaim this joyfully. We are not disappointed that he falls short of our philosophical expectations, but believe he is capable of being and doing what the Bible describes him being and doing, even things which according to Greek thought he is incapable of being and doing. It is simply a question of recognizing the "sola scriptura" principle in the realm of theism.1 There is a lesson to be learned from this discussion about the relation of Scripture and philosophy. Philosophical ideas have to be rigorously subordinated to scriptural revelation or else they will tend to take over in theology. The fact that this has occurred at least to some extent in Augustine, who was a Biblical conservative if there ever was one, should give us pause. Obviously it is not only in liberal theology where this occurs but among the orthodox as well. Philosophical borrowings can easily come to rival Scriptural teachings and become idols that compete with God's self-disclosure. We are hearing this warning from Barth, Thielicke, Hamilton, Bloesch, and others and we ought to heed it. This does not mean that philosophical tools and resources have no positive value or uses. It may well be that we shall be helped in our formation of a neo-classical theism by modern philosophical ideas which are ripe for theological expropriation. But if we do make use of them, let us exercise the greatest of care not to twist the Scriptures on their behalf. Our motto ought to be, Let God be God!
11
Barth is to be congratulated for understanding this most clearly and expressing it most adequately. See C. E. Gunton, Becoming and Being, The Doctrine of God in Charles Hartshorne and Karl Barth (Oxford University Press, 1978).
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references that suggest otherwise must be called figurative language. But figurative language must picture something, and the scriptures referring to God’s emotions, choices, and changes in response to human reactions to not give us a picture of anything. Either they must be literally true, or else they are totally meaningless, useless words. The attempt to wed these two fundamentally different world views creates confusion and inconsistencies in our teachings about God.
“Sola scriptura” means “only Scripture” – in other words, only the Bible is able to tell us what God is like – not sources outside of the Bible, such as Greek philosophy.
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Biblical Principles: The Sovereignty of God BIBLICAL PRIN.SE.PLES
PRIN'CIPLE, n. [L. principium, beginning]; a truth; that which supports an assertion, an action, or a series of actions; a law comprehending many subordinate truths.
One in a series published by PLYM OUTH ROCK FOUNDATION, Plymouth, MA & M arlborough, NH.
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD sov'er.eign.ty n. [deriv. of L. super, above + regnum, rule] Supreme power, absolute supremacy, the possession of the highest power. Autonomous, all-powerful. Free from external control; having total dominion. sov'er.eign n. A supreme lord or ruler; one who possesses highest authority. Some earthly princes, kings, and rulers are sovereigns in their dominions.
backward 10 degrees on the dial of Ahaz (Isa 38:8). He made the ravens to carry food to Elijah (I Kings 17), iron to float on the water (II Kings 6:5), lions in their den to be tame for Daniel (Dan 6:16-22). He used Deborah and Barak and 10,000 men to defeat the multitudinous forces and iron chariots of Sisera (Judges 5). He gave Gideon and 300 men the victory over 135,000 Midianites and Amalekites (Judges 6-8). Christ turned the water to wine (John 2:1-11), raised Lazarus, and Jairus' daughter, and the widow's son from the dead (John 11; Matt 9:23; Luke 7:11-17), fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fishes (Matt 15) -- and rose from the grave to conquer death and reign forever (John 10:18). Of such is the power and the glory and the Sovereignty of The Lord God. SOME KEY SCRIPTURES
THE BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE God is Sovereign Ruler of the universe: Supreme, over all the earth and all therein; there is none other. He directs all things and works all things "after the counsel of His own will" (Eph 1:11). God is the source of all power (Job 33:14). All power belongs to Him and flows from Him. God is The Creator of all that is and to The Creator belongs the created. In all things He is to have pre-eminence (Col 1:18). "I Am The Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" (Ex. 20:2) This is the first, the root principle from which other Biblical principles stem and on which other principles stand. (See also Matt 5:18; I Peter 1:24,25). EXAMPLES Examples of God's total and continuing sovereignty over the works of His hands (His creations): He caused the Red Sea to part and its waters to stand as walls (Ex 14): the earth to open and the guilty rebels to fall into the pit (Num 14): He ordered the sun to stand still (Josh 10) and to go
"HE doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand." (Dan 4:35) "Thine, O lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: For all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as Head above all...and Thou reignest over all" (I Chron 29:11,12) "O Lord God of our fathers, art not Thou God in heaven? and rulest not Thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in Thine hand is there not power and might, so that none (not even the devil himself) is able to withstand Thee" (II Chron 20:6). "I know that Thou canst do everything, and that no thought of Thine can be hindered" (Job 42:3). "Look unto Me, and be you saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God and there is none else. I have sworn by Myself, the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto Me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear" (Isa 45:22,23).
Biblical Principles: The Sovereignty of God
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(The Internal Flow of Power and Force) "For there is no power but of God..." (Rom 13:1). "By Me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By Me princes rule, an nobles, even all the judges of the earth" (Pr.8:15,16). "Therefore has He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth." "Hath not The Potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?" (Rom 9:18,21). (See also Job chapters 37-41; Ps.66:7; Isa 9:6,7; 42:8; Jer 10:10,12; Matt 28:18; John 17:2,1; I Cor 8:6; Col 1:16.17; Rev 4:11, etc.). APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLE Each individual (and each nation) must make a choice: Either God is sovereign, and Christ is King, or man (or men) will be sovereign. Either God is God or man (or men) will be "as gods". For Christians who commit their lives to Christ, the choice is clear: God is sovereign, Christ is King. The Christian must make Christ Lord of all, for if He is not, then, as far as your life is concerned, He is Lord not at all. Thus, the godly Christian acknowledges and seeks to be guided by the first, the root, Biblical principle: The Supreme Sovereignty of the Living, True and Triune God. What is it that The Sovereign God expects (requires) of His people? If you love Me, Christ said, you will keep My commandments (John 14:15). And, what are His commandments? This: You shall worship The Lord thy God, and Him only shall you serve (Matt 4:10). You shall love The Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all you mind. This is the first and great commandment. And, the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matt 22:37-40). SELF-GOVERNMENT
(NOTE: One of the central properties of sovereignty is power. Sovereignty may be understood to be the source of power (that which is in power is sovereign). In this regard, consider the definition of government used in this series on Biblical principles: Government is the flow of power and force (force being defined as the application of power, not necessarily physical; e.g. Christ governs even the elements: as Sovereign. He used His power to force the tempest to cease (Luke 8:24); civil authorities use their power to force un-self-governed citizens to obey the law â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to en-force the law). As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.... Keep you heart with all diligence; for out of it flow the issues of life (Pr. 23:7a; Pr 4:23. See also Matt 12:34). Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee. Blessed art Thou, O Lord; teach me Thy statutes (laws) (Ps 119:11,12). That which is sovereign in an individual's life is the source of the flow of power and force which is his or her self-government. That which is sovereign, that which is the source of power in a person's life, controls the person's heart and mind, directs the person's thoughts, establishes his or her presuppositions, determines the values and standards of morality, sets life's course and prescribes the individual's actions in the here and now, and ultimately, his destiny in the hereafter (Deut 11:26,27; Deut 28:2,15). He that believes on Him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18). When a person truly accepts Christ as Savior, he also acknowledges the first principle of Christian self-government: There is another King â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Jesus Christ. When that occurs, life is truly transformed. Not just improved, transformed. That which is old, shoddy and degenerate, is passed away; all things become new (II Cor 5:17). With a new source of power (a new sovereign) comes a new source of life: Christ Jesus! He Who is The Way, The Truth, and The Life (John 14:6) becomes just that and all of that. He Who is The Sovereign of all becomes, in fact as well as in name, the individual's King, his ruling authority. Gone is double-minded religiosity, come to stay is the burning faith which inspired and impelled the early Christians (Luke 24:32). And with this faith comes power; the power which flows from The Creator to His very own. The internal power that transforms the individual and can transform
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Biblical Principles: The Sovereignty of God
the world; the internal power which, when manifested externally, can turn the world right-side up (Acts 17:6). Only godly internal (self) government can produce a godly external (civil) government. One of God's laws of nature is this: the internal produces the external (Matt 7:17-20). "Christianity is not merely a theology...it is more than the true doctrine of salvation; it is also the one correct interpretation of life and the world. It is a comprehensive system of all revealed truth â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not only the truth of God's special revelation, The Bible, but of His general revelation in nature and history as well....The religion of the Christian man (and woman) embraces the whole of life." (Dr. R .B. Kuiper on the "whole duty of the Christian," 1935) This, then is true: When God is sovereign in a person's life, the greater the flow of internal (self) government and the smaller the need for external (civil) government. Conversely, when God is rejected as King, the greater the flow of ego-directed power and the greater the need for civil government to restrain him. As William Penn observed, Men will be governed by God (His sovereignty) or they will be ruled by tyrants (the power and force of those who deny God). CIVIL GOVERNMENT (External Flow of Power and Force) Just as that which is sovereign in the life of the individual is the source of power and force of selfgovernment, so that which is sovereign in the life of a nation is the source of the flow or power and force that manifests itself as civil government. That which is sovereign in a nation's affairs (government) controls its policies, sets its standards, colors its laws (and the spirit and enforcement of those laws), determines the governmental course of action, and determines its survival and its fate (II Chron 7:14,19). When God is recognized as Sovereign (as He was in the beginning of the American Republic) then man and his civil condition (his State) will be governed according to the laws of God, and in harmony with Biblical principles and precepts; there is little conflict between godly citizens and godly governors (servants of God). And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be My people (Lev 26:12). But, when man (or men: the State) is held to be the supreme sovereign, then man and his civil condition will be ruled by the laws and values of man playing god: Whether "every man does what is right in his own eyes" (anarchy â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Judges 21:25) or "Caesar is Lord"
(tyranny), one or the other will inevitably result when God is not sovereign in the affairs of a nation. When that occurs, there is constant conflict between godly citizens and ungodly civil authorities. For those who "must obey God rather than men" answer to a Higher Authority (Acts 5:29). For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ (Gal 1:10). Whether it is right in the sight of God to obey you [civil authorities, religious leaders of Jerusalem] rather than God, you be the judge (Acts 5:19). To seek to please men and their dictates rather than God and His law-word is to reject the Sovereignty of God. RELATING THE PRINCIPLE TO AN ISSUE When The Lord God brought forth the Israelites from Egypt, "out of the house of bondage," He entered into covenant with them (Ex. 19:5-8); as Lord, He also became their civil King and they became His kingdom, a holy nation. When we, through the Blood of Christ, are brought out of bondage of sin and death, we also enter into covenant with Him (John 3:16). When we accept Christ as our Savior and our King, our Sovereign, we become His very own, citizens of His kingdom (Phil 3:20). A key issue: His church vs. the State. As His, we are to keep His commandments; God's first commandment becomes especially binding upon us: "Thou shalt have no other gods before (above) Me" (Ex 20:2). No other gods, no other kings, no other sovereign. We are not to bow down to them or to serve them "for I The Lord thy God as a jealous God". Rev. T. Robert Ingram points out that the First Amendment to the Constitution "was, in fact, and is, a paraphrase of that First Commandment given Moses. ...[it], the First Article of the so-called Bill of Rights ... offered the most sophisticated machinery yet devised by Christian men for pinning down the agencies of temporal power and preventing them from encroaching upon the total power that can rest only in Jesus Christ." Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
Biblical Principles: The Sovereignty of God I am The Lord thy God; thou shalt have no other gods before Me. "The basic law of the United States guarantees that Congress shall not usurp the authority over worship and by doing so put Congress in the place of God." It applies to Congress and hits at the most immediate and present danger to the acknowledged Lordship of Christ." That First Amendment, As Rev. Ingram emphasizes, was not simply a matter of division between states' right and federal power, it concerned "God vs. other gods". Americans, including many American Christians, seem to have forgotten what our Founding Fathers knew so well and held so dear: The truth that only God is God; that He alone is sovereign above and over all. Could it be that where those men of old recognized the Supremacy of The Lord God, many of today's professing Christians settle for a piece-meal faith and a compromised concept of Almighty God? That they have been led astray by the "pastoral pipings" sounded
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by so many pulpits? The God fashioned by so many in this 20th Century is not the God of our Fathers, not the God of The Bible. Only when we, as Biblical Christians, have the wisdom and the courage to assert and apply the principle of God's sovereignty â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Crown Rights of Christ Jesus â&#x20AC;&#x201D; only then shall we truly know His flow of internal power which can produce that external flow of power and force to reduce Caesar to his Bible-based dimensions (a ministry of justice as a servant of God). "I am The LORD ; that is My name; and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images." (Isa 42:8). For copies of this paper, or for further information, please write or call Plymouth Rock Foundation, Fisk M ill, PO Box 425, M arlborough, NH 03455, (603) 876-4685. Corporate officers are located in Plymouth, MA, 02360.
Concepts of Time and the "Eternal Now" Time then, is the record of the sequence and duration of those experiences and events. Time always has been, just as knowledge always has been, because God always has been, is, and always will be. In Isaiah 1:18 God says, Come let us reason together.... Reason is the logical progression of thoughts in a sequence. Experience involves interaction. Interaction is a sequence of actions. A sequence of actions requires a sequence of time through which it occurs. In order for God to reason, one thought must come first, then another, then another...this progression is what we call time. This progression in sequence characterizes all meaningful aspects of experience, i.e., thoughts, emotions, and actions Time is an aspect, then, or characteristic, of God's experience as the Trinity interact among themselves and as God interacts with His creation. Time is there simply because God is there. You don't talk about God being "in" time but rather about time as being something God has. It is an aspect of His experience.
A.W. Tozer: Time is the medium in which things change. It isn't time that makes you change; it isn't time that took your 32 honest teeth and got you those hypocrites; it isn't time; it's change that does that. In order to change there must be a sequence of change. That sequence is time, and we call it time. (as quoted in Nature and Character of God, by Winkie Pratney, p. 213., italics by editor of this curriculum) Dr. Robert Blaikie: God's eternity, as understood in Hebrew tradition that runs throughout the Bible, is not a 'timeless state' as in Greek thought [which is] without a 'before' and 'now' and 'after' ...in which 'history' is without real meaning. God's eternity ... is time with the quality of God's presence and God's action in it; and God acts in our time and history, which is contained within and permeated by His own eternal time (as quoted in Pratney, p.215.) L.B. Allen: "Time is the record of the sequence and duration of experiences and events."
"Eternal Now"
The temporal is bounded time.
Some have speculated that eternity is not eternal unending time but instead and "eternal now." This presents that eternity is a realm without time.
Tem'poral: 1. Pertaining to this life or this world or the body (Webster's 1828 Dictionary) "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal , but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2Cor. 4:18)
Thomas Aquinas: "Hence, all things that are in time are present to God from eternity because His glance is carried from eternity over all things as they are in their presentiality" (ST 1.14.13).
Eternity is infinite time, unending time, unbounded time; Eternity has no bounds but is nevertheless a sequence of events.
Rousas John Rushdoony: For the Almighty God, all history is present before Him. God is not bound by time, because He is the creator of time, as of all things. Before the foundation of the world, He ordained and decreed all things that come to pass, so that the beginning and the end of creation are always totally before Him. God is beyond history, but not a second nor a hair of all history is ever beyond Him or outside of His government and vision. He is the Lord, the Almighty. (God's Plan for Victory, by Rousas John Rushdoony, Thoburn Press, Fairfax, VA, 1977, pp.17-18.)
Past
Present Future <------------*---------------*------------> <Gen.1:1 temporal Rev.22:21> Time is an aspect of God's experience. The Trinity have always lived together in the dynamic experiences of an eternal love relationship. Therefore, time is a commodity that God has always had full possession of. God does not live "in" time (it is not a box you stuff God into), but time exists because God exists. The Dynamic, Living God eternally lives, acts, thinks, reasons, experiences, and feels emotions. Time,
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Concepts of Time and the “Eternal Now” In response to the idea of the "eternal now," Gordon Olson writes, “The theological dogma that God is an "eternal now", or that time or succession is not an element in the Divine existence, is evidently a philosophical rather than a Biblical concept .... When one tries to show how a God who is timeless or an "eternal now"... can make a choice in time which is not a reality for Him, grave logical complications arise. Supposedly He has no succession of time to bring about a chronology of thoughts, reactions, decisions, and actions. He [continuously] experiences these things in His timeless existence. This view is contrary to the plain and simple record of Scripture. An "eternal now" God would not have a duration of time in which to make a choice to enter into a duration of time. But suppose He did enter into time to bring into His experience a genuine chronology of events. He would then be experiencing everything all at the same time while not experiencing everything all at the same time. (see discussion in The Truth Shall Make You Free, by Gordon C. Olson, Bible Research Fellowship, p. T-III-7.) How would God act or move in an eternal now? Eternal now gives no opportunity for God... 1. to create (but God created) 2. to do things in sequence. 3. to interact with events (yet "God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; Ge.6:12.) 4. to make choices (but God says "If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. Jr.18:8) 5. to have a sequence of thoughts (reason) (but God says, "Come, let us reason together Is.1:18) 6. to have reactions (however "God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, ... and it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart Ge.6:5,6) 7. to experience a sequence of emotions (but "He will not always chide; neither will he keep his anger forever." (Ps.103:9)
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Great problems arise if we do not accept the simple statements of scripture. Robert Blaikie writes: Action cannot be conceived of apart from movement, and movement requires time ! real flowing duration." (Pratney, The Nature and Character of God, p. 219). John Locke wrote, "I ask those who say they have a positive idea of eternity whether their idea of eternity includes succession or not .... The notion they have of duration forces them to conceive that whatever has duration is of a longer continuance today than it was yesterday.... nothing is more inconceivable to me than duration without succession.... But if our weak apprehensions cannot separate succession from any duration whatsoever, our idea of eternity can be nothing but of infinite succession, of moments of duration wherein anything does exist...." (as quoted in Pratney, p. 213). J. R. Lucas, in A Treatise on Time and Space wrote, "endless time is not a limitation except to those who do not enjoy life now.... The test of time is a severe test of value. Only something supremely worthwhile can stand having infinite time to do it in." He goes on to say that, otherwise, infinite time would be everlasting hell. (as quoted in Pratney, p.216.) God is not in the least threatened, nor limited by infinite time. Fretheim writes, "God remains the same. God does not waste nor wear away like the grass or a change of clothes. God is immune from the ravages of time..." (as quoted in Pratney, p.216.). The relationship of the Trinity is without beginning or end. It is an endless eternity. In Exodus 32:10-14 God was persuaded not by Moses' reasoning, but by the latter's heart and actions. By these, Moses gave God an opportunity whereby He might wisely extend mercy.
Key Excerpts from A Treatise on Time and Space by J. R. Lucas Eternity is not timelessness... If we think of God as a living person, who acts in the world, or even who is merely conscious, we must seem to be ready to apply temporal expressions to Him...To be alive, to be a person, to be conscious, to be active, one must be, in some sense, in time. (p.301). Eternity is not changelessness. While God does not grow old like a garment, nor perish like a suit of clothes, this still does not mean that God cannot alter in some respect.... We ask Him to do things, which would be pointless if He could not act or alter in response to our request.... Personality is dynamic. While God's faithfulness of character and competency of ability is as solid as a rock, nevertheless, He is not as unfeeling as a rock. God is able to be permanent, dependable, and stable without being dead and finished. He is ever new and full of life in the freshness of His personality. (p.301). The concept of the present. The intervals that we mortals regard as present seem often, although not always, fleeting and transitory: the present day, the present year, our present lives, often seem to be slipping away before we can lay hands upon them. But the present century, the present era, and the present world (in contrast with the world to come) seem fairly permanent, in a tiny speck of a way that God's presence is permanent.
. To understand eternity therefore we should not think of it as timeless or changeless, but as free from all those imperfections that make the passage of t i m e for us a matter for regret. For God, good things do not come to an end with the passing of time. And God, unlike man, does not feel the future bearing down on Him and pressing upon Him, because He can carry out His every activity in good time. He does not become caught unawares, and does not feel caught up in a rush and in need of extra time in order to think out things properly. (p. 306). Our feelings about time are colored by our own imperfections: our limited lives, the impermanence of what we love and value, the weakness and frailty of our judgment, our failures of will, our inability to cope with circumstances and control events, and by our sins. God is not subject to such obstacles; God is the master of time, not its prisoner; while time passes, it does not press Him. While the sequence of events continues, God still has the long range v i e w , the splendor of His abilities, and His dynamic personality to conquer all. (p. 307).
The Eternal Now: From Pro and Con PRO 1. "For the Almighty God, all history is present before Him. God is not bound by time, because He is the creator of time, as of all things. Before the foundation of the world, He ordained and decreed all things that come to pass, so that the beginning and the end of creation are always totally before Him. God is beyond history, but not a second nor a hair of all history is ever beyond Him or outside of His government and vision. He is the Lord, the Almighty." (Rushdoony, R. J. God's Plan for Victory, Thoburn Press, Fairfax, VA, 1977, pp. 17-18.)
McCabe in Divine Nescience of Future Contingencies, p. 14 of retyped copy.) 3. "There can be no succession of thoughts in the divine mind." (Dr. Jamison, ibid, p. 14.) CON: 1. "The classical Christian explanation of the foreknowledge of contingencies depended on the conceptualization of God as a being transcending all temporality. 'Hence, all things that are in time are present to God from eternity,' asserted Thomas Aquinas, 'because His glance is carried from eternity over all things as they are in their presentiality' (ST 1.14.13). God experiences past, present, and future in one 'eternal now.' John Wesley and the Methodist tradition had accepted the notion of God's timelessness and used it to
2. "God cannot know one thing before another, and one thing after another." (John Wesley, as quoted by Lorenzo Dow
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99 explain how the foreknowledge of events not causally predetermined was possible. Of course, such an argument cannot technically be an explanation of foreknowledge [knowing ahead of time], since in speaking of God one is then no longer operating within a temporal framework. Yet from the human standpoint, God's timeless omniscience would appear to be foreknowledge and no absurdity would attach to His knowledge of future contingents. (King, Wm. McGuire, God's Nescience of Future Contingents: A Nineteenth Century Theory, published in Process Studies, Fall-Winter 1979, p. 110.) 2. The theological dogma that God is an "eternal now," or that time or succession is not an element in the Divine existence, is evidently a philosophical rather
than a Biblical concept...When one endeavors to show how a God who is timeless or an "eternal now," or who does not have a succession of actions or events in His basic existence, can make a choice in time to bring about a chronology of thoughts, reactions, decisions, and actions, which were always being experienced in His timeless existence, grave complications arise which the plain and simple record of Scripture appears to know nothing about. An "eternal now" God would not have a duration of time in which to make a choice to enter into a duration of time, to bring about experientially a genuine chronology of events. (Olson, Gordon C., The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. T-III-7.)
Omniscience An Outline for Teaching and Study 1. Definitions of omniscience: a. Miley: His omniscience embraces the universe of realities. (John Miley, Theology, Vol. 1, p. 219) b. Hasker: It is impossible that God should at any time believe anything false, or fail to believe anything which is true. (Metaphysics, p. 52) c. Pratney: "God's perfect and eternal knowledge of all things which are objects of knowledge, whether they be actual or possible, past, present, or future." God knows the past as perfectly as He absolutely knows the present, and the possibilities of the future as well as that which is possible in the present. • God has a perfect perspective of all existing reality. He knows all existing knowledge. God is unlimited in His capacity to know. He has knows the past and the present perfectly. God has total infinite recall of every tiniest detail of the past. God has total consciousness of every location of every atom & its molecular structure in the entire universe. Regarding people God knows precisely every thought and every intention of heart — Heb 4:13. God knows perfectly all future possibilities as possibilities and future certainties as certainties. 2. The omnipresent God knows all that is happening in His creation, even to the thoughts and intentions of each person. I Kings 8:39; Job 26:6; Prov. 15:3; Jer. 32:19; Eze. 11:5; Matt. 12:36-37; John 2:24; 21:17 (all things); Acts 1:24; Heb. 4:12-13; I John 3:20 (all things); Rev. 2:23, Psalm 147:5; Isa. 40:28 •
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Because man is made in God's image, man is also a creator in that he creates choices or moral decisions. He freely (Man's free will is essential to the image of God.) chooses between two or more alternatives. (Is God the author of sin?) Until these choices are made, at least in the heart, they do not exist, and are therefore not a part of the body of knowledge, and I do not believe that they can be known even to God. (There is a viewpoint that all future free choices of free moral agents are known by God as possibilities before they become actual choices. See Pratney, W. A., The Nature and Character of God, p. 204) Gen. 6:5-7 (Gen. 1:31)-How could the Lord truly be sorry He had made man on the earth if He already had foreknown these depths of sin to which man would fall? Gen. 22:12-...for now I know... Exo. 32:7-14 God was truthful when He said He would destroy Israel. (Psalm 106:23) Moses' intercession changed God's mind on how to deal with the people. (Psalm 106:23) The difference between God's unchangeable ultimate purposes and the constantly revised decisions He must make from day to day to deal with men according to their free choices. Deut. 31:20-21-Here God makes predictions on the basis of what He sees in the hearts of men at the present time. Judges 2:20-22-God removed His promised blessing because of the nation's disobedience. Compare the promise in Exo. 33:2; 34:24 and in Josh. 23:3-13 with this passage and with Judges 3:1-5? Was God lying in the first 3 passages? God would be lying if He told them that they were going to be blessed even though He already knew they were going to be disobedient and that He wouldn't fulfill His promise. (EXPLAIN "CONDITIONAL COVENANTS"-Why is the word "if" used in God's dealings with man if He already knows every detail of everything that will ever happen? (See 5. below.) Num. 23:19 I Sam. 15:10-12, 24-30 I Kings 11:14 through 13:34. Discuss the "blank check" prophecy to Jeroboam in 11:37-38. Discuss also the relationship of the prophecy of Ahijah and the warning to prophets in Deut. 18:21-22. II Kings 20:1-6. Deut 18:21-22 applies here also. I Chron. 21:9-15 II Chron. 12:5-8-God's judgement was altered when the people humbled themselves. Isa. 25:1-...You have done...things planned long ago...37:26; 41:21-24; 44:28-45:7 (Cyrus);45:11-13, 21, 23; 46:10-11; 48:3, 5-7; 49:1-7 (various opinions include the (1) nation of Israel, (2) Jeremiah, or (3) Messiah.
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Omniscience and Outline for and Study • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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Jer. 1:4-5 (Jeremiah) Jer. 3:7, 19 (I thought) Jer. 6:19; 7:14-16 Jer. 7:31; 19:5; 32:35 (Compare Lev. 18:21) Jer. 18:1-12-the potter and the clay. Jer. 25:11-12-seventy years captivity and restoration (Compare 29:10) Jer. 26:1-3, 13, 19 Jer. 31:36 Jer. 36:1-3 Eze. 12:1-3 Joel 2:12-14 Jonah 3:1-4:2-Jonah understood God's heart, even though He disagreed with God's purposes in this particular instance. Most people have a hard time understanding His heart. Judas (See separate sheet.)
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THE DIVINE "PERHAPS" (ULAY) (Pratney, Nature & Character of God, p. 201-202) The word perhaps is used in human speech to indicate uncertainty regarding the future ... Five times this word [Heb. ulay] is used by God: Ezek.12:1-3, Jer.26:2-3; cf. 36:3,7; 51:8; Is.47:12; cf.Lk.20:13) God expresses uncertainty about how the people will respond to the prophetic word. These texts show God had a right to bring unconditional judgment. Yet God does not. He waits to see if some spontaneous response from hearing the prophets will lead to repentance. These texts show that Israel's future is genuinely open; God is willing to respond to them.
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THE DIVINE "IF" (IM) (ibid., p. 202) There are conditional Hebrew constructions, using the particle im (usually translated to English as "if") with the imperfect form of the verb in the protasis. God says, "If you thoroughly amend your ways...then will I cause you to dwell in this place" (Jr.7:5, see also 26:4-6.)
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THE DIVINE CONSULTATION (ibid., p. 202-203) In Ex.32:7-14, God tells Moses, "Let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them," when the Israelites had built the golden calf in the wilderness. Moses, however, reasons with God as to why He should extend mercy. While God certainly would have already thought of these reasons, nevertheless, God deals with Moses' integrity and honors the human insight as an important ingredient for shaping the future.
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THE DIVINE QUESTION (ibid., p. 203) In Hosea 5:14,15, God says, "For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion ... I will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offense, and seek my face; in their affliction they will seek me early." Here is an implied question that God asks Ephraim. He waits to see if they will repent. Therefore Hosea declares, "Come, and let us return unto the Lord; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up." However, Ephraim did not respond! The northern kingdom was not healed! They were destroyed when Assyria swept in from the north and carried them away captive. In chapter 7, God says, "When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria; for they commit falsehood..."
The Truth Concerning Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nature Essentials That We May Know Him
Gordon C. Olson
103 The truth about
The Nature of God • • • • •
"I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God" (Is. 45:5). "Thus says the high and exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy, 11 dwell on a high and holy place"' (is. 57:15). "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come" (Re. 4:8). "God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1Jn. 4:16, 8). "God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all" (1Jn. 1:5).
The foundation of all knowledge and experience of God is the acceptance of all the evidence that our minds have been confronted with in our natural observations of ourselves and our surroundings. The idea of cause and effect is deeply ingrained in every person. In every task performed we instinctively recognize that the result is the product of what we have done. We observe endless profound objects and arrangements which neither we or other beings like ourselves could possibly originate and sustain. Since we know that intricacies of design do not come about by chance, we are driven to the conclusion that there Is a Creator and Sustainer of all the profound and great things that we observe. The Bible greatly enlarges our comprehension of the great Being of God. God was under no obligation to reveal all that He has of the Divine secrets, but has done so to Inspire confidence that He is a God of intelligence and truth. By revealing His moral character and inner reactions because of sin, God Is seeking to persuade man to forsake his rebellion and experience His great loving compassion In redemption.
A Few Questions 1. Give some scriptures that show that time is an aspect of God’s experience – that God engages in a process of reasoning and sequence of decisions. Given these scriptures what is time? Is it a place or a thing that someone can be inside or outside of? Or is it a record of sequences and of the length of events? Did God create time? Why or why not? Scriptures indicating that time is an aspect of God’s experience: Is. 57:15; Psa. 102:24-27; 95:10-11; Zeph. 3:5; Zech. 1:12; Rev. 1:8 Time is a succession of thinking one thought after another and coming to a conclusion that we didn’t have at the beginning of the process. A duration is imperative to the reasoning process. Time is not a place or thing that you can be inside or outside of but rather a sequence of events. I don’t believe that God created time because God is a reasoning personality who thinks one thought after another and comes to conclusions. Therefore time has always been a part of God’s existence and was not created by God. Isai 57:15 (NASU) For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell [on] a high and holy place, And [also] with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite. Psal 102:24 (NASU) I say, "O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days, Your years are throughout all generations. 25 "Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 26 "Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. 27 "But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end. Psal 95:10 (NASU) "For forty years I loathed [that] generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. 11 "Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest." Zeph 3:5 (NASU) The Lord is righteous within her; He will do no injustice. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He does not fail. But the unjust knows no shame. Zech 1:12 (NASU) Then the angel of the Lord said, "O Lord of hosts, how long will You have
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no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant these seventy years?" Reve 1:8 (NASU) "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." 2. Why is it absolutely essential that we believe time is an aspect of God’s experience in order to believe He is able to reason along with us and have relationship with us? It is absolutely essential that we believe that time is an aspect of God’s experience in order to believe He is able to reason along with us and have relationship with us because if God did not, He would not able to reason. The very essence of reasoning is thinking one thought after another and coming to a conclusion. God must be able to do this in order to have a relationship with us as the very essence of relationship is working out things together and relating together in a friendship. 3. Give some scriptures that show God experiencing emotions of pleasure or grief according to man’s conduct. Scriptures showing God experiencing emotions of pleasure or grief according to man’s conduct are: Ge. 6:5-6; 22:12; Psa. 95:10-11; Zeph. 3:17; Lk. 15:7 Gene 22:12 (NASU) He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Psal 95:10 (NASU) "For forty years I loathed [that] generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. 11 "Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest." Gene 22:12 (NASU) He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Zeph 3:17 (NASU) "The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. Luke 15:7 (NASU) "I tell you that in the same way, there will be [more] joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. As you read these scriptures you see how God experiences a variety of emotions in response to man’s treatment of His love and blessings. 4. Are there any scriptures that show God performing specific actions at definite periods of time or in a succession of time? Scriptures showing God performing specific actions a definite instants in a succession of time: Ge. 2:3; Ex 20:11; 31:17; Dt. 2:25 Exod 20:11 (NASU) "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Gene 2:3 (NASU) Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Exod 31:17 (NASU) "It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased [from labor], and was refreshed." Deut 2:25 (NASU) `This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under the heavens, who, when they hear the report of you, will tremble and be in anguish because of you.' Because time is an aspect of God’s existence He can have new thoughts, make new decisions, perform acts of unspeakable wisdom and then look back on His work and say it is “very good”. 5. Has God ever made changes in His plans as a result of observing man’s rebellion or change of attitude
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in humility and prayer? Give some scriptural examples to back up your answer and share how this inspires you to pray. Yes, the Trinity has made changes in their plans as they have observed man’s rebellion and than a change of attitude in humiliation and prayer. Some scriptural examples are: Ex. 2:23-25; 32:7-14; De. 9:18-19; 1 Sam. 15:10-11,23,35;Jonah 3:10 Exod 20:11 (NASU) "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Gene 2:3 (NASU) Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Exod 31:17 (NASU) "It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased [from labor], and was refreshed." Deut 2:25 (NASU) `This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under the heavens, who, when they hear the report of you, will tremble and be in anguish because of you.' Exod 2:23 (NASU) Now it came about in [the course of] those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of [their] bondage rose up to God. 24 So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice [of them]. 6. From 2Kings 19:14-37 share how time is an aspect of God’s experience as He responds to the attitude of man. 7. From your understanding of the connection between God and time, how did the incarnation of Jesus bring about changes in the relationships in the Trinity? Before Jesus was incarnated to live on the earth, there was an eternal duration of past time when the members of the Trinity had perfect fellowship . Then Jesus was incarnated by the virgin birth. Then there was a period of time when the Son of Man in the power of the Holy Spirit in sacred prayer fellowship with the Father lived upon this earth. Then there was the lovely atonement of Jesus when He said “It is finished”. Then Jesus returned back to heaven – a God-man in the heavens ever to make intercession for us. 8. What is the job of the Holy Spirit in bringing forth God’s will on the earth? The Holy Spirit works to bring forth God’s will on the earth. He is the executive agent that brings to pass God’s program on earth as He communicates God’s will to man. In the O.T. He came upon certain individuals at certain times to reveal truth, guide and energize in giving spiritual gifts. In the N.T. the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit establishes man in his new intimate relationship with the glorified Christ.
Attributes of Existence The Trinity are revealed in the Bible as possessing profoundly awesome Attributes of Existence. An attribute is a description of some quality of being or character. It is a quality that is true about a person or thing. God has the following qualities because He exists:
1. Eternity of Being. God has existed forever, without beginning. Ge. 21:33; De. 33:27; Ps. 9:7; 41:13; 90:2; 93:2; 103:17; Is. 26:4; 40:28; 44:6; 48:12; Ro. 1:20; 16:26; He. 9:14; Re. 4:8. From what we see around us, we had a beginning. We were caused or brought into existence by our parents, they by theirs, and so back through the ages. After a long chain of cause and effect, we arrive back at a great First Cause. This First Cause must have self-sustaining, eternal life, so the idea of eternal
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existence springs up In our minds. The idea of an eternal First Cause also arises in our minds from our observation of the constancy of the many things and operations about us. God is eternally existent and therefore independent of our limitations. The Bible overwhelmingly establishes the Idea that time is an aspect of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience. The Bible also declares that the Being of God is without beginning or ending. God, therefore, inhabits eternity, and beyond this we cannot go in our thinking.
2. Omnipresence. God is aware of and able to act into every place in the universe instantaneously and simultaneously at all times: I Kgs. 8:22, 27; Ps. 139:7-10; Prov. 15:3; Is. 57:15; Jer. 23:24; Mt. 18:20; 28:20; Acts 17:24, 27-28; Ep. 4:6; He. 4:13. a. God is everywhere present in spiritual essence. Yet God is not identified with the objects of space. We know from our own experience and observation that we are more than the mere physical, yet to define ourselves we cannot. We act upon and assume evidences for the existence of things on every hand that we do not understand. Who understands what electricity is? Or magnetism? Why is there a magnetic north pole? Who understands how our rooms can be filled with radio waves from all over the world, and television waves, without our being In the least impaired thereby? Who understands why light and sound waves travel as they do? What proof do you have that there is a wind? Various theories exist, but who understands? To observe what something does is not the same as understanding what that something Is. Thus in our dally lives we act upon what we have evidence for, and so It must be concerning God. If we understood all about the nature of God, God would not be God. b. While the Trinity are everywhere present in the universe, their essence Is particularly concentrated or manifested In a distinct place in the universe called "Heaven," where the "throne" or rule of God is in operation: I Kgs. 8:27; Ps. 11:4; 103:19; Mt. 6:9; Jn. 14:2-3; Acts 7:55-56; II Co. 12:2-4; Re. 3:21; 4:2; 5:11-13; 20:11; 21:2, 22-23. c. The existence of God is not established by direct understanding, therefore, but by: 1) Natural evidence. Every harmonious arrangement of existence must have an adequate First Cause. 2) Observations of present Divine activity and response. There is great uniformity in sustaining and regulating greatly diverse existences, and strong reactions towards people in accordance with their voluntary attitudes and actions. 3) Spiritual consciousness. We affirm our real personalities as having a separate existence from our physical bodies, which are subject to our dominion. Death, or the termination of the mystery of life, is a reality to everyone. The Idea of the spiritual needs to be proved only when we deny our native consciousness. Thus we can visualize the spiritual essence of God as creating and dominating the physical creation. Tribes of peoples throughout the world have devised modes of religious worship seeking to gain the favor and appease the Deity that they believe exists. They struggle with great guilt and fear. Man can only fear what he visualizes as existing. His fears will be in proportion to the vividness of his persuasions. To the true Christian, the great final evidence for the existence of God is the vital consciousness of God he experiences in his conversion. (Jn. 3:3). He experiences many more evidences of God's presence along the way of life (Jn. 14:21, 23). The New Testament is filled with descriptions of vital spiritual experiences that are to take place in our consciousness1 . Spiritual experiences with God become the strongest evidence of all because we experience them directly (Ro. 8:16) in our innermost being. Vital Christian experience empowered the early church with such energy of persuasion. Overwhelmed by that reality,
1
See Section XXI on Transformation).
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opposers said: "These men who have upset the world have come here also" (Acts 17:6). In the early terrible persecutions, this overwhelming fullness of Divine persuasion enabled Christians to view the, 'lions as their friends who would soon usher them into the very presence of their Lord.’ The multitudes of antagonists who came to see Christians devoured soon found that their unbelief was being devoured instead. Dying songs of love and victory sung by martyred Christians haunted them. God’s reality enabled Christian martyrs to experience such overwhelming persuasion. Great final efforts to stamp out Christianity around 300 A.D. failed. Roman rulers then knew they had to make peace with this great spiritual army or else be conquered by them. Christianity became accepted. But sadly, the acceptability of Christianity became the beginning of deterioration. What persecution could not do, popularity did.
3. Omniscience. God has a perfect understanding of precisely the way reality is. He has a perfect perspective of reality. "His understanding is infinite (#4557, beyond measure)1 ," said the Psalmist (147:5) "There is no searching of His understanding," wrote Isaiah (40:28, ASV). Job was told of the God who is "perfect in knowledge" by his advisers (37:16). The Apostle Paul extolled the greatness of God: "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" (Ro. 11:33). John wrote that "God is greater than our heart, and knows all things" (1Jn. 3:20), with the idea that no objects of knowledge are withheld from God. "All things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to doll (Ho. 4:13). The Lord Jesus had said that the Father "sees in secret" (Mt. 6:6).2 Scriptures present considerable evidence regarding the nature of God’s knowledge of the choices that God and people will make in the future, when they have an opportunity to choose. We must study these verses closely like the Berean Christians did when the Apostle Paul taught them.(Acts 17:11). When we actually study what Scripture actually say, we often discover we have much to unlearn before we can come to conclusions that are really biblical and reasonable. Below are the main passages from which we can summarize the nature of God’s knowledge of present and future events, a. God has absolutely perfect knowledge of all that is taking place at the present time in the entire universe, extending to men's thoughts as well as actions, the disposition of every particle of matter, the action of every force, and the like: 1Kgs. 8:39; Prov. 15:3; Jer. 32:19; Eze. 11:5; Mt. 2:36-37; Jn.2:24; Acts 1:24; He. 4:13. Each Member of the Trinity continually search, investigate, or examine men's innermost beings (using the same verb in present tenses): Ro. 8:27 (the Father); Re. 2:23 (the Lord Jesus); 1Co. 2:10 (the Holy Spirit). The Trinity are often represented as having this knowledge through Their omnipresence and observation. b. The Bible reveals that God knows as a certainty a multitude of future choices, actions, and mass reactions that people will make in the future. Accordingly God forms many detailed plans of events that He purposes to bring to pass in making reconciliation for all men possible as He manages, guides, and directs world affairs. For example: 1) God knew mankind would reject and demand that Jesus be killed. Ge. 3:15; Is.53:2-3,12; Zech. 12:10; Mk. 8:31; 9:12, 31; Mt. 21:33-39, 45. The Lord Jesus would come as "the light of the world"
1
: Strong’s #4557: beyond measure; example – Judg 6:5 (NASB) For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable (4557); and they came into the land to devastate it. 2
See "Philosophical Influences In Early Church History, "at the end of section, for the development of the Idea of foreknowledge of every event in all eternity, in contrast to God’s having foreknowledge of future certainties as certainties and future possibilities as possibilities.
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The Truth Concerning God’s Nature by Gordon Olson (Jn. 8:12), as "a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners" (He. 7:26), into a world that "loved the darkness rather than the light" (Jn. 3:19). The world is energized by and under the dominion of "the evil one" (Ep. 2:2; 1Jn. 5:19), who is "the father of lies" (Jn. 8:44). The Savior would openly declare "its deeds are evil" (Jn. 7:7). He would call for such a revolutionary change that selfish rebellion would react. (Selfishness always behaves like selfishness.) Knowing this, God made His plans accordingly to accomplish His will in the midst of it. Satan would finally be utterly conquered (Lk. 10:17-18; Ro. 16:20; Re. 20:1-3, 10). God is victorious even though suffering great sorrow at the hands of evil religious and political leaders, and direct attack by Satan (Mt. 4:9; 27:20). 2) God revealed to Moses that Israel would rebel and require judgments to bring them back to repentance and forgiveness, declaring, “for I know their intent which they are developing today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.” (De. 31:16-21). Many times God had experienced Israel as "a stubborn people" (De. 9:13), and was observing "their intent" or inner attitude then, even before the blessings of the promised land (De. 31:21). Moses affirmed that they were rebellious while he was still with them, with the holy influence of his experiences with God. So Moses told Israel, “I know your rebellion and your stubbornness; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the Lord; how much more, then, after my death?” (31:27). 3) Concerning Jeremiah, the prophet (626-580 B.C.), God declared, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jer.1:5) According to His special plan and purpose, God raised up prophets to give final warning to Judah that they faced Babylonian captivity because of their sins. (Jer. 1:5,7). 4) Knowing that rebellious mankind reject truth and refuse to repent, God knows that not everybody will be converted to Christ. Those who reject Christ will become more and more determined in pursuit of selfish gratification: Mt. 24:14; 2Th. 2:3-4; 1Tim. 4:1-3; 2Tim. 3:13. The Lord Jesus was asked, “Are there just a few who are being saved?” Jesus replied, “Wholeheartedly determine to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not succeed.” (Lk. 13:23,24). “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.” (Matt 7:13). Yet God made provision for salvation for everybody. “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him (Is.53:6) because He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1Tim.2:4). Therefore, God made plans, and He is taking out "a people for His name" from all nations (Ac.15:13-14). 5) God knew salvation with some would happen. We are saved because God made it possible “according to His own purpose and grace,” made available “long ages ago” and because of “the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago.” (2Tim. 1:9-10; Tit. 1:2) 6) God knew the atonement was certain to occur. Jesus, the eternal One, “foreknown before the foundation of the world but has appeared <5319> in these <3588> last <2078> times <5550> for the sake <1223> of you. The concept of the plan of atonement through the sufferings of Christ was worked out as a possibility "-More the foundation of the world" and the creation of man (1Pe. 1:20), and resolved upon as a certainty "from the foundation of the world" (Re. 13:8, AV). The former passage may be rendered.. "Having come to be perceived beforehand, indeed before (the) foundation of (the) world," the Greek perfect tense suggesting a process of thought before the conclusion. In Re. 13:8 we have the words: 'The Lamb came to be slain from (the) foundation of (the) world," as the Authorized Version correctly renders it, again using a perfect tense. This would indicate that the sacred spiritual sufferings Of the Savior unto death in a future incarnated humanity became a certainty in the mind of God from the moment (early in history) that man sinned and made redemption necessary as a means of reconciliation, to be brought to pass in a future
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duration of time (Acts 3:18; 4:27-28). See “foreknown”(#4267) in the footnote below.1 7) It was affirmed at the Jerusalem Council that God's present program of gathering out from the world all who will respond to the Gospel, before fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies by the return of the Lord Jesus and the establishing of the millennial kingdom, was not some new Divine plan but was "known from of old": Acts 15:13-18 (ASV, 1901, also AS B). c. Many events and future plans that God has decided upon and prophesied as certain to come to pass appear to be associated with the idea of causation. Scripture reveals that God can control the human will in the absolute sense-setting aside in such acts its normal moral freedom and accountability and placing it temporarily under a law of cause and effect (as De. 2:25; Jer. 50:9; Re. 17:17). In matters of personal salvation, however, God never coerces the will but always maintains a delicate balance of moral freedom (as De. 30:19, 15-20; Is. 1:18-20; Jn. 5:40; Ro. 2:5-11; Re. 3:20). 1) Abraham's descendants would spend about 400 years in Egypt, actually becoming 430 years: Ge. 15:13-15; Ex. 12:40-41. 2) "The king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion": Ex. 3:19-20. God purposed to judge Egypt for their sins and cruel persecution of the Israelites and would harden Pharaoh's heart, or allow him to remain unpersuaded in his stubbornness, to be the occasion for these righteous judgments (Ex. 11:9-10). God finally destroyed the Egyptian army in the Red Sea by hardening the hearts of Pharaoh and the Egyptians to pursue the Israelites with great violence and determination (14:4, 5, 8, 17). God's causation extended from their minds into the physical realm, "He caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty" (14:23-25, 27). 3) Cyrus, king of Persia, was prophesied about 150 years before his great mission of making provision for the returning Jewish remnant from the 70-year captivity which God had determined upon.. Is. 44:28-45:4. God could cause him to be so named, brought into power at the desired period, and move him to make his proclamation (2Chr. 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4). 4) The 70 year Babylonian captivity was determined upon by God as judgment upon Judah for their rebellion against God's rulership: Jer. 25:11-13; 29:10-14. Jeremiah was raised up as a special prophet to warn the nation of the coming catastrophe (Jer. 1:4-10). As a last 'measure, he was instructed to publish these warnings in a book. "Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the calamity which I plan to bring on them." But God's pleadings and warnings were rejected (Jer. 36:1-7; 37:2). 5) That the Messiah would be rejected and would endure sufferings characteristic of crucifixion
1
Strong’s #4267; previously experientially knowing: Acts 26:5 since they have foreknown me for a long time previously, (having been previously acquainted with me for a long time) 2Pet 3:17 (NASB) You therefore, beloved, knowing (4267) this beforehand (4267), be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness, (You therefore, beloved, having previous experiential knowledge (4267), be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness, 1Pet 1:20 (NASB) For He was foreknown (4267) before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you He (Jesus) was previously known (4267) (by the Father & Holy Spirit) before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for your sake.
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The Truth Concerning Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nature by Gordon Olson was prophesied in Old Testament times, our Lord specifically mentioning crucifixion: Is. 52:13-53:12; Zech. 12:10; Mt. 20:17-19; Jn. 12:32-34. a) The sacred Atonement was not to consist in man's rejection, brutal treatment, and putting to death of the Savior, but in the Savior's voluntary spiritual suffering unto death in total mental realization of the dreadful sinful rebellion of mankind against the reasonable rule of a loving God. God the Father "made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf" (2Co. 5:21). The Savior must identify Himself with sinners so intimately that He is treated as if their sins were His, if the seemingly insurmountable problems of reconciliation were to be solved. He must be the great High Priest who voluntarily places the sin of mankind, not upon the head of an innocent animal, but upon Himself, with dreadful heart-broken solemnness, until it crushes out His holy and spotless life: Jn. 1:29; 6:51; 10:17-18; He. 2:9; 7:26-27;1Pe. 2:24; Mk. 15:37, 39. b) Faced with the expected certain rejection of the loving Savior when He came to earth (Jn. 7:7) and the usual stoning to get rid of Him (Jn. 10:31-33), how is God going to provide the Savior with a duration of time in the public view in which His penetrating agony over man's sin, in full consciousness, can be brought to the climax of death? God long determined to exert a causative mental preference in the minds of the rebellious leaders and the multitude so they would all manifest their tempers in demanding crucifixion rather than stoning: Mt. 27:22-23; Acts 3:18; 4:27-28. See chart and Scriptures, next page. (1) Since such victims were usually conscious for several days, this would provide the Savior with a duration of time in which He could manifest before all His agony of mind and heart because of sin, without interfering with their moral responsibility and guilt in rejecting their Messiah: Jn . 1:11; Acts 3:13-15; 5:30. (2) The "blood and water" that flowed from the Savior's side when it was pierced proved strong evidence that He died from a broken or ruptured heart and not from the crucifixion, whereas His unusual early and astonishing death as observed by the centurion (Mk . 15:39) also confirms a death from spiritual agony: Jn. 19:32-37; Mk. 15:43-45. Descriptions representing the dreadfulness of such double agony of spiritual and physical suffering, therefore, were given by inspiration in Old Testament times, particularly to Isaiah and the Psalmist David (Psalm 22). They were brought into many trying experiences to prepare them to write such solemn things. Our Lord with deepest realization foretold His crucifixion and agonized in the Garden to be delivered from that threatened violent death by stoning that would make impossible the Atonement for which He came, and was heard and delivered (He. 5:7). (f) God's knowledge of man's extreme unwillingness to respond to His overtures of reconciliation has led Him to make many detailed plans as to the course of the ages, which have been prophesied in Old and New Testaments, many of which are still future: Is. 9:6-7; Jer. 23:5-6; Dan. 2:44; 7:13-14; Mt. 24&25; Acts 1:11;1Th. 4:16-17; Re. 1:1, 7; God planned and prophesied the advent of the Savior and the accomplishment of redemption, as we have seen. He also planned the bodily return of the Lord Jesus to establish an earthly kingdom of righteousness, many details of which were prophesied in the Old Testament and much more by our Lord and the New Testament writers. God will judge nations and individuals in absolute righteousness. Their destiny will be determined upon the basis of their reactions to God's measures of mercy. The many details foretold in Revelation chapters 4 to the end will take on new meaning when they are being fulfilled, and will show God's wisdom in revealing them. The sum total of all of God's dispensations will be a grand and unending oblation to the Triune Trinity (Re. 19:1-9).
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God can prophesy these many things because He has determined to bring them to pass by His direct causation. He is "the Lord God, the Almighty' (Re. 4:8). The exact time of the return of the Lord Jesus from heaven to close the present Church age of God's great mercy does not appear to be a fixity in the Divine mind. We are in a great parenthesis which does not seem to have been prophesied in Old Testament times. The prophets were given to see the two peaks of Christ's first and second coming, without visualizing the valley of time in between. There appears to have been a great extension of this parenthesis of time in the mercy of God, over what was expected in New Testament times. See opposite T-111-6. In addition to God's long-range plans of general dispensations on earth, many plans have been made as to the existence and rulership of nations. "The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom He wishes, and sets over it the lowliest of men" (Dan. 4:17). Some prophecies of God's plans have been given (as to Daniel, 2:36-43; 7:1-7). We are to pray about God's present decisions (1Tim. 2:1-2). d. Many Bible passages, when taken in their natural meaning, appear to indicate that God has foreknowledge of future certainties as certainties and foreknowledge of future possibilities as possibilities. God brings forth His own actions in out of perfect wisdom and absolute love to perfectly manage the future consistently with His perfect will and the way in which He has designed the moral creation. Examples are: 1) God is said to have repented or regretted that man had been created, when it became manifest how stupendous and persistent man's indulgence in sinful rebellion had become: Ge. 6:3, 5-7, 12. actions of God some 33 times in the Old Testament, and can only indicate an aroused state of grief and disappointment, except in some instances where God changed His mind because of happy reactions. See T-X-8, (1),a. 2) God experienced a climax of blessing when Abraham was about to carry through God's strange command to slay his son Isaac on an altar: Ge. 22:12. 3) God was determined to wipe out the whole nation Israel after the golden calf apostasy and start a new nation through Moses, but changed His mind through the humble and reasoning intercession of Moses: Ex. 32:7-14. 4) God was waiting to see how the nation Israel reacted in humility after the golden calf crisis before determining His judgment upon them: Ex. 33:5. 5) Israel's complaining amidst blessings suddenly brought forth God's judgment, which was stayed by their humility and the prayer of Moses: Nu. 11:1-2. 6) God expected to discover from the 40-year wandering in the wilderness Israel's true heart and reactions to His loving provisions: De. 8:2. 7) God had changed His mind about driving out some of the nations of Palestine because of Israel's sin: Jud. 2:20-22; compare 3:1-5 with Ex.33:2; 34:24. God expected to find out from these nations whether Israel would be faithful and true or not, 8) God very reluctantly gave Saul to be king over His chosen people Israel, in response to their demands (1Sam. 8:6-7), and later repented or regretted His choice of Saul after Saul disobeyed:1Sam. 15:10-11, 23, 35. Saul had an impressive background and was "a choice and handsome man" (9:1-2), was anointed by the Holy Spirit for "God changed his heart" (10:6, 9-11). The natural interpretation is that if God had foreseen Saul's rebellion, He would not have chosen him to be king. Samuel's grief must have reflected God's grief (15:11).
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The Truth Concerning Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nature by Gordon Olson 9) God changed His mind and decided to add 15 years to King Hezekiah's reign over Judah, because of his humble prayer: 2Kgs. 20:1-7. 10) God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but in the process God was moved with mercies and changed His mind, staying the angel's hand from further judgment: 1Chr. 21:11-15. God had moved David to register all Israel because of needed judgment (2Sam. 24:1). Of the three means of punishment offered to him, David elected to fall under the direct judging hand of God for he felt that God was more merciful than men. 11) When King Rehoboam of Judah and the leaders humbled themselves when threatened with judgment, God changed His mind and granted them "some measure of deliverance," or modified the severity of His planned judgment: 2Chr. 12:5-8. 12) God declared through Jeremiah that He will change His purposes of judgment and blessing in accordance with man's reactions toward His dispensations: Jer. 18:5-10. 13) After Jeremiah had gone throughout Judah, warning of the coming Babylonian captivity of 70 years which God had determined to bring to pass against them for their rebellion against His loving plans (25:8-11), he was instructed by God to proclaim in the temple the possibility of God changing His purpose of judgment if they would respond in repentance, all to no avail: Jer. 26:2-7, 12-13. Jeremiah was brought to justice and threatened with death, so God had to bring about the promised judgment. 14) Joel during a previous period of judgment set forth the fact that God might be induced to repent of His pronounced judgments by sincere repentance on man's part, if in deep humility and exposure of heart: Joel 2:12-14. 15) God sent Jonah to pronounce Nineveh's destruction in 40 days, but changed His mind and spared the city when one of the greatest recorded repentance took place: Jonah 3:2, 4, 10. This is exactly what Jonah feared might happen because of God's great mercy (4:2).
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The Truth Concerning Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nature by Gordon Olson 16) Judas was chosen to be one of the twelve apostles to serve God and be a witness to the Gospel and revealed truth, which he obviously was partaking of, but rebelled and became an apostate, thus frustrating the loving plans of his Master: Acts 1:25; Mt. 10:2-4; Lk. 6:12-13; Mk. 3:14-15. The reasons why the Twelve were chosen are given. If the Lord Jesus chose to bestow extended labor of preparation upon one whom He certainly foresaw would fall of the intended mission, it would appear that an unwise and inconsistent choice was made. Judas had no authority, he merely "became a guide to those who arrested Jesus" (Acts 1:16). a) The Lord Jesus chose the Twelve from His disciples after an all night of prayer to the Father: Lk. 6:12-13. b) The threefold purpose in calling the Twelve is plainly declared: Mk. 3:14-15. c) Judas was in a state of salvation when chosen and sent forth to represent Christ: Lk. 9:1-2; Mt. 10:8 (12:25-26); 10:16, 20 (Jn. 8:44); Mk. 6:7, 12; Lk. 9:6; Jn. 13:20. d) Judas rebelled against his Master (Jn. 6:64, 70-71), joined himself to Satan (Lk. 22:3; in. 13:2, 27), and thus fell from his "ministry and apostleship" (Acts 1:17 25). e) It does not appear that the treachery of Judas was specifically prophesied in the Old Testament, nor that the Lord Jesus expected his apostasy until He perceived its development in his mind. if our Lord expected it all the time, why was He "troubled in spirit" or heart stricken at its development (Jn. 13:21)? It is obviously presented as a tragic surprise. The following are the passages involved and suggested literal translations for careful study: Jn. 6:64-"But there are some of you who are not believing. For Jesus was knowing from the beginning who they are who are not believing and who it is who would deliver Him up." "From the beginning" most likely refers to their unbelief or turning of heart, which Jesus was observing (Jn. 2:24-25). See Mt. 19:4, 8; Jn. 15:27; 16:4; Acts 11:15; 26:4; Phil. 4:15-"from the beginning" of the thing spoken of. Jn. 6:70-,'Did not I choose out for Myself you the twelve, and out of you one a devil is?" This strongly implies that he was not such originally, but became so (Lk. 22:3; Jn. 13:2, 21). Jn. 6:71-"For this one was about to be delivering Him up, one out of the twelve." Nothing is prophetic here, merely stating his purpose. Jn. 13:11-,'For He was knowing him who was delivering Him up, therefore He said, Ye are not all clean." Here was a present activity. Jn. 13:18-"Not concerning all of you am I speaking; I Myself am knowing the ones I did choose out for Myself; but thus is the Scripture fulfilled (or again illustrated): He who is eating My bread did lift up against Me his heel." Our Lord is referring back to a purely historical event in the life of David, where his counselor Ahithophel betrayed him and joined Absalom's rebellion (Ps. 41:9, see 2Sam. 15:12; 16:23), which was similar to His sad experience. Since David wrote of "my close friend, in whom I trusted," the Lord Jesus in applying this passage must have felt similarly and had trusted Judas. In Jn. 13:18 and 17:12 we have the conjunction "hina" with a verb "to fulfill, " which may be translated either "in order that might he fulfilled;' as in the case of a specific prophecy, or "so that was fulfilled" indicating a re-fulfillment or an application of an Old Testament historical situation or declaration. Jn. 17:12-,'While I was with them I Myself was keeping them in Thy name whom Thou didst give Me, and I guarded (them), and no one out of them perished (or did destroy himself), except the son of perdition, so that the Scripture was fulfilled." What Scripture
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our Lord had in mind is not known, perhaps Ps. 41:9, as above. Acts 1:16-17,20 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; "Men, brethren,, the Scripture, which the Holy Spirit did speak beforehand through David's mouth, must have been fulfilled in the case of Judas, who became a guide to those who took Jesus. For that having been numbered with (us), he was among us and did receive the allotted portion of this ministry. . . For it has been written in the Book of Psalms, 'Let his habitation become desolate and let no one dwell in it, and his office let another take."' Reference is back to Ps. 69:25, where we notice a plural pronoun used, not a singular pronoun which would be the case if this was a specific prophecy to Judas. The other reference is to Ps. 109:8, where the words, "let another take his off ice." are a part of a context extending from verse 6 to verse 19. This whole passage is a pronouncement against "adversaries from the Lord" (20). Since only one small part of this passage is referred to, it would appear that the brief quotation in Acts 1:20 is intended as an application of a previously pronounced judgment upon a typical enemy of God. Obviously, if this was a specific prophecy of Judas, the whole passage would have been referred to and not just five words. Peter's reference to the Holy Spirit speaking "through David's mouth" must relate to his lifetime inspiration in his writings (2Sam. 23:2), and not to any specific prophecy concerning Judas, as the Lord Jesus spoke of (Mk. 12:36). 17) The exact day of Christ's return does not appear to be firmly fixed as a matter of knowledge. Neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit know: Mk. 13:32; Mt. 24:36. It will occur when the Father in His authority decides that it should. (Acts 1:7), which is His supreme prerogative (Jn. 14:28; 1 Co. 11:3; Re. 1:1). a) The coming of Christ and the fulfillment of end-time prophecies of judgment and the establishment of the millennial kingdom was expected to take place during apostolic or New Testament times, but has been delayed these many centuries by the long-suffering and mercy of God: Mt. 16:27-28; 24:34; Ro. 13:11-12; Phil. 4:5; Jas. 5:8-9; 1Pe. 4:7; 1Jn. 2:18; Re. 1:1, 3; 3:1 1; 22:6, 7, 10, 12, 20. See sketch. b) The coming of Christ will be a time of great judgment upon the ungodly (Is. 61:2; Ro. 2:5; 2Th. 1:7-9). Peter confronts the scoffers with the reasons for God's loving delay (2Pe. 3:3-9). How could New Testament revelation uniformly portray the soon coming of Christ if it was fixed in the Divine mind that some 1900 years would elapse? (s) Names can be blotted out of the Book of Life, plagues can be added, and souls shut out from the Tree of Life upon certain conditions of persistent rebellion against God: Re. 3:5; 22:18-19. c) If the entire course and destiny of everyone was known to God, those who do not continue faithful unto the end would never be written in the Book of Life or have an expected part in the Tree of Life.
4. Omnipotence, or the possession of power or energy of personality without limitation, is a attribute of existence of the Trinity: Ge. 17:1; Ex. 6:1-3, 6-7; Job 33:4; Ps. 91:1; Jer. 32:17-19; Eze. 10:4-5; Joel 1:14-15 ("Almighty" used 47 times in the Old Testament); 2Co. 6:16-18; Re. 1:8; 4:8; 11:15-17; 15:2-4; 19:5-9, 14-16; 21:22. Thus the Bible inspires the concept that God is all-powerful, or possesses power or energy of personality without limitation as far as force is concerned. Nothing shall fall to be done for want of Divine energy. This, however, does not mean that there are no limitations imposed upon Divine omnipotence. God has power over His power.
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a. Natural impossibilities are limitations in the operation of Divine omnipotence. For example, God "cannot deny Himself" (2Tim. 2:13); cannot modify His attributes of existence (He. 11:6); cannot make a thing to be and not to be at the same time; cannot abolish the laws of mathematics, two and two can never equal five in any realm. b. God's nature and moral character imposes limitations. God is able to do whatever He wills (except with people), but His will is limited to doing those things which are in harmony with His wise and holy and perfect character. God cannot do things contrary to Himself. This is not a defect in Divine omnipotence but a perfection of the Divine Being. c. God's will limits His abounding energy, in that God simply has not chosen to bring to pass everything that is possible. God has not exhausted Himself in what He has purposed to bring into existence. d. God gave people the ability to limit the omnipotence of God in his sphere of life. Mankind by their rebellion against God and their obstinacy in refusing the mercy and forgiveness through the atoning death of Christ have imposed very great limitations upon God's will and happiness (2Kgs. 17:12-15; Is. 1:2-4; 63:10; Zech. 1:2-4; Mt. 23:37). God in creating moral creatures with the power of contrary choice made this a possibility. Evidently the achievement of a moral world of beings who would voluntarily choose to live intelligently was deemed of greater value than an unlimited display of omnipotence.
Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sovereignty Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sovereignty means God has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.Psal All people are accountable to His authority, responsible to do His will, and will be judged by God. God will maintain control of the direction and purpose of history. However, His will is not done in every detail. The only way to assert His total sovereignty would be to eliminate ail-disobedient moral beings from the universe, or to keep them continually under pressure of absolute control by an intruding mental causation. But to compel people to act is to eliminate the reason for their creation. The power of contrary choice establishes the moral worth of voluntary worship. When the Lord Jesus prayed, "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Mt. 6:10), He was affirming that man was limiting the will of God on earth.
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Philosophical Influences in Early Church History Speculative philosophy soon began to replace and complicate the simple understanding of the early Church on the manner of the Divine existence and of man's free will and voluntary destiny. Forgetting the warning through the Apostle Paul (Col. 2:8), mysterious concepts began to replace simple expressions of heart-felt Divine relationships. 1. Greek philosophers Socrates (470?-399 B. C.), Plato (427?-347), and Aristotle 384-322) had deified man's mind to the point of confrontation with Divine revelation. a. b. c. d.
This influenced a compromise in the essential Gospel message:1Co. 2:2. Led to a dissatisfaction with the provided spiritual contemplation of Christ: Col. 2:3. Simple demand of reconciliation confused: Acts 17:30. Dynamic of the early Church deteriorated: Acts 17:6.
2. Some early Church Fathers brought this love of human wisdom in competition with love and simple devotion to Christ: a. Justyn (the) Martyr (about 100-165 A.D.) had admired Plato before conversion, felt he led toward Christ. b. Clement of Alexandria (about 150-220 A.D.) called philosophy "a sort of preliminary discipline . . given to the Greeks." c. Origen of Alexandria (about 185-254 A.D.) is said to have written the first systematic treatise on Christian theology, about 250 A.D., greatly furthering the trend of theological speculation by introducing the allegorical method of searching for hidden mysterious meanings of Scripture. 3. Freedom of Christian worship was granted in 313 A.D. by Constantine and his co-emperor Licinius, by 380 A.D. becoming the exclusive state religion. a. b. c. d.
The unsaved now began to populate the Church. Established clergy came into prominence, with speculative theological inquisitiveness. Formality of worship commonly replaced spiritual joy and heart worship. Philosophical-theological statements began to replace simple Biblical statements of truth.
4. This restless curiosity began to tamper with the simple concept of the Trinity as living Personalities dwelling in an endless duration of time. a. Philosophical idea that God is above time rather than living in time formulated -an "eternal now," or existing in the past, pre sent, and future all at once. b. Every single action of the Trinity and all moral beings eternally known--no new accessions of knowledge, no new decisions, no new observations. c. No successions of thoughts or actions in the Divine mind. d. Resulted in the Trinity being removed from our conscious. understanding, with deadening effect upon our spiritual lives.
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Historical Considerations Greek Philosophical Fallacies Fallacy #1: God cannot be "personal" like man. If He were he would be imperfect, fickle and arbitrary like the gods in Greek mythology. Inconsistent with: • God has abilities of personality • Intellect, Will, and Emotions • God created us for personal relationship (This requires that God be personal • God created us in His image. (A personal image) • God exists in a Trinity Relationship • God is a Spiritual Being (not a robotic being, nor a static being, but a Being who actually has a will. God voluntarily does things.
Fallacy #2 The Greek idea of Perfection is something that cannot change in any way. God Is Immutable in: (In some aspects this is not a fallacy) God is immutable in: • 1. Trinity Unity • 2. In maintaining His Motive – Love • 3. Perfect Oneness of Trinity relationship (Jn.17:11,21,23) Infinite Intelligence + Perfect Love allows three Beings, that have precisely the same abilities of existence and character qualities, to exist in absolute oneness, a functioning in perfect unity (like the left hand with the right) so that it makes absolutely no difference whether you think of them as One or Three. This perfection of unity is only possible in the Trinity, Cannot occur in finite relationships. • 4. Immutable in Abilities of: a. Personality (intellect, will, emotions) b. Omnipotence c. Omnipresence d. Omniscience e. Eternal existence f. Character Qualities 1) Love 5) Truthfulness 2) Wisdom 6) Faithfulness 3) Righteousness 7) Holiness 4) Loving-kindness In other ways, God does change. He is Dynamic, Responsive, Interactive in: • The Incarnation (human body – Ph.2:5) • Changing His mind (Nachem) • If . . . Then verses • Perhaps evaluations • In Dialog (with Abraham, Moses, etc.) • Reasoning (Is. 1:18, Is.5:1-3, etc) • Responding to prayer • Observing creation
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• • • •
Sequential interaction with people Giving Conditional prophecies Making plans in light of human conditions Dt.18; Jer.18:7-10 Human Choice is truly significant • Affect God’s emotions (not impassible) • Affect God’s plans – Noah, Is., Jer, etc. • Affect God’s responses • Reality changes and God’s omniscience always remains correct • Ge. 18:20-21 tests Sodom • Ge. 22:12 tests Abraham • Ex. 16:4 tests Israel
Fallacy #3: God's knowledge can never change for that would mean that He was not always perfect. He is immutable. Therefore, God must have all knowledge timelessly. He can never learn anything. This is inconsistent with Biblical revelation: • God says, “Now I know . . .” Ge.22:12 • God tests, (Sodom, Abraham, Israel) • Conditional prophecies: • Changes (Eli, Saul, Solomon, etc.) • Change of plans – with Ninevah, • With Judas (had a throne)
Fallacy #4: God cannot be affected by the world or by anyone. He does not react, He only acts and the world reacts to Him. This is inconsistent with Biblical revelation: • Every book in the Bible presents God as being interactive, reacting, planning • Eph. 1 – “God chose us . . .” • Jn. 3:16 – “God gave His only begotten Son... • His initiatives do not express that He is a dependent, incomplete God, but that He is a loving, reponsible God toward a creation that needs Him. These Biblical revelations tell us clearly – God is not an "unmoved mover.”
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Fallacy #5: a. God has absolute control of everything that happens in order to be God and sovereign. Even evil is an instrument that God used to shape a more perfect reality and future. This is inconsistent with Biblical revelation: • Sovereignty is Supreme Authority, not meticulous control • Sovereignty is disobeyed • People truly guilty • Will be judged, punished • Evil is not the will of God • Matt 13:19"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil [one] comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. • Luke 6:45 "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil out of the evil [treasure] brings forth what is evil; • Roma 1:30 (NASB) slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, • Is. 59:15 “was displeasing . . .” • Mt. 23:37 • Jr. 29:11 • Ro.3:8 some accuse of saying), "Let us do evil that good may come"? Their condemnation is just. • Ro.12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. • Ro.16:19 I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil. b. The world was understood as a system of universal relations that imply an eternal, immutable order. It was the idea that God’s will is an absolute Divine order that in perfect wisdom, deals with chaos brought about by rebellion and its consequences • Ro.11:33,34
Fallacy #6: God is not knowable. Knowing God would limit Him. This is inconsistent with Biblical revelation: • Ga.4:9 “Now that you have come to know God” • Jn.17:3 • Ph. 3:10 • 1Jn.4:2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; • 2Jn.1:7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ [as] coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
Fallacy #7: God is an eternal now. This is inconsistent with Biblical revelation: God is not timeless – an eternal now.
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He acts He interacts He reasons He has changes of emotions He makes new decisions He tests people He intervenes Is.59:16 And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him; And His righteous-ness upheld Him.
Fallacy #8: God is good because he has to be by nature. He does not choose to be good. This is inconsistent with Biblical revelation: Gordon Olson writes: • “The idea that the great Godhead chooses to live according to absolute virtuous love and intelligence is one of the most profound revelations of the Bible, involving the two great expressions: God is love and God is light. “If the Godhead live like this because of some fixities in Their personalities, causing them to love, then the exciting distinction between His existence and His moral character seems to be lost. “A moral attribute (love) must come from choice to have any meaning. God made a choice to love the world and provide for the salvation of all men after man's rebellion. This was a voluntary act in history (Jn. 3:16-17). “Love for us is the same as it is for God. Therefore, We are to imitate God's voluntary choice and walk in love!” (Ep. 5:1-2).” – Comment by Gordon Olson Some says the scriptures referring to the passions of God as anthropomorphisms used because of human weakness and cannot be taken literally. If the Scripture does not mean God was grieved, what does it mean? It would mean nothing. So it must mean what it says. Some say, “God always knew what he would do, so He could not have repented.” But scriptures says about 30 times when God repented. If God did not repent, what do these scriptures really mean? They would mean nothing. So they must mean what they say – God turned away from what He was going to do and did something else instead. Here is just one example of a church teacher who believed God really did have emotions. Lactantius, a Latin writer argued that God is able to experience emotions, anger, joy, benevolence or pity. If you remove these, you remove any genuine relationship with God. To those who described God as perfectly impassible (emotionless) and at rest, Lactantius replied that to be perfectly at rest is to be dead. He seemed to grasp the conflict of God's personhood with the Hellenistic concepts of God's transcendent immutability and impassibility. Here is another example: The Cappadocians did not express the Greek ideas. They said God can be entirely different from the creature, without being distant. The Creator is to be actively related to the Creature. In salvation history the activity of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit is the essence of God. Gregory claimed that an eternal now is inactive, whereas his God keeps things moving. This understanding displayed God as involved with time and as a relational being. They proclaimed that God experiences relationships both internally (within the Trinity) and externally (with man). This concept was a tremendous break with Hellenic thought.
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Fallacy #9: God is unknowable, for to know Him is to define Him and to define Him is to limit Him. • Is it a good thing for God to be entirely without any limitations? Would you not want God to have some limitations? – Limited only to love (selfishness is ruled out), limited only to righteousness (God never sins), limited only to intelligent action (never does anything stupid), as a few examples. Some good examples in regard to the following expressions • The great Princeton theologian, Charles Hodge said that God has feelings, because the Bible says so. He rejects the traditional attempts to explain love as the causation or existence of happiness. Rather God as a personal being experiences genuine emotions as the Bible ascribes, joy, pity, and anger to God. He said we have to choose between mere philosophical speculation and the clear testimony of the Bible. • Millard Erickson, a contemporary Baptist theologian also concurs with the argument that there is no God beyond the God of the Bible and that the traditional understanding of immutability must be reformed. • Moderate Views of God Moderate theology stands between the classical theism of the conservatives and the radical revisions of the progressives. It represents a new movement toward the direction of an open God. Though there are some who would vary in different points, the general agreement is that God enters into genuine give-and-take relationships with His creatures and is resourceful, creative, and omni competent rather than all determining and immutable.. • James Oliver Buswell, Jr. rejected the ideas of divine timelessness, immutability, impassibility and God as pure act. He says, "We should shake off the static ideology which has come into Christian theology from non-Biblical sources." Nicholas Wolterstorf and Stephen Davis have given serious philosophical attention to divine temporality and possibility.
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These evangelicals break with those who cannot see God as doing anything conditioned by man (for example forgiveness on the condition of repentance, a withholding of judgment based on intercessory prayer, or salvation as a response to God's grace) or as a reaction to something in creation. This is significant because some think this would deny that God is Sovereign. It does not do that. What it does do is declare that God, in His Sovereignty is willing to respond to the human heart, and He enters into genuine responsive relationships. God is faithful. In His faithful love toward people, He can and at times does change His mind. (This is not an arbitrary act or a thoughtless change of will, but a response to repentance, obedience or conditions met through intercessory prayer. God may also withhold an intended blessing or position of authority such as in the case of King Saul due to his disobedience. Bj) God may genuinely repent as the Bible repeatedly says. Evangelicals especially think of prayer in this regard. Richard Foster described prayer as genuine dialogue with God. Foster stated, "We have been taught that everything in the universe is already set, and so things cannot be changed. And if things cannot be changed, why pray? . . . It is a Greek philosophical idea that demands a closed universe. It is not Biblical revelation . . . In fact, the Bible stresses so forcefully the privilege we have to make a difference â&#x20AC;Ś it speaks of God . . . changing His mind in accord with His unchanging loveâ&#x20AC;ŚWe are working with God to change the future!" Echoing similar sentiments, Donald Bloesch wrote that through prayer "God makes Himself responsive to the requests of His children. God's divine love does not force His will on His creatures. Instead, according to Gabriel Fackre, God makes himself vulnerable by taking the risk of being rejected. A growing number of evangelicals such as Phillip Yancey, Gilbert Bilezikian, Greg Boyd, John Boykin, Harry Boer, and others make room for genuine divine responsiveness. Several notable Catholic and traditional theologians also see the need for under-standing God on more relational terms. Terence Fretheim demonstrates the openness of God from biblical texts. Thomas Torrance speaks of the "openness of God" to his creatures. Drawing heavily on the church fathers, Thomas Oden says that God has a name, enters into history, has emotions, responds to us and takes new initiatives. Theologians such as Jurgen Moltmann and Wolfhart Pannenberg see God's actions in the incarnation of Jesus as paramount for understanding the essence of God. Jesus reveals that God is involved in history and willing to be vulnerable and even suffer because of us and on our behalf. God acts in history and involves Himself in genuine relations with humans in time. Robert Jenson criticizes the biblical-classical (Greek) synthesis and replaces it with a dynamic trinitarianism. The theologies of Emil Brunner, Hendrikus Berkhof, Thomas Finger, Eberhard Jungel, Adrio Konig, Colin Gunton and C.S. Lewis manifest a movement back toward a more biblical understanding of God as personal and essentially relational. Catholic theologians, Catherine LaCugna and Elizabeth Johnson are sensitive to the classical traditions but evince a truly relational and responsive Trinitarian God. Finally contemporary philosophers of religion, Richard Swineburne, J.R. Lucas, Peter Geach, Richard Purtill and Keith Ward defend the openness of God. God is not a passive, unresponsive pillar around which we move. God makes covenants with humanity and so that humans become significant partners in bringing forth the kingdom of God. Much material drawn from Historical Considerations, The Openness of God Chapter 2
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Greek Philosophical Fallacies by John Sanders Edited with notes added by Barbara Johnson, 2002 Reflections added by Larry Allen, 2006
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Endnotes 1. 2. A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K. L. M. N. O. P. Q. R. S. T. U.
V.
W.
X.
Smith, George, Atheism: The Case Against God, p. 47. Those verses containing the divine â&#x20AC;&#x153;ifâ&#x20AC;?. Mt 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Mt 18:19 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it {1} shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven. {1) Greek: "shall become"} Mt 18:35 So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts. Joh 7:17 If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself. Joh 8:31 Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples; Joh 8:51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my word, he shall never see death. Joh 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will the Father honor. Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you. Ge 18:26 And Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake. Ge 18:28 peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five. Ge 18:30 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. Ex 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be mine own possession {1} from among all peoples: for all the earth is mine: {1) Or "above"} Lv.26:3-4 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; then I will give your rains in their season Lv.26:14-16 "If you will not listen to me and obey all these commands, if you reject my laws, then this is what I will do to you: I will terrorize you with disease and fever. Dt.11:26-27 Today I'm giving you the choice of a blessing or a curse. You'll be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God Dt.28:9 You will be the LORD'S holy people, as he promised you with an oath. He will do this if you obey the commands of the LORD your God 1Sa 12:15 But if you don't obey the LORD, if you rebel against what he says, then the LORD will be against you as he was against your ancestors. 1Ki 3:14 And if you follow me and obey my laws and commands as your father David did, then I will also give you a long life." 1Ki 9:4 "If you will be faithful to me as your father David was (with a sincere and upright heart), do everything I command, and keep my laws and rules, 2Ki 21:8 "I will never again make Israel's feet wander from the land that I gave to their ancestors if they will obey all the commands and all the Teachings that my servant Moses gave them." 1Ch 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Jehovah searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. 2Ch 7:14 if my people, {1} who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. {1) Hebrew: "upon whom my name is called"} Ne 1:9 but if ye return unto me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen, to cause my name to dwell there. Ps 14:2 Jehovah looked down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there were any that did {1} understand, That did seek after God. {1) Or "deal wisely"}
126 Y. Z. AA. BB.
CC. DD. EE.
FF. GG.
HH.
II.
JJ. KK.
LL.
MM.
NN. OO. PP. QQ. RR. SS. TT.
UU. VV. WW.
Endnotes Ps 66:18 If I {1} regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord {2} will not hear: {1) Or "had regarded" 2) Or "would"} Isa 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: Isa 1:20 but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it. Jer 3:25-4:2 We must lie down in our shame and be covered by our disgrace. Ever since we were young, we and our ancestors have sinned against the LORD our God. We haven't obeyed the LORD our God. The LORD declares, "If you come back, Israel, if you come back to me, if you take your disgusting idols out of my sight and you don't wander away from me, if you take the oath, ‘as the LORD lives...' in an honest, fair, and right way, then the nations will be blessed, and they will be honored by me." Jer 12:17 But suppose they don't listen. Then I will uproot that nation and destroy it," declares the LORD. Jer 15:19 This is what the LORD says: If you will return, I will take you back. If you will speak what is worthwhile and not what is worthless, you will stand in my presence. The people will return to you, but you will not return to them. Jer 17:27 But you must listen to me and observe the day of worship as a holy day by not carrying anything through the gates of Jerusalem on the day of worship. If you don't do this, I will set its gates on fire. The fire will burn down the palaces in Jerusalem, and you won't be able to put it out." Jer 18:8 But suppose the nation that I threatened turns away from doing wrong. Then I will change my plans about the disaster I planned to do to it. Jer 26:4-6 The LORD added, "Also say to them, ‘This is what the LORD says: Suppose you don't listen to me and don't follow my teachings that I set in front of you. Suppose you don't listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent to you again and again, even though you didn't listen. Then I will do to this temple what I did to Shiloh. I will turn this city into something that will be cursed by all the nations on earth.'" Jer 38:21-22 "But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the LORD has shown me. All the women who are left in the palace of Judah's king will be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon. These women will say: ‘Your trusted friends have misled you and used you. Your feet are stuck in the mud, and your friends have deserted you.'" Ezekiel 18:5-9 ""Suppose a righteous person does what is fair and right. . . . He refuses to do evil things, and he judges everyone fairly. He lives by my rules and obeys my laws faithfully. This person is righteous. He will certainly live," declares the Almighty LORD." Eze 18:21 But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Eze 33:14-15 "I may warn the wicked person that he will certainly die. But suppose he turns from his sin and does what is fair and right. He returns the security for a loan, pays back everything he stole, lives by the rules of life, and does nothing evil. Then he will certainly live. He will not die." Zec 3:7 "This is what the LORD of Armies says: If you live according to my ways and follow my requirements, you will govern my temple and watch over my courtyards. Then I will give you free access to walk among those standing here. Mal 2:2 If you won't listen and if you won't consider giving honor to my name," says the LORD of Armies, "then I'll send a curse on you, and I'll curse the blessings you give. Yes, I've already cursed them because you don't carefully consider this. Mal 3:10 "Bring one-tenth of your income into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way," says the LORD of Armies. "See if I won't open the windows of heaven for you and flood you with blessings. Ro 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Ro 10:9 Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Ro 11:22 Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 1Co 8:3 But if anyone has love for God, God has knowledge of him. 1Co.15:2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you---unless you believed in vain. Col 1:22-23 He has now, in His human body, reconciled to God by His death, to bring you, holy and faultless and irreproachable, into His presence; if, indeed, you are still firmly holding to faith as your foundation, without ever shifting from your hope that rests on the Good News that you have heard, which has been proclaimed in the whole creation under Heaven, and in which I Paul have been appointed to serve. 2Ti 2:12 if we endure, we shall also reign with him: if we shall deny him, he also will deny us: Heb 3:6 but Christ as a son, over {1} his house; whose house are we, if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end. {1) That is God's house; See Nu 12:7} 1Jo 2:3 And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
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3. Those passages most often used to teach the immutability of God's essence and attributes. A. B. C. D.
E. F. G. H.
I.
Exo. 3:14-And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, `I AM has sent me to you.'" Num. 23:19-"God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Psa. 90:2-Before the mountains were born or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God. Psa. 102:25-27-Of old Thou didst found the earth; and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. Even they will perish, but Thou dost endure; and all of them will wear out like a garment; like clothing Thou wilt change them, and they will be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years will not come to an end. Mal. 3:6-For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. Rom. 1:22-23-Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. I Tim. 1:17-Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Heb. 1:10-12-And, "Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thy hands; they will perish, but Thou remainest; and they all will become old as a garment, and as a mantle Thou wilt roll them up; as a garment they will also be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years will not come to an end" James 1:17-Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.
Those passages most often used to teach the immutability of God's knowledge and decree. A. B. C. D. E. F. G.
Num. 23:19-(Quoted in above section) I Sam. 15:29-"And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind." Job 23:13-"But He is unique and who can turn Him? And what His soul desires, that He does. Job 42:2-"I know that Thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted. Psa. 33:11-The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation. Psa. 110:4-The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, "Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." Psa. 119:89-91-Forever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness continues throughout all generations; thou didst establish the earth, and it stands. They stand this day according to Thine ordinances, for all things are Thy servants. H. Psa.147:5-Great is our Lord, and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite. I. Prov. 19:21-Many are the plans in a man's heart, but the counsel of the Lord, it will stand. J. Isa. 14:24-The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, "Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand." K. Isa. 43:13-"Even from eternity I am He; and there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?" L. Isa. 46:8-11-"Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressors. Remember the former things long past, For I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, "My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure; Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it." M. Mal. 3:6-"For I the Lord do not change; therefore, you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed." N. Luke 21:33-"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." O. Rom. 9:11-"for though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose according to His choice might stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls." P. Rom. 9:18-"So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires." Q. Rom. 11:29-"For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." R. Eph. 1:11-"Also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will" S. Heb. 4:13-"And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." T. Heb. 6:17-18-"In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us." U. Jas. 1:17-"Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow."
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Endnotes
3.
See Does God Repent?, p. ________ of this notebook.
4.
Dt.22:35
5.
See Does God Repent?, p. ______ of this notebook.
6.
Ezk. 6:9.
7.
Ge.6:5,6.
8.
Genesis 6:3, 5-7
9.
cf. Rem B. Edwards, "The Pagan Dogma of the Absolute Unchangeableness of God", Religious Studies 14 (1978) Sept. pp 305-313.
10.
J. Pelikan, The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1971) pp 22, 52, 198, 229-231.
11.
Republic II pp. 380-381.