Westminster Confession

Bible Study

 

Chapter 3 God’s Eternal Decrees

 

By: Moses Flores

 

 

 

 

Having considered the character and nature of God as He exists in Himself, we come now to consider the works of God, in particular what theology knows as the “decrees” of God.  A decree is generally defined as “an order having the force of law” or a “foreordaining will”.  Usually we understand this as when a king, or ruler, would issue a decree across the land for some particular thing.  But having considered the nature and character of God, we must understand that we are not talking about mere human decrees.  Rather, we are talking about the decrees of the Almighty God Himself!

This subject is not taken into consideration in much of contemporary Christian thought and when it usually is, people often come out denying the existence of the one true God.  This will be explained later. 

To begin with, we will briefly look at a modern position concerning the decrees of God which is known as “process theology” or “Open Theism”. 

            Process thought owes it origin to a philosopher by the name of Alfred N. Whitehead.  According to Whitehead, process is an essential attribute of God which allows God to interact in and with temporal processes (e.g. creation).  Thus, in this view God is not completely eternal, nor immutable, but is also temporal and changing.  In a sense, God is not; rather, He is becoming.  Some contemporary authors have recently posited this view, even within evangelical circles, as a viable answer to the philosophical “problem of evil.”  

            Clark H. Pinnock, one of the authors of “The Openness of God” said this about the Open Theist view:

 

“God, in grace, grants humans significant freedom to cooperate with or work against God’s will for their lives, and he enters into dynamic, give-and-take relationships with us.  The Christian life involves a genuine interaction between God and human beings.  We respond to God’s gracious initiatives and God responds to our responses…and on it goes.  God takes risks in this give-and-take relationship, yet he is endlessly resourceful and competent in working toward his ultimate goals.  Sometimes God alone decides how to accomplish these goals.  On other occasions, God works with human decisions, adapting his own plans to fit the changing situation.  God does not control everything that happens.  Rather, he is open to receiving input from his creatures.  In loving dialogue, God invites us to participate with him to bring the future into being.[1]”

           

            Essentially, what these theologians are asserting is that God has no “eternal plan” that He is currently running.  Rather, God has a general goal of where He would like His creation to head toward, but due to their freedom, He must work along side with them rather than through and in them. 

            This study will focus heavily on the relationship between the sovereignty of God, as explained in chapter 2 of the Westminster Confession and the creation, especially the human will. 

 

The Decrees of God

 

            Does God have all of creation planned out or is he just letting it be and reacting to it?  This is certainly an important question and one that Scripture is very explicit about.  That is to say, we are not left in the dark concerning the answer to this.  Generally, Evangelicals admit that God has had a plan from all eternity.  As Reformed Christians, we express our understanding through this statement:

 

“From all eternity and by the completely wise and holy purpose of His own will, God has freely and unchangeably ordained whatever happens.” (WCF 3.1)

 

            What this means to say is that anything that happens in all of creation – natural events, moral events, good things, bad things, even salvation – happen because God has willed for them or allowed them to happen according to his eternal purposes and most holy and wise counsel. 

            The implications that this has for our understanding of “free will” will be dealt with later in this section of the study.  The question before us now, is whether or not this is so.

            Therefore we appeal to the Scriptures to find out whether or not God is the one who has decreed whatsoever comes to pass or not.  To begin with, let us recall the story of Joseph in Genesis. 

            Joseph was severely mistreated by his brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt.  He went through several trials and successes there before becoming the second in command of all Egypt.  Eventually, Joseph was reconciled to his brothers and family.  In one of his statements concerning their reconciliation, Joseph says,

 

“Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?  But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Gen. 50:19-20)

 

            Here, Joseph reveals something that most people don’t see when they read this text.  Most people read it and only see that something good came out of something that seemed bad.  But most people don’t bother to ask how something good comes from something that is bad.  Even more, people don’t catch the implication that God was the one who ordained all the events in Joseph’s life – from the assault of his brothers to his setup with Potiphar, even to his rise to success – were all ordained by God.

            Now, what would have been the understanding of all these events if Human Freedom was what ultimately determined the outcome of all these events?  Imagine reading the text of Scripture about Joseph as something like this:

 

It just so happened that Joseph was given a coat by his father…and it just so happened that Joseph had a dream in which his brothers bowed down to him…and it just so happened that his brothers hated him for that…and it just so happened that as his brothers were about to leave Joseph for dead that a caravan was passing by…and it just so happened that Potiphar liked Joseph…etc…and it just so happened that everything worked out in the end.

 

            Obviously, such an understanding of Scripture would be terribly absurd to say the least.  But the Scripture does not read that way, obviously.  It is clear that all that happened to Joseph happened according to the will of God.

            The significance of this is that God is just sitting at a distance from His creation and watching go its own way in its own freedom from Him.  Rather, God is directing the course of all things according to His predetermined will according to His infinite wisdom.

            This Scripture in Genesis is not the only text that brings out this truth.  Scripture is filled with explicit and even strongly implicit references of God sovereignly directing the course of the heavens and the earth.  For instance, in Psalm 33:11 we read,

 

“The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

He makes the plans of the people of no effect.

The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

the plans of his heart to all generations.”

 

            Here, the Psalmist is contrasting the plans of men with the plans of God.  In particular, the Psalmist shows that the plans of nation may indeed fail, or even change.  Men may plan to do thing a certain way, but in the end their plans can be foiled (eg. Gen. 11:1-9; cf. Prov. 19:21; 16:9).  But the plans of the LORD, as they are determined, are everlasting; they are to “all generations”. 

            Prophecy is a compelling evidence that God indeed has had a plan from well before events have taken place.  In Isaiah 37:26-27 the prophet says for God,

 

“Did  you not hear long ago how I made it, from ancient times that I formed it?  Now I have brought it to pass that you should be for crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins, therefore the inhabitants had little power; they were dismayed and confounded…”

 

            Here, this prophecy is against Sennacherib, king of Assyria.  He had boasted that his military might is what gave him his success.  The prophet declares to him that it was because God had ordained that he should be used of God as an instrument of God’s justice that he was successful at all!  Sennacherib had reached the height of arrogance and boasted against the LORD, but Isaiah reveals that only because God had ordained to use him for such purposes was he able to overtake many cities with military might.

            Isaiah is filled with references like this and even statements that suggest that God’s directing of all thing prove that He is truly the one true God.  For instance, in Isaiah 43:10-13 we read

 

“’You are My witnesses’, says the LORD

‘And My servant whom I have chosen,

That you may know and believe Me,

And understand that I am He.

Before Me there was no God formed,

Nor shall there be after Me.

I, even I, am the LORD,

And besides Me there is no savior.

I have declared and saved,

I have proclaimed,

And there was no foreign god among you;

Therefore you are My witnesses,’

Says the LORD, ‘that I am God.

Indeed before the day was, I am He;

And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;

I work, and who will reverse it?’”

 

            Likewise in Isaiah 48:5 we read,

 

“Even from the beginning I have declared it to you;

Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you,

Lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them,

And my carved image and my molded image

Have commanded them’”

 

            A further element that comes out in the Scriptures is that not only have these decrees been issued and prove that God is not merely responding to creation at given moments in time, but that these decrees are immutable.  Isaiah 46:8-11 brings this out:

 

“Remember this, and show yourselves men;

Recall to mind, O you transgressors.

Remember the former things of old,

For I am God and there is no other;

I am God, and there is none like Me,

Declaring the end from the beginning,

And from ancient times things that are not yet done,

Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,

And I will do all My pleasure.’

Calling a bird of prey from the east,

The man who executes My counsel, from a far country,

Indeed I have spoken it;

I will also bring it to pass.

I have purposed it;

I will also do it.”

 

            Were God to purpose something and not do it, it would show that God is not perfect in knowledge for some contingency might have arisen that would have caused God to change his plans. 

            The New Testament also reveals that God is certainly directing all things according to the purpose of His eternal will.  Ephesians 1:11 reveals that Christians have an inheritance in Christ because we have been “predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”  William Hendriksen commented on this verse saying,

 

“Neither fate nor human merit determine our destiny.  The benevolent purpose – that we should be holy and faultless (verse 4), sons of God (verse 5), destined to glorify him forever (verse 6, cf. verses 12 and 14) – is fixed, being part of a larger, universe-embracing plan.  Not only did God make this plan that includes absolutely all things that ever take place in heaven, on earth and in hell; past, present and even the future, pertaining to both believers and unbelievers, to angels and devils, to physical as well as spiritual energies and units of existence both large and small; he also wholly carries it out.  His providence in time is as comprehensive as is his decree from eternity.  Literally Paul states that God works (operates with his divine energy in) all things.  The same word also occurs in verses 19 and 20, which refer to the working (energetic operation) of the infinite might of the Father of glory, which he wrought (energetically exerted) in Christ when he raised him from the dead.  Hence, nothing can upset the elect’s future glory.[2]”

 

            The assurance of salvation for Christians rests upon the eternal decrees of God to infallibly save those whom He has chosen to save.  That salvation has always been within the eternal mind of God is also made clear in I Corinthians 2:7 which speaks of the Gospel, as secret and hidden wisdom of God “which God decreed before the ages for our glory.”  2 Timothy 1:9 also states that the grace we have been given by God for salvation is a grace that was given to us “not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began”

 

Conclusion

 

            Very clearly, God has an eternal plan which He works out in time.  This plan comprehends “all things” (Eph. 1:11) for there is no way in which God could bring about the “big things” if He were not also in charge of the details.  God’s plans are so extensive that we cannot rule His will out of human life and death (cf. Deut. 32:39; Isa. 45:4-7), even – as we shall see, salvation and reprobation (WCF 3.3).  To deny that God has decrees is to deny the true God.  For the one true God certainly has the right to as He wills with His creation, indeed He must do with his creation has He wills.

            There are several things that we need to take away from this particular portion of study.  First, that God certainly has a plan.  He is not, as Open Theism suggests, reacting to creation as it unfolds and is open to change along with creation.  God most definitely has a plan and is acting it out.  Second, that this plan is eternal.  That is, time did not come into being first and then God formulated an entire plan based on events in time.  For instance, it has been posited by some that God created and then the fall happened.  After the fall, God conceived of His plan of salvation and has been running it ever since.  The Scriptures are clear that before time began, God had already formulated a plan according to the wisdom of His own Trinitarian counsel.  Third, what this means for Christians is that we can engage the world knowing that all things that happen are under the complete and utter direction of our Sovereign Lord.  There is nothing that is free from His control at all.  He is LORD.  Hence, when we are faced with evil or tragedy and calamity, we can have the confidence to know that none of it can be looked as in hindsight with the phrase “it just so happened” in mind.  Rather, we can look at all things and know that though the world might mean evil against us, God intends it for good.